When we put the 2nd floor on our house years ago, we incorporated space for a small home office. At the time, I was telecommuting twice a week, so a designated home office was more than a nice feature, it was a necessity.
Once the office was done, I had to figure out how to furnish it. I half-heartedly browsed office stores and furniture stores, but (this should be no surprise to you), just couldn't figure out what I wanted to do and found the whole thing annoying and overwhelming.
A friend at work suggested I look into having an office designed by a pro. I scoffed, assuming it would be too rich for my blood.
But, I decided it couldn't hurt to find out and I called A.J. Grack (they do all our office design work at the paper) to see what they would suggest and how much it would cost.
It depended, of course, on what you wanted (quality-wise) and we were able to work out a price of less than $1,400 for two lateral filing cabinets, one traditional three-drawer cabinet and a custom-cut, curved worktop -- installed.
Deal.
Now that my telecommuting days are over and I rarely use the office anymore, I've sometimes wondered if it was worth the investment.
That question was answered for me loud & clear on Monday when I called Dory at A.J. Grack to see if they could help me locate a replacement key for my three-drawer filing cabinet.
My four-year-old lost the key -- and despite weeks of threats, pleading and begging -- she has no idea where it is. Unfortunately, the cabinet was locked (because it's full of office supplies the kids can't stay out of).
This little problem became a huge problem last week when we ran out of checks because the rest of the check supply is in the locked cabinet.
I put some pressure on the kid. More threats, more pleading, more begging....all for not. The kid can't remember what she did with the key (though she does now admit to taking it).
So, I called A.J. Grack...gave them the number on the key lock. They said they'd see what they could do. They called an hour later to tell me that a new key was being mailed to me from the manufacturer -- no charge.
That's customer service.
I figure that some day I'll find the other key in some Barbie's dress or squirreled away in the back of a Mr. Potato Head -- probably the day after the new key arrives.