‘I’ ON CULTURE
Having recently presented the idea of today’s service as half empty, I will try to compensate by mentioning some wonderful assists given by people. One of the best things about living in the western communities is the nice people who are around to help you. When people take the time to make certain things go right, a day can turn from thunderclouds to rainbows.
I had a difficult time with my computer printer months ago. No one could quite figure out why half the time nothing would print, forcing me to go through many complicated steps in the operating system to get anything done. I went into the Office Depot at Southern Blvd. and State Road 7, ready to complain, but I met J.R., who found out that I had a warranty for my printer. By the next day, I had a new printer that worked every time, and it had cost me about $15 after using the warranty, although I did buy a new warranty for the new addition.
He’s one of their top-notch tech experts and, like the others there, makes life so much simpler and easier. He also reminded me to tell everyone that, yes, the warranties are very helpful, not simply another way for the store to make money. And everything at that location seems to be great. Everyone there is ready to give advice, and they are pretty knowledgeable.
For more complicated problems, I turn to Brian at FixMyPCStore.com. He takes his time to get things right. Even better, he gives out his private phone number so you can get him when everything turns bad. A couple of times over the years, I used him when I was desperate about getting this column out and dealing with the constantly new intricacies of some programs, which were baffling. He, and his company, are definitely worth the price. Thanks to them, I’ve managed to ward off a whole lot of malware and viruses. And when I stroll in their place on Okeechobee Blvd. just west of State Road 7, they often make suggestions that are not only free, but actually work.
Going to a phone company these days takes on a terribly complicated and often long process when shifting from one provider to another. We were suffering from making a wrong choice: another company promised great service and lower prices, but lied about both. Thankfully, Chantal and Anthony at the AT&T store on State Road 7 just south of Southern Blvd. took the time to make certain that first, we got these wonderfully complex phones set up correctly, and then that we paid a far better price than we would at their competitor’s place. They actually took the time to deal with us! No rushing, no hassles.
People like these are the counterpoints to systems that slow down service. There are times that you want things rushed, but also times when you prefer to take it slow and actually get things done right. You can get bagels at a lot of places, but Everything Bagel near Walmart not only has really good food, but two great ladies working the counter, Hang and Ana. They know most of the customers and, while amusing them with their chatter, get the treats exactly right. And the bagels, which, after all, are a key element, are large, tasty and come with plenty of cream cheese.
My wife reminds me that Susanna at Dunkin’ Donuts on Okeechobee Blvd. feeds her own dog biscuits to all the puppies in the drive-through. Nice touch.
My favorite government people (and probably the only ones that I regularly deal with) are the wonderful people at the library. Kids might run through, and people ask questions that vary between the difficult and the ridiculous, and somehow the women there keep their tempers and stay cool in just about every circumstance.
Of course, there are dozens of other people who make our day by being helpful. But how many of them do we thank? That is a real problem these days. Everyone is ready to file a complaint, but, if we get good service, how often are those who provide it thanked? Do business owners know how often people return because of regular small acts of kindness and assistance? Mostly, of course, they do not. So when someone does something nice for you at a store or at an office, thank them. It can really make their day!
