Letter to the Editor

Disappointed with treatment

Sunday, June 28, 2009

To the Editor:

As a resident of Brazil, I make it a point to shop at family owned local businesses.

My family keeps much of our income circulating in the local economy because we know it is important to the community. By doing so, we support the businesses and the families that keep our local community healthy, even if it means paying a higher price for goods and services.

Although supporting my community is important to me, so are honesty and integrity. Recently, I encountered a negative situation with a locally owned multi-generational business, which has made me rethink my local support of local businesses.

I took an item to them to be repaired. They had my item almost two months, claiming there was a backorder on a particular part. When we got the part number and ordered it ourselves from the Internet, it was delivered to us within two days. I find it amazing that an individual would be able to get a part more quickly than a dealer repair shop.

Before placing the order, my husband phoned the business, asked the status of the back ordered part and was assured it was still on backorder.

My husband stated he would order it that day and he did. That evening, there was a message on our answering machine stating that the back ordered part was suddenly delivered to the dealer repair shop and was already installed.

Our part from the Internet arrived the next day to our doorstep. Although we paid to have two problems repaired, we were told there was a third problem wrong with it, which needed to be repaired.

The third problem was actually a repair we had paid them to make last fall at the close of the summer season and we hadn't been able to use the item yet this summer season, which makes me wonder if the repair was actually made last year, although we paid for it.

When we went to pick up our item, we discovered that it had sat out in the rain for two months, although we keep it garaged. Additionally, parts were stolen from the item, with the owner explaining to us that anyone can walk past it and take items from it. That they weren't responsible for the item, even though they have a locked gate at the entrance of their business and it was on their property.

When we expressed our displeasure at this situation, the owner yelled at us and told us he didn't need customers like us. Like what? People who pay their bills, expecting a service to be made, the item to be working, the item to be cared for and protected while in his shop and to have it returned within two weeks as promised, instead of two months.

He may not need customers like us, but he needs customers to stay in business.

If he has done this to us, he has most likely done this to other families as well.

This is one locally owned family business that will never get another dollar from my family.

Amy Adams,

Brazil