I subscribe to a newsletter called "Men of Integrity". I admit, I signed up because that's what we named our auto repair shop many years ago, but what I've learned about integrity and myself over the years has me reevaluating why I appreciate reading it.
Integrity. I've looked up the definition many times over the last 5 years, and I've thought about the countless situations where I've been accused of having it as well as the times where others tried using our company's name as a weapon against me anytime they didn't like the news I had to share with them about the problems their family car was having. Anymore, however, I think being a man of integrity brings with it great responsibility, as well as great privilege. Simply put, I appreciate the thousands of customers who've walked through our doors in their time of need and depended on me and my staff to come through for them. Offer them a sensitive, assuring word that they were in good hands. Offer honest assessments of the services or repairs that were to be required to address their concerns. And of course, offer justifiable solutions to them at prices that are competitive, and fair.Â
We open our doors, turn on the lights, brew the coffee, prepare the lobby for our guests, and the minute we turn on the open sign, we begin addressing problems on behalf of those we hope to serve. The day is bound to be frought with pitfalls. Our job is to solve problems, making sure our customers are ALWAYS the first consideration in our process.Â
We want you to be happy with the work we do for you, even if you're unhappy with the relative dependability that your family's car has historically shown. We often say, "We didn't make the car, we didn't break the car...but we ARE trying to help." Still, sometimes, we take the brunt of this responsibility to...even when things are sometimes the fault of the customer. Yep, you heard me...the customer is NOT always right.
For example, a customer drives his car as much as 20,000 miles between oil changes, and then must be consoled as we tell him the damage he's likely caused when it appears at our shop with no oil on the dipstick, and a tell-tale clunking noise coming from under the hood. It's important to know that we don't scorn or judge our customers. Still, we only want to HELP. At that point, it's doubly difficult when, despite our efforts, we're moved from a point of serving their need, to being the target of their suspicion as we're told, "Well, I don't know if I believe this is a $1000 repair, so I need to drive it around town to get more opinions." It's hard to take responsibility for our actions. It's the human condition.
With a joyful heart, I'm happy to report that after 5 years of serving the needs of those in our community, are desire has never been more stern: We want to be the people you come to know and trust to tell you what's necessary, what's suggested, and what can be reasonably scheduled for service down the road. We welcome the chance to prove to you that there really is such a thing as an honest mechanic, and he works at Integrity Auto Care right here in Stow, Ohio.
I want you to know that my mission is to continue to run my business guided by the priciples found in Psalm 15; David's Psalm of Integrity. It clearly explains to me and anyone who would come to us what is expected of us as professionals, Christians, and men/women of Integrity, as we work toward helping you get your vehicles back on the road, and safely to your destination. If we've helped serve your needs in the past, please let us know by responding to this post. I'd love to hear from you.
My kindest regards,
Philip Evans
Service Manager / Proprietor
Integrity Auto Care Center
(330) 689-2100
Stow, Ohio
