Goodyear Tires pleasantly surprised me

Last week I described a poor customer experience I had at hhgregg.  I try not to be too negative on this blog, so this week I figured I would balance things out with a fantastic experience I had at another type of retailer, Goodyear.  I’ve included Goodyear in my strategy to find the best tire prices, and you may think of them as strictly a tire store, but they are also a full-service garage.  You can go to Goodyear to get a variety of services like oil changes, new brakes, inspections, etc.

I stopped by my local Goodyear last week before making a trip out of town.   I’d been postponing a small issue with my car for several weeks.  The “coolant fluid low” message on my dashboard had been on and I’d been ignoring it.  But in light of my trip, I asked them to fill up my coolant fluid so that my engine wouldn’t overheat on my long drive.

I figured this service would cost at least $10-20 with about 30-40 minutes of waiting.  I know if I had taken my car to the dealership it certainly would have.  But to my surprise, they brought back my keys within 5 minutes and told me I was ready to go.  When I asked how much they said, “don’t worry about it”. 

Don’t worry about it?  No charge by a mechanic?  I was completely shocked as this has never happened to me.  I felt like I won the lottery!

And with one simple move I’m now a Goodyear customer for life!  Do you know how hard it is to find a trustworthy mechanic?  Well, these guys weren’t trying to nickel and dime me and had my best interest at heart.  It cost them very little to do this good deed.  And whether they know it or not, it was a fantastic marketing tactic that will earn them years of future revenue from me.  If you compare this to my experience at hhgregg the previous week, it’s easy to see how a tiny bit of respect and good service can make a big impression on your customers and your bottom line in the long run.