[dcarrb]

I have one of those old-fashioned push-reel mowers that gets (and gives) quite a workout at my place. Recently the blades began disengaging from the drive mechanism as the mower moved forward, so I phoned the manufacturer, American Lawn Mower Company, toll-free, to order some parts:

(4) ratchet pawls @ $.55 each
(2) wheel retainer snap rings @ $.55 each

Order total: $3.30.

I prepared to give the woman who took the order my credit card info and she countered that she'd simply have a bill enclosed in the package. (I joked that I expected such consideration in view of the enormous order I'd just given her employer.) The goods arrived about a week later via first class mail, with a net-30 invoice enclosed. Three dollars and thirty cents; they didn't even charge for the shipping. Now figure, with the cost of the parts, the zip-lock bag which contained them and the padded mailer they used, the postage, the time it took to fill someone to fill the order, and the administrative costs associated with cutting the invoice, American Lawn Mower Company had to have taken a net loss on this insignificant little transaction.

Talk about service after the sale! Nothing says "thank you for buying our product" like giving customers a break rather than squeezing a buck out of them at every turn. Imagine if we could buy auto parts this way.

dcb