One of the best things a letters to the editor section of a local newspaper can do is provide readers the opportunity to speak the good news of a community’s wonderful businesses. I’d like to take that opportunity to speak of Big O Tires on Boswell Boulevard just north of Bell Road.
I’ve been there three times. A year ago a neighbor told me my right taillight was out. I asked where to take it and she said, “Go to Big O Tires. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.” Fifteen minutes after I walked in the door, the man behind the counter gave me back my keys without a bill. When I asked the cost, he just gave me a huge smile and said, “There is none. It’s what we do for our customers. It’s free.” I was bowled over. In my home state of Illinois the cost would have been at least $25.
So, I made a mental note to use Big O Tires for everything my car needed thereafter. A year later, on April 26, I needed an oil change. So I brought my car in and not only got an oil change and new filter, but I also got all the tires rotated and the air adjusted in each tire, all belts and hoses checked, my brakes checked, my battery tested, and all fluids topped off. When the mechanic discovered a nail in my tire, he pulled it out and put in a plug, which completely fixed it and shut off the dashboard light telling me something was wrong with one of my tires.
At the end of a full hour, which is how long it took the mechanic to do all this work, the man behind the counter presented me a bill that still astonishes me for its smallness: $26 for everything. He handed me the bill with a huge smile, my last present before I walked out the door.
Ten days later, when my neighbor told me that now my left taillight was out, I went back to Big O Tires. Fifteen minutes later, the taillight was working again. And it was free once again.
A month later, I am still thinking about the extraordinary generosity and service of Big O Tires. I expect I will be thinking about them the rest of my days.
I hope my letter will bring more letters about Big O Tires. I also hope my letter will induce readers to write about other extraordinary businesses in Sun City and nearby.
