Empathy to the rescue
Did Adam and Jim keep my house from burning down? Did they save my family’s life?
It’s hard to say, but I’m thankful beyond description that they stopped by. They left behind a powerful example of people going the extra mile.
They’re Sears technicians, and they came over to my house last week to deliver and install a new dryer. It was supposed to take ten minutes, and I knew they were on a tight schedule. But as soon as they looked behind our old unit in the basement, they both agreed: “We need to fix this gas line.”
I didn’t understand. Our old and new dryers were electric. What did any of this have to do with gas?
Adam pulled out the old dryer so I could see for myself. A flexible metal pipe was sitting there wide open. It snaked behind the dryer, behind the washer, and up to a wall-mounted valve.
“That’s your gas line,” Adam said. “The previous owner probably had a gas dryer, and when they move out they left you this open pipe. The valve is closed at the wall, but it’s easy for gas to escape, especially with a valve that old.”
I had been living in the house for nine years and had never noticed the renegade gas line. Adam tapped on the nearby fuse box. “If gas is leaking and you get a spark…” His voice trailed off.
“But don’t worry,” he continued. “We’re going to take care of this for you.”
While Jim got busy setting up the new dryer, Adam removed the flexible gas pipe. Where it connected just beyond the valve, he caulked the open thread and twisted on a tightly fitting stopper. He showed me his work, accepted my profuse thanks, and acted like it was all in a day’s work. Then he and Jim hauled out the old dryer and drove off to their next delivery.
Now, every time I walk into the basement, I think about those two guys from Sears. They could’ve treated me like a mere money-paying customer, ignoring the open pipe and moving efficiently to their next stop, or advising me to get it fixed at my earliest convenience. Instead, they saw me as a full-fledged human being with a house and a family, and they took the initiative to keep us safe.
Thank you, Adam and Jim. You remind us that in every line of work, a caring spirit makes a big difference. So big that it can potentially save lives.
This is an awesome story. I am so glad to hear good news . It is refreshing to know that Sears still hires great folks,and that there are still people that care enought to give their very best.
This is a perfect example of how important it is to be all you can be. Sears should be made known about these two employees and the value in hiring responsible technicians.
This is a great story! It’s always reassuring to hear about people like this.
http://lemonadeandorigami.wordpress.com/
It would be wonderful to see stories like this on the nightly news instead of “newstainment” meant only to capture our attention instead of presenting real news. Stories like this inspire others to do good works. Thank you.
Sometimes when you get down on people and think “where are the good ones?’ something like this happens. Then you know the world is full of caring wonderful folks.
LK