Jamie Biesiada
A few years ago, my longtime mechanic closed up shop.
I do mean longtime: He was servicing my parents' cars before I could even drive.
It was kind of devastating. It was a family-owned shop: Harold and his team worked on the cars, and his wife, Barbara, ran the office. They got to know their customers; they celebrated with me when I got my first new car, and cried with me when my dad died.
And I trusted them with my cars. Whatever Harold said it needed, I didn't question it, and as a result, I never had the types of problems other car owners seemed to run into.
When he told me he was closing, though, Harold didn't leave me without options. He recommended another local service center he had visited. I thanked him and wished him luck in his retirement.
A few weeks later, he called again. At this point, his shop was fully closed, so I was a little surprised. It turns out that the service center he'd recommended wasn't up to snuff. Some former customers had visited and weren't happy because the shop didn't have the right equipment to do everything that Harold did. Hang tight, he told me; he'd call again with another recommendation.
He did, about a week later: Manasquan Auto Diagnostics, a family-owned shop in the town where I live. Harold had not only visited and inspected the shop, he also grilled the owner, Sean, until he was content that he'd found the right home for his former clients.
Harold picked a winner.
"Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with today?"
That's how the phone is always answered at Sean's shop, whether it's him or another member of his family. It sounds sincere, too, because it is.
I recently brought both of my Subarus in for an oil change and general service. My Outback needed the usual: an air filter in addition to the oil.
But when they called the next day with an update on my Crosstrek, which I really only use for drives to the airport and to take my dog to the nearby beach, I was surprised to find out it didn't need anything. I hadn't hit the mileage when an oil change was recommended, and everything else was fine. They let me know what was getting older and would likely need replacing down the road, and that was that.
The bill for the Crosstrek: $0.
Not even a small fee for their time, I wondered? Nope! Nothing.
There are two examples of stellar customer service. Harold closed his shop but took the time to vet another option for his customers, even after he had officially retired. Sean didn't charge me for a visit when he didn't have to do much work.
I was loyal to Harold for years until he closed in 2021. Now, I'm loyal to Sean. I've been a repeat customer for three years, and I intend to be one for a long time to come.
More so, I sent many of my family and friends to Harold over the years. I've started doing the same with Sean. One person I sent his way was a friend's family member who was visiting from out of town; their car needed a lot of work, so they decided to fly home. When they flew back after the work was done, Sean picked them up at the airport.
These stories demonstrate the power of trust, relationship-building and quality workmanship. It's a powerful combination that results in gold (and the goal) in any service industry: repeats and referrals.