Halton Honda is pleased to welcome Domenic Almonte as our new Service Manager. Domenic is bringing a wealth of experience and will ensure a high level of service is delivered to our customers. We sat down with Domenic to get to know him a little better.
With an automotive background that started as a co-op student, Dom achieved his class A mechanics license and became a grandmaster technician in 1991. While working as a tech at Queenston Town Chev, Dom was in a car accident that left him with severed nerves and unable to perform all the physically demanding aspects of the job. Luckily a service advisor called in sick and his manager asked if Dom could fill in dealing directly with customers for the first time. “I never thought I had it. You know, from a technician’s point of view I thought I was a little rough, but I actually enjoyed the customer side of it more than the repair side.”
“I worked at smaller, rural Ford stores which allowed me to wear multiple hats. I entered my own warranty and made friends with all the accountants which added to my knowledge base and gave me an education in the numbers behind my department.”
“When you’re a tech, you become driven by training.”
With an illness in the family, staying at a small country dealership wasn’t economically feasible anymore and Dom had to make the move to the big city where his experience could command a bigger salary with a big dealer group.
“Long story short, I had to sell my forever country home with all the land, a big garage and I moved back in with my family for additional support while I started commuting from Hamilton to Brampton every day.”
Working for a dealer group may have some advantages but the 24/7 demands and stress levels were dragging him down. He still wanted to do what he does but really wanted to stop commuting and come home.
Enter Halton Honda.
“The exciting thing about coming here is that the job isn’t different, but the product is. So, it’s exciting again. I’m not ready to shut it off and I love the challenge of learning a new product.”
“I believe that we are in the customer business first. Not the repair business. Simple things like just calling customers back, shows respect.”
“I found coming here very welcoming, the people have been very helpful. When you work for a big dealer group, H.R. is off-site, accounting is in another city, the detail department is in another building… It’s nice to run up a few steps to talk to the people I need to talk to. It makes decisions happen quicker.”
“This is the first dealership I’ve ever worked at that the owner is more concerned about how the employees and customers feel than how much money he’s going to make.”
When it comes to his new Service team Dom says he doesn’t have to worry about his techs. “They’re all really, really strong, very respectful. I have 5 advisors right now and like to work with them and get their input. We also recently promoted Alex Husen who has taken on more work as Assistant Service Manager.”
Thoughts about the Honda Vehicles?
“I gotta say the product has shocked me. The fuel economy of my Pilot is ten times better than the Explorer, just when I’m not driving as much anymore! I like the product and the loyalty we get from Honda drivers. They look after their cars and follow the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule. Honda Canada also recognizes loyalty from the customer and will go to bat for them a lot more, even outside of warranty. So that’s huge.”
Domenic says that going forward, the Halton Honda service department will always strive to make servicing your Honda easier. “As things open up, we’ll be looking at different services and packages to save customers money and time.”
Next time you’re in our service department say hello to our new Service Manager Domenic Almonte.
Honda cars and sport utility vehicles are among the most fuel-efficient in their respective segments. With the cost of fuel steadily increasing, we should also mention that Honda vehicles outperform their competition when it comes to admissions, polluting less than the average in their respective segments. 15 Money Saving Tips 1. Perform routine maintenance. Your Honda needs the right...
Toshihiro Mibe, Global CEO of Honda, joined in to announce Honda’s $15B plans to build a comprehensive electric vehicle value chain in Canada. In addition to securing the current employment level of 4,200 associates in Alliston, Ontario, this investment is estimated to create 1,000 new Canadian jobs and includes building a new EV assembly plant with capacity for 240k vehicles annually, a new...
Honda's dominance in reliability and consumer trust remains unparalleled. Honda emerged as the dominant force in Kelley Blue Book’s prestigious 2024 Consumer Choice Awards in the United States, formerly known as the Brand Image Awards, reinforcing its reputation for reliability. The unveiling of the winners on March 27 underscored Honda's unwavering commitment to producing dependable vehicles....
Powered and developed by
