On Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:05:45 -0500, "Arny Krueger"
wrote:

"David" wrote in message

"Arny Krueger" wrote in message

Service - the act of serving or assisting someone. This
includes both repairing and maintaining. It also
includes many other things such as serving food.

Repair - the service of correcting a fault, such as
those due to wear and tear, or accident.

Maintenance - routine service that puts off or
circumvents common faults by making premptive changes to
areas subject to predictable degradation, such as
cleaning and applying fresh lubrication to a bearing. IOW, both repair
and maintenance are services, but many
other things are services as well. In general the same
service organizations and service people provide both
repair and maintenance. The office copier service man
repairs faults and also performs scheduled maintenance.

You've nearly got it!

Actually, I've got it just right.

You fail to grasp that service is actually a very generalized word. It
includes both maintenance and repair, and it includes many other things.


No, we are not failing to grasp. We are quite clear about the
distinction. If they meant the same thing we wouldn't need two words .

Of course from what I've heard about the UK attitude towards service,
whether in the electronics shop or the coffee shop, I think I understand a
lot of the confusion that you guys are experiencing. No concept of service.
No service attitude.


What confusion would that be? We English (and apparently Swedes too)
understand the difference between service and repair perfectly. The
confusion obviously lies with those who muddle them up.

In the US we consider the "Service Industry" to be a major business segment.
We've profited well by educating the rest of the world about the meaning of
the word service. Pity that it did not take better in the UK.


You are joking, right? Service in the US comes from pimply teenagers
more interested in dating than serving, or superannuated grandmothers
in unsuitable mini skirts and support tights. I sigh with relief when
I get back here to be served by actual, real people.

BTW it appears that we're going to seriously damage Toyota in world markets
because they did not adequately learn the meaning of the word service from
us. We tried! To the world it looks like they did themselves in. Our hands
are clean but we are the ones most likely to profit from their stumbles, all
centering on the meaning of the word service.


Meanings, surely? You are now using the words in a quite different
context to the one the discussion was about.

FWIW I've always had pretty good service in hotels and resturants in the UK,
but I have only been in the the more civilized parts that foreign tourists
commonly visit, like on the Heathrow side of London.


Visit the rest too. Go to Brick Lane where the Bangladeshi immigrant
community gathers and enjoy some of the best curry you ever tasted.
And of course go to the bagel shop any time day or night for a salt
beef bagel second to none.

As for service, it should be what you want it to be. Personally I
cringe when I go into a restaurant and somebody I don't know announces
"Hi, I'm Brian and I'm going to be your waiter this evening". Two
things - 1. I couldn't give a crap what his name is and 2. I will
probably guess he is the waiter when he hands me a menu".

Apparently the attitude towards the primacy of the word service is lost in
other parts of the UK. Sad.



d