Dealership vs. Independent Repair Shops
There are so any times Professional Automotive beats the dealership not only in service but in being able to repair something they couldn’t. I would love to share this with our neighbors but how do you do it without sounding like your ringing your own bell? I want others to know what we can do and how well we can do it so we can save them wasted money and time.
There seems to be two schools of thought that somehow get programmed into the consumers mind. The first one is the dealer is the place that knows my car the best therefore they must be the most qualified to fix and maintain my car. Secondly, the dealership is the most expensive. Base on my experience I would say that really neither are true. Dealerships don’t get their technicians from some magical place that makes them a guru when it comes to fixing cars. All shops pull from the same pool of applicants. The shop that makes it expensive to work on your car is the one that doesn’t fix it right the first time or a shop that tries selling you things you don’t really need.
When buying service it’s always better to find a business that has a great reputation in the community verse buying price. A cheap price now means you will be paying more to have it done right the next time. When your reading the reviews you should be able to read things like, “Excellent Service”, “My car was done on time and at the price quoted”, “The staff was friendly and knowledgeable”. When you can read reviews like that, that is a place people want to do business with. Sure all shops will have a bad review here and there. We all make mistakes and drop the ball from time to time. Plus there are some customers who can’t be pleased no matter how they are treated.
I read a recent survey done by Consumer Reports that was based on 121,000 vehicles – 80,000 of which were repaired at dealerships and more than 41,000 at independent shops. The survey found that, in general, independents outscored dealerships for overall satisfaction, price, quality, courteousness of the staff, and work being completed when promised. With few exceptions, the entire list of independent shops got high marks on those factors. The same couldn’t be said for franchised new-car dealers. If you live in the Indianapolis, Castleton, or Fishers area, I hope you will consider us the next time your looking for a place to take care of you the way you deserve.
-Chris
