Darrell Akimoto

I'm writing to commend Meineke Discount Mufflers on the quality of its mufflers, labor and, especially, its customer service. Ten years ago, my father took my car to a Meineke franchise in San Diego, CA. He had the muffler and other necessary components replaced. He bought a muffler with a lifetime warrantee. The time has come to replace the muffler. Unfortunately, I now live on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. As you know, Meineke has no franchises in this state. When I called customer service, I received the "party line", which dictated that only Meineke employees, in a Meineke shop, could honor the warrantee. Noting the company's address on my receipt, I decided to wait until my annual holiday visit to my sister in Charlotte, NC. The day after Christmas, I visited your corporate office. When I walked out of the elevator, I was greeted with typical Southern hospitality by the receptionist. Upon request, I was introduced to Janet Laver and Eve Cooper. I stated my case to them. As expected, I did not receive any promises. However, I did receive an offer to look into a creative solution to the problem. Within four hours, I received a telephone call with instructions to contact Mr. Anthony Webb, at your 6447-A East Independence Blvd. store. Mr. Webb provided me with friendly, entertaining service and a replacement muffler, with the understanding that I must fund the labor and other non-warrantee parts, as expected. I heard of a study indicating that on average, businesses spend seven times more money to win back a dissatisfied customer than they would to keep that same customer. In this case that number is immeasurably higher. 25 years ago, Radio Shack gave me poor customer service. About the same time period, on a previous car, I witnessed a Midas employee's poor installation practice. He had cut a pipe one inch too short. Rather than replacing the pipe with one of the correct length, he placed undue stress on the exhaust system hangar and other components. To this day, I avoid those companies whenever possible. Obviously, I haven't forgotten those events. I will not forget future encounters. I maintain countless contacts in southern California. I have already begun spreading the word about Meineke's customer service. The simple replacement of the muffler will be more than worth its cost. Creativity in customer service is worth more than its cost. Janet, Eve and Anthony are priceless assets to your company.