A Little Tarnish on a
Sterling Reputation

If you listen to our radio show you know that for years we have endorsed what we considered the benchmark of good shops, the organizations they belong to. Among these have always been the Better business Bureau (BBB) and the American Automobile Association (AAA). Lately there have been some incidents that have caused me to reconsider these groups.

It is no secret that both of these organizations charge dues for its member shops. Freedom pays the local BBB $440 for dues, plus $190 for use of the online logo and $75 for “tech services” whatever that is. That’s a total of $705 per year. We pay AAA $1100 per year. While it is a little costly we always thought that both groups had the best interest of the consumer in the forefront, and therefore the best interest of any business that was trying to really serve their clients.

Recently I received a solicitation for the BBB offering to sell me the top listing in their search engine for automotive repair. The price? $5000 per year. I also had the option of buying one of the top ten listings for a mere $2000 per year.

To my way of thinking this flies in the face of the perceived purpose of the BBB, to protect the consumer from disreputable businesses. The top listing carries with it the implied highest endorsement of the BBB for that business. My understanding of the function of the BBB is to provide a fair and impartial evaluation of a business based on actual consumer experience, not on the size of the check they can write.

At the time of this writing Freedom has an A+ rating with the BBB, its highest. I am curious if it will take a big drop now.

AAA Approved Auto Repair Facilities has been a standard in quality auto repair for decades. Freedom has been part of this program for many years. AAA takes great pains to check out any auto shop that applies for membership, even going so far as to interview 200 of the past customers. Once approved the shop has to go through the process again each year. They goal is to insure that a motorist using a AAA shop will get honest, professional repairs.

Recently one of our regular customers called the shop to inform us that she was having AAA tow her car to the shop because it would not start. When the car didn’t arrive here we got curious and did some checking. The AAA tow truck driver got to her house and sold her a battery instead of towing her car to us.

As most motorists know a dead battery may be just that, a bad battery, but it could also be drained due to a myriad of other causes. This elderly customer with recent health problems was safely at her own home with a dead battery. If the cause of the problem was not actually the battery where would it die next time.

I am fairly sure that the tow truck driver did not have to meet the same rigorous standards for acceptance in AAA that our shop did. He probably isn’t ASE Certified in Electrical Systems, probably doesn’t have to provide a ½ million dollars is liability insurance and 200 of his recent customers were probably not interviewed. Yet, with the AAA Logo on the side of his truck he carries the same credibility as the best AAA shop in town. I don’t believe this is what AAA claims to stand for.

Yes, for you cynics out there, I was a little ticked off about the lost sale. The shop probably would have made about $20 off a new battery. What I am really upset about is having my customer placed in jeopardy when she had specifically requested a two to our shop.

Both of these organizations purport to be consumer oriented and dedicated to protecting the average motorist. It seems to me that they are moving to a purely profit motivated operation and neglecting their original purpose.

We are currently members of both, but I do not know if we will remain so for long. Should we elect to disassociate ourselves it will have no effect on the level or quality of service you receive at Freedom Automotive, nor will it affect any discounts we offer related to these groups.

Protecting Our Treasures

Most people would agree when I say that our children or our most precious assets. Following that statement it only stands to reason that we will do anything to protect them and make sure that they are as safe as possible. The proper use of child safety seats is one of the best ways to protect them from one of the most dangerous and most common risks to their wellbeing.

The Texas Child Occupant Restraint Laws have recently changed and went into effect on June 1, 2010. Any child under 1 year old and less than 35 pounds must be in a rear facing seat. Do not place infants in the front seat of a vehicle with active air bags. Children over 1 year old and between 20 and 40 pounds can be in a forward facing seat with an integrated harness. All children over 40 pounds and less than 4’9” tall have to be in a belt positioning booster seat.

Child safety seats have a myriad of clips, buckles and straps to fasten them into your car and it can look like a daunting task.  The Sugar Land police department has people that have been trained to  check your seat installation for you by appointment. If you don’t live in Sugar Land contact your local police department or visit www.nhtsa.gov/Safety/CPS to find a location near you to help.

Here is a test that you can use to see if your child can ride without a booster seat. Have your child sit on the vehicle seat, sitting all the way back, with their backs straight against the back of the seat and buckle the shoulder belt over them.

• Do their legs bend naturally at the knees over the seat edge?
• Does the lap part of the belt fit over the top of their thighs?
• Does the shoulder part of the belt fit across the center of their chest?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, then the child may be better protected riding in a booster seat

Proper use of child safety seats can prevent a minor accident from becoming a full blown tragedy.

Although there is no law against older children riding in the front seat remember that the safest place for them is in the back seat properly buckled in.

Always check to see if the car seat you are using has any recalls that have been issued. You can check for recalls by visiting www.safercar.gov and following the recall links on the right side of the page. On this website you can check for recalls by seat manufacturer and register your car seat to receive any recalls that might be issued, or file complaints about a car seat.

Tooting our own horn!

I often hear that we don’t take enough time to brag about ourselves at Freedom Automotive. On our weekly radio show we seldom do anything other than just mention that we work here. In this newsletter I have tried hard to give what I hope is valuable information to the motorist, avoiding promoting our shop above others.

The truth is that there are a lot of really good auto repairs shops in the Houston area, and Freedom Automotive just happens to be among the best of them. We have worked hard for more than 24 years to give our customers highly competent, state of the art service at a fair price and in an atmosphere that is as comfortable as possible.

Whether you are looking for routine service, high tech diagnosis, or collision damage repair Freedom stands ready to offer you personalized, professional service.

If you don’t already have a “trusted mechanic” give us a try.

Protect your car in the summer heat...have it serviced regularly!