Sound Advice: Keep Your Receipts

Almost no one keeps receipts these days. After all, everything is online. So when one couple found out that the receipt for their car repair was no longer on file with the mechanic, they learned a valuable lesson.

Loyal Customers

Brandie Park and her husband were loyal customers of Dekalb Tire for years. They brought their cars in for all sorts of service and even referred their friends. Brandie believes in supporting small businesses, and she had always received exceptional service from this local company.

Last year, Brandie had her catalytic converter replaced at Dekalb Tire. But soon after, her car began to show signs of trouble. The check engine light came on, indicating that something wasn’t right. She took the car into the dealership to find the source of the problem. But all they did was to turn the check engine light off. After the light came on and was shut off several times, the source of the problem was uncovered. The catalytic converter needed to be replaced. That would be the same catalytic converter that Dekalb Tire had recently replaced.

A Simple Request

When Brandie took her car back to Dekalb Tire, she wanted them to address the issue with the catalytic converter and make it right. It seemed like a simple request. Just pull up her history, find the original work they had done, and take the necessary steps to correct what they had failed to repair the first time. That’s when she was in for a nasty surprise.

It turns out that the request was not so simple. Since the repair, Dekalb Tire, the company Brandie and her family had been so loyal to, was sold. When the new owners, Mavis Discount Tires, took over, they made a fresh start. None of the electronic files from Dekalb Tire were transferred. So there was no record of Brandie’s first catalytic converter replacement.

A Lesson Learned

Without any electronic record of Brandie’s original repair, the new Dekalb Tire asked her for a printed copy of her receipt. Of course, she hadn’t saved the piece of paper, relying on Dekalb Tire’s electronic record-keeping. What she learned was that no matter how loyal you are to a customer, you can’t count on things staying the same forever. New owners meant a new records system and no records of her old repairs.

Frustrated with the lack of evidence of her old repair, Brandie figured she would have to pay $3,000 for a new catalytic converter out of pocket. That’s not an inconsequential sum of money. So she called TrustDALE.

Dekalb Tire Makes it Right (Sort of)

When TrustDALE contacted Dekalb Tire, they agreed to make it right. They offered to install a new catalytic converter at a fair price, despite the missing records. The offer was approved by one of their managers. However, when the TrustDALE team returned to Dekalb Tire to thank the helpful manager, he was gone. He no longer worked at Dekalb Tire. This was just more proof that you can’t count on things staying the same, even at a normally reliable business.

What Brandie and her family learned is that sometimes you have to keep your own records, including warranties and receipts. It may seem cumbersome, but it protects you against changes that you may not even know about.

To find a company that has a track record of high-quality service and a commitment to making it right, try searching at TrustDALE.com. Our certified businesses have undergone Dale’s intensive 7-point investigative review. They are also contractually committed to Dale’s Make-it-Right Guarantee™. So when you need goods or services, you can trust Dale.