Algonquin resident thankful for help
Sandie Tepsick, an Algonquin resident, wants to extend a thank you to A-1 Repair Shop in Elgin.
On the Sunday before Christmas, Tepsick told me that her brand-new snowblower just quit on her at the bottom of her driveway. She said she tried plugging it in, but it just wouldn't start.
She had bought the device from A-1 and called the shop early that morning to discuss the issue.
Owner Tom Helgerson drove between 15 and 20 minutes from Elgin to Algonquin to fix the problem with a pair of pliers.
Two minutes later, he was back on the road - Tepsick had unknowingly bent one of the prongs on the snowblower's plug, preventing it from going all the way into the outlet.
"He did not charge and it wasn't under warrantee because I messed it up," Tepsick said. "This guy was incredible; it was such a refreshing thing and he was just, 'Merry Christmas.'"
She is so happy with the customer service that she's drafted a letter to A-1, which she plans to mail this week.
For his part, Helgerson, who has been in business for more than 20 years, said he believes in keeping the customer happy and is grateful for the recognition.
"It was just nice that she said thank you and that's more important than anything else," he said.
And it doesn't bother him one bit that he spent more time traveling to Algonquin than he did to resolving the situation.
"Any question not asked is a bad question," Helgerson said. "In other words, if you don't ask it, i can't help you. I'd rather go out 100 times and not be needed, than to not be called the one time I am needed."
Show your Lake in the Hills pride: The Lake in the Hills Historical Society is selling license plate trim rings that you can buy for $5 - all proceeds will go toward supporting the society.
The rings say "Village of Lake in the Hills," and you can purchase them at village hall or by calling the historical society at (847) 658-9350.
Members will deliver the rings at no cost to you.
LITH Christmas tree removal: From now until the end of next week, ARC Disposal and Recycling will be removing Christmas trees in conjunction with your regular trash.
Please be sure to remove all of the decorations first - ARC intends to recycle the trees by grinding them up into mulch.
For information, call ARC at (847) 981-0091.
Lenore Adkins covers Algonquin, Lake in the Hills, Pingree Grove and McHenry County College. To reach her, send an e-mail to ladkins@dailyherald.com or call (847) 608-2725.