How's this for good, old-fashioned service?

18 years ago

My wool cutter for rug hooking stopped working. It's a simple, hand-cranked device that worked beautifully for me for years. But when I tried to use it the other night I couldn't make it cut no matter what I did.

I haven't used it in ten years, so maybe it developed some rust or something. My unit is old.....I inherited from my Aunt Peggy, who first introduced me to rug hooking when I was a child. I didn't want to buy a new oneÂfirst of all because they cost $150 and secondly because I want to continue using Peggy's. So yesterday afternoon I called the manufacturer.

The person who answered told me to send it to them. The man (he didn't sound young) said he'd receive it in the morning, fix it ("there's none I can't fix"), and UPS it back to me in the afternoon with a bill. "How much?" I asked. He said it will cost $7.50 to fix it, plus whatever parts I might need.

That's good old-fashioned service!

Susan

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Comments (18)

lindyluwho
18 years ago
Wow! That is great service. So glad you can get it fixed. Nowadays you can't get much of anything fixed you just have to replace it with something else that is not well made and won't last.

Linda
gadgets
18 years ago
I need to hear a story like yours now and then, just to remind me that it IS possible. I'm glad it's working out for you. And that company/person deserves applause.

Shirley
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bestlawn
18 years ago
Sounds great, and I wish he worked for Comcast. I've had technicians out here 3 times. My phone still cuts conversation off.
Happy_Go_Lucky_Gayle
18 years ago
I got the surprise of my life when I broke a string in the push up shade in the Motorhome. On the bottem of the shade was the company name and phone number. I called to ask if I could replace the shade. "Oh no just mail it to us we will restring it at no cost, it has a life time guarantee".

I was dumb founded. How cool is that?

Gayle
alisande
Original Author
18 years ago
Very cool, Gayle! Too bad stories like ours are so unusual.
jannie
18 years ago
I love an honest tradesman. I hired a local handyman. He repaired my front door for free, because it was so easy for him. He wouldn't take money. He called it a Christmas gift because it was in December.
earthlydelights
18 years ago
i love hearing these types of stories. too many times anymore you call a company and after 5 minutes of press 1, press 2, press 3, etc., you get someone that either you don't 'understand or could care less about your problem.

good customer service - a dying art. the world should be made up of good customer service.

maryanne
redcurls
18 years ago
I loved hearing these stories. I only wish the names of those fine businesses had been mentioned. I'd like to know...if it's allowed here......
alisande
Original Author
18 years ago
I'm sure it's allowed. The manufacturer of the wool cutter is the Harry M. Fraser Co.
joyfulguy
18 years ago
I'll bet that they were smaller, home-town type of organizations, also.

They're the ones more likely to give considerate service.

Big outfits are run by bean counters. Service costs too much.

And the big guys eat, or crowd out, the little guys.

ole joyful
lynn_d
18 years ago
What a wonderful thread to read! As long as there are a few companies like this out there, there is hope!
Marcia Thornley
18 years ago
Our BBQ blew over in a storm and the handle on the lid was broken. I emailed the manufacturer to see how much a new handle would cost and where I could buy it. They sent me back a reply asking for my addresss so they could ship my part. I paid nothing for it! I was so impressed. I emailed them back and told them they had made a customer for life!
Usually when there's a problem with a product it's 10 phone calls, speaking with 15 different people, with no results. It's a real pleasure to get good service!
brenda_in_tx
18 years ago
That is a great story.

I have to say that the few times I've had to send a camera and a lens back to Nikon, the turnaround time has been amazing. A few years back, I was shooting pics at our church's Easter picnic and the camera just stopped working. I shipped it to California (from Texas) on a Monday and it was back in my hands, fixed, the next week, and I had the same experience with one of my digital SLR lenses - it wouldn't auto focus, so I shipped it back and it was repaired and back to me the next week, and since I'd filled out the warranty card when I purchased it, even though the lens was over 3 years old, it was still under warranty - all I paid was the shipping out there - they shipped it back at their cost. A good friend of mine who is in his 70's and has always used Nikons, sent one back last year that he'd had for several years. I don't know what was wrong with it, but they fixed it and sent it back and didn't charge him anything - said it was because he'd always been a loyal Nikon customer.
sandy_in_ia
18 years ago
Last summer we gave Zachary's parents one of our 'old' digital cameras....the previous one we had given them died..as it should have from age! LOL This one was a Canon Elf. When we were at their house before Christmas, she mentioned that the screen did not display while taking pics...it displayed the pic when you went into preview tho. I told her to send it in and if the price was decent, I would pay for it. So she did. She wrote a couple of weeks later that Canon told her that it could not be fixed as it was too old. BUT...they sent her a much newer refurbished one!!! She was thrilled as I was.

And yes, I wrote them and thanked them!! I LOVE good customer service!!!
chessey24
18 years ago
We had a party one time and someone sat a can of OFF on our dining room table. When I discovered it and picked it up, it had leaked and left a can-sized ring of disolved finish on the table. Johnson and Johnson paid for someone to come to my house and refinish the table. I was very impressed.
marygailv
18 years ago
Whoa there, Chessey, since the company that manufactures "OFF" sends me a nice retirement check every month, let's get the name straight, it's a different company entirely. It's Johnson Wax, not Johnson & Johnson.
Happy_Go_Lucky_Gayle
18 years ago
One of the advantages to living in a small town. We often hear "no charge, it was easy". Not many business's pay for advertisement. We know companies by reputation. If you give a customer bad service its all over town like water on a Duck's feet. (I think I just made that up. But, it is visual.)

When someone says "no charge" we usually hand them a tip and say "then take the wife to dinner".

Gayle
mcmann
18 years ago
How reassuring to read that good customer service still exists. My son mailed a broken pair of Ray Ban sunglasses back and they sent him a new pair and only charged him the $7.50 for shipping. And of course Cross pens still carry their lifetime warranty. Over the years we've had several pens either serviced or replaced by Cross. My refrigerator is now 20 years old and Sub Zero mailed me a new handle when I called to find out if I could purchase a replacement for the one my son broke.

And we've also been lucky with some of the smaller, home town businesses that we frequent at our vacation home. Ole joyful is right about that.

How's this for good, old-fashioned service?

Comments (18)

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