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11/10/2006: "Someone Who Actually Gets It!"

There was a point in time when people actually cared about each other, and service meant something to a business. Those days are long gone, of course, with concern over doing a good job replaced with an artificial "have a nice day" as you are shuffled out the door. Once in a while, though, you see signs that not all is lost.

One of the advantages of working on a web-based software project is that I can do my job from anywhere I can access a data line and a steady stream of strong coffee. The S50 Hoteling Center in El Segundo is usually a good choice, but this morning a lot of people were already there, and they were particularly noisy. Unable to concentrate, I decided to drive over to my physical office a few miles away. As I pulled out of the parking lot, I heard a strange noise from the back of the car. Stopping to take a look, my fear was confirmed - flat left rear tire.

I changed the tire, putting the pathetic little donut in its place, and limped home. Fortunately, the Home Office has all I need to work as well but before I could get back to the software, I needed to fix the tire. I drove slowly over to Allen Tire on Hawthorne Blvd, where I had purchased the tires last year. There was at least a dozen cars in various states of repair when I arrived, so it looked like I'd be spending my afternoon in their waiting room. Wrong.

Once I explained that I had a tire in the trunk with a panhead screw sticking through the tred, the shop's manager, Ed, sent one his guys over to get the tire. Within 15 minutes, they'd fixed the flat, rebalanced the tire and had it ready for me to go. I asked Ed what I owed him - "Nothing", he replied - they fix flats for free! He even had the tire reinstalled on the car.

What could have been a long afternoon was little more than an extended lunch break, and I was able to get back to work. It's sad that what should be normal behavior now seems above and beyond, but I wanted to highlight this positive example of how things should work. Again, this was Allen Tire Company on Hawthorne Blvd in Torrance. Tell them I sent you, and they'll only charge you double ...