Superior service seals loyalty

By SUSAN LYNN
Register Editor

Register/Susan Lynn Western Auto employees, from left, are Sharla Miller and her parents, Dave and Mary Kay Heard, and Shaday Gregg. Not pictured is David Cescon. The store is at 320 W. Garfield.

It doesn’t take long to discover that customer service is what has kept Iola’s Western Auto in business for 64 years.
While other stores have come and gone, Mary Kay and David Heard have weathered through hard times and enjoyed the good all because they stand behind their products and work to make sure their customers are satisfied.
Three lines are the mainstay of the longtime business: Large appliances, vacuum sweepers and cell phones.
Western Auto sells Whirlpool and Fisher & Paykel washers and dryers. While the first is a household name, the latter keeps in business with a low profile because of its high quality and durability.
“It took us seven years to decide to put it on the floor,” said Mary Kay of the line that was started in 1934.
Its controls have a touch screen feel with easy-to-read choices. Perhaps its biggest selling point is its simple design. “It’s as easy to fix as a lawnmower,” Mary Kay said.
The new models stress energy efficiency and average a savings of $180 a year in electricity for a family of four.
Both its washers and dryers are top-loading and come with two-year guarantees on parts and labor.
The newest oven in the store is a Maytag that features a shallow oven above a regular-size oven. The two-in-one style is a great energy-saver for when only a layer cake, for example, needs to be cooked and doesn’t need any depth to the box. It also allows for cooking two things at once at different temperatures.
Ovens range in price from $499 to $1,499 at the store.
Sales on Riccar and Panasonic vacuum sweepers are available up to Christmas. The more substantial Riccar models use more metal than less expensive models, with thicker and heavier fan blades that provide better suction; features that benefit especially those who suffer from allergies. With the flip of a switch, the agitator that helps stir up dirt from carpets can be turned off and the base lowered to be used on wood or tile floors. To use on curtains, the power of suction can also be reduced. Every Riccar comes with a five-year guarantee. Expect to find $150 off most models.

OVER THE LAST 14 years, Western Auto’s role as an Alltel cell phone dealer has brought many people through its doors. The expertise of Sharla Miller and Shaday Gregg keep customers abreast of the newest trends as well as provide them with phones that suit their needs.
An interview-like process helps them determine a customer’s needs. “It doesn’t do us any good to oversell to a customer,” Sharla said. For every “if only” by a customer the Alltel dealers have an answer with a phone to meet their needs.
With cell phones and the more sophisticated Smart phones, multiple options exist, including being able to text message, have e-mail “pushed” to your phone with delete capabilities, being able to synchronize your calendar with someone else’s, download music and programs onto the phone much like an iPod, use the phone as a camera and video recorder, use as an address book, use as a map with voice directions, and, oh yes, as a telephone to call for pizza.
Where Western Auto beats out its competition is that Shaday and Sharla take the time to educate customers on how to use their phones and take advantage of their many options. “We’re constantly being educated ourselves,” Sharla said, and gave Shaday much of the credit for staying current with cutting-edge technology. In their spare time they take quizzes for Alltel dealers to test how current they are with the latest options.
Just in time for the Christmas season the store has four new phones in stock. They have buy-one-get-one-free phone deals. A free air card and activation comes with a new Internet activation. They have a great selection and prices on Blackberry and other Smart phones.
In an effort to help customers Sharla and Shaday also offer to examine a customer’s current phone bill to see if they can help cut costs, Sharla said.
The biggest cost-cutter is to forgo traditional phone service and replace it with a Gateway box that allows cell phones to ring through exisiting phone lines. The Bluetooth technology eliminates the land line service but frees the customer from having to have his cell phone in pocket at all times.
“We’re to the point where we can bundle all services — Internet and cell phones — into one package with one bill,” Sharla said.
The Internet air card also allows wireless hookup to a computer anywhere cellular service with Alltel is available.
In their move to phase out automotive parts, all items are for sale at 50 percent. Many stocking stuffers also start at $4.99.
In September the Heards announced their store is for sale. “It’s a good market,” Mary Kay said of the potential viability of the store.