Farewell, Lattof; you were one of a kind
Recently, Lattof Chevrolet closed its doors after 70 years. Understandably, there was significant comment from the owner on how selling the property, securing a buyout from General Motors and terminating about 75 workers troubled him greatly.
As a customer of Lattof Chevrolet since 1981 my experience is that the people who answer the phone, sell the cars and who work in the parts and service department are outstanding professional automotive employees.
There are two people I would especially like to thank. The first is a service writer named Mike who always greeted you with a smile and always made sure that your car or truck was completed on time. He interacted positively not only with his customers but also with the mechanics who provided some of the best service any General Motors franchise had to offer.
One of the mechanics had been at Lattof for over 35 years. Whenever Jeff worked on my car it was always done right the first time. The other day I wondered how many Chevrolets he thought he had worked on during his long career. Using a self developed formula, I feel Jeff has worked on approximately 49,500 cars. Not bad for a hardworking kid from Evanston who has worked on everything from an old carbureted Chevrolet to a new Chevrolet hybrid where the wrong move could result in a technician's electrocution.
Lattof was an island in a sea of impersonal service. When you take your car in, in the near future, there will be an ATM-style machine that scans your car and asks you to explain what's wrong. Your car will be pulled in a long dark tunnel where foreign-built robotic devices will attempt to find the problems using the tactical sensitivity of a sledgehammer.
Then you'll go home and wait for a call from an offshore call center advising you the robot has ordered a part and you should consider taking public transportation for the next week.
Good luck to all the fine women and men who have made Lattof such a pleasant experience. I know there must be a few car dealers out there looking to provide the same personal service to their customers. I trust you'll be able to find work in this honorable profession in a short period of time.
Mike Victor
Schaumburg