Meet the Merrillville Manager!

Jayme has been with Levin Tire & Service Center since April of 2009. He started at the Southlake store before being promoted to manager at the Broadway location in Merrillville. He grew up helping his Dad work on cars and worked for a few years part time in a small gas station back home in Campbellsburg, IN. doing tires and oil changes.

Would it Kill People to be Nice?

It amazes me that in this day and age that there are still crappy customer service agents out there! I find it hard to believe that there aren't nice people out there who need a job and would love to get paid to talk to people.

A couple months ago my daughter had been to the doctor because she had a cough she couldn't shake and they sent her in for a chest x-ray. My insurance didn't cover a whole whopping $32 of it. When the accounts receivable department called to tell me about it, I asked them to send me out a bill so that I could pay for it. Mind you, it took six weeks from the appointment date to bring this to my attention to start with. That being said, I didn't get the bill until about 2 days ago finally.

I called this afternoon to pay the balance and encounted a lady who clearly HATES her job. When I didn't have an account number to spare her the trouble of changing her client search field she made sure to ask for my phone number with a long drawn out sigh, as if this little click had just required her to sprint a 10 mile marathon without being able to stop for water along the way. (Sorry lady, all I wrote down this morning was the number to pay it, shame on me).  She went straight into getting my debit information without even so much as a "I'll be glad to take care of that for you today" or a "Thank you for taking care of this." I knew roughly what I owed, but wanted to verify the charge amount for my records. Again, I offended this woman by wanting to know what I was being charged and not having the bill directly in front of me so that I didn't have to take up her precious time with a silly question like, "What will the final charge be?"

I admit that I'm most likely the worst customer ever, because here at Levin Tire it's my job to teach people like her to be nice to people! I'm also the customer who writes a letter to complain. In my personal/professional opinion, I'd much rather have the opportunity to correct the situation than have our customers go elsewhere because of one bad apple.

I concluded my phone call and ran really quick to get some lunch. The woman behind the counter was probably in her mid to late 40's. My guess... She had not planned on growing up to serve cheeseburgers and french fries, but I'm glad to say that she did greet me kindly, ask how I was doing, and tell me to enjoy my weekend. Please tell me why the woman who makes more money can't be as kind as the lady who handed me my grilled chicken sandwich?

Customer service is essential in today's world and we pride ourselves on having some of the friendliest and geniune employees around. Thank goodness that lady from the doctor's office does not work for our organization or we'd be having a serious sit down right about now.

~Laura Stephenson

Quality Assurance Coordiantor

Levin Tire Winfield Celebrates One Year Anniversary

Levin Tire of Winfield is celebrating its one year anniversary this month, having opened its doors in February of last year. The store has been remodeled and new shop equipment has been installed, and the Levin Tire Team has since been building relationships with the people of Winfield. The store has experienced steady growth over the year and now services up to 20 to 30 cars each day.

“Being a small business owner, I was excited to open a store in Winfield. It’s a great community and we’ve since enjoyed serving its residents,” said Barry Levin, the company’s president. The company is part of the Winfield Chamber and gives back to the community whenever possible.

Matt Norby was promoted to Store Manager of the Winfield store in January of this year, taking over for Chip LaRock.  “Chip was a great manager and I know I’ve got big shoes to fill. This is a remarkable community and I’m looking forward to getting to know the people of Winfield,” said Norby. 

LaRock has since taken over the store manager position at Levin Tire’s Highland location. “I was happy to pass the baton to Matt. He is great with people and I know the Winfield community will enjoy working with him,” noted LaRock.

Levin Tire was founded as a small, family-owned tire repair shop in 1918 and has since grown to seven full-service tire and auto repair shops across Lake and Porter Counties. Still family owned and operated, the company has been committed to maintaining its core values of honesty and integrity in a family friendly atmosphere.

As noted in the company’s current ad, during the week of February 18th the store will be celebrating its anniversary with special offers, as well as giving away treats and a free gift to its customers. There’s no appointment necessary for service.

Written By: Rachel Shropshire