I have a job oppurtunity that has been weighing on me heavily for the past few months. I figured the anonymity of the internet would let me be more specific about it than I can be with friends or family. So here goes!
I’ve been an automotive dealership employee for about 13 years off and on now. 12 as a technician, working all the way up from lube tech while I did half days my senior year of high school to a certified master technician. I really enjoyed the work I did in the middle of my career; brakes, cooling system repairs, drive ability concerns and tons of steering/suspension repairs. As I was in the field longer I got way deeper into electrical, module communication network and entertainment system repairs which I REALLY do not enjoy doing.
My last year I made a move to the desk as a service advisor. I like many things about this job and I feel I do it well. I’ve been the top selling advisor since my 3rd month at the desk. During my 5th month the previous top advisor left, leaving us short handed and me working 60+ hours a week for the next 4 months. It’s a salary plus commission pay plan so I wasn’t getting overtime pay for it. We also do not get a lunch break or any guaranteed break time, if an errand needs to be done during the day I can get with my coworkers and have them cover for me for awhile but I’m never guaranteed time away once I walk in the door of the building. We’re also open a full day on Saturdays so I work at least one a month, not terrible but I’m salary and we just do oil changes on Saturday so I’d be lucky to pull $20 in commission for the 8.5 hours I’m there.
Then there are the dealership customers. About 70% of them are great. Then there are the only warranty/recall customers. Everything that’s wrong with their car should be free regardless of the mileage or abuse it’s been through or they just want to call and yell at someone because their recall parts are not in. The bad part is I get no backup from sales, the GM or owner over this. At some point these people own the vehicle and they own the repair bill as well! We’ve had sales/finance run the warranty on people’s vehicle then patch them through to us to have us tell them the issue their having is not covered. One lady called the owner because I had the audacity to charge her diagnostics on an issue she felt should be warrantable but was not(broken occupant classification sensor due to crap jammed under seat on a 8yr old 130k mile car) She yelled and screamed at me for 45 minutes while I did my best not to laugh. Then the owner is on a conference call with the GM and service manager about how we need to take care of this customers bill for her.
So there’s what I don’t like. I do like the automotive repair industry. I do like not being a tech. I like my immediate supervisors, both service manager and assistant service manager are knowledgeable and easy to work with.
I would be looking at going to an independent tire shop. They do alignments, basic diagnostics and light repair work. We have not sit down about pay yet but I told them I was not looking to take too much of a pay cut. I would take one though seeing as how it would be a reduction in hours and definitely stress level. The owner I’ve known since childhood, he’s a great guy and this business has done well for many years due to his family’s(his dad opened it originally) reputation for honesty.
It would be a 45 minute each way drive. The town it is in has a smaller population than the town the dealership is located in. Then there is the guaranteed work a dealership brings in, recalls warranty etc. I’ve never been at an independent before so I feel I’d be giving those things up.
If anybody read through all of that, thank you! My writing is almost as scattered as my thoughts but hopefully it can be interpreted. Any thoughts, suggestions or especially experiences to share will be appreciated.
I’ve been an automotive dealership employee for about 13 years off and on now. 12 as a technician, working all the way up from lube tech while I did half days my senior year of high school to a certified master technician. I really enjoyed the work I did in the middle of my career; brakes, cooling system repairs, drive ability concerns and tons of steering/suspension repairs. As I was in the field longer I got way deeper into electrical, module communication network and entertainment system repairs which I REALLY do not enjoy doing.
My last year I made a move to the desk as a service advisor. I like many things about this job and I feel I do it well. I’ve been the top selling advisor since my 3rd month at the desk. During my 5th month the previous top advisor left, leaving us short handed and me working 60+ hours a week for the next 4 months. It’s a salary plus commission pay plan so I wasn’t getting overtime pay for it. We also do not get a lunch break or any guaranteed break time, if an errand needs to be done during the day I can get with my coworkers and have them cover for me for awhile but I’m never guaranteed time away once I walk in the door of the building. We’re also open a full day on Saturdays so I work at least one a month, not terrible but I’m salary and we just do oil changes on Saturday so I’d be lucky to pull $20 in commission for the 8.5 hours I’m there.
Then there are the dealership customers. About 70% of them are great. Then there are the only warranty/recall customers. Everything that’s wrong with their car should be free regardless of the mileage or abuse it’s been through or they just want to call and yell at someone because their recall parts are not in. The bad part is I get no backup from sales, the GM or owner over this. At some point these people own the vehicle and they own the repair bill as well! We’ve had sales/finance run the warranty on people’s vehicle then patch them through to us to have us tell them the issue their having is not covered. One lady called the owner because I had the audacity to charge her diagnostics on an issue she felt should be warrantable but was not(broken occupant classification sensor due to crap jammed under seat on a 8yr old 130k mile car) She yelled and screamed at me for 45 minutes while I did my best not to laugh. Then the owner is on a conference call with the GM and service manager about how we need to take care of this customers bill for her.
So there’s what I don’t like. I do like the automotive repair industry. I do like not being a tech. I like my immediate supervisors, both service manager and assistant service manager are knowledgeable and easy to work with.
I would be looking at going to an independent tire shop. They do alignments, basic diagnostics and light repair work. We have not sit down about pay yet but I told them I was not looking to take too much of a pay cut. I would take one though seeing as how it would be a reduction in hours and definitely stress level. The owner I’ve known since childhood, he’s a great guy and this business has done well for many years due to his family’s(his dad opened it originally) reputation for honesty.
It would be a 45 minute each way drive. The town it is in has a smaller population than the town the dealership is located in. Then there is the guaranteed work a dealership brings in, recalls warranty etc. I’ve never been at an independent before so I feel I’d be giving those things up.
If anybody read through all of that, thank you! My writing is almost as scattered as my thoughts but hopefully it can be interpreted. Any thoughts, suggestions or especially experiences to share will be appreciated.