by Craig Colby
“Your sign says ‘Closed’”. I said this to Peter Meglio, the owner of Greenwood Auto Centre on Sammon Avenue in East York. It was odd because this was 1:00 in the afternoon and the garage opens around 7:00 a.m.
Pete looked up at me and smiled. His eyes twinkled below his silver hair, framed by bronzed skin. “That’s because I’m closed on Wednesday.” This was Monday.
“Are you taking a vacation?” I asked hopefully.
“Nope, I’m retiring. I sold the garage. A new owner is taking over.”
My reaction should have been happiness for the man who had provided outstanding service to me for decades. Instead, my heart sank.
“I’m happy for you Peter but I have to say, I’m sad for the rest of us.”
An older woman waiting for her vehicle said, “I’m not happy about this. I’m not happy about this at all.”
With good reason. Peter was that rare find, an honest mechanic. Greenwood Auto is the favourite business I’ve ever dealt with.
I first heard of the garage around 2002. I needed some work done on my 8-year-old Saturn SL2. The dealership I bought the car from disgusted me. I once watched a sales associate try to talk a mechanic into replacing all the lights on the dashboard instead of just the one that was burned out. After all, they were all going to burn out eventually, right? I’d go to them for an oil change and they’d recommend $2,000 worth of work. Stories like this are common in auto repair.
At lunch, I asked for recommendations. A colleague who lived in my neighborhood said, “My wife is friends with the wife of the guy who owns Greenwood Auto. She’s always mad at him because he never gets home on time for dinner. He's too busy making sure the cars are fixed right.” I had to try that place.
I can’t remember what work needed to be done. I do remember expecting it to cost around $500 and being charged $60. I couldn’t believe it. After that, I never went anywhere else.
Over the years, Peter talked me out of more work than he talked me into. He’d show me parts of the car that had failed and walk me through what needed to be done and why. I can’t imagine how much money he has saved me. If Peter told me something had to be done, I would do it, regardless of how much it cost.
One story stands out. I brought my 2005 Toyota Sienna into the garage about 5 years ago. The fluid lights were blinking. Peter was out of town, but his associate Andrew told me the repair would cost around $600. I dropped the van off the next morning and got a call later in the afternoon. When they opened the vehicle, they found a damaged part. The lack of detail in this story shows how helpless I am when it comes to cars. To get a new part would cost $2,500. However, Andrew had called around and found one for $50. The part would come later, and I would get the car at the end of the next day. In the meantime, my van had been in pieces all over the shop for two days. That’s a lot of time and labour. When I arrived to get the van, I expected to pay way more than the quote. I looked at the bill. It was $600.
I asked Andrew how this was possible. He told me that he had called Peter, who was on vacation in Ireland, and explained the situation. Peter told Andrew, “Craig’s a good customer. Charge him what we quoted.” I was floored. Even for an honest mechanic, this was exceptional.
Over the years, I sent everyone I could to Greenwood Auto. The reaction was always the same – disbelief at the price and quality of service. Everyone I sent went back, even when they moved out of the neighbourhood. I wasn’t the only one making recommendations. The garage was always busy. I needed to book putting on my winter tires weeks in advance. Still, if there was an emergency, Peter would see you right away.
I looked at the older woman in the reception area with me, her eyes turned down. I knew what she was feeling. Peter had saved me thousands of dollars but more valuable than that was the peace of mind of knowing one of life’s problems was solved. If something was wrong with my car, Peter would treat me fairly. Now that was gone.
I was happy for Peter though. He had just turned 60 and had owned the business since he was 30. That’s a long run. Peter told us that a lot of fellow garage owners were dying young. He told us about one colleague who had a stomachache on Christmas Eve and was gone at the end of January. She was 44 years old. Life is short. It was time to move on. His only plan was to take a vacation to Greece with his wife, then help his sons with their businesses, contracting and a restaurant.
As the older lady and I stood in the reception area of Greenwood Auto, underneath rows of professional certificates and youth soccer sponsorship plaques, we both thanked Peter for his great service and praised him for his honesty.
Peter said that honesty was the only way to go. “What happens if I go for the jugular? I never see you again. I have friends who run garages and complain about down times in the winter. I’ve had maybe 4 or 5 slow days. Be honest with people. It’s basic.”
It may be basic, but a lot of people don’t know it. I left the business that sold me my hearing aid because they looked at me like a dollar bill. I suspected that a healthcare provider for my son booked appointments for him far longer than necessary. But how do you ever know? Specialists have us at a disadvantage. It’s hard to know who to trust. But I trusted Peter completely. He was a rarity.
I’m grateful I had a safe spot like Greenwood Auto and someone as trustworthy as Peter for more than 20 years. I’m even more grateful that I brought my van in just in time to say goodbye and thank him for the great work.
I hope any business owners reading this will see the example Peter set. He never pushed for an extra nickel. He made his money when a customer came back, which we all did, over and over again.
Your reputation is your best calling card. Honesty isn’t just the best policy it’s the best business. Peter Meglio’s Greenwood Auto was the best business I’ve ever seen.
Craig Colby is a television executive producer, producer, director, writer and story editor. He runs a storytelling consulting and production service.
Craig is also the author of the multiple award winning ALL CAPS: Stories That Justify an Outrageous Hat Collection.