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.