Aligned With Something Special

(A customer needs a suspension part replaced under warranty. The repair requires a wheel alignment but we have all been told that warranty will not pay for that and so we have told a customer that they will be responsible for that cost. As this is a relatively new car, they are understandably upset. However, they agree and we do the repair. When doing the paperwork, I find an op code under the warranty that allows us to claim for the wheel alignment after all.)

Me: “We finished your repair and I found an op code we didn’t know about that allows us to claim your alignment, so there is no cost today.”

Customer: “Oh, you are so wonderful! You know, we were thinking that we would never bring our car back here or buy [Brand] car again but this will make my husband so much happier to know. How did you find out you could cover it?”

Me: “Oh, I just did some digging around our online codes list and found it buried in the list.”

Customer: “This means so much! We owe you something special. Do you like chocolates?”

Me: “Oh, that is sweet but it was no big deal. And I have a long list of weird food sensitivities so buying food for me is a nightmare. I was just happy to find this so we can stop charging people for alignments when we do warranty work.”

(A week later, both customers come in holding a white orchid in a pot.)

Customers: “We just wanted you to know that we are really grateful you found a way to cover the alignment and we wanted you to have something special, even if we couldn’t buy you chocolates.”

Me: “Thank you so much! That is such a perfect gift! I have always thought these were the prettiest, showiest flowers!”

(I still have that potted flower 1.5 years later and though I couldn’t keep alive a few other orchids I have bought since, it is still alive and well. I think it is the only gift I have ever received from a customer at that job and it is very special to me. Every time they come in, they ask if it is still alive and are thrilled to know that it is.)