My kind of place....

A couple of weeks ago I received a recall notice in the mail.  It was nothing major, just a simple repair to my Stihl weed trimmer.  It seems as though the ethanol blended gasoline that is sold in many of the stations today, is causing some issues with the gas tanks.  Again, nothing to worry about......unless the gasoline leaking from the faulty gas cap ignites when it hits the hot exhaust of the machine cradled in my hands!

I've been mightily pleased with Stihl power equipment for a long time; chain saws, weed trimmers, you name it this company puts out a fine product.  The first trimmer I bought lasted nearly twenty years, then I gave it to my son who continued to use it.  Now that's a testament to quality, because I used the heck out of that thing. So, I purchased another one....the current model which has now been recalled.  I've had this one seven years, and have abused it for that same amount of time. I just never expected anything to go wrong with it.

Regardless, I threw it in the back of the truck this morning, and made the short trip to town to get it fixed at one of my favorite Mom and Pop shops.  You know the ones, where Dad greets you with a smile when you walk in the door, and while he may not remember your name, he can remember the model of the trimmer you bought seven years ago. Then, while he visits with you, his son grabs the trimmer from your hands to fix it, and Mom takes care of the paperwork.....I love those types of shops.

These are the places the big box stores just can't begin to match when it comes to customer service, and the loyal customers who frequent these small shops know it.  How much longer will they be able to last....who knows?  When the old man retires, if ever, will his son take over, or will it just fade away like so many others have done?  I hope not, and I intend to do everything I can to help them stick around.

I can buy Stihl equipment in a lot of different stores, but I elect to frequent the places that are locally owned and where the customers are treated like they're really appreciated. Like today.  I was there just long enough to have a pleasant conversation with the owner and his wife before I was handed my trimmer, which had been fixed while we talked.  My kind of place....and I'll go back as soon as I need a replacement.  Heck, it could be another twenty years before this one wears out, and I'm counting on the shop to be there, but what do I know?