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<title>A matter of choice Giammalvo</title>
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<center><big><big><b><i><font color="#3333ff">Giammalvo Files</font></i></b></big></big></center>
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<img src="mark3.jpg" alt="Mark Giammalvo"
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<p><i><font color="#000000">Mark Giammalvo specializes in driveability
diagnostics </font><font color="#000000">at his family business,
Sam Giammalvo's Auto Sales & Service, Inc. in New</font>
<font color="#000000">Bedford, MA. </font> </i>
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<i><font
color="#000000">Mark, who has been with the business for
over 20 years, is an ASE Master Technician and Parts Specialist.
He also holds the ASE L1 certification, and has an
associates degree in business</font> <font color="#000000">management.
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Mark is also a writer for Motor Age Magazine and is the past secretary
of the Alliance of Automotive Service Professionals, (AASP).</font></i>
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<big><big><b> A Matter Of Choice</b></big></big>
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<p><small><i><font color="#000000">(Printed in the Journal of The Alliance
of Automotive Service Providers, AASP) </font></i></small></p>
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Recently, I received a phone call from a somewhat frantic customer.
My customer has just been involved in an automobile accident. He was ok
but his car was seriously injured. I asked him if he needed transportation
home from the scene, but he declined my offer since he was within walking
distance of home. The police had already dispatched a towing service so
my customer said he would tell the officer to have the car towed to our
garage. Since it was near days end, I told my customer I would not be here
when the car arrived but my father would be in the office for the next 3
hours and he would secure the car once it arrived. The next morning my customer
called me again, this time to ask me how bad the damage was. I put him on
hold and walked around the shop. Hmmm, no car. I explained that the car was
not here and questioned him again as to what he told the police. Once again
he told me of his conversation with the officer about having the car towed
to us. He decided to call the police and find out where his car really was.<br>
<br>
That's when the fun began. Fifteen minuets later, another call
from the customer. "Guess<i> What! The car is at XYZ Auto Body. Why would
they have towed it there? I told them to bring it to you!" </i> Since
I couldn't think of a logical answer, he decided to call XYZ. I stared at
the phone in a daze until it rang. <i>"Mark your not going to believe this!
That guy at XYZ wants $167 bucks to release my car. How can he charge that
much? I'm not going to pay that, it's a rip-off!"</i> No sooner did
I get off the phone when over the intercom came, <i>"Mark please come to the
office." </i> Waiting for me in the office was the owner of XYZ. Our
conservation was short and sweet. <i>"Listen", he said, "tell your
crazy customer to get off my back. If you want the car, pay up, $167."
</i> Now it was my turn. <i>"First of all, my customer wanted
the car towed to us, why did you bring it to your shop anyway?"</i> Now
his reply: <i>"I wanted to bring it here but I didn't think you would be
open after 6pm." "Well, </i>(I said),<i> had you took the time to call you
would have found out that we were here till 9pm." "Well that's that, you
want the car or not?" Not at $167 dollars, besides you directly disobeyed
the customers request to bring the car to us." </i>Then came his
final rebuttal:<i> "Tell my lawyer" </i>With that he left.<br>
<br>
I thought a moment and went to the phone. The local police phone
number would not go through so I called 911. I told the operator a brief
summary of what had just transpired and told him that my customers car was
being held against his will. Within 5 minuets 2 local city police officers
were standing in my office. After a few phone calls between them and the body
shop, a decision was reached. The body shop would tow the car to us and we
would pay $60.00. Then he reneged on that. We would toe the car from their
to here and pay him $60.00. (I guess he didn't want to burn any more fuel
towing this car a second time). In the end we got the car, unfortunately
not without the help of the police. The police made the judgment on the
fact that the body shop owner deliberately went against the police officers
order to bring the car to us in the first place. I'm not sure whether he
was just plain storage fee hungry or whether the recent state towing rate
deregulation made his head swell. In any event the customer was happy that
the car was safely in the shop of his choice.<br>
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