Customer service

Caveat mptor-considering this is free to the end user, you'll at least get what you pay for.

As a small business owner, one of the most important things one can employ is good customer service. If they like what you do for them, the chance are they'll come back, tell their friends, etc.
My fear for this world is that as prices go down and items become more disposable, customer service will become a thing of the past. Also, as companies strive to reduce costs in order to lower prices, there are typically fewer people around to effectively serve those customers, therefore you and I get the short end of the stick, crumbs from the table or the boot.

This being said, when a company gets it right, I like to sing it from the mountaintop. The most recent company would be Chaco, Inc. To make a long story short, I ordered a pair of their sandals and they weren't working just right. I sent them back and they speedily assessed the problem and realized they couldn't fix them. They called me (actually kept me in the loop from the get-go) and asked if it would be okay to send me a different pair of shoes. I could pick any pair in their line for no additional charge and they would send them along. I did. They did. I am happy. I will tell everyone who will listen about this wonderful experience (not to mention the thousands reading this blog).

So there, good service, good company and a good feeling.

More interesting and unrelated ramblings to come. I promise.