When the Driver’s Away, the Rodents Will Play…

/1 Comment/in /by

Don’t let the humorous title fool you; rodents are no laughing matter when it comes to protecting your car. 

We’ve had customers come in with ‘check engine’ lights, electronic glitches, engine overheating, and many other problems. Sometimes, the solution to those can take days or possibly weeks to diagnose and repair. However, there have been many cases where all we have to do is pop the hood and the evidence is obvious. The most catastrophic case we have dealt with was rodents chewing up harnesses in a 2014 991 Turbo S. The car totaled and the insurance company paid out $120,000! Read more

Online Reviews

/1 Comment/in /by

feedback
Since the internet has become the primary method of marketing for retail business, online reviews have become the new litmus test for prospective customers. Since www basically stands for wild, wild, west there is no public standard or formal criteria for how a customer evaluates a company. What compounds the problem is the ability to critique with anonymity. When there is absolutely no accountability for one’s words, anything goes. Small business owners are like other human beings; we appreciate honest criticism but with a dash of graciousness. Common courtesy goes a long way and while The Golden Rule is foreign to some, it still holds an important position in how we treat one another in our culture. 

Read more

The Naughty List

/0 Comments/in /by

Candidly, we’re weary of keyboard warriors who are very brazen and unreasonable. Very soon we will be starting a list of folks who have burned their bridge with us. In spite of our genuine care, concern, and efforts to satisfy them they have posted inaccurate and misleading information online regarding our company. The days of drive-bys, bomb throwing, and anonymous reviews without blow-back are over.

Game on.

 

      

Consignment – A New Found Freedom

/0 Comments/in /by

fullsizerender-2
Trying to sell your own car can be a time consuming and frustrating process. From the plethora of websites promising a sale within 30 days to phone calls from strangers asking to come to your home to test drive the car and inspect it. How about answering all of the questions, arranging a pre-purchase inspection, and after all of that… low-balling you?! Selling your own vehicle can be a most unpleasant experience. Beck’s European offers a comfortable, worry-free and safe way to sell your car. 

Our main goal in everything we do at Beck’s European is customer satisfaction. One of the ways we meet that goal is through consignment. You can be at complete peace of mind in knowing that your car is always taken care of as if it were our own. Our philosophy: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. (And yes, that even goes for the treatment of cars!)
We handle everything including: Cryo-blasting, paintless dent repair, detailing, photographing, marketing, auction management, negotiating, paperwork, and transport.
Let us take the hassle out of selling your vehicle so that you can get maximum value with minimal headaches.

 

Important note regarding collector cars and classics: Prices are at an all-time high with numerous explanations for this. Disposable income, anticipated inflation with movement toward investing in “fun” assets, internet exposure, etc. However, two of the biggest reasons in our opinion is that vintage cars especially, are better than they’ve ever been in terms of restoration quality (Broadly speaking!) AND the new phenomenon of social media-infused online auction sites. Buyers seem to be very attracted to this format because the public can offer real-time accountability and opinion. Unfortunately like most other social media platforms there are plenty of opinions born out of ignorance and bias rather than knowledgeable and professional experience. Beck’s European offers professional consulting in this space. If you see a car that catches your eye being auctioned or advertised online and need coaching, please feel free to reach out to us.               

Giving Credit where Credit is Due

/1 Comment/in /by

20150526_092649
Whatever successes have come my way in my chosen vocation did not originate with me; they were a gift from my father. He was born a mechanic and racer. That desire and passion allowed me to grow up in an environment where tools, parts, motorcycles, and cars were the toys that I played with as a child and young adult. The mixture of oil and cleaning solvent is not an odor but a fragrance that I still find intoxicating today.

My dad was always there to model the proper way to build or assemble anything. What he didn’t teach me directly I was able to learn by watching and observing. I had the best instructor in the world and I thank God every day for all of the opportunities that I was given.

I worked for him for 25 years as an employee and was always thankful to have a job and continue my ongoing education from him and a very seasoned staff. In 1998 the baton was officially passed when my wife and I bought the business.

My father’s legacy is a community full of satisfied past, current, and future customers. You are certainly not just a number at Beck’s European; you’re a key ingredient for a recipe and tradition that people have enjoyed for almost 50 years.

Thanks Dad. I love you more than you know.

Labor Philosophy – Something You May Not Know

/1 Comment/in /by

Most automotive repair companies (especially new car dealers) pay their technicians on a commission basis. Beck’s European is not a proponent of this practice. Here’s how it works: A particular job has a Flat Rate time of 8 hours. In other words, that job, if properly executed, should take 8 hours to complete according to industry averages. If a mechanic gets the job done in 5 hours, he is still paid for 8 hours of work. The capitalists out there are saying “So what’s wrong with that; if he’s faster and more efficient than a fellow mechanic, he should be rewarded for it.” We are huge fans of capitalism but here’s the problem: it encourages sloppy work and tempts the mechanic to take shortcuts. Do you really think a mechanic on commission is going to take the extra time to clean all of your parts before he re-installs them if it’s going to adversely affect his paycheck? In essence, the mechanic is rewarded to speed through the job as quickly as possible. Quality becomes a secondary objective rather than the primary one.

Read more

Loyalty

/0 Comments/in /by

12719241_10153936623846543_3646152251299492361_o
Honest question: How often do you think about loyalty toward a merchant?

As customers and clients, we all typically use vendors and merchants who provide us with greater value than their competitors. In a highly competitive marketplace we usually choose to spend our dollars where we get the greatest ROI. Loyalty has to be earned by the merchant; it isn’t an entitlement.

Read more

Employees: Asset or liability?

/0 Comments/in /by

I offer this treatise as a response to a phenomenon in our current society that affects all of us more than we think. Everyone wants excellent service, right? One of the many plights of the human condition is a desire to receive more than we give but it amazes me that many workers aren’t willing to contend against this mentality. Entitlement, slothfulness, and selfishness have become the hallmarks of many workers (Thank you Labor Unions and wimpy employers). We have become a nation of consumers rather than producers. Many workers expect to be treated like kings when they are the customer but refuse to extend that same service to others in the course of their employment. (Ultimately this thinking isn’t even self serving as it does nothing to insure long term job security!) I thought this situation might improve with the recession because employees would value their jobs more… I was wrong.

Read more