Thursday, December 25, 2008

Good Craftmanship


I graduated from high school in 1956. I immediately took a job with The Dowzer Electric Company in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. I made about $1.00 an hour. My Uncle John A. Kirk was the company attorney and he put in a good word for me.


One of my first acts shortly after taking that job was to buy some tools. My boss and all the fellow workers told me to go to Sears Roebuck, now it is just Sears, and buy Craftsman Tools because they were the best tools available.


I protested because they were also pretty expensive and I had not begun to get paid yet so I was looking for a deal. But, my fellow workers prevailed when they said, "You will get a lifetime guarantee from Sears. If any of your tools ever break or stop working just take them back and get a new tool in return.


Last week I took two of my socket wrenches back to Sears because they were no longer in working condition. I walked in and said, "In 1956 I bought a set of Craftsman Tools and two of them are frozen up so badly they will not work."


The man said, "Sure, no problem. Let me see them."


I attempted to show him the problem but he just wanted to know what size they were so he could get the correct replacement. He quickly found two replacements and took my 56 models away with a wave and a brief "Thanks for stopping in".


Now that is service with a smile.


Would your local church offer that kind of service? Does God?


What think ye?


Gary Sweeten

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

if only Singapore shops had service like this!....hmm if Singapore shops ever had good service like this, I think Jesus would have returned..:D

Gary Sweeten said...

Good point Timothy. My IBM laptop broke while in S'pore and I took it to the "Authorized IBM Repair Shop". I went back a week later to retrieve it and it was in the same shape. I protested but was rebuffed with "No, lah. It don't work."

Maybe we need to ask and expect better service. Start in the churches and schools and let it flow downward.

Best wishes for 2009.