2021 Cross Country Adventure

Never Grudge the Nudge

Play your hunches

Day two of our eastbound 2021 Cross Country Adventure: the overhead air conditioner on our RV gave out. Steve Potter, President of C&S Fire-Safe Services, made an appointment for us at the garage where he has all his service trucks maintained. We were disappointed to learn that through miscommunication - I take full responsibility - they thought it was the cabin air conditioner, not our overhead unit.

They recommended we go to Camping World in Medford. So, off we went. Their service writer told me they were booked out for three weeks and gave me two recommendations. Before we left, I made the calls. The first fellow is now headquartered in California, he tried to help me diagnose "the fix." The other shop, "we're booked out for several weeks."

Driving around the back, as we left, I saw three guys on their lunch break. I had a hunch, a nudge, an intuition they might be able to help me find an air conditioning tech. I jumped out of the RV, told them about my problem. Just as I'd hoped, or maybe even expected, one of the fellows said, "Go by the RV Doctor, ask for Luke."

When we got to the RV Doctor, fingers crossed, hoping we'd be able to get in, the service writer, Shantiel, walked out to our RV. We explained to her our dilemma, she told us the same story, "backed up for several weeks."

Shantiel's empathy for us was so strong that she decided to ask the owner, Michael, if he'd be willing to help us. Mike is an expert in overhead air-conditioning systems. He had our unit fixed and ready to go in just a matter of minutes, then Donna Lee had the temerity to ask him if he could look at our refrigerator, which only worked on propane, didn't switch back to electric when we parked for the night. He took a look, replaced the cooler heater element in no time.

RV Doctor charged us a grand total of $179.99. We expected the bill to be three or four hundred. We were thrilled! I gave Michael a copy of Repeat Business: 6 Steps to Superior Customer Service.

The lesson I learned from this experience is the importance of following "my little nudges."

The action I call you to take is to trust your gut instincts, your intuitions. Don't be afraid to follow through, afraid of embarrassment, inconvenience someone, looking like a fool, or asking a stupid question. The more you trust your "little nudges," your intuitions, the more insightful they become. You'll be more certain about all the decisions you make.

When you follow your intuition, insight becomes instinctive.