A Thin Line of Trust

Fishing line has greatly improved.  What used to be a choice between monofilament or braided, now includes Fireline and a host of other new materials with incredible strength and very small diameters.  In the end, no matter which line you choose, there is only one thin line of connection between you and the fish.

So, what connects you to the technician who repairs your vehicle?  Lives in your neighborhood?  Has a coupon sale today?  Sells my brand of car?  I suppose any of these connect us.  But the one thin line that connects you is the thin line of trust.  Turn over your keys to the service writer and walk into the lobby, and you have no idea what they will do to your vehicle.  At that point, all you can do is trust that they will do something good and the cost will be reasonable.  Ever been disappointed?  Ever feel like you were pressured to buy on the spot?  Ever drive away and the vehicle felt worse than before?  Ever feel like your trust was betrayed?  Sure you have, and now you decided never to go back THERE.  But where do you do go now, to fix the problem they created or the next time you need a problem solved?

There is good news and hard news.  The good news is there are shops that are very worthy of your trust.  The hard news is that it takes time to find them.  So what makes a shop that I can trust.  Does the shop…

…have a positive rating with the Better Business Bureau and positive referrals from other customers

…have personnel who are paid by the hour and not bonused on how much they up-sell to  you today

…search out the nature of your vehicle problem, rather than just replace parts until it goes away

…have technicians who are trained and experienced enough to do the work you need

…provide a positive customer experience by the way they treat you and respond to your questions and needs from start to finish

…they stand behind the repair if they make a mistake and remedy the mistake at their expense

…use replacement parts and fluids of high quality and not just the cheapest available

…have a quality focus and work to understand and improve customer service

So don’t give up and think that you just have to take what the bad repair shop dishes out.  It may take a couple of tries to find a shop to trust, but making the effort is worth it.  When you find one, stick with it.  Once the thin line of trust is established, it will set your mind at ease when vehicle repairs become a part of your life.