I drive an SUV, and normally, I’m pretty happy with it.
Sure, if it got a few more miles per gallon, my satisfaction would be a lot higher, but there are tradeoffs. Compared to my monthly payments, the price of gas is a flea on an elephant, so I can’t really complain.
But I got sticker shock today when I heard how much the dealer wanted to charge me for some brakes, a couple of tires, and an oil change.
If I told you it is in the thousands, would you believe me?
Right now, sitting in my garage, is a 1984 Mercedes wagon that I’d be lucky to get a couple of thousand for, and it has new brake pads on it!
Anyway, and here’s the important thing, I told the dealer to do the oil change and the warranty stuff, but hold off on the brakes and tires.
I called around, and heard prices that were, maybe 20% cheaper from independents, when I got a brainstorm. Having seen something in an ad, or in their magazine, I called the auto club.
It took about ten minutes to get a human being, but the wait was worth it.
“Do you make recommendations to places that can service and repair my make and model, in my neighborhood?” I asked.
“We sure do!” the fellow responded, brightly.
He gave me two names, one is one block from my office and the other is three. The dealer is about seven miles away!
I called them both, and one sounded more stable, a little more sincere, as if he has been doing his work for decades. I asked him for a quote, and he slowly recited the numbers for brake pads, rotors, sensors, and the grand total came to almost exactly HALF of what the dealer charges!
He’ll be getting my business, just as soon as I can get a loan to get my car back from the dealer.
You should definitely shop around, and if you have a triple-A card in your wallet, it may be worth giving them a call, first!
Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, “The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable,” published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.