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Meet some customer service heroes

By SUZANNE PALMER
Published March 17, 2006

"Customer service is NOT dead in Pinellas County!" wrote Anna Dobbs of Pinellas Park in response to our request for readers' stories of good customer service. Judging from the overwhelming response we received, Dobbs isn't the only reader who feels that way.

I cannot tell a lie. The idea for a customer service Hall of Fame came from my husband. He visited an Advanced Auto Parts in St. Petersburg and was impressed by how well the staff treated him. Not only did the sales clerk find the windshield wipers he was looking for, the young man even offered to put them on the car. The service was performed at no charge, in a friendly manner. When my husband told me the story, he suggested that Action readers might have similar experiences to share. Today we begin a series of columns that list their nominations.

Soles Exterminating, Seminole: "About two months ago I acquired a common pest control problem. I've lived in Pinellas County for 25 years, but this was the first time I had to hire an extermination company. I wanted to use someone local and came across Soles Exterminating. As Action suggests, I checked out the company. I went to its Web site and was impressed by its history and background. I went a step further and contacted the Better Business Bureau and found it had no complaints on file. So, I sent the company an e-mail.

''In less than an hour, the company contacted me and told me to call the owner's cell phone. I explained my situation to Dan Soles; he said he'd come to my home that week. We made an appointment for noon that Friday. He was in my driveway at 11:50 a.m. and knocked on my door at 12.

''Mr. Soles assessed my situation, and we discussed which treatments he would use to eliminate the problem. After further discussion, he recognized how upset I was about the bugs and offered to come back at 8 a.m. on Monday. He was at my door exactly when he said he would be, administered treatment and offered names of employees I could contact should there be problems while he was gone on an upcoming vacation. He e-mailed me before he left and again when he returned. Upon discovering I was still having problems, he returned the very next day. He re-treated my home and explained that the experience I was having was normal. It turned out he was right.

''When I saw your column, I immediately thought of Soles for its excellent customer service."

- Anna Dobbs, Seminole

Roll-A-Guard Storm and Security Products, Largo: "I hired Roll-A-Guard to install hurricane shutters on 80 feet of windows at my home. The company has met its commitments to me in a timely manner, with the delivery and installation of the shutters. I also developed great respect for its labor force, Chowder, Bob, Blue and Frank. What a great team! They were so helpful and patient, answering each question I had. They were careful with my home and actually cleaned up at the end of each work day. They were so respectful to me and each other and worked cooperatively and masterfully. I want to thank them all from the bottom of my heart. I, as the customer, was blessed with a crew like this."

- Monica Smitherman, Largo

Time Mortgage, Palm Harbor: "During the stress of selling and buying a home, the last thing you need is someone who doesn't call you back or makes the experience more stressful and hectic than necessary. Owner Carl White and his staff were there, walking me through the experience and giving me the confidence that there was nothing to worry about. Carl sat down and explained the different kinds of mortgages and the pluses and minuses of each. When they said they would call, they did. I was always able to get answers to my questions and I felt as though they held my hand until I was comfortable with the whole process. Even after the loan closed at 7 p.m., Carl was checking on me and offering to buy pizza for the movers."

- Stephanie Cope, Palm Harbor

Britt's Laguna Grill, Clearwater Beach: "We organized an 'after beach wedding' at Britt's, and I have the highest praise for everyone there. They promptly returned e-mails and called me to clarify details. We brought our own wedding cake and they graciously served it for us. The service and food were the best, our wait staff was very friendly and efficient and the manager on duty even stopped by to check on us. We could not have been happier."

- Darlene Raudabaugh, Brandon

Action solves problems and gets answers for you. If you have a question, or your own attempts to resolve a consumer complaint have failed, write Times Action, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or call Action at (727) 893-8171; outside of Pinellas, toll-free 1-800-333-7505, ext. 8171, to leave a request. Requests will be accepted only by mail or voice mail; calls cannot be returned. We cannot be responsible for personal documents, so please only send photocopies. We may require additional information or prefer to reply by mail; therefore, readers must provide a full mailing address, including ZIP code. Names of letter writers will not be omitted except in unusual circumstances. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

[Last modified March 16, 2006, 12:01:47]