I try my best not to deal with the general public. I even went so far as to move 30 miles to the east of town to where the people are of a nicer variety.
In other words, Less Scum.
I'm getting tired of dealing with people
- Thread starter Chris142
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I had someone explain to me once:
I earn $20 ( minus tax) an hour, often I have to do some pretty nasty work for that $20 less tax.
If I have to get into someone's face, for half an hour, to get $20 off a bill, I'm making more than twice my hourly working rate!
If you live in a society where you may never have to interact with a person more than once. I guess it can PAY to be obnoxious.
I earn $20 ( minus tax) an hour, often I have to do some pretty nasty work for that $20 less tax.
If I have to get into someone's face, for half an hour, to get $20 off a bill, I'm making more than twice my hourly working rate!
If you live in a society where you may never have to interact with a person more than once. I guess it can PAY to be obnoxious.
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I have never..........I mean never..........heard of people trying to negotiate an automotive repair bill. This thread is the absolute first. Your customers must be absolute major idiots with no sense of shame whatsoever.
+1
are your customers ghetto? I have only seen this happen in the ghetto, never in any other place, to me, going back on an agreed price is shameful.
I have however, had my estimated price increase by 50% in the ghetto before, and since that experience, I have ALWAYS done my own car work.
I have never..........I mean never..........heard of people trying to negotiate an automotive repair bill. This thread is the absolute first. Your customers must be absolute major idiots with no sense of shame whatsoever.
+1
are your customers ghetto? I have only seen this happen in the ghetto, never in any other place, to me, going back on an agreed price is shameful.
I have however, had my estimated price increase by 50% in the ghetto before, and since that experience, I have ALWAYS done my own car work.
I think you guys don't understand the laws about auto repair in California that Chris is following. All estimates have to be approved by the customer before the work is performed. So there is none of this "show up and here is the bill" nonsense from other states. You can only exceed an estimate by a certain percentage, but at my work it is any amount over the estimate. Also shops in CA cannot charge a blanket "shop fee" on a repair order. Everything has to be itemized.
This is the book we have to follow http://www.bar.ca.gov/pdf/WriteItRight.pdf
This is the book we have to follow http://www.bar.ca.gov/pdf/WriteItRight.pdf
Many people take 'the customer is always right' motto a little too far. The other day I watched a 'lady' argue with a McDonald's manager over a coupon that she did not have. Her claim was that the other day the manager said they would honor the coupon.... That she did not have. It was amusing to me, but sadly she got her way.
Most people aren't thrilled or prepared to shell out money for an unexpected car repair, so will try every lame angle to reduce the bill. It's really not fair to the shop that did an honest repair, but I guess dealing with bozos comes with working in a business that is open to the public.
It's because most people are jerks and don't care- I work in retail, so I know.. (and hate it)
I've never had an issue paying more, as long as I get a call and they let me know what is going on and why. It's pretty much all I ask, because one does not know everything...
My local indy shop and dealership have both followed up with me if it was going to cost a bit more. Only one time did it end up costing me more than a few hundred more.
My dealership even called to let me know they broke something else during the repair that would need to be fixed. Rather than being a jerk, I understood the age of the car (rust) and how the part broke. They even gave me a bit of a discount on the part. I'm glad I was a cool customer, as when I arrived up, they bought me a soda and explained (and let me look)what they did. And thanked me for understanding, cause they got beat on bad by a customer less than a hour before!
It sucks so many people do what they do, but that happens when you only think about yourself... Last time I had to stop over the winter last year to get an oil change, and while I waited, watched this dude go nuts over what it costs to fix his car (really was not that bad) while wearing quite a bit of gold and an iphone...sad....
I've never had an issue paying more, as long as I get a call and they let me know what is going on and why. It's pretty much all I ask, because one does not know everything...
My local indy shop and dealership have both followed up with me if it was going to cost a bit more. Only one time did it end up costing me more than a few hundred more.
My dealership even called to let me know they broke something else during the repair that would need to be fixed. Rather than being a jerk, I understood the age of the car (rust) and how the part broke. They even gave me a bit of a discount on the part. I'm glad I was a cool customer, as when I arrived up, they bought me a soda and explained (and let me look)what they did. And thanked me for understanding, cause they got beat on bad by a customer less than a hour before!
It sucks so many people do what they do, but that happens when you only think about yourself... Last time I had to stop over the winter last year to get an oil change, and while I waited, watched this dude go nuts over what it costs to fix his car (really was not that bad) while wearing quite a bit of gold and an iphone...sad....
Originally Posted By: bvance554
Many people take 'the customer is always right' motto a little too far. The other day I watched a 'lady' argue with a McDonald's manager over a coupon that she did not have. Her claim was that the other day the manager said they would honor the coupon.... That she did not have. It was amusing to me, but sadly she got her way.
Yep, seen that as well.
Many people take 'the customer is always right' motto a little too far. The other day I watched a 'lady' argue with a McDonald's manager over a coupon that she did not have. Her claim was that the other day the manager said they would honor the coupon.... That she did not have. It was amusing to me, but sadly she got her way.
Yep, seen that as well.
When you say the factory sticker, are you referring to the MSRP that the dealer places on the sticker? I ask because I have yet to see a dealer put the factory invoice price on a vehicle.
If you are referring to the factory invoice, I'd pay 3% over the factory invoice, before delivery, for dealer profits. That's it.
If you mean the dealer invoice, then [censored] no, f- no, cold day in [censored], before I'll pay whatever a dealer asks.
If you are referring to the factory invoice, I'd pay 3% over the factory invoice, before delivery, for dealer profits. That's it.
If you mean the dealer invoice, then [censored] no, f- no, cold day in [censored], before I'll pay whatever a dealer asks.
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Most people aren't thrilled or prepared to shell out money for an unexpected car repair, so will try every lame angle to reduce the bill. It's really not fair to the shop that did an honest repair, but I guess dealing with bozos comes with working in a business that is open to the public.
Yup, this. And if you cornered them in January and asked them what their budget for planned and unplanned maintenance is going to be for the year, you'd get the deer-in-headlights look.
But on the showroom floor, they'll roll $3000 into bluetooth gee-gaws, money that could have been set aside for a transmission in the future.
Most people aren't thrilled or prepared to shell out money for an unexpected car repair, so will try every lame angle to reduce the bill. It's really not fair to the shop that did an honest repair, but I guess dealing with bozos comes with working in a business that is open to the public.
Yup, this. And if you cornered them in January and asked them what their budget for planned and unplanned maintenance is going to be for the year, you'd get the deer-in-headlights look.
But on the showroom floor, they'll roll $3000 into bluetooth gee-gaws, money that could have been set aside for a transmission in the future.
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
You can only exceed an estimate by a certain percentage,
That's how it works in NZ. There should be no such thing as a quote, and the estimate can only be exceeded by 10%....additional unexpected work can be charged for, but the customer has to be advised before the work is carried out. Customers used to come out with ''but you quoted...''. I'd tell them the word quote never leaves my lips, and all written estimates clearly say estimate.
Non English speakers from locations close to us were the worst - I'd say how much the job was going to cost, ask if they were happy with that and did we have the ok for the job...and they wouldn't get the car before the full amount was paid in cash. And so they'd come to pick up the car with $100 in cash. There is also no barter in NZ, stated price is what you pay...bargain with me and the price goes up, not down. There is no tipping but beer is acceptable.
Really, really happy to be the worker now after 20 years running workshops - I'll peer out to see what all the noise is out front, and retreat back to my place.
You can only exceed an estimate by a certain percentage,
That's how it works in NZ. There should be no such thing as a quote, and the estimate can only be exceeded by 10%....additional unexpected work can be charged for, but the customer has to be advised before the work is carried out. Customers used to come out with ''but you quoted...''. I'd tell them the word quote never leaves my lips, and all written estimates clearly say estimate.
Non English speakers from locations close to us were the worst - I'd say how much the job was going to cost, ask if they were happy with that and did we have the ok for the job...and they wouldn't get the car before the full amount was paid in cash. And so they'd come to pick up the car with $100 in cash. There is also no barter in NZ, stated price is what you pay...bargain with me and the price goes up, not down. There is no tipping but beer is acceptable.
Really, really happy to be the worker now after 20 years running workshops - I'll peer out to see what all the noise is out front, and retreat back to my place.
It was mechanic's customers that got me into engineering.
After HS, I spent a year pumping gas, at a service station that had a pair of pretty top notch mechanics, one of whom apprenticed at Bosch, worked at Mercedes, raced Formula 2, and had a loyal band of merc followers, who he retuned their 280s to what they were before Australian Design Rule 27A got in the way.
Was incredible to see the customers get an estimate, then belittle and bitsh when they came to pick the car up.
One bloke (XF falcon, 32 ADM ??? carb) was carrying on how he could rebuild a ford falcon carb in 15 minutes blindfolded, and he wasn't paying for any more than 20.
I became an engineer instead of mechanic.
And now, I'm certain that I'm playing to hidden cameras and a live studio audience (who are laughing themselves to death), and the people who interact with me are well paid actors with elaborate and detailed scripts.
to think that I'm dealing with real people and their thought processes scares me badly.
After HS, I spent a year pumping gas, at a service station that had a pair of pretty top notch mechanics, one of whom apprenticed at Bosch, worked at Mercedes, raced Formula 2, and had a loyal band of merc followers, who he retuned their 280s to what they were before Australian Design Rule 27A got in the way.
Was incredible to see the customers get an estimate, then belittle and bitsh when they came to pick the car up.
One bloke (XF falcon, 32 ADM ??? carb) was carrying on how he could rebuild a ford falcon carb in 15 minutes blindfolded, and he wasn't paying for any more than 20.
I became an engineer instead of mechanic.
And now, I'm certain that I'm playing to hidden cameras and a live studio audience (who are laughing themselves to death), and the people who interact with me are well paid actors with elaborate and detailed scripts.
to think that I'm dealing with real people and their thought processes scares me badly.
Originally Posted By: Silk
...Really, really happy to be the worker now after 20 years running workshops - I'll peer out to see what all the noise is out front, and retreat back to my place.
One of the reasons I'm OK with working in industry, I only have one boss.
...Really, really happy to be the worker now after 20 years running workshops - I'll peer out to see what all the noise is out front, and retreat back to my place.
One of the reasons I'm OK with working in industry, I only have one boss.
Originally Posted By: Chris142
People then get irate and make a scene. Then after they figure out that I'm not lowering the price they post on yelp about how we ripped them off!
I'm always suspicious of those dealer ripped me off stories. The majority of my dealer/shop experiences have been positive. There's always two sides to every story.
People then get irate and make a scene. Then after they figure out that I'm not lowering the price they post on yelp about how we ripped them off!
I'm always suspicious of those dealer ripped me off stories. The majority of my dealer/shop experiences have been positive. There's always two sides to every story.
My winter in back of a tire store taught me that we'd take on any job. Our estimate was the best case scenario. Busted/ rusted parts, other problems found "while in there" were extra. Had a silver-tongued service writer smooth it over. It's kinda like recovering from surgery; the customer gets to hear about all the complications and how they're on the hook.
A shop that's honest up front will have an initial estimate that's higher, padded for the inevitable drama. Some customers want to hear this. Some don't.
A shop that's honest up front will have an initial estimate that's higher, padded for the inevitable drama. Some customers want to hear this. Some don't.
I do and I'm a top 10 percenter.........
Quote:
Top 10%ers aren't watching fast and loud.
Quote:
Top 10%ers aren't watching fast and loud.
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
I trust my mechanic/garage such that most works were not estimated before start, I just paid whatever he told me when I picked up the car. Most of the times he charged me less than I expected.
This. I have used these two guys at a small local shop for over 40 years. They are dead honest, reliable and more than reasonable in price. I can't recall having ever been dis-satisfied in that whole time.
If its a bigger job I will ask "about how much" just for mostly curiosity. Otherwise he just has a blank check to do what's necessary. But even then he will call if it might get expensive. I am 100% spoiled.
But yea, people live beyond their means and a car repair is an unplanned expense that will affect their financial life.
I trust my mechanic/garage such that most works were not estimated before start, I just paid whatever he told me when I picked up the car. Most of the times he charged me less than I expected.
This. I have used these two guys at a small local shop for over 40 years. They are dead honest, reliable and more than reasonable in price. I can't recall having ever been dis-satisfied in that whole time.
If its a bigger job I will ask "about how much" just for mostly curiosity. Otherwise he just has a blank check to do what's necessary. But even then he will call if it might get expensive. I am 100% spoiled.
But yea, people live beyond their means and a car repair is an unplanned expense that will affect their financial life.
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