In this day in age, when it’s so easy to file a grievance or slam some group on social media, for balance alone, it’s ultra-important to write letters of praise when someone or some organization does an excellent job.

Yes, it’s quite noticeable when something goes wrong, but how often do we just skip over those things that go well?

The letter that you write and send, usually shared by those who receive it, does more good than you might presume. It is beneficial to you, to acknowledge those who have served you well. It is a reminder to you personally, that many vendors and service providers do an outstanding job and that too often we take this for granted.

Can I Give you a Lift?

Here are two examples of letters I’ve written over the years. The first, via mail, is 19 years old, before the widespread use of cell phones, and before Uber and Lyft:

May 6, 2002

Commissioner
Taxi and Limousine Commission
40 Rector Street
New York NY 10006

Dear Commissioner,

In my hour of need, New York City taxi driver Shahnur Talukder stepped up in a big way. Shahnur has only been in the U.S. for one year, hailing from Bangladesh with his wife and child.

When my pre-arranged van pick-up fail to arrive early yesterday morning as scheduled, I suddenly found myself without a ride to JFK airport and no one willing to accept payment by credit card. I had, perhaps unwisely, spent all of my cash the day before, but went to bed with my van reservation phoned in well in advance.

Following the van service letdown, I had no idea that New York taxis do not accept a credit card (as they do throughout North Carolina.) Six drivers out of six said “sorry.”

When I hailed Shahnur’s cab, his first action was to take me to a bank to see if I could get a cash advance on my credit card. I didn’t know the pin number, however, as I had not conducted such a transaction previously. The time was slipping away and my margin evaporating for getting to the airport on time.

Without prompting, Shahnur decided to drive me to the airport. He trusted me to mail him the fare (which I did, along with several gifts). New York has many heroes these days and, for me, Shahnur Talukderof is one of them.

Yours truly,
Jeff Davidson

cc: NY Times, Office of the Mayor, WSJ, Shahnur Talukderof

 

And Just Recently…

I wrote the following days ago and sent it via email. The performance of the equipment that I had left out in the rain so astounded me, that I knew I had to write to the manufacturer.

April 26, 2021

Product Manager
Olympus VN 7200
[email protected]

Dear Product Manager,

I wish to report a tremendous success story. By mistake, I left my pocket dictator, an Olympus VN 7200, on my porch and due to the strong wind, a torrential rain poured onto the pocket recorder for hours and knocked it off of the railing to the ground.

In the morning, I saw the pocket recorder and realized I had left it there. It was completely soaked. I felt a little disheartened; it was such a silly error to make.

I brought the recorder into my car as I was taking off and put it on the rug between the two front seats. In a matter of about 90 minutes most everything looked dried.

As a test case (and I held my breath), I turned it on, and flipped to a recording I had already made to see if it was retrievable. Not only was it retrievable, it played perfectly. I was amazed.

I’m writing in high praise of this product. Whoever designed it, whoever shipped it, and whoever sold it, should all be proud. Here is something that truly works, and works even when owners are careless!

Yours truly,
Jeff Davidson

 

Your Letter, Today

In this era of political divisiveness, entitlement, and downright acrimony between different groups, writing a letter of praise is a positive development, and, collectively, a building block to a healthy and sustainable society.

So, to whom will you write a glowing letter of praise today? Surely there are vendors and service providers in your life who merit such a letter. Remember, the benefits to you are as great as the benefits to the receiver.

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