This is one of those stories that is able to show those small details of everyday life in this country.
Many of us come from countries where being a customer is a blessing. A blessing for you that have the opportunity to do business with that establishment. And if you don;t like it, just get the fuck out of here. We don’t need you.
Not that it does not happen in Canada. But in this country I learned I not only have the right to ask for the best customer service. I also have the right to complaint… and be heard!
Let me share with you one of those stories of good customer service.
A couple of weeks ago it was time for the oil and filter change in my van. I usually go to the dealer but this time I preferred to go somewhere else. I don’t like the service at the dealership to be honest. Is pricey and slow and the attention I usually have is not that good.
So the thing is I headed to the nearest Mr. Lube. What other place can you go when you need a fast, good oil change, right? Mr. Lube is a very important franchise with presence all over the country. Their business is just that: oil and filter change. What could possibly go wrong, right?
I headed there, I was told to wait 5 minutes for a 25 minutes service and that’s exactly what I got. I was offered the newspaper and a cup of coffee while I waited. All of that comfortably seated in my car. All the lads working there were extremely helpful and very polite. Bo complaints. I felt in the “First World of Oil Change”
After leaving the place with my new synthetic oil and original brand filter it we not long after I observed the oil light turning on.
It was not the light just turning on and staying on. It just randomly blinking and it was more noticeable when pushing the break. What could at be? I was not able to go back immediately but as it did not look as something to be very worried, I decided to go back earlier that week.
When I went back to Mr. Lube they were not able to find anything. They opened the hood, checked the oil level again and all seemed to be OK. But the light was still there. I had to go back to the dealer. Bad luck!
A few days and twenty dollars later, the dealer was able to find the problem: the guys at Mr. Lube used the wrong filter! “At Mr. lube?” I thought” How can that happen at Mr. Lube?”
I asked for the filter and headed back to Mr. Lube. I needed an explanation! How is that possible? Mr. Lube using the wrong filter?
Once at the place I asked to talk to the Manager in charge. He listened to me with the same expression of surprise you can imagine I had.
He went around, checked a few things and finally found the problem: the information guide used by the guys was wrong. The girl that took care of my car that day used the filter the guide told her to use. The problem was that the guide was wrong.
There was no need to discuss anything with the Manager. He understood what had to be done immediately: he made a copy of the dealer’s invoice, checked my information in the system so everything was correct and told me he was going to talk to his Manager. Someone had to pay for the mistake, he said. We shook hands and I left the place with a promise of a phone call as soon as he had some news for me.
That same night, after I got home I had the message from Mr. Lube. It was the same guy telling me I was going to receive a check in the mail for the same amount I paid at the dealership to correct their mistake. The day after, the check was in my mail box.
Something went wrong: I was lucky enough the consequences were not terrible (looks like no engine damage so far) and it took only 20 dollars to fix it.
I felt appreciated as a customer: there was no need for discussions to make anyone understand I had to be reimbursed in some way.
Living in Canada I learned you are important as a customer and that you have to be taken care of. I learned to exercise my rights. And I love it.
Did you have any good customer experience lately?
