We leave Comment Cards in the front seat of every vehicle after service so you can tell us your thoughts while they’re fresh in your mind. There’s some basic yes/no questions (and we’re very proud to tell you these show 98.89% On-Estimate, 98.63% On-Schedule, and 99.73% Satisfied with Service) but they also have spaces for any comments you’d like to make. Tom and our Service Advisors read every card, but one popped up recently we thought we’d share with you too. Our client was happy… “great service, great people, good values”, but as a new client she was “slightly anxious” that we might recommend unnecessary repairs in the future. WE know we won’t, but how could SHE be reassured? We explained that she had more to go on than just our promise; that our company is structured to prevent exactly that kind of abuse. Here’s how…
Hi,
Thanks for filling out our Comment Card after your recent service. You said, “I do have friends that formerly used your service that warned me that you recommend unnecessary repairs, so I’m slightly anxious”. I’m glad there wasn’t any specific repair you thought was unnecessary, but NOT recommending unnecessary repairs is one of our defining features as a shop! Integrity has been the cornerstone of Tom Dwyer Automotive for over 30 years, and the idea that we would make any unnecessary recommendations goes against everything we’ve built. We don’t ever want you to be ‘anxious’ in dealing with us, so I want to explain precisely how we protect you from that kind of abuse.
One of the biggest worries people have in auto repair is being taken advantage of in an expensive and complex situation they don’t understand. That’s a very valid worry, because it’s the actual business model of some companies! But I don’t want any part of it. We will NEVER make a recommendation for anything our clients don’t need, and ALL our service advice puts our clients’ interests first! This isn’t an empty promise or idealistic goal; I designed our company to make sure it’s what happens in reality…
- Our pay structure discourages exactly the kind of abuses you’re anxious about. Our Service Advisors are NOT paid on commission (as they are in virtually every other shop in the industry) so they have no incentive to make inappropriate sales of any kind. Our Technicians are paid hourly (instead of Flat Rate) to encourage craftsmanship and attention to detail, and to eliminate any incentive to rush through your service.
- We don’t use the mileage-based “service menus” you’ll find at most shops, where they perform all the ‘scheduled’ services (needed or not) before telling you about any other (possibly more important) work that may need to be done as well. Instead, we base our recommendations on detailed inspection and evaluation of your vehicle’s condition. We won’t tell you what a list says it SHOULD need in an IDEAL world, we’ll tell you what it actually DOES need in the REAL world.
- Our Technicians make the service recommendations to our Service Advisors, which is rare in the industry. Our Service Advisors prioritize and review the recommendations with you, but they’re passing on our ASE-Certified Technician’s professional, informed evaluation of what you need for your vehicle to be safe and reliable… not what we need for our shop’s bottom line.
Our method of thorough, hands-on inspection and evaluation can find a long list of issues with almost any vehicle. This might have even given your friends the mistaken idea we ‘recommend unnecessary repairs’, because we definitely tell you about everything we find! But not all those issues will be equally important, we almost never recommend doing everything on a list of ‘possibles’, and there will almost always be services we recommend putting off. One of the most valuable things our Service Advisors do is prioritize your vehicle needs according to…
- Safety concerns– If an issue makes your vehicle dangerous to drive we’ll ‘recommend’ you fix it IMMEDIATELY. We take our role in your safety very, very seriously so we’ll ‘push’ any safety-related services very, very hard.
- Breakdown prevention– Some issues may be safe to drive with but are likely to leave you on the side of the road if they fail. For example, a small oil leak may not be an immediate problem at all but can grow to a major concern over time, so we’ll tell you it’s happening and monitor the leak on your future visits. That way, we won’t have to do the repair until it’s actually needed, and it won’t be a surprise to your budget when it happens. We’ll strongly recommend an immediate fix for anything on the brink of failure, but if it can wait then we’ll tell you.
- Maintenance needs- Things that aren’t breakdown threats can still impact the long-term reliability and value of your vehicle. Maintenance services like oil changes and fluid flushes must be done on a regular basis to be most effective, so we’ll tell you when those services are needed or if they may be needed soon. Again, we won’t ‘push’ the services unless they’re necessary, but knowing they’re coming up allows you flexibility in both your budget and schedule.
If you’re not confident our advice is prudent then our first line of reassurance is the Service Advisors. They’ll explain the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of all repairs, but if you still have concerns then make them explain again… and again and again if necessary! We believe the more clients understand the reasons behind our advice, the more confident they’ll be we’re recommending the right things. If you’re still not sure then getting a second opinion from another shop could help and we’ll even refer you to one if you’d like. We stand behind our advice because we know it can stand up to the most rigorous professional review.
For over 30 years I’ve told our Service Advisors to give our clients the same advice they’d give their friends and family, and for over 30 years they have. We sleep very well knowing we’re delivering real value for the hard-earned money our clients spend. If we do that then clients will stay with us, they’ll refer their friends, and our company will prosper. No grifting necessary! I appreciate that you tried us despite your ‘anxiousness’, and I’m glad you took time to tell me about it. Looking at your records I see you’re still a fairly new client with us so maybe the sting of past shops is still with you, and for good reason. But I’m confident the sting will fade as you get to know us better and find THROUGH EXPERIENCE that we’re caring for your vehicle with YOUR needs, not ours, in first place.
Make a great day,
Tom Dwyer
Owner and ASE Master Mechanic
Tom Dwyer Automotive Services
