We all know that some, not all, smaller repair shops carry a bad reputation for ripping off customers and trying to milk them for whatever they can, which undoubtedly makes people leery of using them.
But our featured story today doesn’t focus on those nasty repair shops, instead, the good people at Meineke in Indianapolis who deserve every praise for what they did for Ruth Vine.
Vine was a struggling young woman who could barely afford to pay the rent. To make matters worse, she was involved in two car accidents, which completely totaled her car. She was now left with no vehicle, but her insurance did offer to help pay for a new car.
Vine’s insurance company offered her a measly $500 to purchase a replacement vehicle. Vine saved up a few paychecks and cut back on other expenses in order to afford a new vehicle. After salvaging enough money, she bought herself a beat-up used car to get around.
Vine had saved nearly all her money to have much-needed repairs done on the vehicle she recently bought after agreeing on a price with her mechanic.
Although they had already agreed on what she could pay for the much-needed repairs, the mechanic did something unexpected that had her yelling right in the front office of the garage.
“Not having the money to handle it all, Mike Hawkins, the manager, and I came up with a game plan and I promised to be back when I had enough for the brakes (the most urgent repair needing done). Mike had always done right by me with my previous car and any time there was a concern about a repair, he took the time to walk me around the car and show me exactly what was going on in plain English and with patience,” Vine wrote.
Vine said she budgeted just enough for the brakes to be repaired, and took her car in to get them done.
“As I was reading a book and waiting for Mike to give me an update on my car, a guy came into the shop and struck up a conversation. We talked for a few minutes before Mike took him out to the garage. I saw them standing under my car, talking (at this point I’m curious why Mike is showing this random man my car),” she explained.
So, she took her car to her regular mechanic, Mike Hawkins, at Meineke in Indianapolis. When Vine’s car was inspected, it was obvious that it was going to cost her a lot of money to fix it.
“They come back in and it seems it’s the owner I’ve been talking with. They tell me they’ve found other issues with the brake line. ‘Well over $1,000’ for the whole job.”
Vine was instantly heartbroken. The owner of the Meineke shop, Scott Martin, walked into the office shortly after Vine’s conversation with Hawkins.
Scott and Mike spoke in private for a bit. After a short while, Scott Martin returned to Ruth, and he told her that everything was going to be all right. Vine was freaking out because she already had cut back on groceries just to buy the car. Scott revealed to Ruth that he would pay for half of the job in order to help her out.
“I had settled on giving up my grocery money to put toward the car repair and that came out in conversation. As Scott was preparing to leave to go run errands or spend his Saturday with his family, he walked outside and back in, handed me a folded up envelope and told me it was for after I left the shop,” Vine wrote.
“He shook my hand, promised — again — they would take care of me, and left. Written on the envelope was ‘Ruth’s groceries’ and it took several controlled breaths to not burst into tears. This man, who is taking a hit — a substantial one in my eyes — to make sure my car is repaired and safe to drive, also paid for my groceries.”
Ruth Vine was stunned by the Meineke owner’s generous gesture. But, before Vine left the shop, Scott Martin handed her an envelope full of money for her groceries. Vine thanked Martin in s Facebook post, which has already gone viral.
Sources: OpposingViews, Ruth Vine/Facebook
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