Yep. The stupid people were out today

[Chris142]

For those that don't know me I'm the head chief bottle washer at a Radiator and AC shop in the SoCal desert.

Friday I did an AC recharge and replaced a leaking service port on a Taxi. That car left blowing cold...More on it in a minute.

7:30A this morning a guy rolls up in a Maxima. Says he put all new AC hoses on it and wants it recharged. Do the paperwork then bring the car into the shop and pop the hood.

I almost fell over laughing! His "AC" hoses are HEATER HOSES! He cut the AC hoses off and with hose clamps he put heater hoses on where the AC hoses were! No barbs even, just hoses clamped onto smooth metal pipe.He also used a hacksaw to cut the old hoses off w/o removing them from the car, i'm sure that he filled the system up with metal sawdust too.

He declined our price to make the hoses from the proper AC hose with welded on barbs. He got pretty frustrated at me when I told him that it's not going to work with heater hoses in a 200+ psi system.

Then a guy comes in with a wrecked Astro. About 3 weeks ago I put a customer supplied Radiator in this pile. Now the trans has developed a leak and he thinks that I caused it. Installing a Radiator in this wreck has no effect on the shift shaft seal on the side of the trans...Sorry Charley, no freebee's today.

Then Fridays Taxi Rolls up. The blower for the AC has stopped working. He's thinking that our 90 day warranty on the recharge should cover the bad blower. Ummm ...NO! He made a scene before leaving and peeling out like a moron.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

 

[GutsyGecko]

I love days like that... Makes the day go fast. Nice to joke about it with a cold one after too.

 

[Joe_Power]

Pics, or it didn't happen

 

[Merkava_4]

That's the cost of doing business with nickel and dimers.

 

[daves87rs]

Sounds like my job every day...

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
That's the cost of doing business with nickel and dimers.

we raised our rates to weed them out lol

 

[Virtuoso]

Heater hose... heh, heh,. heh. That's a good one.

 

[morris]

i worked industrial hydraulics and air logic systems for many years. some as high as 10,000 psi. it is amazing that people dont know that just cause two things can be put together doesnt mean they should.

 

[Sam2000]

Originally Posted By: morris
it is amazing that people dont know that just cause two things can be put together doesnt mean they should.


Like oil with carefully balanced additives and aftermarket additives?

 

[901Memphis]

Thats some good stuff, how much did the hose clamp guy want his job to cost, and how much did you quote him for the proper repair?

 

[Warstud]

Glad I don't have to deal with the public. Id get FIRED.

 

[HTSS_TR]

I was at my trusted garage some month ago, one Middle Easterner was complaining about his alternator is dead after he had an oil change at the garage a week before.

He wanted the shop to pay for part and labor to replace his dead alternator, otherwise he would go to police to file complaint. The garage manager told him to do what he wants, no way he would get a free alternator installed.

Someone out there wants to get something free, actually not free but more like someone else pay for it.

 

[mcrn]

hmmmmmm come to think of it.....I just got an oil change and now my tires are almost bald!! I sure hope jiffy lube will pay for my tires!

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Thats some good stuff, how much did the hose clamp guy want his job to cost, and how much did you quote him for the proper repair?
i dont know what he expected but we quoted him $300 to remove the hoses,make them,install them,pressure test it with nitrogen and to recharge it.only then would i know if the compressor pumps and the expansion valve works.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
That's the cost of doing business with nickel and dimers.

we raised our rates to weed them out lol


Sounds like you need to go higher.

Working on hoopties sucks. In rust free places, it's not even the car itself, it's the cheap [censored] owners. Hoopties are a major liability, because everything that breaks on it is the fault of the last person to work on it. Often times the owners cannot fathom that anything could possibly just break on a 20 year old car they have been neglecting and beating the tar out of.

"Well it be workin' yestuhday." Well yestuhday be its last stand. The totally unrelated repair from a month ago did not break it.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Thats some good stuff, how much did the hose clamp guy want his job to cost, and how much did you quote him for the proper repair?
i dont know what he expected but we quoted him $300 to remove the hoses,make them,install them,pressure test it with nitrogen and to recharge it.only then would i know if the compressor pumps and the expansion valve works.


Sounds like a fair price to me....

 

[901Memphis]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Thats some good stuff, how much did the hose clamp guy want his job to cost, and how much did you quote him for the proper repair?
i dont know what he expected but we quoted him $300 to remove the hoses,make them,install them,pressure test it with nitrogen and to recharge it.only then would i know if the compressor pumps and the expansion valve works.


That price seems pretty reasonable to me, but i have never had that much work done before.

 

[user52165]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Thats some good stuff, how much did the hose clamp guy want his job to cost, and how much did you quote him for the proper repair?
i dont know what he expected but we quoted him $300 to remove the hoses,make them,install them,pressure test it with nitrogen and to recharge it.only then would i know if the compressor pumps and the expansion valve works.


That was generous of you. I wouldn't have done anything if I were you. If he paid for that service and then you found the compressor and other components were messed up, he would blame you, demand a refund, and generally make a fuss like bad reviews, BBB, etc.

Some folks just have to live with their mistakes.

You can't fix stupid.

 

[robshelton]

Ahh I know these stories well. When I was selling parts I had a guy cuss me and storm out of the store raising #%^%^& because I asked him what size engine was in his car. "You don't know what engine is in my car? What kind of parts place is this?!" I didn't get a chance to tell him - one that doesn't mind you never coming back.

 

[NHGUY]

Back in the early days of the car,it was a rich mans toy,they needed to know how to maintain it themselves...seems now any klutz with a few bucks and no brains can own one.