Best advertising is word of mouth?

Have you ever heard this saying? I think it's true, I am much more inclined to go to a store/service location anything if one or more friends had positive and memorable experiences.

In fact, given my cynical nature, that experience even counteracts the harm that companies do themselves while putting out inane and expensive commercials. If you are putting a high named (and price) celebrity on TV and radio to sell your crap, I know I won't buy it because part of my cost is that celebrity's endorsement.

Along time ago, in a galaxy far far away, I was having problems with my car. A co-worker of mine, who lived in the same city as I suggested I go to Firestone to get it looked at. She has used them for years and they are fast, friendly and reasonably priced. As a woman, she didn't feel they embodied the typical 'we can make crap up to women' mentality.
I ended up taking my car there once, then twice, then many more times.
They once replaced a starter motor for me because they felt it was likely the issue. It wasn't. So, they took it out, put back in mine and DIDN'T charge me for that time.
I have recommended them to SO many people. Even the day-care van that my daughter rode in daily for 4 years was taken to them, that's how much trust I put in Darryl and the boys.

They have gotten so much more business by simply being honest with one lady.


Now, in 2002, I bought a 96 Saturn (I have never bought a new car and likely never will). So, I said to myself "This time, I am going to do the maintenance and all those necessary evils to keep this running safely". I had said that many times in the past, but only now, am I keeping my word.

I was on the way to Yorkdale mall this past Saturday and my 'check engine soon' like was on all the way there. It was still on after I left and all the way home.

I tried the standard non-mechanic things. I tapped the panel where the light was, just in case it wanted attention. I stared out it, trying to will it off through the force. I ignored it, hoping it would get bored and turn off by itself.

Nothing worked. Well, that's my body of mechanical skills.
Saturn in Pickering closes their service area at 1pm on Saturdays and I stroll in at 12:40.
Greeted by a lovely young lady who informed me that they are done for the day and all the cars are out because they are painting. They couldn't work on it, but they could plug it into the computer and see what the reading is.

So, while the garage was ready to be painted, they pulled in my car.
It didn't look good. They couldn't work on it now of course, they could do it on Monday. But, I need my car on Monday. "Could you rent a car". Well, who wants to do that. So, they check on a loaner for me and they have one left.

This is where my extraordinary service comes in. Not that they lent a customer a loaner car, but they lent a loaner car to someone who merely bought a used car off of them. I hadn't been a life long customer and I will never buy a new car off of them, but I would likely buy another used car though.

So, they lent me a Saturn Vue Hybrid. It's a bigger car, which means I would never buy it. (I think it should be illegal to sell an SUV to anyone that can't show they have at least 3 children between 0-13 years old.) But it had heated seats to warm me in the winter and I was happy, just not as happy as I am with their service.

Now, even though I just got a call from Alex at Saturn who explained with the problem was, I can't relay it to you. Let's just say there was an acronym involved and leave it at that. (ILA - I love acronyms). Oh, and he called when he said he would and gave me the list of things that HAD to be done, vs. what could be done.

My last piece of word of mouth for the day is this.
While having all this room in this oversized vehicle, I went shopping on Sunday. On my way to shopping, I made a U-Turn in Pickering (where I live) to go to the old Knob Hill Farms building. It was a grocery store at one time, on a big piece of land, but for whatever reason, they never tore it down and in fact there's a flea market in there on weekends now.

But wait, Pickering has a flea market, no? No, they don't. The Pickering Market, who used to work out of the Metro East Trade Centre (which is now, let's see, a Wal-mart, McDonald's, Toy's R US, Sam's Club, etc, etc, etc) used to be a flea market, but it started to get overrun by retail vendors. It was no more about getting used items of nostalgic value, but having boat loads of retail shirts, at retail prices to sell. (that's because the price of a booth got up to about $250 a weekend). Only retail people could afford that.

When they moved to their new location, it got even worse. What few people they had selling flea market type things were ousted.

This one at Knob Hill Farms' old building (1630 Kingston Rd, Pickering), now named Knob Hill Market, brings back that feeling. The price for vendors is reasonable, so they don't need the retail edge. They had 3 or 4 vendors with Coca-Cola memorabilia, old barbies, some really nice antique furniture (including a GORGEOUS Roll-top desk with a dark finish).

There was some jewelry there, but I didn't look at those. I picked up two items, two toys for the child in me, but will definitely go back. It's not croweded now, but I am sure they will be when the frequenters of the "Mall without Walls" (the Pickering Markets) learn of it.