sid 1 #1 March 2, 2006 I have a truly heartwarming story….. Last week, I took my trusty old Isuzu Amigo (for whom I’ll be asking for a few moments silence later) into York’s Automotive Repair, DeLand, FL, for a brake check and an oil change, in preparation for a 1600 mile trip I’m taking shortly. S*#$$ the manager (name withheld) called me and told me the pads were fine but I needed a caliper. I agreed on the price and picked the truck up later that afternoon. I drove it home (20 miles) back to work (another 20) and to the Wal Mart (about 2 miles). On coming out of the Wal Mart I noticed a huge puddle of oil under the truck. I looked underneath and saw it dripping from the new filter. I ran back into the store, got a gallon of “Erl” and filled it back up so that I could drive back to the office….. didn’t make it. The car cut out. My buddy Brett is visiting from New York, he pulls the filter off and it is scuffed and cracked with a visible hole. We drive to the store get a replacement filter (which seems to be about 1” shorter than the one that we just took off – hold that thought) and another gallon of good ‘ole Erl. I’m not gonna pretend that I changed the filter, if you know me you’d laugh your ass off at that thought. Brett does, we fill the truck with oil, and it fires right up. Brett follows me home, well technically to within 5 miles of home because that’s where it seizes up. I go back to York’s with the damaged filter and tell them what’s happened. S*#$$ assures me that I wouldn’t have made it to the office if the truck had left there with a broken oil filter. I agree and accept the fact that I hit something, drove over something that damaged it, and it was just my tough luck. I get the truck towed to York’s and they have a look at it and tell me it’s going to need an engine rebuild. The Amigo is not worth that kind of expense. I leave it there with the promise that I’ll get it towed to a junkyard in a couple of days. In the meantime I find a nice Buick and buy it. A few moments silence for the Isuzu – L’Isuzu est mort, vive L’Isuzu). Yesterday I get a call from Jack York, the owner of York’s. He tells me that S*#$$ has been fired for theft and “illegal practices”, hence name withheld. He also tells me that his main mechanic looked at my truck and the filter that came off, and decided that S*#$$ had put a bootleg, and wrong, filter on, and that being too long the steering rod had rubbed against, and damaged and ruptured the filter. He offered to do whatever it took to fix the Isuzu. When I told him that I had already bought a new vehicle, he asked what it would take to make me a satisfied customer. Now, bear in mind, that he really didn’t NEED to call me. I had already bought the line that I had hit something and caused the damage, only his inherent honesty had made him tell me the truth. I went down at lunchtime, he is going to fully service the new/old car, give me a cash refund that I am happy with and take over the Isuzu. He can rebuild it and sell it, junk it, part it out, I don’t care, it’s his. I am SO impressed by this guy, and more than a little sad for him. S*#$$ had managed that place for some time, and Jack obviously had a lot of trust in him. However, he stepped up to the plate and took responsibility. Anytime that I am in Florida and need auto work, guess where I’m going.Pete Draper, Just because my life plan is written on the back of a Hooter's Napkin, it's still a life plan.... right? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACMESkydiver 0 #2 March 2, 2006 That's good to hear. It's nice to see business people take ownership of errors and do what they can to make it up to their customers.~Jaye Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites