It was another wet beginning.
It's funny what I notice sitting on the bike at a stoplight.
- 40F/4C and light rain for the ride to work.
- 54F/12C and some thin cloud cover for the home ride.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Keys
Yes, I rode to work today.
It was another wet beginning.
It's funny what I notice sitting on the bike at a stoplight.
I bet whoever dropped these keys isn't going to think it's funny when it is discovered they are missing.
By the afternoon the sun was shining and it had warmed up. This business has apparently closed. Every time I see a business close up I hope it isn't because the owner had to.
Kitty-corner from the Midas location is Slyman Bros and Sons. We recently bought a washer and dryer from them. We wanted to keep our business in the neighborhood. The other day I was talking to the person who does some maintenance around the condo. He asked me if we needed any new appliances. I told him we didn't. He said if we ever did he knew where we should buy them from, and then he told me this story. His refrigerator had stopped working. He and his wife assumed they needed a new one. They went to Slyman Bros. The owner waited on them. He asked them about their old unit. After a few questions he told them he'd be happy to sell them a new refrigerator, but he wasn't sure they needed one. He gave them a number of a person who repairs appliances and suggested they have him take a look at it. And, he added, if they did need a new refrigerator when they came back he'd subtract whatever the service call had cost them from the sale price. It turned out they didn't need a new refrigerator. The malady was minor and the fix was inexpensive. Needless to say, the person who told me this story is never going to buy an appliance from anyone as long as Slyman Bros is in business, and if he has his way no one he knows will either. There is something so very very right about this.
It was another wet beginning.
It's funny what I notice sitting on the bike at a stoplight.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Repairing appliances instead of buying a new one, what an interesting concept, and a shop who actually "rejects" potential buyers by sending them to a repair shop.
ReplyDeleteIf Slyman Bros were in my area I would buy from them, too!
Gads. That's happened to me now and then, but it's very rare. Business owners are not always rewarded for this honesty and integrity, so it's a gamble for him.
DeleteGreat customer service builds brand loyalty. It's something so simple yet lost on so many in this world today.
ReplyDeleteYes, in the drive for cheap brand loyalty has often got lost.
DeleteThat is the kind of customer service that will keep them in business for years and years. It is the way I wish all local business were run.
ReplyDeleteThey'll been in business since 1965 and appear to be doing well. I really hope they are. It was a real pleasure to buy from them.
DeleteNice story Keith. I hope they stay in business a nice long time. Odds are stacked against them by Wall Mart and the entire Chinese economy that is building disposable everything.
ReplyDeleteYes, it would seem the odds are against them which is very sad. I know people who complain about how quality has gone to hell and then base their buying decisions solely on price. It is difficult for me to have sympathy for them when they get what they pay for.
Delete