Good Service Gems

Dear Good Service Lovers,

Good service is an increasing rarity in business these days so it’s a pleasure to put the spotlight on some of the good service gems in Cape Town’s Deep South – around Fish Hoek and Simons Town.

The Smile that could Sell Anything

That’s the perfect description for Rene van der Walt, the 36 year old mother of three, who makes her business look as simple as pie. But it’s not all just making dough.

Running a King Pie franchise at the entrance to Pick n Pay in the Longbeach Mall can’t be that easy, especially when you have one year old Steven hanging around your neck a lot of the time.

Rene is always ready to offer a customer the choice of a better deal than the one they have chosen and when it comes to service she sets the bar sky high for her staff of two to emulate.

She and her husband Riaan have another King Pie outlet in Wynberg, which he runs while she looks after the Longbeach one that they have had for six years. Between serving pies the two of then take care of two more boys aged 11 and 9.

Good Deed Man

          In the plumbing world Wally Poole is the good deed man. And although he was tragically struck down with multiple sclerosis three years ago 64 year old Wally has perpetuated his philosophy through his son-in-law Donny Siebritz.

          He and Donny have established a reputable name for a prompt, very reasonably price service that has resulted in them working for the same builders and businesses for more than a decade.

And what must be particularly appealing to the ordinary householder is that they do not charge a call our fee where as most plumbers sting you for R400 or more just to turn up.

A call out fee is daylight robbery, said Wally. I have never charge that even in the middle of the night or at weekends.

I spoke to him when he was lying in bed at his Ocean View home, so it was a pleasant surprise a day or two later when I saw him helping to clear a blocked drain. Even though his disease is incurable he does go out on jobs now and again.

The plumbing world badly needs a lot more Wally Pooles.

Car Repairs with a Difference

Dick Albertson’s car repair business Glenhoek Motors in Fish Eagle Park on the Kommetjie road specializes in helping retired people.

 It’s a two man business; himself and his assistant Rob Sylvester and they will fetch your car from your home, leave one of their cars there and return yours, so you never have to worry about how you are going to get your vehicle to them.

And best of all their service is excellent and unlike some repair shops they don’t rip you off.

Seventy year old Dick has been in the Fish Hoek Valley for 30 years and for the last 16 years he and Rob have been working together.

So they must be doing something right.

Pleasant and Very Helpful

That’s Peter’s Electrical in Irene Way Industrial Park, Sun Valley to a tee. All that needs to be added are that his rates are very affordable.

Sixty five year old Peter Jurd, who was born in Cape Town, runs the business with his 34 year old son Andrew and a staff of six. The workshop is usually full of cars which is a testimony to a well run business.

Peter’s business has moved three times in the 22 years he has been operating in the area, but hopefully after five years in its current location he’s there to stay.

Go to Man

Ex Royal Navy radar engineer Roger James is the man you can get to repair just about anything. Years ago he came from Britain to work for the South African Navy.

Then he took his expertise into the commercial world and in 1991, shortly before our present Black Government came to power the enemy was legalized as he put it. So as his radar knowledge was no longer needed he started working for himself from his home.

Now he does general plumbing, electrical repairs of just about anything in the home, fixes TVs and cars. There are probably a few other things I haven’t mentioned but you’ll have to ask him about those.

Apart from the fact that he does a good job, the most impressive feature of his repair business is he might spring a very pleasant surprise on you. He came to our house once to fix a light and as it only took him about five minutes he walked out hurriedly saying, No charge.

He’s another person who makes those call out fee merchants look sick, sick, sick.

We’ve had lots of compliments about him

That’s what the manager of the Clicks pharmacy, health and beauty store in Longbeach Mall said when I told him what a service gem Wesley Corona was.

Don’t’ take my word for it; experience Wesley’s way of making a mundane job into something special yourself when you are next in Clicks. He’s easily recognizable as the only white teller.

Wesley is a part timer who has been working at Clicks for between four and six days a week for the last nine months. His father sadly passed away and he lives nearby with his mother.

He plays the guitar and is hoping to study music.

But if you asked me Wesley’s forte could be better utilized teaching tellers in all kinds of businesses just how the customer should really be treated. There are far too many of them who are so like robots they do nothing to encourage customers to return to the shop where they work.

Congratulations to you all on setting the kind of standard that should be emulated by everyone in business and Government.

Regards,

Jon, the Consumer Watchdog, who doesn’t only have a nose for the Bad but who can sniff out the Good just as well, especially if it happens to be a steak and kidney King Pie.

Buy my book 'Where have all the children gone' on Amazon.com  It's a thriller with an underlying live story that defied generations of prejudice.