In the past few months, I've dealt with more companies than I probably have in my entire life. With Dad passing, us moving, having house repairs done, buying cars, etc., we've seen a ton of businesses, and deal with a lot of folks. The amazing thing is, the experiences have been overwhelmingly positive.
I, like most people, tend to tell people about the lousy things happening. I forget to pass on that somewhere did a GREAT job. So, let me take this opportunity to tell you about some GREAT local businesses, owned and/or staffed by some GREAT people. And, one national corporation that sucks.
Let's start the accolades with an odd thing to deal with following a death... trading a car. Shortly before Dad passed away, he traded for a HUGE new Suburban. This thing had every bell and whistle you could get. And, um... it was the size of a small country. Seriously, I got stuck in a parking space, because I didn't have room to back it out without taking out the cars on either side of me. When he passed, I knew Mom could NEVER drive this thing. It terrified her. So, my dear hubby took it back to Champion Chevrolet in Johnson City. Our wonderful salesperson remembered Dad trading for the truck and when Chad explained the situation, he went so far above and beyond what he could have. He helped Chad find a car mom could drive. Mom also snuck and had Chad get ME a car as well (mine had over 100,000 miles on it). Even with the Suburban having only 1500 miles on it, it had been titled, and they could have hosed us for that. But, they didn't. They did a great deal for us. They got us 2 cars and money back. Everyone likes to bash car sales as such an unethical business. But, these folks were absolutely wonderful. They have called to check on us, and even sent a sympathy card. http://www.championjc.com/
In the midst of Dad's hospitalization, Mom and Dad's house sold. Our realtor was ah-mazing. She took us house hunting on a holiday weekend, ferried papers back and forth into the hospital (even having to wear an isolation gown into the room to get papers signed, for Pete's sake!), bringing us breakfast (and refusing to take $ for it), and just being the most amazing realtor EVER!! Her name is Donna Sartin, and she works for Coldwell Bankers. http://www.coldwellbanker.com/agent?action=detail&agentId=15619&mode=detail She helped us pack, she helped us move. You cannot ask for a more wonderful person to know, let alone to sell your house. LOVE this woman!!
At the hospital, we had no idea what funeral home to use. A hospice nurse recommended Tetrick Funeral Home in Johnson City. Oh, what a wonderful group of people. They never pushed us to spend more than we wanted. They were so kind. They helped us navigate the crazy world of death. They helped us with social security, death certificates, etc. They actually issued us a REFUND for overbilling. We would never have known. They have remained in touch, and invite us to a survivor's group every month. We haven't gone, but it is so nice that they do something like that for the people who have used their services. We spent very little, because Dad's wishes were so specific and so bare-bones. But, they treated us like we were spending millions. http://www.tetrickfuneralhome.com/
53 years my parents were married. They had 53 years worth of stuff to deal with. And pack. Did I mention it included everything from 16 boxes of (heavy) books and 4 sets of china? East Tennessee Movers (and the wonderful Rita Eggers) packed up every single thing in that house, down to Mom's undies (well, they were in the dresser drawers and they packed those, so it counts). Not one single item was damaged. Nothing broken, nothing misplaced. And you could not find a sweeter bunch of guys. Mom was ready to adopt them all, and I think the feeling was mutual. These guys lugged and loaded in the snow without a word of complaint. They were amazing!! http://www.easttnmovers.com/
We had the um.... interesting problem of our home inspector missing a very strange thing... he didn't notice that none of the exterior doors locked. Ooooops. We really needed that fixed. So, we called Donna (did I mention she's the best realtor ever??) and she got a locksmith there that same day!!! David Irick of Johnson City Locksmith was amazing. He rekeyed all the locks, worked to get them actually working and told us to just tell Donna thank you. We thought she'd paid for it. He was gone before we found out he just did it for free to be sweet. I guess he knew we'd been thru a lot and could use some sweetness. I am not the least bit ashamed to admit it made me cry. So, so nice. http://johnsoncitytnlocksmith.com/
With any new house, you find a few kinks to work out. We didn't like the wall colors, so enter another one of Donna's referrals... Robert Santucci. He and his Dad painted several huge rooms for us. Our part took 4 coats of yellow to cover. Not a single drip out of place, the walls look beautiful. SUPER nice guys. Totally professional and worth every single dime!!! http://paintersource.com/Painters/1250-Robert-Santucci/View-details.html (don't think he has his own website, he pretty much stays booked up from referrals, but this site has his number. You WILL have to wait, because he is the BEST. He is totally worth the wait!!!!).
I didn't have a kitchen. At all. So, we needed a plumber. Because kitchens need sinks. Have I mentioned Donna knows EVERYONE?? Yup, enter Robbie the plumber! I don't even know his business name. I just call him up and say, "Robbie! HELP!" and he's there! He worked his butt off and charged me so little that I added extra to the check. Seriously. He also caught 3 mistakes that had never been caught on the original plumbing, including a sewer pipe not being glued, just hand-tightened. They also cleaned up every single drop of mess they made. They vacuumed!! Robbie's number is 423 773 0746
Our thermostat could be programmed to launch the space shuttle, and I was entirely too darn tired and confused to use it. We also needed to split our main electric panel into a sub panel to handle the new lines we'd run for the kitchen. Now, my Dad was an electrician and so was Chad. So, I expect the best, and I will know if your lines look like crap. Enter Lonnie the electrician. Another Donna find! Such a sweet guy. And, let me tell you... OCD!!! That box was wired perfectly, every line labeled clearly and tacked up and lined up like little little soldiers. My Dad would have been proud, and Chad actually said, "This guy needs meds worse than me." That's a compliment. I promise. So, again, I don't know his company name. He's in my iPhone as "Lonnie Electrician." Mention Donna Sartin sent you ('cause she did, via me) and he's your new best friend! 423 360 1284
Lastly, we had to recharge the HVAC unit. One of my work friends gave me Lamb's Heating and Cooling's number and saved the day. He had it done in such a short amount of time, and was super nice. He's gonna be coming back soon to cut me in some ducts for our part of the house, 'cause it's gonna get hot soon, and I do NOT do hot! http://www.lambsheatandair.com/air-conditioner-furnace-hvac-contractor/Johnson-City-TN-37601-37604-37615.php
Now, what on earth could these small businesses do that a giant couldn't? Fix something. Let me tell you about Verizon. Dad had a wireless account with them. I just needed it to shut it off. I called them, and was told I had to go to the store with a death certificate to get it cut off. I did that. When I got there, they said that has never been a requirement, and they can't even turn off service from there. They gave me the phone there to call and cancel it. I did. A month later, still got a bill. Called again. Cancelled it. Again. Got another bill. Called and was not nearly as nice. "Oh. We only cancelled one line. Not both." Cancelled it. Again. Snet Verizon a letter, including Dad's full name and explaining how un-fun it had been to make multiple calls and discuss my Dad's death over and over again. Got a letter telling me how sorry they were, and that they couldn't find his account, but they were sure it'd be fixed. Got another bill. Still not fixed. Talked to someone AGAIN. Told it was fixed and that they'd call me to make sure it went thru. Haven't heard anything. Not holding my breath. Way to go, Verizon. Way to go. My contract was up on two of our lines this month. I was really considering Verizon. NO. WAY. IN. HELL. So, congrats on losing a customer and having the dubious distinction of screwing up an account for over 4 months. Impressive.
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