Weed Eater Woes (Part Two) - Highway 157 Hardware, Cullman

 In Part One, I told you about the problems getting our Sears Craftsman C3 replaced and how difficult it is to do business with Sears.  Today, I want to back up in time and discuss our other weed eater, the Stihl FS-35.  With it, I discovered the difficulties of keeping a two-cycle engine running using ethanol gasoline.  Every season, it needed a carburetor kit before it would even begin to think about starting. 

Ethanol is yet another one of those things that our congress has done for us, that we didn’t need.  Corn should never be mixed with fuel.  It was just another opportunity for a ton of taxpayer money to be exchanged between our politicians and corporations.  All the while putting additional burden and expense on us.  I finally learned that purchasing a fuel stabilizer helps with the problem but is certainly not a permanent fix.  That would come through “Term Limits” which the American public hasn’t embraced yet.  Fixing Washing would correct a tremendous number of our troubles, but I digress.

This year, like the last three, I needed the Stihl to be worked on.  Since we were working in Cullman so much, I decided to use a local merchant there for the repairs.  157 hardware was close, so I took it along with my son’s Ryobi weed eater that we had borrowed to help us get ahead for the season.  They kept them both for about two weeks and called to say they were ready for pickup.

As my wife pulled in on a Saturday morning, she noticed a Sheriff’s deputy car parked out front.  She went to the counter, they pulled the ticket, and said the charge was $85.00.  She paid the bill, and then the guy said, “I hope they’re here, we had a burglary last night”!  He went to the back and returned with the Ryobi but not the Stihl.  Obviously, the thieves know a good weed eater when they see one. 

 So now, we’re out $85.00 plus a weed eater.  I suppose the correct amount would be $70.00 since that’s the amount charged for the stolen one.

This all took place on April 5^Th, 2014.  I made several calls and went by the store several times to check on the situation.  I called the sheriff's department and gave them the serial number, which the deputy said would be put into the national database.  I stopped by the store again in early July and was told the thief had been caught in Mississippi with over $300,000.00 of stolen equipment and my weed eater would be returned soon.  With my patience wearing thin, I stopped by again, the first week in August and spoke to the owner, Mr. Harris.  He said the insurance agent had been slow to get back with him, but should have everything handled the following Monday.  This was on Saturday, so I gave him my home number along with a cell number if necessary.  I’m still waiting for a call.

Just like with Sears, it truly boggles the mind to think that a business would treat it’s customers in such a callous, uncaring manner.   As a customer, I will not be taken for granted.  You cannot be mean, ignorant, or uncaring and expect me to give you more money!  You also shouldn’t expect me to remain quiet and not tell others what happened.  

Businesses like Sears Roebuck and 157 Hardware are good examples of what’s wrong with our economy.  They need to remember who allows them to stay in business, the customer.  If you’re willing to sell a product, have enough faith in it, to have a easy return/repair policy.  If you discover a defective product, replace it immediately.  If you lose a customer’s merchandise, replace it.  Above all, be nice.  Most of the employees I talked to about my weed eaters just wanted me to go away!  Treat your customers like that and they will!

The following quotes are from a Forbes article, “40 Eye-Opening Customer Service Quotes”. 

Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. ~ Bill Gates

The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best but legendary. ~ Sam Walton

Customers don’t expect you to be perfect. They do expect you to fix things when they go wrong. ~ Donald Porter

A customer is the most important visitor on our premises, he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Sept 6, 2014 Update...   Went by 157 Hardware today to check on the insurance progress.  They said everything had been settled and presented me with a brand new Tanaka string trimmer.  I had never heard of the brand but in reading internet reviews they seem to be well made and the reviews were good.  I've already burned a tank of gasoline with it and it handled the worst I could throw at it.  I'm impressed!  Thanks go to Johnny at 157 Hardware in Cullman, Alabama.