Am I suddenly in an alternate universe?!

Back in June, I took my car in for what I thought would be a routine inspection + oil change. (Oh yeah, and the engine light was on --- but that had happened a few times before; usually solved by tightening the gas cap.) This time, though, the auto shop couldn't figure out why the engine light was on, and so could not pass my car for inspection. They ended up doing endless "diagnostics" and finally determined that they had to send off to both California and Canada for some random hoses. After a month of taking my car in and out of this shop 3 times, the final bill was over $800. For 4 hoses that did not threaten the safety of either myself or my fellow drivers on the road but were somehow necessary for my passing the State inspection.

Luckily, I had money to pay for it. But I DID leave a very disgruntled review on Yelp. Something along the lines of: "Very nice staff, and I appreciate their shuttle service back to my apt each time, but... Why did this take a month to fix? And why did 4 hoses cost me over $800? A rip-off with a smile..."

I thought that was that. I'd gotten ripped off, but I at least got to vent on Yelp (big whoo!).

Today, though, three months later, the manager of the auto shop called me and said he'd just read my review on Yelp---was there anything he could do? (Wow! Is this a fantasy conversation, or what?!) I politely explained my exact feelings about the whole thing: Why did I have to keep re-bringing my car into the shop 3 times? Why did 4 hoses + "diagnostics" end up costing me over $800? I understand about Covid and "the supply chain" and such, but...

This very nice manager's reply: "If we could offer you a partial refund, what do you think would be fair?" WOW!! Really?! I told him I felt guilty about quoting any price, because I didn't want to seem like I was blackmailing him over a Yelp review... but then...he had called ME! So I quoted him a price of $200---and he agreed to refund that amount to my bank account! I got a receipt tonight showing that refund amount (still hasn't shown up in my account; takes a few days). And, yes, I'm going to change my Yelp review, which is what he wanted---and which is what he deserves, given his fantastic customer service!

I completely understand that the manager of this auto shop doesn't want bad reviews on Yelp. But that said, I've left a few other bad reviews on Yelp to various types of other places, and absolutely no one cares. In general, one can review to one's heart's content online, with no one paying any attention to you whatsoever!

This manager, though... For the first time in many years, I felt like I was in an utterly SANE universe, where you can express your thoughts and/or concerns and someone responds to them. In other words, in today's world, an "Alternate Universe"!

(To this day, I remember wrangling with an Austin apartment manager in the '90s who would not send me a mere $20 out of the $500 apartment deposit I'd paid; when I finally complained 2 weeks after the $20 check was due to me, the manager sniped: "Why are you so worried about $20?" I replied: "Because I'm very poor. Why do you think I had to move out of this apartment?" Note that I didn't say anything about $480 of the $500 deposit they'd cheated me out of. I just was desperate for the meager $20 that should have been sent to me 2 weeks earlier. And then I got verbally shit on for "daring" to ask why I hadn't yet received it.)

Such a LIGHT feeling after talking to this car-shop guy. Not at all just the money, I must emphasize. I'd paid it, I was done. But the fact that someone at the business cared about how his business was perceived, and wanted to make it right with a customer. I haven't experienced this sort of responsiveness in years, decades: Someone who actually wants to do the right thing.