This morning, at home, I received a call from Lube Doc, a lube shop located in Orem, Utah.  It was the owner of the firm, Brent Norton, calling to thank my husband for bringing our car into their shop a couple days earlier.  When Mr. Norton finished thanking me (well, my husband through me), I mentioned that when my husband had gone to the shop he had commented that he thought he’d seen the owner there getting his oil changed, too.  One of the other “customers,” whom he didn’t recognize, had been chatting with the manager, and then turned and sincerely thanked my husband and the other customer in the lobby for their business.  That small gesture had meant a lot to my husband.

Now this owner, who doesn’t know us from Adam, was calling to thank us for getting our oil changed at his shop, and to ask if we were satisfied with the work.  (We were.)  Wow, I guess customer service isn’t dead.  In fact, in Mr. Norton it’s alive and well.  What a great model for treating customers right!  When was the last time that a store you bought something from called to say thank you?  Frankly, the only times I can ever remember are when I’ve taken my vehicle into a car dealership.  They are rated by the manufacturer, so they have a huge incentive to make you happy.  Lube Doc has been owned by Mr. Norton (he informed me on the phone) for more than 25 years.  I thanked him for calling and before we hung up he reminded me to pass along his thanks to my husband.  I did.  I called him right away to let him know.  He was as shocked—and impressed—as I was!