NORWICH – I’d be willing to bet a great many homes in the area have at least one appliance of some sort, be it a refrigerator, washer, dryer, television, stove or microwave. People have a use for appliances. They assist us with preparing our food – making sure it stays cool if need be, allow us to wash our clothes, and some provide us with a means for entertainment. This is why, for this week’s installment of “punching the clock,” I made my way to our locally owned and operated appliance store S & S TV and Appliances on 80 East Main St. in Norwich.
According to co-owner Joan Brauer, S & S stands for Sales and Service, which is something I observed right away, as I was greeted politely by several employees while perusing the showroom for a couple of minutes. While browsing I viewed some washers, dryers, cooktops, microwaves, a plethora of different variations of refrigerators and freezers, dishwashers, air conditioners and dehumidifiers.
After browsing for a short while I made my way to the service desk where I had offered to help out where needed – as I was pretty confident I wouldn’t do all that well in the sales department. First I had to figure out what the duties of the service department actually entailed, since I wasn’t all that sure.
Darren Hazen is the service manager at S & S and has been an employee for about two years now. He then explained to me the various duties his position requires. He looks over three service technicians who will do repairs to appliances when needed. The technicians are specially trained and two are dedicated to strictly handling repairs. A third technician, Hazen said, goes on the road three days a week and handles television repairs ,in-house, two days a week.
Hazen said he receives calls regarding service and schedules the appointments so that the technicians can get out to take a look at the issue in a timely manner. He then showed me “the board” on the wall he manages and fills in with the schedule of service calls. Each service technician goes on about seven calls per day.
“I do some work here at the counter for the customer too,” said Hazen. “I may also do a little sales here and there.”
Hazen went on to explain when a customer makes a purchase at S & S, the store is committed to the customer’s satisfaction. If something happens to the appliance they purchased at S & S, they can simply call the service department and Hazen or one of the technicians will gladly help out.
I - of course - sounded as though I had never seen parts of an appliance before ... well, now that I think about it, I guess I haven’t really seen the insides of appliances before - until yesterday. I checked out the parts, hoses and belts, and to incoming customers probably looked like a lost puppy, especially if a customer heard me asking while behind the counter, “Wait, so it this thing-y-a-belt? What is that for?”
There was also some computer work to be done, but I stepped away from the service department for a few minutes to again look around the showroom floor before meeting with co-owner Joan Brauer to speak about her experience with owning a business within the community.
“It is really great to be able to serve the public,” Brauer said. “We like people to stay local, and we will really bend over backward for our customers.”
Brauer went on to explain that the business is family owned and operated, and a few years ago a second shop was opened in Hamilton at 171 Utica St. She added that the employees are very helpful and are a vital component to the operation and success of the business.
“We service what we sell and are committed to providing one-on-one service for our customers” she said. “We spend time with them, we get to know them, that’s the way we are.”
It was clear based on our conversation that those at S & S take their customer commitment seriously.
As Brauer and I walked through the shop we came across a section of refurbished items - refrigerators, freezers, microwaves, and stoves.
Said Brauer, “We are happy to have these to offer people. They are refurbished and in good condition. They all carry a 30 day warranty. In case something were to happen in that time, the customer can give our service department a call.”
I made my way back to “my” spot behind the service desk for a while longer, where everything was organized in such a manner that if a customer needed a part, it would either be there in stock, or it could be ordered.
I’ve decided I’ll leave the servicing of appliances to Hazen and his team, because while I had a fun time ... I can’t remember what the belt for the washer actually does.
“It has been a long road and a lot of hard work,” stated Brauer before I left S & S. “It has taken a lot of time and dedication to get where we are now, but we love being able to serve the area and offering a family oriented business ... we won’t give up.”
S & S is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. - Thursday the store remains open until 8 p.m. - and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
For further information on S & S TV and Appliances visit sandstvandappliance.com or call the Norwich store at 334-6466 or the Hamilton store at 315-824-5636.