Recently, a uniformed gentleman representing a road construction company rang our doorbell. He handed me two gifts wrapped in beautiful yellow-rose printed paper as well as a large envelope. I bowed and thanked him for the trouble. He then bowed deeply and headed over to the neighbor’s house.
Inside the envelope was an apology for potential upcoming noise and limited access to one of the entrances to our house after 8pm for a few evenings in June. The packages contained a large box of Sheseido soap bars and a case of apple juice.
While it was completely unnecessary to give us gifts in order to win our favor, it was a thoughtful gesture and a far cry from waking up to jackhammers an hour before noise-curfew ended at our old apartment in West Chester, PA.
I bet there are many Americans who would turn down the gifts, yell at the man that they wanted to be left alone, and slam their doors if a company tried such behavior here.
I really like the idea of the company reaching out to you. They didn’t have to do anything, sure. But they were causing you some inconvenience and they took the initiative to set things right before they went wrong. I’m very impressed.
Seth,
They’re actually in front of our house working now, and took a moment to calibrate the floodlights in way that kept them from shining directly on the houses.
That a company would even acknowledge possible inconvenience to those in their periphery is rare, let alone the extra mile of a gift.
I’m guessing they have few complaints from residents when they are hired for a job.
Much to be learned from this. Love it.
Thanks for your comment and tweets.
Wow! This is a great story and one that I hope a some companies will read and take to heart! It only takes one kind action to make someone a fan for life! (Which is why I always go to Starbucks!)
Wow, that extreme gesture of thoughtfulness is such a startling move esp to our western supposedly “christian” society.. we have alot to learn of Hospitality from the Japanese : ) — taking love your neighbor to a whole new level..