The Service Trifecta

City workers installing a new curb

LaGrange is a very strange place.  It is filled with service people who actually want to provide service.  It's really quite amazing and every time it happens I am still surprised.  Let me explain.

Back in Silicon Valley, one the worst things that can happen to a homeowner is a small problem, like a leaky faucet, or a light switch which needs replacement.  You would think that the simpler the repair the easier it would be to find a service person to fix it.  You would be wrong.  

The rapid rise in Silicon Valley home prices, has led to an explosion of home improvement projects.  Homes are so expensive, it is usually far more cost effective to renovate your current home, than sell it and buy another home. And in the crazy Silicon Valley world, if you can't find a house which fits your taste, you simply buy a home in a location you like, tear it down and build your dream house from scratch.  The effect of all of this is that every contractor, electrician, plumber and painter has more work than he or she can possibly do.

So if you are an unlucky homeowner with a small project like a faucet replacement, getting a plumber to come out and fix your problem is much akin to winning the lottery.  You reason, that much like the lottery, the more people you call (or tickets you buy) the better your chance of getting someone to call you back.  We have had to call three to five different plumbers to even have a chance of one of them calling us back.  And if you are lucky enough to have one call you back, you probably have to wait a week or two until they can fit you into their schedule. You then wait and hope they actually show up when they said they would.  Everyone acts like this is completely normal and never apologizes for the delay.  After all, who wants to do a small job when all of those major building projects are available.  I know some people who once they find a responsive electrician or plumber (not me), won't even give their names to friends for fear that the next time they need help, the plumber will be too busy to come by.

When we moved into our home in LaGrange, the cold water faucet for the washing machine leaked.  I called my landlord who said they would have a plumber get back to me.  I started to wonder about the location of the nearest laundromat, knowing that I might be in for a long wait.  An hour later the plumber called.  I explained my problem and he said, "I am sorry that I can't make it out this afternoon, would first thing tomorrow morning be alright?"  I was so shocked I actually asked him to confirm that he meant the next morning, not the next week.  He assured me I had heard correctly and sure enough at 9am the next morning the plumber arrived and quickly fixed the problem. 

The next day was my appointment for the cable company to install our internet connection.  When they didn't arrive at the appointed time, I started to feel a little better, maybe LaGrange was not so different.  I called and after a few minutes on the phone, the customer service person apologized and explained that somehow my order had been cancelled which is why no one had shown up.  They then went on to ask if it would be all right if an installer came the next morning to set up my internet service.  Again, the service person arrived at 9am and within a few hours our orders were again flowing smoothly into Amazon.com.  Later that afternoon, a supervisor from the cable company came by to check to see if  everything went well.

This amazing service ethic, even seems to extend to public service workers.  A few days later, I got a knock on the door in the morning.  A city worker told me that they the city was replacing the curb in front of our house.  I looked out and there were at least five people, ripping out the old curb, digging the ditch and installing the forms for the concrete to be poured etc.  Every time I looked out the window, all of the workers were actually working.  I did not see a manager standing around watching the work, I did not see two people standing on the street with stop signs directing traffic.  All I saw were workers doing work.  The sun went down around 5pm; lights were brought out and by 7:30 the concrete for the new curb was poured.  The next day the project was complete.

I no longer dread something going wrong in the house and the accompanying stress of trying to find someone to fix it, I simply pick up the phone, call a service person and smile when they arrive within the next 24 hours.  I have won the service Trifecta - prompt, quality and reasonably priced service!