If You Don't Call Me, I Don't Eat

Background Story

Came home from being out of town for several days - the house was about 60 degrees so I cranked up the heat a bit...about an hour later as the temp was approaching 68 we started smelling smoke. Smoke alarms blared and I headed for the garage. There was smoke coming out of our gas furnace (not a good combination). I killed the power at the breaker and grabbed the fire extinguisher. Luckily, I didn't need to use it.

The Call

I called a local guy - I've seen his van in the neighborhood. Keep in mind it is Sunday at 8 or so and there were only about 4 minutes left in the Seahawks vs. Rams NFC West "Championship" game (a blog post in and of itself, but I digress). He answered the phone and here is the exchange.

ME: Hi Mike, sorry to bother you so late on a Sunday and during the game

MIKE: Why are you sorry? If you don't call me, I don't eat.

Now, he hasn't serviced the furnace yet, but he's off to a great start. This is, in my opinion, the epitome of what it means to serve a customer. I'll let you know how it turns out.

UPDATE

Well, not only did Mike pay a visit to fix the furnace (which ended up being a capacitor) he made me his first stop of the day. I had one of two problems, a bad blower motor ($500+) to fix or a capacitor ($10.50 plus labor). It ended up being the latter. He said, if the blower ends up going within 30 days give me a call and I'll replace it and pro-rate the labor. He says he doesn't like to double dip and wants to be fair to me. I'd say he was fair.

If you need furnace or water heater work in the Olympia area, give Mike a call at Gas Works Inc. (360) 456-8845

UPDATE 2

I arrived home from work at about 5:30 tonight and I was walking through the door the phone rang. It was Mike wanting to make sure everything was working OK and we were satisfied. Thanked us again. Do you really think I will call anyone else if my furnace or water heater breaks? Here's a tip - Be Like Mike!

UPDATE 3

The blower does indeed "blow".

Well actually it stopped blowing and started smoking again. So I called Mike and guess what...it's fixed...3 hours later. CALL THIS GUY!

Brands I Love Series - Nisqually Cleaners

OK, let's not kid ourselves - if you are going to run into me out in the real world chances are "business casual" is not going to be part of my equation, a suit and tie - even less likely. So I guess that all adds up to one thing, I am not a "regular" at the dry cleaners. I don't wear a ton of clothes that need a lot of TLC...BUT! and I mean BUT! I do have a place...

This place is not far from my house, and even though I only go there 3 times a year or so, they know me and they take care of me like I visit them every week.

Here's an example.

I show up after like 4 months of not being around and drop off 6 shirts and 4 pairs of dress slacks and the first thing the lady says to me is "Hello Mr. Forth, do you want your shirts lightly starched?" I am so stunned all I can do is manage to nod...I fumble to myself as I exit...

Even better - my wife drops off a similar batch, she gives our last name and the lady says to her, "Mr. Forth likes lightly starched shirts?"

My wife - God bless her - answers, "I guess so..."

What's to learn?

Simple. Pay attention to what your customers want...even those that don't visit all that often. They will appreciate the recognition and attention to detail.

I am now looking for opportunities to get more clothes cleaned at Nisqually Cleaners, a brand I love. Learn more

Brands I Love Series - El Gaucho

Bring a couple of hundred bucks with you if you are going, but don't worry you won't regret it. It's not the kind of place I go often, twice a year (my wife and my birthday) is about it. That's not to say we don't love it, we do. My guess is every night and every occasion is made more special for all those customers dining at El Gaucho.

The big wooden door on Pacific Avenue in downtown Tacoma serves as a passage back to another time where service and excellence are the standard. They focus is on providing a quality dining experience for the customer. They serve the finest food, best wines, and top it off with table-side preparation of salads and deserts that enhance the dining experience.

There are a lot of reasons I love this restaurant (brand), but here are a few points:

1. They are consistent - from the quality of ingredients to the level of service from each staff member they are spot on - no let downs
2. They take care of the little things - from picking you up at your hotel to holding leftovers in their fridge until your show is over for later pick up, they make it happen
3. Dining at El Gaucho is an experience you want to share. Our conversation always ends up focusing on who we know we'd love to take to El Gaucho

We don't get there often, but when we do we savor every moment. When our dinner and dessert are done we depart and begin the process of looking forward to the next time we can visit.

Going to El Gaucho is probably one of the lowest stress dining experiences you can have. While it is definitely not the least expensive option, the time and overall experience of service and quality bring more than their fair share of value.

Note: I will be focusing in the coming few weeks on different experiences with brands that I truly admire. It will be interesting to see what common characteristics will exist across all of them. I welcome your feedback and insight as the conversation develops.