Every so often, you encounter someone who seems to have wandered into the present from a bygone…read moreera. Someone who looks you in the eye, shakes your hand, and somehow, before he's even picked up a tool, you know you're in good hands.
Meet Gavin.
There's something wonderfully old-fashioned about this man. Not merely his professionalism or the obvious pride he takes in his workmanship, but something rarer: the unmistakable sense that your best interests matter to him every bit as much as the job itself.
Gavin came to our home to replace the rather unconvincing faux-brick wall behind the equally unconvincing logs in our gas fireplace. Our hope was that installing reflective black glass would add depth, disguise the artificiality, and perhaps persuade our fireplace to stop looking quite so embarrassed about being a fireplace.
Well, the trick worked. Spectacularly.
What had been an eye-roll-inducing, insipid little flame-lapper became a warm, inviting centerpiece of our family room. The transformation was nothing short of miraculous.
But that's only half the story. And frankly, the less interesting half.
The real story is Gavin.
He removed his boots, laid down protective blankets, meticulously cleaned as he worked, vacuumed up after himself, and even apologized for the noise. Imagine that. A serviceman apologizing for making the sounds necessary to perform the service we'd hired him to perform!
But Gavin was just getting started.
While installing our new glass, he took it upon himself to give the entire fireplace a thorough going-over. He removed years of accumulated dust and the unfortunate remains of insects who had apparently mistaken our fireplace for a retirement community. He corrected wiring that could have been better arranged, addressed a component that wasn't allowing the optimal mixture of air and gas, cleaned the glass until it looked brand new, and adjusted the flame settings to give us greater control.
None of this was something we'd requested. He simply saw opportunities to make things better and, apparently, couldn't imagine leaving them undone.
And when the work was finished, he took the time to explain how everything operated, how best to enjoy our fireplace, and how to care for it so it would serve us well for years to come.
No rushing. No cutting corners. No sense that his mind was already on the next appointment.
Just a man doing his work extraordinarily well, with a degree of thoughtfulness and personal care that left us almost speechless.
After Gavin departed, my wife and I looked at each other and laughed. Not because anything was particularly funny, but because we'd just witnessed something so unexpectedly wonderful that laughter seemed the only appropriate response.
Who was this guy?
And where, we wondered, had this spirit of genuine service gone?
We couldn't help wondering whether Gavin had any idea just how remarkable he was. I rather suspect he doesn't. People like him seldom do. They're too busy looking for the next thing they can make better.
Our sincere hope is that Quality Stoves & Spas recognizes what an extraordinary representative they have in Gavin. Because while we couldn't be more delighted with our transformed fireplace, the lasting impression wasn't made by the glass, the flames, or even the craftsmanship.
It was made by the man.
Five stars for Quality Stoves & Spas. And if there were a sixth, Gavin would have earned it before he put his boots back on.
