Are you one of those people who switches from brand to brand, grabbing whatever is the cheapest? Maybe you are like me and stick to the same item with a lapdog-type loyalty. What about your commitment to where you shop for various goods and services? If you have a consistently good experience or witness consistently high-quality customer service, are you willing to focus less on prices? Over the years, I believe that I have decided that I am willing to pay a bit more to ensure that I will get a product or service that minimizes the grumbling and negativity in my life. I feel looking out for what has served me well in the past will tend to increase my chances for future satisfaction.I have noted that from time to time my mind will start to think about the potential savings of going to the usual "big box" stores. Each time all it takes to cure me is a single trip to Walmart to convince me why I am willing to pay more. Many will already know exactly what I am talking about without even getting into details. However, for me, I am very uncomfortable around large groups of people, and Walmart is not a place to go if you want some quiet and solitude (if you catch my drift).
Today's post was really borne not so much out of my opinions and experiences while grocery shopping, but more from the standpoint of service providers. Those of you who own your own homes, know how much anxiety arises when some problem with your refrigerator, freezer, furnace, air conditioning, foundation, roof, etc., makes itself known. Even with our cars, things seem to come up fairly regularly. All of these problems are typically associated with unexpected costs that are not necessarily part of our household budgets. In times like these I find it a great blessing when I can work with service companies that are honest, have integrity, are knowledgeable, dependable, and are ultimately accountable for their work. They can give us peace of mind in an experience that might otherwise result in a nightmare where we spend huge amounts of money unnecessarily, and walk away feeling cheated, taken advantage of, and bitter.
Finding a company like this that consistently displays these attributes makes me much more comfortable giving them my business for the smaller jobs that may cost a little bit more than other places. This seems a small price to pay when the big things come up, and they always do, and having confidence that you have a company that will treat you right.