On Going Extinct

There are some things that get old and are replaced with something better, newer, and more efficient. And then there are some things that fade away, become extinct, and are replaced with something newer, but not better. I am talking about old fashioned service.

Case Study #1 : Our four year old Kenmore Range was having some bad days as one of the big elements was not heating consistently. We took it apart and determined that a receptacle had burnt out and the connection was not firm enough to work well anymore. The stove is on a 5 year parts warranty so I ordered a new part. But, you see there is always a catch, is there not? I cannot get free replacement parts unless a technician comes out to inspect the stove. If indeed the parts are broken or defective, they will be free but his time and trip out will not be, in fact for a few dollars more, we could simply buy a new stove. The only way around this is to purchase the parts plus pay an exorbitant shipping fee. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth regarding Sears. I may buy next major appliance elsewhere.

Case Study #2 A few days ago, I got a call from the customer we decorated for last week. She informed me that I had "missed a spot". I dropped what I was doing and drove the 24 Km. round trip to take care of it. There was a small section of wall about 11 inches by 25 inches that needed attention, and I did that in about 3 minutes, and I did it with a smile because I guarantee my work. She was quite amazed and and then asked if I could give her a quote on doing some more work for her. I did and by the time I left had a another contract for about $3000.00 worth of work. How do we get repeat customers? How do you spell service?

I may be a dinosaur and will soon be extinct, but I must say that the old fashioned way of doing some things will never be replaced.