Three Knights In Shining Armor

Hello Pamela,

Several knights in shining armor deserve APPLAUSE.

My car engine stopped as I was exiting the freeway in Aiea. I was able to restart the car and barely got it into a parking lot across from Unique Motors on Moanalua Road. I told manager Peter Matthews about my dilemma and he let me use his business phone to call my family, since I had lost my cell phone. Additionally, I was on my way to meet someone and needed to locate their cell number which was stored on my cell phone, so Peter helped me search for the phone number via the Internet, without luck. Peter then introduced me to Mike Le of Kama’aina Tinting, who shares the shop space with Unique Motors. Peter let Mike use one of his cars to bring me to my appointment and bring me back to Unique Motors. In the meantime, Ron Clair, a mechanic with Darkside 808, who also shares the shop space, was able to give me a diagnosis of what was wrong with the car. Ron quickly was able to repair my car.

Thanks to these three chivalrous knights, I went from being panicked to being chauffeured to my appointment, completing the business and having a well-running car back in my hands – all within 1.5 hours.

Suzanne Nakano
Aiea

Dear Suzanne,

Mike Le (who’s now at Kama’aina Tinting’s Kapolei location) says it was not particularly busy at the time so it was not a problem taking you to your appointment. “She had to meet someone and this was the only time. It was important to her, so it was important to us.”

Dear Pamela,

Last year I broke my glasses and frantically went into Walmart. Even though I purchased my glasses somewhere else, Ashley Kucerna, manager of the Vision Center, took my pair with its broken frame and fixed it in 15 minutes. He would not accept any payment. I was so impressed with his excellent customer service and big smile, so this year when I needed a new pair I went to Walmart. Ashley greeted me again with that big smile. He later called to ask how the glasses were working for me. He is truly a gem.

Donna Cabral
Waipahu

Dear Donna,

Ashley Kucerna, who’s been with the Walmart Vision Center for 14 years, says this is the kind of customer service they give to everyone. “We don’t care if the glasses were not purchased here,” he says. “Our staff puts themselves in the customer’s shoes. We were happy to solve the problem.”

Dear Pamela,

I left my wallet at the Walmart, Keeaumoku store. When I realized I didn’t have my wallet, I called customer service and they checked the station I was at. They found the wallet with all my money still inside. That is such a busy store and I am so grateful that the cashier (didn’t get her name) was honest enough to hang on to it for me until I could pick it up.

Mahalo to all the employees at Walmart who never fail to greet me with a smile and direct me when I need help.

Ana Fosdick
St. Louis Heights

Dear Ana,

“It’s so nice that Ana shared her positive experiences with our store team via APPLAUSE,” says Honolulu Walmart manager Debbie Shima. “Walmart associates have a tradition of doing the right thing, and it always comes down to one of our founder Sam Walton’s favorite adages: Customers always come first.”