Letter To The Editor: Terry's Tire And Auto Service

As the owner of Terry’s Tire, I would like to comment on Michelle’s story. We pride ourselves on our customer service & competitive pricing. There are always two sides to every story. First, let me say how disappointed we were to hear how unhappy Michelle was with her service at Terry’s.  We have serviced Michelle’s vehicle over the last couple of years. She neglected to mention the times she has come in for service with a check engine light on, and we did NOT charge her to scan & diagnose the problem. Nor did she mention the times we added oil or fluids free of charge to her. The times she came in without an appointment, and we fit her in to accommodate her because she was so distraught about her vehicle.  So, to hear Michelle complain about our pricing and service really does shock us.  We have given Michelle nothing but exceptional service over the years.

So, here’s the second side of the story.  Yes, it is true you can go to Auto Zone and have them scan your check engine light.  I am not sure if it is free or there is a small fee for this service.  However, they will give you the code that they scanned and tell you what they think the problem is.  At Terry’s, our diagnostic scanner is a lot more detailed. Our machine costs over $9,600 vs. $60 for most regular machines.  In addition, our machine has regular updates to stay on top of new technology.  It not only reads codes but also helps to diagnose more detailed because of the technology this machine offers.  In addition to retrieving the code, we also have to research the code with our software, which is customized to each vehicle.   This software alone is over $3,000. In addition to this service, sometimes additional testing is required to diagnose the problem. This is where all the experience, schooling, re certification classes, and licensing all come into play which we at Terry’s provide. 

When Michelle brought her vehicle in, she knew she had a check engine light on, had no codes from Auto Zone, and had symptoms with the vehicle. When she left, we told Michelle what the check engine light code was, what the repair was to fix it, and an estimate for the entire repair. In addition, we told Michelle that her vehicle was down oil and was overdue for an oil change by 5,000 miles. Also, Michelle was not truthful when she said she “got stuck with a near $100 bill before any auto work was even done.” Michelle paid UNDER $100 for scanning the check engine light code, a pressure test, and a smoke test done to the vehicle to diagnose the problem.  PLUS, she received her much needed oil change, all for UNDER $100. Also, she conveniently forgot to mention that we discounted our $89.95 diagnostic fee to $69.95 as a courtesy to her and did not fix the repair for the check engine light. She just wanted the information so a friend could fix the repair who was not qualified to diagnose it.

We have no apologies to Michelle.  We feel our service to Michelle was over and above on several occasions.  We regret that we have lost her as a customer.  However, once she starts comparing our services to others, she will realize how professional, reasonable, and experienced we are here at Terry’s Tire.

We continually strive to improve on our customer service, customer satisfaction, quality of our work, competitive pricing, and our updated technology.  We have over 30 years of experience, are licensed by the State of RI as a repair facility, and are constantly upgrading our technology in equipment & software.  All of this is done to better improve our business for our customers!!

Sincerely,

Gil Denomme

Editor's note: This letter is in reference to a June 9 piece by writer Michelle Couchon regarding her visit to titled