Stay True

I will take fifty percent efficiency to get one hundred percent loyalty.
Samuel Goldwyn

          I got a notice from my cable/internet/phone provider that due to inflation that once again they were raising the rates by six dollars a month. First, I have to say it did not thrill me but at the same time, I thought I would face the situation and live with the raise.   I have very few times that I have actually needed assistance but they were there readily, sometimes within twelve hours or less but never later than a twenty-four hour turn around.  When the winds are howling and it is ugly outside, I have a steady signal. That is HUGE considering we live in the middle of tornado alley.  So I have been a loyal customer for ten years now.  You can imagine my surprise when I received the bill and it had increased seventy dollars.  I was more than upset.  With something a calm tone, I called and expressed my dilemma. The first woman that and answered the phone was less than help and truly reminded that often people work for a paycheck and hate their jobs.  She put me on hold and transferred me to her superior. The wonderful woman at the other end in a matter of minutes cure the problem and after apologizing profusely thanked me for being so loyal to their company.  She said it very rare today that we find a customer with such an extensive loyalty to our company.  It did not really register at the moment, how incredibly profound that remark was indeed.

          Shortly after dealing with the issue, my daughter and I were watching television and a commercial from our cell phone company came on.  She said, “You know Mom they are a good company but it is interesting that they are more interested in giving good deals to the new customers that they are in keeping customers like us who have forever done business with them. 

          Her remark while off handed sparked a great deal of thought in my head.  I have done business with most of the companies for at least ten years.  I have in the past recommended their services to my friends and other people.  I pay my bills on time and or the most part I do not complain without valid cause.   So the question in my mind is why do I stay? It is not as if I believe my little contribution will make or break the company. Still, why is it that I choose to remain loyal when it seems by most appearances I am being swept under the rug?  

          They answer lies in one word really, loyalty.  It is a dying virtue in today’s fast food, competitive society.  In a day when we you can the same goods and services can be found in a multitude of companies, the competition is for the new customer and luring them away from the other companies.  It is no longer that about customer service.  Too many companies have sent their customer service divisions overseas.  I know it is one of my pet peeves to be on the phone with someone that I cannot even understand. I will politely excuse myself and ask for another technician. They are offended. How can you possibly help me over the phone if I cannot see you and I have to rely on words I cannot comprehend.

          I have asked myself if perhaps loyalty has a price.  At some point, do we just throw in the towel and say, “well someone, somewhere wants my business?” I have always lived by the code that you should try until you have exhausted all the possibilities to rectify the situation. I have applied it across the board in my life. Yes, I could find a deal that is temporarily better than the one I have.  I am sure for the word “limited time offer” does not just apply to the time you can get the deal but in many cases also applies to the time you can keep the deal.  A fine example is the current Direct TV.  You get hundreds of channels, a free DVR where you can stop, pause, and rewind live television into up to five rooms, free installation and free HBO but if you look into the fine print, the truth is that you get the offer for three months then regular pricing applies.  There is a fee for every extra box, a fee for those pay channels they tempted you with, and a fee for changing the contract once you signed it. Thanks to great advertising, you are looking at a product that costs much more than you thought. It is a great decade of spend and spend more. God bless Corporate America.

          There is a wonderful little diner in our town.  I have been going there for breakfast on weekends thirty something years. He started in one location but when the land was sold, the owner, moved the whole building to a new corner.  It is a small town place and in truth, they know the regulars when they come in. There is also a little drive in with the same old root beer and the best coney’s and root beer in town.          They open up for in the spring and say goodbye for winter in November.  I went here while I was in college.  Now I take my kids there. We have all the usual chains in town but if there were a choice then for my money I would rather go there.  They survive because people rely not just on their food but also on their prices. We go there because we know we are going to be met with a smile, and get great service. They earn a living because for years they recognized one true fact a happy customer comes back. They depend upon our loyalty as much as we depend on theirs.

          Today, we buy things knowing we will replace them.  Your washing machine does not last 20 years anymore. You need a new television about every two or three years. They build things with the hope you will replace them. Have you tried to call a technician lately? Even that service is so much more costly that you would be better off to replace.  Why shouldn’t our customer loyalty s be rewarded with a better products and services? What lesson is all this teaching today’s young people?  From where I stand, I think the message is clear.  Nothing stays the distance. 

          I remember growing up, the wonderful announcements where couples stayed together for fifty years. I thought then I wanted to be one of those people. My story did not turn out that way but not because I did not spend years trying to make it work. Instead, people say oh well, and get divorced. The lesson they learned growing up is that all things are replaceable.  There is always a newer model.  I have tried to instill in my children to make careful choices and to think of them as lifelong choices. Even though, I am divorced and we did okay as a family, it has been very difficult at times.  I have cried rivers of tears missing them on holidays and looking at vacation photos with the father.  They were happy but it was not with me or us.  Please, do not misunderstand here; my divorce was by far the best feature for our later years of marriage. I would not change that nor would I change having been married to him in the first place. They are an awesome lifelong gift. I just do not want them to think that love is as replaceable as a cell phone. Loyalty to each other, loyalty to your commitments, and loyalty to your word are the principle’s I want to instill in them and in their children to come.

          Nothing is without its challenges and downfalls. The telephone company and the cable company may not see my point of view yet but I have hope they will.  Certainly, the wonderful telephone company employee generously fixed the problem in my bill.  Her thanks may not be the generous “new” package of services they offer the fresh batch of customers they are bringing on board but at least she recognized that even through good and bad times I have stayed because I have faith. 

          Unfortunately, the same is true in our personal relationships. They will have good days and bad ones. If you remember the story of the mighty oak, you can survive.  The oak grows from an acorn to a tall and mighty tree. No matter how tall it gets it learns to sway with the wind.  Occasionally when it become too rigid, the wind will blow and the tree will break. So remember that compromise is a critical staple in a happy life. Stay loyal and true to yourself and to your loves.  In the end the reward is peaches and cream but it’s the incredible journey together.

          Loyalty means something different to everyone. In the grand scheme that is life, this humble opinion will not mean much. Tomorrow, the dealmakers will be offering more deals and make more money.  You can be just another cog in the wheel by saying I take the arrangement.  On the other hand, maybe you will be a person like me that says you know I am willing to stand fast. Everywhere in America, there is that one little drive in or coffee shop, that has stood the test of time. There enduring relationships people have worked hard to build and keep.  I will be loyal and I will lead by example.