My Honest Mechanic is a Trust Agent

by Steve Averill on June 25, 2009

trustedocmechanicNo small business in Orange County is more trustworthy and transparent than Neighborhood Car Care in Mission Viejo.

Driving away after another visit that was over-the-top in the satisfaction category, I thought of Chris Brogan’s and Julien Smith’s upcoming book, Trust Agents, which I look forward to reading.

And while the subtitle of their book is “using the web to build influence, improve reputation and earn trust“, I think “Trust Agent” aptly describes my honest mechanic.

He didn’t grab the url trustedocmechanic for nothing.

Visit there site (heck, go to their shop) and you will see that Keith and his wife Karin and their boys have achieved something every small business desires.

Raving fans…see here.

You can talk a big game and try to create a perception of trustworthiness but actually doing it and having proof of it is what matters.

When Neighborhood Car Care received their certification from AAA, they did it with a PERFECT SCORE in the customer satisfaction survey.

Being at Neighborhood Care Care is like visiting a business run by a friend.

You don’t get hustled.

You don’t get worked.

You are treated like a real person.

Today I went there because I heard something strange in the engine.  I thought it was a problem, and was mentally preparing myself for the cost and time and planning and everything that comes with a car repair.

I went inside and spoke to the friendly gal at the desk who referred me to Alex.

It was clear that Alex had been through their rigorous training program (they work directly with the Saddleback College Automotive Technology Department).  In a snap, he has assessed the issue and my worst fears were put to rest.

I was a happy man.

So happy that I rush off to the closest wifi spot to do this post.

My honest mechanic is not only an agent of trust, but the embodiment of it.

A rare, rare thing.

{ 9 trackbacks }

Steve Averill
June 25, 2009 at 10:55 am
Steve Averill
June 25, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Chris Brogan
June 25, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Beezeen
June 25, 2009 at 5:33 pm
TwitLinksRSS
June 25, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Steve Averill
June 25, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Justin Moore-Brown
June 25, 2009 at 11:11 pm
OCJobTalk
June 26, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Steve Averill
August 19, 2009 at 10:27 pm

{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Chris Brogan... June 25, 2009 at 5:27 pm

I’m terrified of the world of mechanics. I don’t know anything about cars, and I have to trust someone else not to screw me. No matter whenever I’ve visited a mechanic, I’ve always had the feeling that they’re charging me for things I don’t need and laughing in the back room.

Glad you had a different experience for sure. : )

2 Steve Averill June 25, 2009 at 10:52 pm

That is it exactly! These guys remove the fear for the first time ever for me. Trust indeed. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a thoughtful comment! S

3 julien June 27, 2009 at 9:09 pm

it’s because we’re terrified of mechanics that something like this is so great. differentiation is key here. your mechanic is awesome.

4 Steve Averill June 29, 2009 at 7:51 am

You’re right about differentiation. I think they intuitively went in that direction, which is why it works. They found a niche based on the typical perception of mechanics. Thanks for coming by Julien. I will check out your site! S

5 Karin Car Care August 21, 2009 at 12:52 pm

Steve!
Thank you very much for this great spread about Neighborhood Car Care. It is a pleasure to where the white hat as my son Tyler says, in an industry that is sometimes not so trustworthy. Make sure you get a FREE Oil Change on me, the mom, Karin, Proud mom & wife of Keith who is the whole reason behind the AAA Perfect Score!

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: