"The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best but legendary." ~ Sam Walton, founder of Walmart. If he was still around he would be very sad about his company's performance in this area.

Happy Wednesday to each and everyone tuning in today on this July 1, 2020. We may be dragged kicking and screaming into the age of modern electronic capability but we do eventually get there. I registered the new fridge for warranty by sending a photo of the model and serial number via text. That was a first for me. I have signed up via the internet before but that's my first time for a texted photo. I don't always fill out the customer survey but this time I did. I bought the fridge online last Thursday from Lowes and they did have one in stock in our geographic area. They originally said the refrigerator would be delivered within 3 to 7 days. Surprise. Surprise. I received a call saying it would be delivered Friday between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. We jumped up and went to work to move our old unit out to get ready for the new one. Around 7 p.m. I received a call saying the fridge didn't make it on the truck, Saturday's truck was already loaded, therefore, it would be Sunday before we received the unit. No apology. Just an FYI. When I ordered the fridge they put up a stainless hose for the water connection and they indicated that hose had to be used in order to qualify for the warranty. While I recognized this was a mandatory forced add on, I went ahead and ordered the hose. You guessed it. The hose wasn't shipped with the fridge and I received an email saying it was ready in will call across town. I didn't want to drive that far so I went to our local Lowes and picked up the hose so I would have it when they came. I then went to customer service and tried to get the charge for the one in will call to be reversed. Sorry. We can't do that. It's between you and the other store. That didn't make me happy. They did bring the unit Sunday afternoon. It was obvious these fellows were contractors but they were wonderful. They did a most excellent job. Even though the message said they might not come into our house because of the COVID situation, they did bring it in, installed it, and made sure everything was good. We gave them a generous tip. As for the survey, I gave the installation guys top marks. The rest of it, not so much. I did know they met the 3 to 7-day original target, but, they are the ones who said it would be at our home on Friday. They also didn't ship the hose with it. They also gave me the run around at our local Lowes and washed their hands of providing any assistance. Just for the record, I did not send a photo of myself with an angry expression to accompany the survey.

I just called to let you know. Sorry. Not good enough. During the past several months we have occasionally done the curbside pickup for restaurant food. We typically do our best to go above and beyond and adding extra to our tip to help the businesses we support. It's pretty disappointing to often find the food to be stale. I worked for over fifty years in the public sector and I am aware that blaming stuff outside one's control is how things are done. It just bothers me to think they would use the COVID deal to lessen the quality of the food they prepare. Think about it. Pay the price plus a generous tip and not get the quality expected. That, my friend, is a peeve of mine. Here's my way of looking at it. People are stuck at home and they choose your kitchen as an alternative. That gives the business the opportunity to show how much they appreciate and care for those who patronize them. It's as simple as that. Not complicated at all. Since the COVID situation persists, my guess is it will continue to be an excuse for some time in the future. Once staff gets the idea they are no longer accountable for good service, it becomes an issue that is somewhat difficult to solve. The good news for us, we have an outstanding cook on the premises and she never fails to get excellent marks for what she serves up. You can quote me on that. 

While I was working on today's edition I had some old-time radio programs playing in the background. I first listened to one of the episodes of 'Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy', then 'Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis', followed by 'The Life of Riley'. The famous actor Ronald Colman was pitching all types of ways folks could contribute to the war effort as a guest on Bergen and McCarthy. Marilyn Monroe was the guest on Martin and Lewis. She was the blonde bombshell of those days and the show focused on that. Jerry said something about her dress and she said it was just something she threw on. Jerry said it looked like she nearly missed. She then said it was just a cotton frock. Jerry said he had seen more cotton than that at the top of an aspirin bottle. It didn't take long for William Bendix as Riley to utter his famous words, "What a revolting development this is!" I even enjoy the commercials on these old programs. I know they were not the good old days because when some of those programs aired we were losing untold numbers of those serving in the military. It was, however, a part of our nation's history and more importantly, it was also a part of our family's history. I suppose I did get an overdose of the nostalgic gene. Have a great rest of the day and remember to wash your clothes with Rinso detergent and keep those floors shining with Johnson's Glo-Coat polishing wax. May God bless each one. Amen. .....More later.