Advertising Campaign for Repair Shop Goes Awry When Glasses Were Never Delivered

First Quality Import in Wilmington, NC, was forced to contact a local TV station for help when a company they hired to help promote their business failed to deliver 1,200 glasses to a local restaurant. The repair shop had paid $1,300 to have their advertisement printed on the glasses. The advertising company has promised to provide a refund.

Below is the article as it appeared on the WWAY-TV Channel 3 website.

TROUBLESHOOTERS: Ad glasses come up empty

By Marcy Cuevas
March 9, 2011

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Companies depend on advertising to drive in customers.

One New Hanover County auto repair shop bought advertising from a local company only to have things stall out. Now it’s out the cash and has no ads to show for it.

Bonnie Narron thought it was an advertising goldmine.

"I thought, ‘Wow! This is it!,’" Narron said. "You know, people will touch it, you’ll touch it, look at it."

Southeast ad pints sells advertising on pint glasses and then distributes those glasses to various restaurants. Narron spent $1,300 to put the name of her company, First Quality Import, on 1,200 glasses destined for Sweet & Savory Café.

"We paid for them Oct. 4, and they told me by Nov. 10 the glasses would be in Sweet & Savory," Narron said.

But Nov. 10 came and went, and no glasses were in the restaurant.

Narron contacted the owner of Southeast Ad Pints Rick Walker numerous times asking about her glasses or a refund. Narron said Walker gave her excuse after excuse.

"Anything from breakage, having problems with them breaking, they were having to redo them, trucking, he was sick, oh my gosh, said his granddaughter was in intensive care in Chapel Hill. I don’t even know if he has a granddaughter," Narron said.

To read the entire article on the WWAY-TV Channel 3 website, visit http://www.wwaytv3.com/2011/03/09/troubleshooters-ad-glasses-come-empty.

When Your Shop Is Worth Much More Than You Thought

Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.

Case Study: Owner of San Francisco-based Import Service Shop Delighted to Discover Just How Valuable His Business is to Qualified Buyers
I sometimes share case studies of the clients I have been able to assist in my role as an aftermarket business broker and provider of intermediary and advisory services. I do that when I think the story will provide a reader in similar circumstances with new insights or helpful information.
In the case of Cowden Automotive, Inc., I acted in a consulting capacity assisting the owner and his broker in valuing the business, creating a marketing plan, finding a qualified buyer, and arranging financing for the sale.
Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.
Needless to say, delivering that kind of good news to a shop owner is a rewarding experience. Discovering that the sale of his business would result in his retirement nest-egg being substantially larger than he had ever thought was a fitting tribute to someone who had spent his entire working career as a busy automotive service shop owner.

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