“So, do you have the floor plan and the guidelines that I sent you last week?”

The Interior Designer shakes her head. “Sorry, there’s something wrong with our email system.”

I sigh. “Actually, I texted it to you too. It’s ok, I brought another copy along with me.”

I pull out the floor plan and we start talking. It’s obvious that she has given this zero thought before our meeting.

I know where this discussion is going. She asks about “what we want” in the living room (even though I gave her that information a week ago). When we ask her about how to best make use of the kitchen space, she looks at us blankly.

She insists that all future meetings should be held in her office, because “sorry, it’s company policy we cannot meet outside until we sign contract.”

10 minutes into the ...