\n\t\t Entrepreneur \t<\/p>\n
\n\tThis article is part of the America’s Favorite Mom & Pop Shops series. Read more stories<\/p>\n
I own a small business. I write about small businesses. My clients are small businesses. And yet, I would never go to a small business to have my car serviced. Small businesses are great \u2014 but not for everything.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not saying this without experience. I\u2019ve owned Hondas all my life. I\u2019ve taken my cars to local repair shops countless times. And the experience has been, well, inconsistent at best. I\u2019ve certainly saved money on repairs. But I\u2019ve paid for it elsewhere.<\/p>\n
Take, for example, a recent experience I had at a Honda dealership in Philadelphia. I made my maintenance appointment with an AI receptionist, which understood me flawlessly. I received a text confirmation. I then received a call from a human verifying the details. Professional. Courteous. Efficient.<\/p>\n
This stood in stark contrast to all the times I\u2019ve waited on hold, reached busy signals or had my call answered by a mechanic in the garage who would say, \u201cyeah, just bring it in\u201d before hanging up.<\/p>\n
I arrived at the dealership at my preferred time \u2014 7:30 a.m. \u2014 an important detail so I could still get to work on time. And guess what? The dealership was open. I\u2019ve lost track of the number of times I\u2019ve waited fifteen, twenty, even thirty minutes for the lone guy at the local repair shop to arrive. At a dealership, that behavior simply wouldn\u2019t be tolerated.<\/p>\n
Once checked in \u2014 by two smiling attendants \u2014 I waited in a heated, clean, spacious waiting room with free Wi-Fi, free coffee and work cubicles. Go ahead \u2014 find me a small repair shop that provides this kind of accommodation. Rents are high. Space is at a premium.<\/p>\n
Related: 73 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2026<\/b><\/p>\n
The service took under two hours, which is exactly what they told me. I never get this kind of projection from a small repair shop. Not only that, but the dealership sent me a text message with a link to a live video stream of my car as the work was being done. What is this black magic?<\/p>\n
Putting aside the seamless reservation, cheery staff and pleasant waiting area, the most important thing, of course, is the actual service. And here, too, I felt confident. The work was performed by a certified technician, trained and re-certified by the national organization and checked by a supervisor. Once the service was complete, I received a confirming email with my invoice. The next day? A check-in email with a survey.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, it\u2019s better to go to a larger business than a small business. Larger companies have processes, checklists, procedures and internal controls. They have layers of supervision. They have structures in place to handle complaints or issues that can be escalated regionally and nationally if needed. They are simply more reliable and more consistent.<\/p>\n
Do I pay more for all of this? Absolutely. My service at the Honda dealership probably cost three times what I\u2019d pay at some small repair shops. And any actual repairs are also charged at higher rates.<\/p>\n
I get it. That\u2019s because there\u2019s a lot of overhead beyond the free coffee and Wi-Fi. Those smiling employees are being paid far more than what a small business could likely afford. There\u2019s also more time involved, since both technicians and supervisors are part of the process. And the parts aren\u2019t being pulled from a local junkyard. But for me, all of that is worth the extra cost. You get what you pay for.<\/p>\n
Does Honda try to upsell me on additional services or even a new car? Of course. But good for them \u2014 I\u2019m not averse to being given choices as long as I\u2019m not pressured into anything, which I never am. Do dealerships make mistakes? It has happened. But when it has, they\u2019ve made it right \u2014 no haggling. Trust me, the dealership manager doesn\u2019t want complaints affecting their performance evaluation. I have a higher level of confidence that they\u2019ll get it right.<\/p>\n
Related: The Top 10 Ways Small Businesses Can Make Money This Year<\/b><\/p>\n
I love small businesses like anyone else. Small businesses make up roughly half of the country\u2019s economy and employ about half of its workers. I\u2019m a fan of the great local restaurant, the parts supplier, the family-owned plumbing business, the pizza shop and the dry cleaner. And I\u2019m sure there are plenty of amazing local repair shops that can do a better job than the Honda dealership.<\/p>\n
Maybe. But am I willing to take that chance \u2014 particularly when the downside could be a breakdown on the side of a highway in the middle of the night because some unsupervised technician didn\u2019t do what they said they would? I\u2019m not. Going to a dealership is no guarantee that won\u2019t happen. But there\u2019s a better chance that it won\u2019t.<\/p>\n
For some things in life, it\u2019s simply worth relying on a larger organization than a small business.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n