Why Assuming Customers Will Go Elsewhere Is the Most Expensive Mistake Garages Make

When advisory work is not booked, many garages make a quiet assumption.

"If they don't come back to us, they'll probably go elsewhere anyway."

It sounds realistic. It feels pragmatic.

In reality, it is one of the most expensive assumptions a garage can make.

**Most customers do not actively choose another garage**

Customer behaviour studies consistently show that most people do not make deliberate decisions about where to take their car.

They default.

When advisory work is left unresolved, customers usually:

• Put it off
• Forget the details
• Wait until the issue becomes urgent

At that point, convenience takes over.

• The nearest garage
• The first available slot
• Whoever can fit them in quickly

This is not disloyalty. It is human behaviour.

**Silence creates the gap others fill**

When no follow-up happens, a gap is created.

Not a competitive gap. A communication gap.

Research across automotive servicing shows that customers who are not followed up are significantly more likely to defect, even if they were satisfied with the original visit.

Not because they lost trust — but because the relationship went quiet.

The garage that follows up stays present. The one that does not fades into the background.

**Assumptions hide lost revenue**

Because advisory work is deferred, the loss is rarely immediate.

It shows up later as:

• Lower repeat visit rates
• Fewer planned bookings
• Increased reliance on MOT failures and urgent repairs

Industry benchmarks suggest that retaining an existing customer is 5–7 times cheaper than acquiring a new one.

When advisory follow-up fails, garages are forced to replace work that was already earned.

That cost is rarely tracked — but it is real.

**Customers often return when reminded**

A critical insight from service data is this:

Many customers who proceed with advisory work do so only after being reminded.

Follow-up does not change the decision. It enables it.

Studies show that simple, timely reminders can double the likelihood of a customer returning, compared to no follow-up at all.

This work is not "lost" by default. It is lost when the garage disengages too early.

**The franchise myth works both ways**

There is a common belief that customers will avoid franchises and go independent for advisory work.

Sometimes that happens.

But the opposite is also true.

Customers often return to:

• The place that contacted them
• The place that remembered
• The place that felt organised

Follow-up, not brand, is often the deciding factor.

**Assuming customers will go elsewhere becomes a self-fulfilling outcome**

When garages stop following up, customers drift.

When customers drift, the assumption feels confirmed.

But the cause and effect are reversed.

Customers do not leave because they prefer another garage. They leave because no one stayed in touch.

That distinction matters.

**A final thought**

Assuming customers will go elsewhere is not a neutral belief.

It shapes behaviour.

Garages that assume loss tend to stop asking. Garages that follow up tend to retain.

Advisory work is not won or lost at the inspection.

It is won or lost in what happens next — or does not happen at all.

Learn more about how [Amber Closer prevents customer drift through systematic follow-up](/) and explore our [FAQ on customer retention and consistency](/faq)."