The Customer is Always....

Right. Right? Yesterday, was pretty much a wasted day. I was barely able to get any work done and my Tuesday thrift time was cut short by our appointment at the car dealership. 

After our car was serviced a couple of weeks ago, we started getting panicked calls from Walter's MB saying we were over our mileage on our lease. With a year still to go we were looking at a huge balloon payment for over mileage when we turn it in. We better get down there and figure something out. Stat. 

So much to my dismay, because I HATE car dealers, we had a 10:00am appointment at the dealer to discuss our problem. I was already in a bad mood walking in because last time we were there we waited over thirty minutes for our service appointment and I wasn't about to do it again. 

We arrived five minutes early and just like in the past the person we were supposed to meet wasn't even there yet. So, we waited. Nobody offered us water or coffee. Nobody apologized and made small talk, they were too busy yucking it up with each other in the otherwise empty dealership.

 Five minutes. Ten minutes. Fifteen minutes. By now I am steamed. It's just rude that somebody who wants my business would be this late. At the twenty minute mark, I told Brian we were out of there.

 He said to give him a minute and he called the new dealer near the airport, Fletcher Jones. Now we always had great service from the Fletcher Jones dealership in Newport Beach when we lived in Orange County so I was happy to hear that they had opened one up near us. They would be happy to see us. So right as we were getting ready to leave, the guy we were supposed to meet with finally showed up, nearly thirty minutes late. I did get the satisfaction of saying we were leaving and going to Fletcher Jones in front of everybody standing around.

So we went to Fletcher Jones and it was like night and day. The dealership is beautiful. We were offered water, coffee, and snacks several times before our appointment. And you know what? It was right on time. They signed us up for their airport shuttle and free car wash even though we hadn't leased our car from there. 

And here's the kicker, once we sat down with the leasing manager and he inspected the car- we aren't even over our mileage! It was just a sales ploy by Walter's to try to sell us something new. He explained our lease options very clearly. Introduced us to all the people who would be helping us when our lease was up and even took time to bring out their service manager who inspected a part on the outside of the car that is showing wear. 

It was a 100% positive, first class experience all the way around. They gained a customer for life, while Walter's lost one. In this economy you don't want to lose even one customer, especially loyal MB owners. After, my lease is up I will re-lease a new MB. I already know what I want and who I will be leasing it from. Fletcher Jones made the decision easy.

So after all that, we didn't get home until 3:30 and my work day was essentially ruined. All because of a misleading series of phone calls and frantic emails from Walter's. Thanks Walter's!

I was able to make a quick stop at one thrift store and I picked up some sweet little platters I though would be great for Easter and Thanksgiving.

I hadn't planned for my post today to be about the experience at the dealer but it really got me thinking. I deal with customers all day long and I go out of my way to make them feel important to me. Because they are. They pay my bills. If they have something to say, I better listen, or I don't eat. I always think of a quote from Henry Ford- innovator and businessman.

It is not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only handle the money. It is the customer who pays the wages.
Henry Ford

So even if you don't deal with customers, think today- how can you make someones life easier, better? Maybe it's doing a small errand for a co-worker or neighbor. Dropping a note to a friend who needs encouragement, or all of the above. Let's go out and show Walter's customer service is still alive and well-  in whatever form you choose. 

Have a wonderful day!

-Tricia