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ost of us, I suspect, have had a week that we would prefer relegating to our mental recycle bin. But every now and then we have a week that is truly remarkable. I recently had such a week that soundly confirmed my contention that customer service is rebounding and doing so in large leaps. (If our Detroit Pistons had rebounded better, perhaps we wouldn’t have been swept in the first round of the playoffs, but that’s a column for another time). Permit me to illustrate how a series of interactions with various companies in a one-week span left me ebullient, energized, and enthused.

Early in the week, I noticed that my OnStar subscription was expiring after one year of free service on my new Chevy Impala (Yes, living in Michigan means we buy U.S.-built cars). When contacted by the OnStar representative, I indicated that there was some uncertainly on my part about renewing the service. On the other hand, the “OnStar Turn by Turn Navigation System” had bailed me out on numerous occasions when we became disoriented while driving in unfamiliar areas, so I was reluctant to be on my own without it. The rep assumed that I needed more time to cogitate on the renewal, so he offered me three free months that will carry me through the summer, which is when we do much of our driving. So I don’t need to renew until the end of July. And it will give me ample time to use up the many minutes still remaining on the in-car phone.

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