The Body Shop

Sorry to get you boys excited as I know the title sounds like a place you would go with the boys in Vegas... but this story is actually about auto body shops; one very good and one average. A few weeks ago Kitty Kat's car had a run in with the mailbox while checking the mail. The details aren't important but we have one of those community mailboxs with 15 or 20 boxes in one place, it was a windy day, the car ended up in reverse... I don't know, I wasn't there. Anyway, she bent the driver's door. It still closed but you could see sunlight through the gap between the door and the frame, you could totally hear the wind while driving down the freeway and there are a couple of minor scratches.

Kitty Kat likes to do things the right way so she took her Acura to the local Acura dealer body shop; Niello by name. They are a household name in SacTown if you don't know. Roger Niello is like a city council member or such thing. They have Acura, Porsche, Rover, BMW, etc... at multiple locations throughout the greater SacTown metropolitan area. So she called the Niello Body Shop and they wanted her to make an appointment to get an estimate. That seemed a bit formal but ok. She made the appointment, showed up at the appointed time, got the $1,800 estimate, told it would be a month before they could schedule her but they were nice enough to manually bend the door back into shape so it closed a little better. Her car is only about a year and a half old so you got to get it fixed. We have a grand deductible so not even worth reporting it to the insurance company. Damn, there's another $1,800 about to go out of my pocket.... Throw that on with the extra Maui money, the knocked down fence in my backyard, and everyday LIFE... and I am broke as a joke!

Yesterday, I suggested she get a second estimate as the auto body shop of a dealer is not likely to be the cheapest in town. I asked a friend, in Roseville, and he suggested GAMBOA'S AUTO BODY on Riverside at Cirby in the fine city of Roseville, Cali. Kitty Kat went over there about lunch time yesterday.

I was at a business lunch and saw my cellie ringing. As she knew I was at a business lunch I figured it was important so I took it. Well, she said, "I have to tell you what happened at Gamboa's...." I was getting worried. She went on, "well, as I am waiting I look at their satisfied client book and I see a letter from our guy who referred us...." She said, "I was there 40 minutes...." At this point I am thinking she is about to tell me she sat there for 40 minutes and didn't even get an estimate.

She went on to tel me that the estimator took all of Kitty Kat's info and then brought out one of the body shop technician guys to take a look. He took it back for 40 minutes and then brought the car back to her. She figured he was figuring out exactly what needed to be done. NO, he fixed it. He bent the door back into place or whatever the heck he did. He told her who to call for the minor scratches. He explained that there were other things that could be done but you never want to mess with the manufacturers work if you don't have to and thus it was better to not do any major work as it may not be any better than he was just able to fix it. There is now ZERO wind noise!

As Kitty Kat was waiting she noticed the sign that said their body shop technicians rate is $95 an hour. She was figuring a $95 bill... but she never signed an estimate sheet so she wasn't sure. The estimator came back out, while Kitty Kat was talking to the tech, and he gave her the estimate sheet and told her to have a nice day. NO CHARGE. Yea, no charge. I have heard good things about Gamboa's before and this really underscores what a high class operation they are running. Props to the Gamboa family. As I say that it sounds like a family you don't want to cross so I am glad I have a good report!

As she was driving away Kitty Kat told me she was looking back toward the cashier expecting someone to come running out after her as there was no way it was free. It was free. I prefer telling stories of bad customer service but I thought this service deserved recognition. So, please tell all your peeps up in the SacTown area, who need body work, to check out Gamboa's and tell them the SacTownGuy sent you!

peace out.