It is no secret that customer

service is at an all-time low. At least that's what I hear these days

from the people who have shared with me their frustrations.

Several years ago, I was stuck

in O'Hare Airport in Chicago. The weather was terrible, snow was predicted,

and flights were being canceled. My wife, who was traveling with me, was

very pregnant and sick. We were headed to Colorado where I was to interview

for a church staff position and were nervous enough even without the possibility

of missed or delayed flights.

I wandered into one of those

airport newsstands where you can buy candy, overpriced bottles of water

and magazines. Being a Southern-raised gentleman, I smiled at the cashier

and said, "Think it will snow?" She looked a hole through me

and said, "How the hell should I know? Do I look like the weather

lady to you? Are you gonna buy something or what?" I bought a pack

of gum and developed a distaste for all things Chicago.

Anyway, I thought I would make

a few awards of sorts. There are some businesses out there that prize

customers and seek to actually keep their business. So, here are my top

choices for local businesses that, in my experience, give consistent excellent

customer service. I'm calling these recognitions the "Rector's Rewards."

5th Place Domino's Pizza, Peachtree

City. A few weeks ago I ordered two large pizzas but specified thin crust.

I like thicker crust, but my wife always out-votes me. The pizza came

on time but the crust was thick, not thin. I paid for the pizza but registered

my complaint with the delivery guy.

A week or so later, I ordered

two pizzas and barbecue wings. When the delivery guy came, I reached for

my wallet but he refused saying, "The manager says this order is

on us for messing up your last order." I was surprised but delighted.

I gave the guy a great tip anyway and enjoyed the free dinner.

4th Place Chick Fil-A of Peachtree

City. The one time the staff got my drive-through order wrong, they not

only made it right, they gave me a coupon for a free meal for four on

my next trip. The service personnel are always friendly, smiling, talkative

and fast. Even if there are 15 cars in line at the window, the food is

delivered with greater speed and efficiency than any other fast food restaurant.

The food is a bit pricey for what you get but I'll pay it if they keep

hiring the high caliber of people that currently man the stations.

3rd Place Michael Justice at

First Citizens Bank, Peachtree City. A year before our church thought

it might need a loan for the purchase of land, I visited Mr. Justice and

informed him of our plans. He was helpful, interested, asked questions,

and helped guide the process.

We were a new church with a

small but growing congregation, so his interest was especially appreciated.

In fact, he would periodically call me to see if we were still interested

and to see if he could be of assistance. What could have been an ordeal

was made a delightful process. Mr. Justice has since been transferred

to Fayetteville and First Citizens is now BB&T, so I hope the personal

service will continue.

2nd Place Neighborhood Market,

Sharpsburg. Last Valentine's Day, I stopped by to get flowers for the

wife. While I was picking up the order, a man came in and said that the

dozen roses he purchased for his wife earlier in the day only had 10 roses.

He said that he didn't notice but that his wife counted them. She sent

him back to get the two additional roses.

The couple who own the Neighborhood

Market seemed genuinely horrified that the man had been short-changed.

Quickly, the owner went to the cooler and brought the customer another

dozen roses. When the customer protested, saying he only came in for two,

the owner was insistent. The man grinned broadly, thanked the couple,

and left.

The owner said, "We're

in business to serve people. If we make a mistake, we try to make it more

than right. We can't afford to lose any of our customers, so 10 extra

roses is a small price to pay. It's all about keeping the customer happy."

Amen and hallelujah.

1st Place Crossroads Automotive,

Newnan. Yep, you read right. First Place goes to a car repair place. After

being at war for years with inept, overpriced, sometimes dishonest car

repair places, I have finally found a home for my mechanically challenged

vehicles.

A few years ago, when I had

a noise in the speedometer I took it to Crossroads and the man said that

it was probably the cable. I left it overnight and when I returned, he

said that he had bad news. ("Here it comes," I thought.) The

cable wasn't the problem. He had spent several hours working on the car

and installed a new cable but to no avail. The problem, as it turned out,

was in the speedometer itself. It would have to be sent off for repair

and would cost a small bundle. Not wanting to spend the money at that

time, I declined to have the work done. He handed me the keys, and said

"No charge."

"But," I said, "I

thought you said you put a new cable in it."

"We did," he replied,

"but it didn't fix the problem. We're not going to charge you for

a problem we didn't fix."

Over the years, I have never

been dissatisfied with their service. In fact, now when I take my car

in, I say, "Just fix it. I trust you guys to do the right thing."

They always have.

So, there you have the first-ever

Rector's Rewards for Customer Service. May other businesses take a lesson.

[Father David Epps is rector

at Christ the King Charismatic Episcopal Church in the south metro Atlanta

area. He may be contacted at [email protected] or visit his website

at www.ChristTheKingCEC.com.]