Customer Service Lessons from Grandpa
In the late 1990s, my grandfather, Gilbert Ellis, was living with my Aunt Maureen and Uncle Dale. They had decided to have a large garage/shed installed, so Grandpa and my uncle would have a workshop. They had the shed assembled and engaged a local electrical company to run electricity to the workshop.
Uncle Dale had to run some errands on the day that the company was going to perform the work, so Grandpa waited for the electricians. They did not show up. A week or so later, Grandpa was home and the men showed up to run the electricty. About half way though the job, the electricians realized that they did not have a part.
Grandpa and Grandma Ellis, Aunt Maureen and Mom from the 1980s.
The electricians told Grandpa that they would be back after lunch to finish the job. Grandpa had planned to go to the casino that afternoon but he wanted the workshop operational, so he told them to get the part and come back. The electricians never returned.
On the day that the company returned, Grandpa wanted to let them know how unhappy he was with their service but Uncle Dale did not want Grandpa too.
Uncle Dale lived in a rural area of Jefferson County and told Grandpa, “Dad, you are used to things in St. Louis. It’s a different lifestyle out here. People don’t mind waiting.”
Grandpa was not satisfied but he was supposed to pay for the job, so he just bided his time. After a couple hours, my uncle came back to get Grandpa. He told Uncle Dale, “Now, I am going to talk to those guys.”
Grandpa addressed the foreman and said, “The first time that you guys were supposed to come out here, you didn’t. And I waited up here all day for you. The second time you came out here, you forgot a part. I changed my plans, so you could finish the job but you didn’t come back and you didn’t call me.”
He summed up by saying, “So since you made me wait, you are going to get to wait. You send me a bill. I’ll send you a check.” He turned to my uncle and said, “It’s a different lifestyle out here, Dale. They don’t mind waiting.”
Grandpa Ellis from the 1990s
This story is pure Grandpa and one of my favorite from the latter part of his life. He was in his early 80s but still as mentally sharp as he had always been.
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