The benefit of keeping it local

[Amy in Vermont]

Since I bought my house 6.5 years ago, I have bought my oil and had my furnace serviced by a small, local vendor.

This year, I chose not to use a budget plan for pre-paying for my oil. The choice had to be made by mid-July, and I felt that given the volatility of oil prices, my best deal was to put the same amount of money aside in an interest bearing account, and pay the going rate for oil when delivered, taking advantage of a 2% discount for cash payment.

The company will continue to keep me on automatic delivery so I never run out of oil, as long as I keep paid up.

I called them last week to make an appointment to get the furnace serviced. When you call, a really nice lady answers the phone, yells across the office to the business's owner, Tom who oicks up the phone and talks to you about what you need and when they can do it. We made an appointment for next Thurday afternoon.

This morning I woke up to a coldish house. No heat, no hot water. I tried the reset switch, no luck. I called the company's emergency line. Ten minutes later, Tom himself returned my call. Within 30 minutes, he was on my doorstep. He performed some wizardry and I now have heat. NO CHARGE. No charge for the boss man fixing it at 8:30 on a Sunday morning.

Now THAT is customer service. And that is the benefit of doing business locally. They will have my business as long as I live here.

[Bat]

That is the cornerstone of small town business...and why they should always be supported whenever possible. That's the way ALL business should be run in America, large or small...they forget that.

[DaveM]

I quite agree. My fuel oil and furnace service is provided by a local dealer who delivers the lowest price every time and gives a discount for cash. I have the furnace cleaned and inspected every year as it is at least 50 years old (burner has been updated for increased efficiency). His service guy cleans and inspects the entire thing and assures me each year that that furnace will easily last my lifetime.

One year, the service guy was out of town for an extended period and the dealer suggested that I call another company (a franchise operation which is also nearby) which offered to do the job at the same price. They sent a guy who spent an hour trying to sell me a new furnace, left the basement in a mess, AND didn't do the job properly as I discovered a couple of months later when all the soot he'd pushed down the flue instead of removing it as he should have clogged and burned out a $175 control. I still had the original receipt, and so called the place, delivered one heck of a lecture, and got a speedy visit from the same service guy who once again attempted to sell me a new furnace but did the cleaning properly for free, mainly I suspect because I was standing over him the whole time. He also gave me a "discount" on the burned-out part, which didn't make me too happy as it wouldn't have burned out if the guy had done his job properly in the first place.

Since then I have waited until the local guy is back from his vacation.

[JoanM]

I can't agree more. Heat here on the island is mostly electric (with some propane). We're all electric so no choice with the fuel but our heat pump support comes from a small family-owned business that knows how to take care of customers. Whenever we can we support the small, locally-owned stores and businesses. Unfortunately when B&N came on the island both small independent book stores closed but the library has a great used-book store run by friends of the library. John McCutcheon has a great song called "Closing the Bookstore Down" which deals with the issue of local owned businesses and what is happening to them. You can download it free from his website (http://www.folkmusic.com/f_mp3.htm) there are also some other good songs on this link too.
Joan

[Randy & Betty in Pa]

Joan, Joan, Joan....

I'm so sorry... Suzzzz hunted down some hotel info for you in the chapel Hill area and gave it to me and with all the fiascos that we've gone through over the past weekish I have misplaced it.... My bad... I do know that Suzzzz and you will hit it off as do all rudies in strange environments even when the hotels are not being evacuated.... I hope you all can find time to get together for coffee or dinner before the show.... She had a place I think less then 10 minutes from the venue for about $94.00 I think but also said their were other places closer.... I will keep looking for my notes on this.... In anycase have a wonderful time at the show... Betty and I will miss you at the Yankee concerts here in Jersey, Pa. and New Hampshire...

Stay well and best to you and yours

R.

[hoops]

we have a local fuel company, but it was bought out by one of the "big guys" ...what we do have is a dad who was a teacher for 35 years and a favorite teacher at that. he gets calls all the time for old students telling how much he means to them and how he changed their lives. many of these students also happen to be repair people. now dad used to fix it himself, unless it was electrical, but now that he is in his late 70's he is enjoying the fact that he can call an old student when something breaks down, a furnace, a water pump, a car...etc, and have someone at his house within and hour and usually for nothing, or at most at the cost of parts. i see my siblings ( all teachers too ) having similar futures, thank goodness.
peace
hoops