Anyone who lives in Southern Arizona knows that wiper blades don’t last very long in the summer heat. And if you’re lucky smart, you’ll think to get them replaced before the first summer monsoon storm hits. A few years ago – I wasn’t. So, off I went to the nearest Checker, driving as fast as I dared (25 mph) because pouring rain plus shot wipers equals less than stellar visibility. Finally inside Checker, I asked the sales guy what type of wipers I needed for my car, expecting that I’d pluck them off the shelf and put them on myself. While the clerk was looking up things in the computer, I started the mental argument with myself about whether I should brave the ride home to put on the wipers or if I should get soaked in front of Checker so I could drive home safely. But before I could even answer myself, the sales clerk had the wipers in his hands and was motioning for me to follow him outside. I stood under the almost non-existent overhang and watched in awe as the man changed my wipers for me (and in less than two minutes, I might add!). Now that’s service!

But the above story is not why I’m a Checker fan for life. Nope. That was just icing on the cake, so to speak. My undying devotion for this auto parts store (yes, I just said that) came the night I was stranded 2 hours away from home in a city I didn’t know all that well with a faulty (brand new!!!) alternator. (One that, I might add proudly, my sister and I installed ourselves.) I managed to putt-putt the car to the nearest auto parts store – oh, how thankful I am that there was one close by! It was 8:55 pm and Checker was closing at 9:00 pm. The friendly guys there stayed past closing time to help me with my problem. I won’t mention that the alternator was from AutoZone and that the guys pulled the AutoZone sticker off of it and switched it out for free (surely not their policy to swap a part from a competitor). I also won’t mention that they let me borrow their tools so I could replace it myself in the dark (don’t know their policy on letting pseudo-customers borrow really expensive tools). And I certainly won’t tell you that, two minutes later, the guys were outside with a flood light, replacing the dang thing for me (I’m dead certain that’s against their liability policy – working on a customer’s car). I’m not telling you all this because I don’t want anyone to get in trouble . . . not that I remember their names or the location.

But seriously, how’s that for service?! You can’t beat that. Like I said, above and beyond.

Have you had an Above and Beyond experience you want to share? (I doesn’t have to be about an auto parts store, really!) Tell me in the comments or write to me at sara@customerserviceftw.com!