Whenever I am in need of an auto repair shop I always feel as though I am entering a carny shell game. You know, the game where you have to keep your eye on the little ball under the cup or shell that is being rapidly moved. If you lose sight of it, you might as well just hand over your wallet to the hustler running the game. The same logic applies to the auto repair business. Blink and you will be taken to the cleaners.
I have learned that the first thing you need to keep in mind is that most places, that are of the chain variety, will price match their competitors. So if you have the time to get a second price, do it. You will be one step closer to getting your car fixed without having to sell the kids.
This was the scenario I was faced with recently and it truly helped. It also helps if you have a service associate or manager who is familiar with you and your vehicles. In the case of Pep Boys & Purrfect Auto I had, or thought I had, such a relationship. As we all know, in this world, the only constant is change.
The first change came when calling Pep Boys to get a quote on my repair and my "go to guy" Jose, wasn't there and the price I was quoted seemed unusually high. Next I called Purrfect Auto and my "guy" Lloyd wasn’t there. In fact he was permanently not there as the place was under the dreaded “New Management” mantle. As I held my breath, I decided to give them a chance and asked them for a quote.
To my surprise, not only was their price lower, it was substantially lower. So off to Purrfect to meet Jesse, the new management. Once I got there I soon found out that the hurdles I had cleared with Lloyd in the past were back in place with Jesse. With Jesse, and from what I have found out since about the entire Purrfect Auto family of franchises, nothing is ever simple. The words “sell up” are tattooed on every person who works there.
Shortly after dropping my car off to them I got a call from Jesse. It wasn’t just the one thing. No, it was numerous things that needed to be addressed. If not repaired immediately automotive Armageddon was headed my way.
Purrfect is really into scare tactics. Especially if they think you are a first timer. Unfortunately for Jesse this wasn’t my first time at their circus. “Please just fix what I brought it in for” I instructed him.
When I picked up my car my invoice listed all of the scary things he told me I needed to do, with even scarier prices to go along with them. I didn’t drive the car again for a few days, but when I did, Jesse’s prophecy came true. Armageddon came with a vengeance. How could I have been so foolish not to believe him?
When my AAA tow truck driver, Paul, arrived to take me back to Jesse’s lair my hood was up. He took a quick look and immediately noticed missing parts. Parts, which in his estimation were partly to blame for the recent catastrophe. He being a mechanic as well as a tow truck driver, I took his word for it and changed my destination from Purrfect to Pep Boys.
I tried to call my guy Jose at Pep Boys, but again he was off. Jesus, I want his hours. I did get Roland on the line and discovered he was cut of the same cloth as Jose. They both understood the value of repeat, long time customers and how hard it is to keep them. One glance at his computer told him how much money I had spent at their joint.
Roland listened to my tale of woe and welcomed me with open arms. I felt like a cheating husband being welcomed back home by a forgiving wife. Once there I showed him the scary receipt with the costs from Purrfect. He did his best to keep his eyes from popping out of his head and said that while the initial service was less than they usually charge, the rest of the prices for the apocalyptic repairs were way out of line.
Roland gave it his best shot but the problem persisted. The next day my boy Jose was back at work and he and his crew dove in and tried to solve the mystery, but the following day, on my way to work, the problem returned and back I went.
Next up to bat was the service manager Charles. Now to be honest, when Charles first came on board at my Pep Boys over on Rosemead Blvd & Broadway in Temple City, we butted heads. I’m sure he didn’t remember, but it was after we had our little altercation that I ended up at Purrfect for the first time. I didn't have the luxury of waiting for my "go to guys" to return. This was a desperate time and it called for desperate measures. I decided to play nice and see if Charles would do the same.
Fortunately for me this time Charles stepped up and he and his mechanic Edward found the true root of the problem and my automotive nightmare came to an end. It took a village to solve the mystery, but the boys at Pep didn’t give up until the job was done. They also did it, despite the extra parts and labor needed to do the job right, for far less than Purrfect Auto wanted.
I guess it’s my fault for taking my car to a place that can’t even spell perfect in the first place.
