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| By
Norma Zager, Courier Staff |
 Beverly Hills has been
fighting a battle against
the image of a city unfamiliar
with the are of customer service
and satisfaction. Pioneer
& Lucerne Hardware on
Crescent Drive, just south
of Little Santa Monica Blvd.,
has managed to win one for
the City by rating kudos and
high marks from Consumer Advocate
David Horowitz. |
| David Horowitz received
a letter from one of his readers
inquiring about a hardware
store in Los Angeles where
her son, who had recently
purchased his first home,
could go for reliable service
and help. |
| Horowitz recommended
Pioneer & Lucerne to the
reader, citing their longstanding
reputation for service and
quality for the last 26 years. |
| In a response to a
letter from a reader inquiring
about a small friendly hardware
store for her son to shop
at, Horowitz wrote about recently
moving to the neighborhood
and "taking the bait," to
check out all the nice things
people were saying about this
friendly neighborhood hardware
store. |
| He said the instant
he walked into the store to
buy some wall anchors, he
felt comfortable. The clerk
walked him straight to the
desired items and although
his bill was just over $4,
the clerk gave him his card
and told him to call if he
had any problems. Horowitz
said he felt like coming back
to the store just to browse
for things to buy. As he walked
out, he saw the same contentment
on the faces of other shoppers. |
| According to Horowitz,
Pioneer & Lucerne hit
the high-water mark on three
keys: quality, value and customer
service. Shoppers don't want
rudeness, lack of respect
or excuses for lousy customer
service, Horowitz said. Small-business
people who treat their customers
well get it all back in loyalty
and return visits. |
| Creating an old-fashioned
neighborhood hardware store
in the heart of one of the
world's most glamorous cities
is the goal of Jeff Tilem,
grandson of the stores founder,
who believes hard work and
happy employees are the key
to a business' success. |
| Beverly Hills civic
leaders like Fred Hayman have
expressed their belief there
must be a Beverly Hills standard
of service, apart from all
the others. |
| Pioneer & Lucerne
truly represents what should
be the Beverly Hills standard.
There is some wonderful service
overall, but those who don't
have it must shape up, because
it's damaging to the community.
In Beverly Hills people expect
alot, and we don't want customers
intimidated," Hayman said. |
| Jeff credits his buyer Jeff
Berman and his employees for
much of the store's success. |
| "It's all about the
customers," Tilem said.
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