Tying up loose ends

For someone who didn’t do any Christmas shopping, I sure spent a lot of time returning and exchanging today!  I’m musing about customer service and thought I’d work through the highs and lows of the day by sharing it with you.

The last of my family left today.  That meant that my car was all mine again and stores were actually open.  I managed to lug everything that needed to be attended to in one trip, but for some reason, no one else dared to share the elevator with me.

My first stop was the Garage, where I was returning for the 3rd time to repair the repair that had been done just in time for the arrival of my family and the consequent many trips around southern Ontario for family gatherings and a son’s wedding.  (My car was in good working order, but sounded terrible and was driving me bonkers.)  As I made the circuitous trip across town again, I was contemplating finding a new mechanic somewhere in my neighbourhood.

The outcome?  A creative solution was found, the work was done at their usual not too harried pace while I organized my day over a Tim Horton’s cup of tea, and there was no charge.  As I drove away listening to the restored purr of my aging ride, I decided to give this inconvenient garage another chance.

Next on my list was Rona, the bank and Home Outfitters, mercifully all in the same plaza.  The line-up at the bank was long, but the greeter called me out of line and took care of depositing my USD cheque in mere minutes!

I only had $4.50 worth of unneeded rehearsal dinner decorations to return at HO, which they did quickly, without a smirk.

The wrong colour caulking I wanted to return to Rona was purchased by my handyman son-in-law on his credit card, alas, a different brand than the one I use, so I was quickly and cheerfully given a store credit to use in the future.

Next stop was Winners, where I was returning a too heavy for my aging wrists blow dryer, a gift from my already on their way back to Seattle daughter and husband.  A bit wiser from my Rona experience, I mustered up my courage.  I wanted to come away with cash, so I could purchase a blow dryer somewhere else.  I had the receipt; the receipt promised a return by Jan 8th, so I adamantly pressed my case… and won.

Cash in hand, I headed to Cdn Tire to return a caulking gun that wasn’t needed after all, with the hopes of finding a blow dryer.  Both were easily taken care of within the next 20 minutes (but not before I confirmed their return policy).

Next stop was Goodwill, where I was finally able to deposit the boxes of donations from my son’s move on Dec 23rd.  The frozen but cheerful young man who hauled the boxes from my trunk was a bonus.  With energy to spare, I decided to see what manner of skirts I could purchase in their store for my March trip to Africa.  After trying on at least 15, I left a half an hour later with 2 skirts and 10 teaspoons for Welcome Home (where do they all disappear to?), for a total of $13.50.

Being in a generous mood, when the Party Store couldn’t refund my purchase of 3 pkgs of serviettes++, which had inadvertently stayed behind when we traveled to Whitby for the wedding week (it’s a longgg story), I handed them over to the hesitant clerk to re-stock.  My recent experience with the Dollar Store, which has a no returns policy, had taught me that it was costly to lug something back home, too.

I was so frustrated with the clerk at the Party Store that a bag of chocolate-covered almonds sounded really good.  Instead, this opportunity to recall the grace I experienced during my many stops today has helped me end the day well satisfied.