Does Customer Service Still Exist?
It Sure Does in Cody, Wyo.
by Holly Biller

This spring break I went to visit my parents in Buffalo Bill’s historic town of Cody, Wyo. If you are wondering, “Do small towns where people care about quality service and the people they are serving still exist?” the answer is “yes” and this was very apparent with my visit to Bloedorn Lumber. The company, located right off one of the few main streets, Big Horn Avenue, was very simple to locate and the experience far exceeded my expectations.

My parents’ home has a detached garage with four bays and the structure is in need of new windows to replace the current five sliders. Armed with rough specs I was interested to see how I would fare.

Upon my arrival on Monday afternoon there was no one at the check-out register and it seemed quiet throughout the entire building, which caters to all aspects of building projects. The window display was straight ahead and, as I made my way toward it, a gentleman came out from the office and asked how he could help me. He was dressed in a relaxed manner with a denim Bloedorn Lumber jacket on and by his easy nature I assumed he was the owner.

I explained what I was looking for and wondered if I would be able to capitalize on the current tax credit program. He said “sure,” and then asked if the garage was attached to the home. When I stated that it wasn’t, he said we might have to check to see if we could still apply for the tax credit. He also mentioned that while the credit used to be $3,000, it would now only be $1,500, but that I would have until the end of 2010 to have the windows installed to receive the credit.

He walked me to the display, which was a four-wall kiosk arrangement, and proceeded to show me the differences between wood windows and vinyl windows, the fact that they were all Energy Star® qualified and the benefits for each type. I asked if he recommended Jeld-Wen and he said absolutely and, that for a garage, he would suggest the vinyl simply because they can come within 1/8 inch for custom sizes without altering the price.

He took the time to explain benefits of slider windows (which currently are in place) and the fact that they require less hardware than others. Consequently, he explained, the pricing starts out a bit lower, though the quality is just as good. I asked if there was a brochure or pricing sheet I could take back.

The gentleman, who still hadn’t provided me his name, said he could do one better and proceeded to take me to his office, where he pulled up Jeld-Wen’s QuickQuote software and did a comparative analysis of my options. Due to the fact that both builder-grade and premium-grade windows were available, he was kind enough to place both in the mix and do one of each (including the argon and such) for me to qualify for the tax credit. He then mentioned since we weren’t 100 percent sure the garage would qualify I could go to the Jeld-Wen website listed on the back of the vinyl window brochure he had presented me (showing where the URL was on the back cover) to see a full page of information regarding the credit. (See editor’s note at end of article.)

He then printed off the analysis with three options, all of which were reasonable, and went on to describe the lifetime warranty. I asked if the warranty was through Bloedorn Lumber or Jeld-Wen and he answered, “you can bring your claim to me, we’ll place it with Jeld-Wen, and, if we can’t fix it, then we’ll get you in touch with another person who can. The glass is covered as well for the life of the windows.”

“I assume these prices are for the windows alone and not for the labor?” I asked.

The gentleman advised me that was correct and, though Bloedorn doesn’t do the installation itself, the company offers a a list of those it recommends to do the work. With the quote in hand I saw his name and asked “So, are you Sean?” and he said, “Yes, I am.” We shook hands and I thanked him for all his time and information as he had taken quite a bit of time and energy
to help educate me on my options. His business card says he is responsible for outside sales and I can see why.

Editor’s Note: DWM editor Tara Taffera went to Jeld-Wen’s website to see if windows for a detached garage qualify for the tax credits and she couldn’t find an immediate answer so she followed a link to the Energy Star® website and found the following: Detached structures may be considered part of the dwelling unit if you use them as part of your living space, for example, as a workshop, or an extra bedroom.” Holly reports that her Dad “practically lives out there,” using it as a workshop, so it would qualify.

DWM
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