Screwed by a Screw

My car has been to the shop not once, not twice, but three times in the last month: body work, broken taillights, a disconnected coolant tube (I betray my ignorance of car parts here), and then today, tires. The last mechanic who saw Bruce the Benz suggested I would need new tires soon. But oh, I did not know how soon that would be.

First there was a strange flapping noise, sort of a wap…wap…wap.

Unsure if it was my car or another car next to me, I turned off the radio and sped up. The rhythm increased. Damn. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good, but I continued to drive because I wasn’t in a good place to stop and—Oh, I don’t know, I guess I just thought it could wait or something. 

Not so much. That, my friends, is the result of a screw...and my driving on a flat tire (again betraying my ignorance of car parts). 

I kicked off the day with an easy-going man from AAA. It was nice to have someone else drive while I typed on my phone—an email to my supervisor on a project, and that picture of my wheel, on Twitter for my boss (only in advertising). It was a very smooth ride to the shop, considering I was in a big truck with Bruce in tow (see what I did there?).

As soon as I landed at my tire place of choice, I met more nice people. I’ll call them Sam and Jeff. I actually chose this shop over the others because I had such a great experience on the phone. They were so friendly and so kind in person, that it turned the entire escapade into an adventure, rather than a disaster. Jeff was the person I had spoken to before, so I thanked him.

“Happy I could help you this morning, Miss Amanda.”

They smiled and joked with me as they hooked me up with the last tires in stock for the size that I needed. They gave me a great price as well as a discount on the tire rotation. And then, on top of it all, when I asked them for a ride home (which I learned from their hesitation, they don’t usually do for customers), they agreed.

Jeff drove me in a brand new car from their lot, even though he’s the manager and the main guy behind the desk. He called me “Miss Amanda” the whole time, which made me smile, and congratulated me on graduating from college (my diploma is still in my trunk…) I asked him about the shop and how he and Sam met.

Sam first hired Jeff thirteen years ago at another shop, but they eventually went their separate ways. Two years ago, Sam decided to start his own business. He reached out to Jeff so they could run the place together. After thirteen years, they had come full circle. I think this is a credit to each man’s character.

At the end of the day when I picked up my car, they smiled at me like I was an old friend. Jeff asked me how work went; he offered me a free tire rotation every 5,000 miles; he helped me get my bike in the back seat of my car. Now I know that customer service is crucial when you want a successful organization, but to start and end my day with people who were so down-to-earth and human about it—I don’t think that’s about money. Anyone can make a respectful business exchange, but these guys made my day better.

I believe this wasn’t a random experience. There are many lovely people in LA who are happy to help make you happy too. Hurrah for examples like Jeff and Sam. Unless something else goes haywire with my car (knock on wood), I look forward to seeing them again in 5,000 miles.