Vandalism is defined by the Mirriam-Webster dictionary as willful or malicious destruction or defacement of public or private property. What isn't well known is that the term Vandal comes from the word Vandilii which refers to a Germanic tribe who once established themselves as a major force over a large part of North Africa around 429 A.D.

You might be asking yourself at this point, “What the hell does this have to do with great customer service? ” Well, when your property gets vandalized I'm sure one of the first thoughts that goes through your mind is, “Who could have done this? ” Of course it's not the Vandilii tribe but vandals still mosey our streets destroying property. The next thing that goes through your mind is, “I have to call people for abet!”

I recently had an experience with vandals and if it hadn't been for the ample customer service I received that day from several sources there's no doubt my day would have been hell on earth. Let me tell you about it.

One Sunday morning my wife decided to get some groceries and so she jumped into one of our Honda Elements and proceeded to drive away. She was able to get out of the driveway but realized something was base foul. As I was sitting on the floor playing with our children I saw her come in and knew something was wrong by the look on her face. She then told me that the car had been vandalized so I quickly went outside to have a look. Three of our tires had been punctured, the rear end had been egged and the antennas on both our Elements had been stolen. I though out loud, “Who the hell did I piss off!” I stood there pondering our dilemma when I happened to glance over at the neighbors car and wouldn't you know, they had a flat tire also. Whew! Maybe I wasn't such a jerk after all. One can only hope. This prompted me to choose a walk around the neighborhood and I found seven cars with flat tires and a few with egg on them as well. I made up my mind and called the police.

Now begins my journey into the world of customer service. I imagined the police officer that would arrive would be frosty, distant yet efficient. He was efficient but I was greatly surprised at how well he conducted himself. I didn't expect him to be rude but I understand the police have to distance themselves in order to do their job. Officer Valverde was anything but. Officer Valverde arrived on the scene and took my information first because I called and he was kind and conducted himself professionally with a dash of empathy.

The morning was shot to hell and surprisingly I didn't feel indignant or stressed. The contact with Officer Valverde had put me at ease and allowed me to get on with my day. The next step we took was calling our insurance company State Farm. Well, not call but file a claim online. It was Sunday and we knew we wouldn't be able to instruct with a claim rep until Monday morning so we consigned ourselves to file a claim and wait. The plight was we hadn't logged into our account for years and didn't know our security questions. Who the hell can remember what color their first car was? Apparently everyone but us can. Anyway, we called the assist line and got connected with Marlene from State Farm Internet Support. Marlene was fantastic! She was able to help us get logged into our account and she even laughed at my jokes. When I finished with Marlene my wife and I realized that we didn't need to log into the anecdote to file a claim. I didn't feel it was a waste of time because I had such a astronomical time talking to Marlene who only made the day better.

So our claim was filed and we were instructed to wait for a call from the claims office during normal business hours. If you're like me then you know how hard it is to wait for a call back. Promptly at 8 a.m. the next day I took matters into my gain hands and called the claims office. You see I had to work later that evening and it would be hell without a vehicle. The young girl who answered the phone told me Katy Pauly with Area Farm claims would be calling me back as soon as she could. I immediately thought, “Oh! Great! I'm going to have to wait a few days for the call back.” I was method wrong! Katy called me 15 minutes later and walked me through the process. She helped me select a repair facility and car rental agency. I asked if I should call them myself and she said no she was going to send them documents and they would call me. Aye! More waiting? I was done with Katy and felt relieved that things were getting done plus the fact that Katy laughed at my jokes.

It was still early so I thought I'd sit back and have a cup-of-joe but that was not to be. Ten minutes later I received a call from Cross Country Automotive Services

Approximately ten minutes later I received an automated message stating that the towing company Sohle Express Towing located at 1109 Mohegan Lane in El Paso, Texas (915) 585-6800 would be sending a driver to my home in about 20 minutes. Wow! That was fast but I still had time for coffee, right? Wrong! Eight minutes later I get a call from Chris the tow truck driver who tells me he's outside waiting to hook up my car. Incredible! I grabbed my coat and keys and ran outside. Positive enough Chris is standing by his truck cool as a cucumber. Chris and I chat as he pulls my car onto the flatbed and soon thereafter we headed off to the repair facility in less than 10 minutes. Chris was great. He was beyond prompt and he laughed at my jokes.

As we arrived to the repair facility Viva Ford Collision Center I didn't know where to go so Chris walked me to the front and delivered me to where I needed to be. Katy had notified Viva that I would be arriving this morning. I thanked Chris and he was off. Probably with a cape and mask rescuing some stranded motorist.

Now here is where the great customer service takes a turn and detours into “We Really Don't Care About You” land. I understand that sometimes people in the customer service industry have bad days so I didn't build to distinguished into my initial experience here. I had never dealt with Viva Ford located on 5550 North Desert Blvd in El Paso, Texas so I wasn't distinct what to put a question to. What I got was a slow entertaining machine that walked through the paces one second, one little, one hour at a time. I signed up at the front office and was told the estimator would be right with me. As I sat there other customers arrived and stated their case. Viva employees came, did their business and sent them on their way. I sat. And sat. And sat. After the 5^th customer who had arrived after me was done doing their business I got up and asked if it would be much longer. The girl behind the counter hesitantly told me that she thinks the estimator had gone out to the car. What? Without me? Apparently so. I go back and sit and wait another 20 minutes before Pete my estimator calls my name. He says hello in a lack luster way and hands me some papers to sign. He tells me they will call me as soon as they have information on repairs. That's it. I am dismissed and I tilt my head sideways like a dog who doesn't understand. He glances up at me and stares me in the eye. I guess I'll have to make the first move. “That's it? ” “Yes. We'll call you.”

I left Viva Ford as I imagined a cat would after it's been hosed. I walked away thinking to myself “Well they can't all be State Farm or Cross Country Automotive Service or Sohle Express Towing and I decided to engage myself up and continue on my quest to get things done by noon. I then called Enterprise Rent-A-Car located on 5385 S. Desert Blvd in El Paso, Texas (915) 845-0268 whom State Farm I'm sure had already contacted. I began speaking with Paul who told me he was expecting my call. I told him I had just finished with Viva and would be walking to their lot. He told me to sit tight and that he would come and get me.

Five minutes later Paul pulled up and we were off. Paul picked me up in this little 4 door model that was nice but too small for my family of six. He explained after arriving to his office that this would be the car I would be using because it fell within the covered amount under my insurance plan. I asked him if they had anything bigger within my price range. He looked at his computer and told me they had a 2010 Chevy Silverado which seats six rather nicely but that it would be $4.00 over my coverage. Now, you might be thinking to yourself that four bucks is nothing but it can add up should the repairs bewitch too long. After what I had impartial experienced at Viva Ford I wasn't at all confident they would be rushing to finish the repairs. I told Paul to forget it and that I would assume the matchbox model he previously offered.

I guess Paul could see the disappointment in my face and stated with confidence, “I'll tell you what I can do. How about I knock off $2.00 on the total for the Silverado and you'll only pay $2.00 a day. How's that sound? ” It was a great gesture but I really didn't want to go over my coverage so I thanked him and said no. I saw him square his shoulders and I could see he had made an executive decision. “I'm going to take off the $4.00 completely on the Silverado and give it to you under your coverage cost.” Well knock me down and call me Shirley. Again I was amazed at all the great customer service I had been receiving this day. I thanked Paul profusely as he wrote up the transaction, A few minutes later I drove off the lot in that hulking piece of shiny metal and felt good all over again.

As I arrived home I looked at my watch and wouldn't you know, it was just before noon. As I sit here writing this story several days later I have yet to hear from Viva Ford. I called them a few days ago and was told they were buffing out the egg on my car but they still had to inspect the tires. Seriously, how long does it take to check and replace tires? Anyway, I'm unexcited in a proper mood and would like to thank the El Paso Police Department and Officer Valverde, State Farm and Marlene and Katy for taking care of me and my family. I will continue to be a loyal customer. I want to thank Lakisha with Cross Country Automotive Services and Chris with Sohle Lisp Towing for their fantastic efforts. Lastly, I'd like to thank Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Paul for going above and beyond what customer service should be.

I highly recommend the people I've thanked and the companies they work for. Gargantuan job!

Update:

I hadn't heard from Viva Ford again and the other day I was driving by so I decided to cessation and check the status of my car. As I pulled into the lot I see my vehicle being driven away. I thought to myself, “Yes! They're taking it for a test drive. It has to be ready.” So I go in and ask for Pete who's (mis-handling) the repairs and after a short wait he comes out and stands there staring at me. I examine encourage a few seconds then tell him I just saw my vehicle being driven away and want to know what's going on. He tells me that the car is being taken to another shop so they can check the tires. What?! I can not believe Viva Ford can't afford to buy a large bin, absorb it with water, submerge my tire to see where the air is leaking and repair or replace my tires. It's been two weeks. Just incredible. At least I have some good experiences from this whole fiasco and a unbelievable insurance company like State Farm to recall care of me. http://www.crosscountry-auto.com/ and spoke with Lakisha who was going to site me up with a towing company. Lakisha was quick and professional. It surprised me how efficiently Lakisha did her job. It was poetry in motion. Again I was told I would get a call from the towing company I had just selected. I didn't want to jinx myself so I said out loud, “Great! More waiting.” I was wrong again.