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Certfied Auto Repair

xrac

By xrac
in General Automotive Discussion

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Gonzo Grand Master

Gonzo

Posted
Posted
  On 3/24/2010 at 1:19 AM, xrac said:

Certified Auto Repair Centers - Guest

 

I have mentioned this before but I wanted to expanded upon it a little. We participate in the Certfied Auto Repair program that was offered to us through O'Reilly Auto Parts. To participate in this program is $50 per month or it is free if you buy more than $2,500 of parts per month. Through it you can offer your customers a nationwide warranty on your repairs. If you belong and work is done at your shop and there is a problem with the repair Certified will pay up to the cost of the original repair. How it works is you have the customer call Certified and they will direct the customer to the nearest participating shop. If there are none in the area they will let the customer pick a shop.

 

Recently, we had this experience. A lady from Maryland with a Subaru broke a front axle on the interstate. We think she was spinning on the ice and hit a dry patch. It was towed into our shop on a Saturday morning. Miracle of miracles in our smaller market we found a new axle on a Saturday and got her fixed and on here way. About two weeks later I got a call from the woman that she was back in Maryland and having the "same problem". Isn't it amazing that the car comes in on a tow truck and won't move and she is driving it but now has the [b]"same problem". [/b] What she had was noise. Before the days of our participation in this program I would have told her to find a shop and have it checked and then have the shop call us. If there was a problem with the part I would then see if I could get the vendor to ship them a part or whatever I had to do and pay the shop to replace the defective part. This was a hassle and could get expensive. I would send the customer to a Car-x if there was one in the area (none in Maryland) and then I would reimburse the shop for the work they did. The Car-x shops all treat each other very fair.

 

Because I participate in Certified Auto Repair all I had to do was give the lady the Certified Auto Repair phone number., tell her to call the number, ask them where to take the vehicle, and that they would cover things up to the cost of the original repair if the problem was with the work we had done. That was it and was the only thing I had to do. A few weeks later I got a letter from Certified telling me that they had taken care of the warranty and how much they had paid out. That was all that I had to do. Evidently we had gotten a new (not reman) defective axle. Certified is a way for a small shop to inexpensively offer a nation wide warranty.

 

I'll check into it in my area... You know, I've heard of these deals before... but it always seems to go for a while and then they seem to fade away... why's that??

CARMandP Proficient

CARMandP

Posted
Posted

I am also a Certified Auto Repair center. It was pretty easy to get involved in. I am glad to see that the program actually does what they say :) I purchase most of my parts from our local Oreilly's store. Its the only one around here that I like the quality of the parts.

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    • Joe Marconi
      The Toolbox is Last to Leave, First is the Heart
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      It always amazes me when I hear about a technician who quits one repair shop to go work at another shop for less money. I know you have heard of this too, and you’ve probably asked yourself, “Can this be true? And Why?” The answer rests within the culture of the company. More specifically, the boss, manager, or a toxic work environment literally pushed the technician out the door.
      While money and benefits tend to attract people to a company, it won’t keep them there. When a technician begins to look over the fence for greener grass, that is usually a sign that something is wrong within the workplace. It also means that his or her heart is probably already gone. If the issue is not resolved, no amount of money will keep that technician for the long term. The heart is always the first to leave. The last thing that leaves is the technician’s toolbox.
      Shop owners: Focus more on employee retention than acquisition. This is not to say that you should not be constantly recruiting. You should. What it does means is that once you hire someone, your job isn’t over, that’s when it begins. Get to know your technicians. Build strong relationships. Have frequent one-on-ones. Engage in meaningful conversation. Find what truly motivates your technicians. You may be surprised that while money is a motivator, it’s usually not the prime motivator.
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