Servo service with a smile goes a long way

SOAPBOX: Why good old fashioned great service is impossible to replace

Why good old fashioned great service is impossible to replace. Picture: iStock

FOR reasons unknown to me, I've been in a bit of a foul mood of late.

Maybe I'm tired, maybe it's a quarter-life crisis, I don't know - but that's beside the point anyway.

Last week as I was making my way to soccer training at Bli Bli, I pulled into the service station - United Petroleum - down the road from the Castle.

I filled up, grabbed some pre-training Powerade and waited in line to pay.

Let's be honest, no one likes filling up cars at the best of times, it's a chore.

Fuel prices are outrageous and often the attendants don't want to be there either.

Three back in the line, I observed the attendant greet each and every customer in the most positive manner I've ever seen from a servo attendant.

If he could have greeted them by first name, he would have.

Rather ashamedly, I walked out of the servo without grabbing the gentlemen's name - so let's call him Fred.

Fred was charming, asked me how my day was, asked me what I was up to and how my soccer team was going this season.

His interest was genuine and judging by his conversations with the other customers before me, he would have talked to anyone.

We would have only spoke for two minutes - probably more than the grand total I've ever communicated with any attendant over the years - but I left that servo with a smile, my silly adult problems forgotten for one moment.

In a day and age when technology is taking over at a rate of knots, it seems to me, that good old fashioned service is impossible to replace.

Hats off to you, Fred, I'll be going back.

Originally published as Servo service with a smile goes a long way