It's About How You Say It

I went to pick my kids up from daycare today as I normally do.  There was a bill invoice attached to one of their folders to let me know how much was owed.  When I open the invoice, I was not surprised by the total of $929.  What shocked me was the handwritten message on the invoice which read "A payment must be made today. Thanks."  I grabbed my girls and walked out the front door.  I put them in the truck, turned the radio station to Disney and walked back in the building.  I wrote a check for $279 to cover at least one week of daycare and some field trip fees.  The owner looked at me and stated, "I hope you didn't take that message the wrong way.  I was discussing your bill with --- this morning when she printed the invoices out.  I guess --- took it upon herself to add the handwritten part."  I looked at her and said, "no problem.  I understand this is not a free service and payment must be made."  What I didn't say to her was how pissed I truly was at the situation.  It's not the fact that you needed to remind us to make a payment.  It's the way the message was conveyed that got under my skin.