Technician Solves The Puzzle Of The Pop-Up Tent Despite Wacko Directions

Give a Service Champions technician a challenge, and chances are he can solve it. That was the case recently when our technician Dan was at a San Clemente home and he was given an unusual puzzle to solve.

The client had her family visit recently and she took them to the beach. She had purchased one of those ‘pop-up’ tents for the kids to sit under. The problem was when they got back, no one could figure out how to fold it back up.

Her son took a crack at it, but after no one could figure it out, she was left with a tent in her garage. It was all jumbled up and taking up too much space.

“Yeah, I squish it, but it won’t stay squished,” the homeowner told Dan. “The directions they give you are all wacko and it feels like if you twist it the wrong way, it will snap and break.”

“I’ve been around tents all my life because I go camping with my church group,” Dan said. “Maybe I can figure it out.”

Dan took a look at the directions and agreed with the homeowner: they were wacko. Eventually, Dan was able to figure out that you had to fold it a certain way, and then twist it with some finesse. It was hard at first, but once you got the hang of it, it got much easier.

“After I figured it out, I went back through it several times with her and let her get the hang of it,” Dan said. “That way the next time she used it she wouldn’t feel stuck again.”

Dan’s thoughtful way of solving the problem and then teaching it to his client did not go unnoticed.

“She was really happy,” Dan said. “She was especially proud that when the grandkids came back, they’d be impressed with how she could fold it right up since not even their dad had been able to solve it.

Dan, thanks for slowing down and making the extra effort on that Good Deed For Free!