The difficulty increased when I couldn't find a model number on the machine anywhere other than the word "easimow" and as it was second hand, I did not have the original owner's manual either. I measured the blade, but that didn't seem to help because none of the blades that I could find online seemed to be the right size.
I then tried to find the same looking mower and found a company that possibly had the right blade, but when I called, all three of their lines went to voicemail. I don't really like voicemail so I sent an email with my query. The following morning I got a reply saying that they couldn't help me as they were shutting their doors permanently but were kind enough to provide a referral to another company in a different province. Called them, no luck, they don't stock Flymo anything. Back to the drawing board as Marvin the Martian would say.
Not being prepared to give up and admit defeat I figured maybe I should see if there was a local supplier of mowing equipment that I could ask for advice. I found a place online and gave them a call speaking to a bright and breezy lady called Ziggy. She asked me for the blade size and said they might have a blade that would fit but later she called me back and said that the best bet would be to bring in the whole machine so they could have a look at it and see if the blade they have would work as the Flymo mowers were a bit tricky and have different sized centre bolt fittings. I agreed with her that it would be the best course of action and I thanked her for her effort and the return call. This already stood out to me as exceptional.
This morning I took the machine in and was greeted by Ziggy and her father who own the business. It was a nice interaction as they were down to earth people and while they were trying to solve the lawnmower riddle with me, we chatted about how the world is changing, how cyclical times are, his daughter being able to lift 40kgs of dog food without hesitation and how she's "not a city girl" which I respect, the history of Flymo being bought out in this country by Husqvarna and that the part division had been taken over by Gardena. Many of these little tidbits of information I wasn't aware of. People may not think much of this, but this kind of interaction for me adds value to their company. They were not only personable and knowledgable, but were also willing to share that - it made a difference.
One of the other staff entered the store at this time, took one look at the mower on the counter and said "oh we've got one of those blades at the back" and off he went to retrieve it. Ziggy came out later and said it was literally right at the back under a stash of old parts and supplies. It was a second hand blade but it was in one piece - a step up from mine.
They fitted the blade for me and as it turned out, it was a Husqvarna blade which I now have the part number for, for future replacements. They tested the mower at no extra charge and said it was good to go.
It was so refreshing to have such a 'good feeling' experience and I told them so - they've won me as a customer as a result.
Just a little while ago I was thinking about how much the level of customer service has gone down in certain industries, especially with the big companies, but occassionally you find these little gems. The "mom and pop" businesses that are salt of the earth types. I'm really glad that I found them and I hope that I can recommend them to others going forward because they deserve the business.
Sometimes out of these misfortunes, we can still gain something. I learned a couple of new things, I've found a solid, local small business that went above and beyond to help me and they in return gained a customer. I left their shop feeling better.
I took some time to clean out all the debris from my mower, all the vents and give it some general TLC.
Now I can go finish cutting the lawn - but first, I'm going to make sure that there aren't any hidden rocks laying in wait.
