by Christine Baker
Two words I think of when getting bit by a spider are not, “almost painless.” Yet, one night, not long after moving here ten years ago, a spider bit me on my shoulder. I had been so adamant about not poisoning our new house and yard with chemicals, the result was a home overrun with spiders from the forest behind us. Needless to say, my husband sprayed the entire perimeter of the house, in and out, by the end of the day. Being bit by a spider was, “almost painless.”
Two words I think of when being told you need an emergency root canal are not “almost painless.” Yet, I was told these exact words a few years ago about a tooth that had started aching over the weekend and had continued on into the week. It was a tooth that for many years past, a very conservative Dentist had recommended changing the filling rather than jumping to an invasive procedure. Both times, my tooth had quit hurting and was spared the trauma of an expensive/invasive treatment. But all good things come to an end, right? Apparently with teeth they do. My root canal was, for lack of better words, “almost painless.”
Two words I think of when going to purchase a new/used vehicle are not “almost painless.” In my 51 years of living and thirty years of marriage, I’ve had the opportunity to purchase two vehicles on my own and seven with my husband. We’ve always prided ourselves on the motto of, “If possible, buy local.” So recently, when our twelve year old van was on its last leg, we scoured local dealerships for a new/used vehicle of our dreams. Armed with information from the world wide web, I felt confident with the choice we made and called a local dealership.
Immediately, I was connected to a friendly, helpful saleswoman named April Clark at Walker Kia Automotive. I quickly found out that the item we had been interested in had been sold the day before. Yet, this did not stop Ms. Clark. She proceeded to ask me what no other salesman had done before, “Just what is it that attracted you to this particular vehicle?” My honesty led her to be bold. She said, “I think I have something comparable to what you’re looking for. Would you be interested in taking a look at something else?”
I told her “Yes” really just to be kind and she immediately got to work explaining to me all the benefits of buying a certified used Kia. I must admit, I half-listened. My heart was still thinking about the vehicle I had fallen in love with that had been sold. She offered to send me a video and again I answered her request in the affirmative just to be nice.
When the text came in with the video, my husband happened to walk in my office and ask me, “So, you found us a vehicle yet?” I sighed and he immediately knew what that meant. I showed him her video and said, “This is not at all what I’m looking for.” He watched the entire video, crinkled his forehead at me and said, “I think you should go test drive it. This company has a great warranty and the dealership is local so you can bring it in for maintenance and repairs. At least go and see how it feels on the road before you brush it off.”
I made an appointment later that afternoon and to make a long story short, I said “Yes” to a 2019 to a 2019 Kia Sorento. Ms. April Clark, Sales Consultant, Byron Owens, Sales Associate, Mrs. Robin Caplan, Business Manager and Tony Free, aka Elvis, Sales Manager were all extremely kind, efficient and very patient. If you’re in need of a new/used vehicle, look no further than the TEAM at Walker Kia of Alexandria at 1515 Dorchester Drive. I promise it will be “almost painless!”
