Alexander Wallace Toyota goes the extra mile
by - 12:01 on 18 August 2007
On the grounds that this website is a ready-made platform to share those moments when something goes well, here’s what happened at my local garage the other day.But unexpectedly, there was this rattle from the exhaust – a persistent loud clatter and the first problem in 50,000 miles of totally trouble-free motoring. (Yes, I am impressed with Toyota reliablity.) Anyway, the noise sounded expensive. On a Friday morning and without an appointment, I drove to my local Toyota garage – Alexander Wallace in Elgin – to explain the situation. They seemed really busy but nevertheless very politely told me to wait while they checked it out. Somehow, they managed to slot the car on to a ramp in minutes.
Up goes the vehicle and I’ve hardly had time to thumb through the latest Toyota brochures when a cheerful mechanic pops up and tells me he’s fixed it. Just a loose heat shield. (For a moment I thought I’d been driving the Space Shuttle round rural Scotland.)
Anyway, when I enquire about the cost, the lady in reception gives me a big smile and says ‘no charge’. How about that? Aren’t they nice people? I mean, I’m just an ordinary customer.
By the way, a few weeks before, when I was getting the car serviced, I learned that Alexander Wallace is owned by a Shetland businessman and they have a branch in Lerwick, the ‘capital’ of the Shetland Islands. Here’s a fact that not many people know. As a result of the customer loyalty and community spirit of the place, perhaps, there are, apparently, more Toyota Yaris-es in Lerwick, per head of population, than in any other town anywhere in the UK. I’m sure that could be re-written into an all but un-answerable pub quiz question.
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