A woman stopped by, unannounced, at her son's house. She knocked on the door then immediately walked in. She was shocked to see her daughter-in-law lying on the couch, totally naked. Soft music was playing, and the aroma of perfume filled the room.

"What are you doing?!" she asked.

"I'm waiting for Mike to come home from work," the daughter-in-law answered.

"But you're naked!" the mother-in-law exclaimed.

"This is my love dress," the daughter-in-law explained.

"Love dress? But you're naked!"

"Mike loves me and wants me to wear this dress," she explained." It excites him to no end. Every time he sees me in this dress, he instantly becomes romantic and ravages me for hours on end. He can't get enough of me".

The mother-in-law left.

Is it any wonder that Radio Shack is on the auction block? They abandoned the core business model that they built their success on; they charge way too much for just about everything; and customer service doesn't even include the usual insincere apologies anymore. Let me explain:

Their core business model included radios and tiny little specialty electronics parts that you really can't buy anywhere anymore, including Radio Shack. And, for just one example, you can buy 500 feet of coaxial cable at Lowe's for what 50 feet will cost you at Radio Shack. But that's not the kind of stupidity that get's me fired up enough to blog about my experiences at a company. No, it's piss poor customer service that gets me pissed off enough to write these days. This is my story:

I recently purchased an HTC Sprint Evo, and I knew they'd be in demand, so I did some homework the day before release to determine my best course of action on the morning of the release. I visited several stores, including my local Radio Shack. I learned who had how many in stock, and who was offering the best rebates. At the end of the day I decided that my local Radio Shack would be the best place to make that purchase. I was told that they had two in stock that would be available "first come, first served"; I knew they opened at 9am; and I knew I could get there early enough to get one. And so I did. Almost.

When I first started reporting on my Customer Service experiences, I promised that I would try to recognize both the good and the bad. And while it's been overwhelmingly easy to remember and report on the bad; the good has been considerably less notable, if not completely forgettable. That's not to say that I haven't had good service at other places that I've failed to mention, because I most certainly have; it's just that very few of them are so memorable that I'm inclined to come home and write about it. And that's what is so important about Mystique. They are WINNERS in a big way, and I want to tell everyone far and wide about my experiences there.

What follows was previously published on my other site, Travel Tips and Tricks. It's being republished here in it's entirety as it's as much a story of Customer Service as it is a must see destination:

Mystique Dining
1410 S. Entertainment Ave.
Boise, ID 83709
(208) 375 2141

Whether you are looking for a great meal, a fabulous evening out, or perhaps a way to celebrate a special occasion in or around the Boise, ID area, look no further than Mystique Dining. We've celebrated two different special occasions at Mystique, and have also recently enjoyed a third evening out at Mystique Dining. It's certainly my daughters favorite place to celebrate all of her special occasions. Dare we ask how she might want to celebrate just about anything, Mystique Dining is going to be her answer.

Your evening at Mystique will begin with an expertly prepared five-course meal consisting of an appetizer, salad, palate cleanser, entree and desert. My tastes are pretty simple, so I've ordered the Prime Rib on each of my visits. But as I look around the table at the meals of other guests, and sample the plates that my more adventerous wife has ordered, all of the menu choices are quite excellent. Oh, and the cheese cake? Well, I've never really been a fan of cheese cake; but I must say that I enjoyed it completely on each of my visits. It's just that good.

While it's hard enough to make a single choice from their most excellent menu, choosing your magician is a more daunting task. They're all excellent, and you'll be forced to choose just one of them for your special evening.