If you were here on Saturday, you heard the story about my repair effort on my utility trailer. That task was completed. The trailer is road worthy, and my wrist is also back to normal.

That repair project began at the local NAPA Auto Parts. I picked up everything my diagnosis told me I needed. I plopped that stuff on the counter and the clerk came over. On his way, he asked me how I was doing. When he got to the counter, he laughed and took that question back:

Just what the mechanic ordered

“You’re spending money you don’t want to spend, to buy stuff you wish you didn’t need, to fix something that shouldn’t be broken.”

In these days of Internet shopping, it felt great to receive honest to goodness good customer service.

This post is part of Linda G. Hill’s fun weekly series One-Liner Wednesday. If you have a one-liner, and would like to join in on the fun, you can follow this link to participate and to see the one-liners from the other participants.

All five of my current books are now available in audio book form thanks to Amazon KDP’s Virtual Voice process. The voice is AI generated, but I can honestly say, it’s pretty darn good. The audio books are reasonably priced (all below $7 US) and, if you already own the Kindle version and want to add an audio version, you can do that for $1.99. There is a five-minute sample on the book page for each book. If you’re interested, click on any of the Dreamer’s Alliance book links below the image or on the link below for my latest book.

Bridge to Nowhere

61 responses to “One of These and…”

  1. petespringerauthor Avatar
    petespringerauthor

    Customer service is a lost art.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. It is, Pete. It’s rare when we’re treated like people.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Hi Dan those photos are absolutely gorgeous! The misty and gloriously coloured dawn’s to the cheeky wildlife and ofcourse your flag all beautiful.
    I am so glad to hear that your wrist is okay now and the trailer is fixed.
    You’re absolutely right a few words of good honest customer service with a fellow human being is worth a thousand …..”your call is important to us” . Have a good day 💜

    Liked by 2 people

    1. “your call is important to us” – Oh Willow, I had to laugh when I read that. But it’s so true! The phony acts of politeness can’t compare to real human interaction. I’m glad you like the photos.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I know it always sounds so hollow, give me a human every time. Those photos are epic 💜💜

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Even thought technology funded my life, I prefer human contact.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. Oh! Every time Dan, every time 💜💜

            Liked by 1 person

  3. Hi Dan – gosh the blue light … is that the new Amazon store I think is being built near you? I consider myself fortunate to live fairly near everything I need and so don’t often use the internet – occasionally yes. That guy sounds a useful human to have around – he recognised you knew what you were doing. Glad the trailer is fixed now … lovely photos … cheers Hilary

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thanks Hilary. That blue light rings the top of an office building on the hill above Great River Park. The major tenant is a financial services outfit, but I think the light was there before they moved in. I have no idea why it’s there. This guy put a smile on my face at the start of a crummy day. Very nice of him.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. A conversation with a fellow human is rare in this world of internet shopping. We have two small hardware stores, and, of course, the two major big box ones. When we want a conversation about a product or project, the small store wins out every time. Glad the wrist is better.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I left one of the local big box stores one time a couple years ago, with all the parts to rebuild a toilet. The clerk mindlessly offered, “Have a nice day” as I left. The worst is when I ask someone for help in one of those stores, and they take out their phone and look it up. They don’t seem to know anything anymore. I remember when those stores had people in various departments that knew what they were doing.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. You have a blooming lilac… at this time of year? That’s beyond bizarre.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. We do! It has five little blossoms. I have no explanation.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Congratulations, Dan, on the trailer repair, the wrist health, and the encounter with a candid clerk!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thanks Dave – all good things!

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Glad the trailer is fixed.
    Chippy looks a bit plump, or that just camera angle?

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I’ll go with either, “it’s the way he/she is sitting” or “bulking up for hibernation.”

      Liked by 1 person

  8. I do love the foggy pictures! It’s always a treat to get honest customer service, a rarity these days.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thanks Pam. I do love fog. I wish I could have stayed around to see the city skyline emerge, but I only had a few minutes. The clerk was a gem.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Love the pics, happy to hear your wrist is well, and if we have chipmunks here, I’ve never seen them!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thanks Kim. Chipmunks scamper along very fast.

      Liked by 1 person

  10. AMEN to your comment about customer service and to all similar comments from your other readers! But good news about your wrist — glad to hear it! That white lilac makes me stop and stare every time. How wonderful that it’s blooming now — what a good sign.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Maureen. The guy was a breath of fresh air at the start of a crummy day. I had his comment, the trailer repair being successful, and in injured wrist. I’ll count that as two out of three and acknowledge that he put the day into the win column (well, him and my wife’s good care).

      Why that lilac is blooming now is a mystery, but one I think you recently shared as well.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I think we’re not meant to understand everything, and the autumn lilac reminds us of that. And the occasional wonderful human in life reminds us take heart.

        Liked by 1 person

  11. p.s. “Going up” isn’t heard much any more — good one!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I hadn’t thought about that, but you’re right ;-)

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Funny! And sadly, it is true in many situations. Ain’t modern life the best!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I was hoping the trailer would be ok until next year. I have to I replace the bed decking and I was going to install a new BBC wiring kit when I did that.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. Great foggy day pictures Dan. Everything wears out eventually. Some things sooner depending on the quality of the design. It is nice knowing you know how to assess and fix it. These days customer service is headed in the totals replacement direction. As in we can sell you a sparkly new one. Today is a sunshine day here. There will be more digging… Oh and I did have to bur a sparkly new shovel because I do not want to pause the dig when the old shovel gives up the ghost…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks John. The trailer is over 20 years old, so I guess I can’t complain. Easy on that new shovel. They don’t make them like they used to.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. The new shovel appears stronger and heavier, both the handle and the blade. The truth will come out with use. I am still mostly using the old tried and true shovel. It is probably 10 years old. I keep the blade sharp because of tree roots. 10 years of sharpening has left its mark. The shovel is considerably shorter. The new shovel has been sharpened and tested. And until the old one gives up the ghost it will remain the primary tool. It is lighter and easier on that old gardener. I might even have to weigh them and find out how much the difference is. The extra weight means extra work out and I am fairly sure the old work out enough work on its own. Then again I might just have to have an extra adult hydration unit to balance things out. So I might just adjust eventually.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Good luck running the comparison. I’m sure the garden fairies will be watching.

          Liked by 1 person

  14. I do enjoy when clerks get a bit chatty. This was a great one-liner.
    Oh, your little critters are cute, and the fog photos are lovely, but that blue line on the last one is so very cool!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m not sure why that building has that blue light, but I like that photo. I love being in fog. The clerk was a pleasure to deal with.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. That’s a classic line there!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It brightened my day, John.

      Liked by 1 person

  16. Great fog photos, Dan. Good to see Chippy out and about.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks John. I think Chippy is getting ready to head underground for the winter.

      Liked by 1 person

  17. Love it! Cleverly worded and so, so true.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m sure he has a steady stream of customers in that state, Paul, but he picked my spirits up on what was a crummy day.

      Liked by 1 person

  18. Always love cosmos.  They seem to be so free

    Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone

    Liked by 1 person

    1. They are so pretty. Our daughter gifted us the seeds. We planted them late, but they are loving autumn.

      Like

  19. I missed Saturday’s post because I was traveling, but glad the repair job is complete. :) Great photos!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Jan. All is well.

      Like

  20. I always enjoy the squirrel and fog photos, Dan. Loved the one liner. It’s so true!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m glad you like the fog, Janet. It’s a favorite of mine. It describes almost every trip I’ve ever made to an auto parts store :-)

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Fog does or the one liner? Or both? :-)

        Liked by 1 person

        1. The one liner. Fog is a favorite. Grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure, not so much.

          Like

  21. Well, I have to give Smokey props for saying thank you!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Well dressed and polite. He has a lot going for him, Liz.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Indeed he does, such a charmer!

        Liked by 1 person

  22. That is a perfect statement!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. So true, Jennie, I had to laugh.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Yes, and laughing is THE best!

        Liked by 1 person

  23. The squirrels are begging more than ever now as cold weather settles in – how we can we resist them standing on haunches to look even cuter? A few other walkers at the Park feed the squirrels, but not all of the walkers and those that don’t lament the squirrels begging for peanuts are annoying. What’s a few peanuts between friends anyway? My neighbor’s Magnolia blooms off and on throughout the Summer/Fall instead of just once in May every since we had a killing frost after all the leaves came out a few years ago. Michigan lost much of its cherry and apple crops. We had frost burn on trees and bushes and that Magnolia bush has been wacky ever since.

    Like

  24. Ooo, those fog pictures are dreamy. I love thick fog. Unless I’m trying to drive in it. Then, not so much.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yeah, walking is OK. Driving, no.

      Like

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