Page 11 of Mr. Perfect
The Auto King pulled his hand back and rested it on the armrest of his executive chair. “Of course, you have copies,” Spencer said. “An ace reporter such as yourself would have his ducks in a row.”
“First, a computer upgrade wipes out my original records. I’m almost afraid to see what happens next. A hurricane? Fire? So, my backups have backups if you catch my drift.”
“Hard not to,” Spencer said dryly.
Felix pulled out another stack of papers and laid them on top of his receipts. Spencer stared down at them with a puzzled expression on his face. “Those are printouts from consumer sites created for people to share excellent experiences or warn others about horrible ones. If all your promo posters hanging on the service department wall are true, you’ll be upset to discover that Spencer Auto Mall falls into the latter category. I redacted their names or any identifying information, including the website addresses, to protect their privacy.”
Spencer picked up the printout and started reading it. Felix quietly watched as The Auto King flipped page after page. After he finished, Spencer set the documents on his desk. The Auto King ran a finger over the bridge of his nose for a few seconds before lowering his hand. “It seems I have a bigger problem than I realized. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.”
“You’re welcome,” Felix replied. “I’ll just leave my receipts with you to go over with your service department. I’d like to have a phone call within twenty-four hours. After months of getting the runaround, I don’t think it’s asking too much.”
Spencer rose swiftly from his seat and grabbed the paperwork off his desk. “There’s no need for delay, Mr. Franklin. Come with me.”
Felix followed Spencer through the showroom and out to the service department bays. He nearly groaned out loud when he saw Todd Dartmouth, his nemesis from school, standing behind the desk. The man looked older than the last time Felix had seen him, but not much else had changed. Todd’s thick hair hadn’t thinned, he hadn’t gotten fat, and his broad shoulders weren’t sagging. Too damn bad. Todd’s eyes widened with recognition when they landed on Felix. Then he volleyed his gaze between Spencer and Felix until the two men reached him. He only had eyes for The Auto King at that point.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Spencer,” Todd said, sounding like Wally’s douche bag buddy inLeave it to Beaver.
“Hello, Todd.”
“I’m surprised you know my name, Mr. Spencer. I just started here a few weeks ago.”
“I know all my employees,” The Auto King boasted. Felix wanted to roll his eyes but managed to refrain. “Is Bill available?”
Bill Whitman was the service department manager. Felix had had the unfortunate experience of dealing with the moron on several occasions.
“No, I’m sorry, Mr. Spencer. Bill left for the day. His daughter is having a baby.”
“That’s fantastic news for them,” Spencer boomed as if he actually cared. “I’ll give Bill a call at home later. In the meantime, I need your help, Todd.”
Spencer put a hand on Felix’s shoulder, and it took everything in his power to keep from shrugging it off.
“Of course, sir. What can I do for you, Mr. Spencer?”
“This gentleman is Felix Franklin. I’m sure you’ve heard of him, Todd. He’s an investigative reporter and one of the hosts of theSinister in Savannahpodcast that everyone is talking about.”
Todd looked at Felix again. “I know who he is.” Felix was impressed that Todd kept a sneer off his face and hostility out of his voice.
“There’s been a terrible misunderstanding. Mr. Franklin’s transmission went out on his Fusion through no fault of his own. He purchased an extended warranty when he financed the car.” Spencer held up the stack of receipts. “He’s kept up his end of the bargain, and we’re going to honor ours. I want you to order a new transmission this evening and make arrangements with one of our tow truck drivers to retrieve Mr. Franklin’s car tomorrow morning. His extended warranty guarantees him a rental car or a loaner from our lot.” Spencer turned to face Felix. “You can have your pick of brand-new cars to drive from our dealership. There’s no need to involve a rental car agency in the process. We’ll deliver it to your home when we pick up your Fusion.”
“Any car?” Felix and Todd both asked.
Spencer chuckled. “Yes.”
It was on the tip of Felix’s tongue to refuse the offer, since he had his cherished Woody Wagon, but fuck that. Vehicle transportation was included in the warranty, and Spencer owed him this much for jerking him around. “Thank you.”
Spencer nodded. “It’s the least I can do. I want to make things right with the others too.” Felix knew Spencer was referring to the angry customers dragging his ass on the consumer site. Felix had purposely printed off the most unflattering comments.
“I can make a post inside the site informing them to contact the dealership,” Felix offered.
“Please do,” Spencer said. “I’ll let Bill know to expect the calls and to set up a process to make sure each claim is thoroughly investigated.” Then he looked at Todd. “Can you get the process started for Mr. Franklin? I want to be sure he’s not inconvenienced further by waiting for Bill to return.”
“Absolutely. You can count on me, sir.”
Spencer turned to Felix and extended his hand. “We got off to a rough start, but I appreciate you bringing your situation, as well as the others’, to my attention.”
Felix gripped the man’s hand and shook it. “Thanks for your time, Mr. Spencer.”
“What’s the address for where we need to pick up your Fusion and drop off the loaner?” Todd asked, interrupting them. He wouldn’t want to listen to Spencer praising Felix’s character.