People so unreasonable sometimes...

Quote
As she's cleaning out the car another not so bright employee..who no longer works for me either....tells her what happened.
Concentrate people..... The car was damaged while she still owned it. He offered full asking price and she agreed. Ethical toss-up. Based on customer then wanting $5000 it probably would have gone bad no matter what and she still trashes him on Facebook etc.
 
Originally Posted by AZjeff
Quote
As she's cleaning out the car another not so bright employee..who no longer works for me either....tells her what happened.
Concentrate people..... The car was damaged while she still owned it. He offered full asking price and she agreed. Ethical toss-up. Based on customer then wanting $5000 it probably would have gone bad no matter what and she still trashes him on Facebook etc.
Same story on Pawn Stars. Guy brings in item, wants $800. Rick calls in an expert to appraise it, says he could get around $2,000 for it. Rick tells the guy he will give him $1200. Guy says no, he wants $2000 now.
 
Originally Posted by dnewton3
I think that was handled well. I doubt the "market value" of the car was as high as the asking (and paid) price. You could have told her to sue you, and then beat down the price by introducing all manner of "evidence" from other similar sales (not unlike comps in the housing industry). She'd have walked away with less. Moron whom left and empty crankcase? Fired. Can't do much more than that. Chatty counter girl? Give her a warning to stay away from anything but professional talk, and since she has essentially no business in the bay, and the workers have no business in the office, well, that should reduce most concerns. Goof-ball that spilled the beans after the fact? Gone as well.
Yes. She's not supposed to be in work area. In 25 years I can say the work ethic has gone in the toilet. Everyone thinks they have rights to their cell phones while working ect. She is getting a written warning today, issued by the wife and "other owner" so I can have documentation.
 
I'm missing something here-woman wants $2500 for her car, guy gives her $2500, she takes the money, gives him the title, what difference does it make? She got her money, why should she care if if runs or not? Not her property anymore! Surprised you didn't have her kicked off the property & charged her with trespassing if she didn't leave! Freaking useless thieves, I'm not surprised this happened in Florida! crackmeup
 
Originally Posted by atikovi
Originally Posted by AZjeff
Quote
As she's cleaning out the car another not so bright employee..who no longer works for me either....tells her what happened.
Concentrate people..... The car was damaged while she still owned it. He offered full asking price and she agreed. Ethical toss-up. Based on customer then wanting $5000 it probably would have gone bad no matter what and she still trashes him on Facebook etc.
Same story on Pawn Stars. Guy brings in item, wants $800. Rick calls in an expert to appraise it, says he could get around $2,000 for it. Rick tells the guy he will give him $1200. Guy says no, he wants $2000 now.
Ya. The only difference is that Pawn Stars transactions were filmed on a set because it's against Nevada law to film inside a pawn shop. Betcha you didn't know that.
 
Originally Posted by PimTac
If that had been my car I probably wouldn't have gotten mad. It was a fair situation. You would have lost me as a customer though.
That's the other problem with people today. Why? Most shops, even dealerships, would never have owned up to what happened. Being in this biz I see lots and lots and know lots and lots. There isn't a shop anywhere—not even a 1 owner mechanic—that hasn't messed something up. I have just over 100 employees between my towing comonay, service center and car lot and my shop has 8 indoor bays and one outside lift for medium duty trucks. (Mostly dedicated to my own tow trucks) My job is lead babysitter. All you can mostly (not all, I do have some very excellent staff but they are the minority) hire today are lazy and entitled people. There is almost no such thing as a mechanic anymore. They are parts changers. I have one solid guy about 65 that can diagnoses and it's what I consider a "real" mechanic and one other guy about 45 that's pretty close. The rest of my "so-called" mechanics can read you what's on the scanner and sometimes change parts. Most of my guys are from dealerships btw. I target hiring dealership mechanics bc they have more training programs. The guys at my shop make more than at the dealerships. They have the same problems. Most have 1-2 diagnosis people that's can really be considered a true mechanic. So my question......why loose as a customer. Isn't doing the right thing something you WANT a business to do? The lost you as customer is what encourages biz to do the wrong thing. It's backwards. A few years ago had a local lawn spray company owner call me. I used his company bc it was local like me. Not one of the big names. He calls and tells me when they sprayed my yard...and everyone else's on that's trucks route....their tech made a mistake in the mix. Told me my lawn would be dying but he had all new sod already on order and wanted to let me know he was going to replace it ASAP. I recommend this guy everywhere and let him advertise at my shop too. The fact he called me and owned up makes me a customer for life. Finally if my insurance handled it they would cut the lady a check for $500. Goodby. That's the value of the car w 300,000 miles. That's how insurance works.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by Donald
Your interview process needs to check their mechanic skills and if the have "good sense". Are you talking two different prior employees? One who forgot to add the oil and one who blabbed the story to the customer?
I termed both. Ownership has its privileges. For all others there is the write-up process.
 
Originally Posted by ToadU
Finally if my insurance handled it they would cut the lady a check for $500. Goodby. That's the value of the car w 300,000 miles. That's how insurance works.
WRONG, that's NOT how insurance works. Insurance pays the retail value as shown in a widely published price guide. That's a $4500 car with average miles (assuming 4-door EX) and 300,000 miles would drop it to $4,000. https://www.nadaguides.com/Cars/2004/Honda/Accord-4-Cyl/Sedan-4D-EX/Values If it was totalled, you would get a check for $4,000. OP got lucky the car had a for sale sign showing $2500, otherwise his insurance would be paying for a replacement engine if not out of shop's pocket depending on his deductible.
 
Originally Posted by Kira
Donald and Eddie beat me to it. OK, mistakes happen in a large shop over a 25 year span. Were the 2 employees "normal" or do you hire retards? Nothing inflammatory or insulting here, just askin'. How many episodes like this have you gone through? Ha-ha....the "common sense test" you need is akin to the one people should be required to take in order to have children. (Flame suit on)
Hire retards. See my above post. Excellent employees with real skills and work within are an endangered species. Every now and then you find one. The rest of the time you have to hire what you can. The economy is booming and oil change kids are making $15 an hr. Dishwashers at local restaurants make that now. They can't hire off the books because the Trump admin has cracked down and in an already super tight labor market with virtually no unemployment you are lucky to even get applicants. Everyone in trades has this issue. At least around here.
 
It was a little bit slick not telling her that your shop screwed up her engine before offering to buy the car. But you saved a lot of trouble for both sides by going directly to a solution. If you had told her, not knowing if she was an opportunist, she would have gone out and lawyered up. Then lawyers and insurance companies would be involved for months and many thousands of dollars more than the old car was worth.
 
Originally Posted by Imp4
What you have done is engaged in theft by deception.
Are you serious? There was no theft, and there was no deception. You're wrong on both counts. The only thing I might have changed in this whole scenario would be that I would possibly (actually probably) told the lady the tech accidently started the car before adding the new oil, and as a result we damaged the car and would like to buy the car from her for her full asking price since she was selling it anyway. As an alternative, if she doesn't want to sell us the car, we will have to source an engine for her, which may take some time to locate and install, at which point we will deliver the car back to her when we are done. At that point 99% of people would just sell the car and be thrilled. This lady, unethical that she is, is probably only upset because she likely thinks businesses of any size are a bottomless pit of money and is mad that her selling price wasn't several thousand higher. I'm not so sure I would have even fired the mechanic that did it. Mistakes happen. I've worked as a mechanic, I've worked with some really good ones, and we, them, I, we all make mistakes. Firing him at that point was just punitive, its not going to solve a problem because all techs make mistakes. His replacement, whoever that may be, is just a capable of screwing up like this as anyone else. Wrote him up, sent him home for a day without pay, whatever. But firing him, meh maybe, maybe not. Probably not. He'd be shaking like a leaf once I got done laying into him though. My last job had checklists for each task and by gawd you followed it. Now the guy who blabbed this to the customer after the fact... that idiot I would have force fed 10 gallons of Pennzoil out of the used oil barrel, then locked all the bathrooms....…mistakes happen, but bad judgement is hardwired. No hope for that idiot. He's outa here. smirk2
 
Originally Posted by ToadU
Originally Posted by PimTac
If that had been my car I probably wouldn't have gotten mad. It was a fair situation. You would have lost me as a customer though.
That's the other problem with people today. Why? Most shops, even dealerships, would never have owned up to what happened. Being in this biz I see lots and lots and know lots and lots. There isn't a shop anywhere—not even a 1 owner mechanic—that hasn't messed something up. I have just over 100 employees between my towing comonay, service center and car lot and my shop has 8 indoor bays and one outside lift for medium duty trucks. (Mostly dedicated to my own tow trucks) My job is lead babysitter. All you can mostly (not all, I do have some very excellent staff but they are the minority) hire today are lazy and entitled people. There is almost no such thing as a mechanic anymore. They are parts changers. I have one solid guy about 65 that can diagnoses and it's what I consider a "real" mechanic and one other guy about 45 that's pretty close. The rest of my "so-called" mechanics can read you what's on the scanner and sometimes change parts. Most of my guys are from dealerships btw. I target hiring dealership mechanics bc they have more training programs. The guys at my shop make more than at the dealerships. They have the same problems. Most have 1-2 diagnosis people that's can really be considered a true mechanic. So my question......why loose as a customer. Isn't doing the right thing something you WANT a business to do? The lost you as customer is what encourages biz to do the wrong thing. It's backwards. A few years ago had a local lawn spray company owner call me. I used his company bc it was local like me. Not one of the big names. He calls and tells me when they sprayed my yard...and everyone else's on that's trucks route....their tech made a mistake in the mix. Told me my lawn would be dying but he had all new sod already on order and wanted to let me know he was going to replace it ASAP. I recommend this guy everywhere and let him advertise at my shop too. The fact he called me and owned up makes me a customer for life. Finally if my insurance handled it they would cut the lady a check for $500. Goodby. That's the value of the car w 300,000 miles. That's how insurance works.
You're mixing the two situations. If I get my car serviced and the oil change gets botched like that then what would be my reason to go back? Years ago I took my Ford Ranger in for a oil change. After a couple of hours I inquired what the status was. I was very patient back then. After getting told they were very busy I took my seat and waited some more. After another hour or so had gone by I inquired again. After some discussion the service manager took me into the shop. The techs had the entire dashboard out of the truck. Apparently "something shorted", They gave me a loaner and I got the truck back in two days. I never went back to that dealership.
 
Originally Posted by ToadU
A few years ago had a local lawn spray company owner call me. I used his company bc it was local like me. Not one of the big names. He calls and tells me when they sprayed my yard...and everyone else's on that's trucks route....their tech made a mistake in the mix. Told me my lawn would be dying but he had all new sod already on order and wanted to let me know he was going to replace it ASAP.
First, I think you handled it in a way that would have had the least amount of stress and cost had you 2nd ex-employee kept his mouth shut. BUT You did not go to customer straight up and tell her what happened like your lawn guy did.
 
I think i would carefully explain Libel laws and tell her she will be the one sued. Everyone is looking for a side hustle. I do think that the fired employees have learned a good life lesson, so their next job they will be more careful. Rod
 
If that lady had come into my Small Claims Court with that story I would have awarded exactly $0.00. She received her asking price for the car with no deception. If the OP had told her up front she still wouldn't have been awarded more than the asking price. Comps would not enter into it as her asking price established the value of the car.
 
Originally Posted by Imp4
What you have done is engaged in theft by deception. The ethical response to this situation would have been to be transparent with the customer and fully inform them of the situation. You could have then offered to purchase the car or replace the engine. By withholding critical information from the customer so as to prevent them from making a fully informed decision, you took the unethical path in an attempt to minimize your own costs with no consideration for the customers decision making process. These types of behaviors are exactly what give many auto repair businesses a bad name. Good day.
You make a good (???) outcome seem dirty/underhanded by not telling her the "whole" truth before her making a decision. I would've been mad too. This is the typical your truth.......my truth.........and then the truth. My opinion you are wrong.
 
In the late 70's I had a very good car stereo, it would make the back seat move. I took my car in for a oil change as there was snow everywhere. The shop employees blew my speakers. Shop paid for the repair. I also sold 2 stereos as a result.
 
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