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Had a bit of an argument today with a rather irate customer who came in for a service today, As always there was the usual list of Check and report on all the random things that have happened once and they’ve waited how ever long till there service was due to try and get it all sorted for free.
Most of these were fine IE Noise from engine bay when turning (electric power steering)
But there was a low speed rattle which i confirmed on a test drive now having one or two of these issues before I had an idea of what it was but no way to check without removing bits and as the car was out of warranty the customer was asked to pay for a standard diagnostic time fee.
Ofc he refuses and complains why it wasn’t diagnosed on the free VHC we do on all vehicles then wanted it good will because we sold him the car 4 years ago etc etc etc
Anyway before i ramble on forever what do you guys do in terms of customer complaints attached onto annual service?
Oh and for anyone wondering the rattle is from an ATF cooling pipe that gets trapped on the chassis 09-13 plate exeo’s (auto only ofc)
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Sounds like our customers. “I ain’t wanna pay nuttin” blah blah they bought the car there, ect, ect. Yeah, well go find the salesman who sold it to you and have him diagnose it. That’s what I want to say anyways.
It’s like this, if I can just simply look at it and tell what it is, I’m not going to charge, but if I have to hook up equipment and/or spend time on it, take apart thigns, there needs to be a charge.
[quote=”Jasonw1178″ post=127810]Sounds like our customers. “I ain’t wanna pay nuttin” blah blah they bought the car there, ect, ect. Yeah, well go find the salesman who sold it to you and have him diagnose it. That’s what I want to say anyways.
It’s like this, if I can just simply look at it and tell what it is, I’m not going to charge, but if I have to hook up equipment and/or spend time on it, take apart thigns, there needs to be a charge.[/quote] Time is money. Any diagnostic work should be charged unless like you said, its a quick road test or a quick look. If it’s going to take up my bay for a bit, I’m getting paid for it.
[quote=”Chevyman21″ post=127820][quote=”Jasonw1178″ post=127810]Sounds like our customers. “I ain’t wanna pay nuttin” blah blah they bought the car there, ect, ect. Yeah, well go find the salesman who sold it to you and have him diagnose it. That’s what I want to say anyways.
It’s like this, if I can just simply look at it and tell what it is, I’m not going to charge, but if I have to hook up equipment and/or spend time on it, take apart thigns, there needs to be a charge.[/quote] Time is money. Any diagnostic work should be charged unless like you said, its a quick road test or a quick look. If it’s going to take up my bay for a bit, I’m getting paid for it.[/quote]
Most customers do not know anything about the cars that they drive, heck I bet most of them don’t even know the basic theory behind an internal combustion engine. They are ignorant on the subject, they just know that the car is broken, and they want it fixed now.There seems to be a common misconception that all we technicians need to do is plug in a computer, and that computer will tell us what is wrong with the car.
[quote=”Pithy Radish” post=127838][quote=”Chevyman21″ post=127820][quote=”Jasonw1178″ post=127810]Sounds like our customers. “I ain’t wanna pay nuttin” blah blah they bought the car there, ect, ect. Yeah, well go find the salesman who sold it to you and have him diagnose it. That’s what I want to say anyways.
It’s like this, if I can just simply look at it and tell what it is, I’m not going to charge, but if I have to hook up equipment and/or spend time on it, take apart thigns, there needs to be a charge.[/quote] Time is money. Any diagnostic work should be charged unless like you said, its a quick road test or a quick look. If it’s going to take up my bay for a bit, I’m getting paid for it.[/quote]
Most customers do not know anything about the cars that they drive, heck I bet most of them don’t even know the basic theory behind an internal combustion engine. They are ignorant on the subject, they just know that the car is broken, and they want it fixed now.There seems to be a common misconception that all we technicians need to do is plug in a computer, and that computer will tell us what is wrong with the car.[/quote] Heh, they tend to forget it still is an internal combustion engine no matter how many electronics are thrown on top of it. On older cars the tech needs to listen, smell, pull things apart etc..it’s no different on a newer vehicle. What a customer doesn’t realize is while a code says alot, it doesn’t tell the whole story. We live in an instant gratification society now…people want everything NOW.
Had a lovely one today the car was a 62 (late 2012) so under warranty still the actual job card was for EML light on – fine no problem there, Then in pen under the actual job card the following lines are added
Windows went down when snowing.
C/R door operation
Fuel smell from cabin
Asses N/s/f damage to wing
C/r Tmps light is on
And carry out a VHC (free vehicle health check)
And the customer wanted all this done for free while waiting in the showroom
spent 15 mins and told the service advisor’s he can leave it here or rebook because it’s just taking the piss.
nearly 2 hours spent on the car and not a penny made refused everything on the VHC and went on his way
Not flat rate so still getting paid but my OTE bonus is about $1000 a month and losing parts of it because of crap like this hurts.
About 7 or 8 years ago some guy sent a letter to the editor which was published in our local paper. He stated that (his words) all mechanics are idiots now. They don’t even have to know anything about cars. They just go to the computer and it tells them what to change and then they charge you a fortune.
The phrase totally naive and uninformed douchebag comes to mind…..
We live in an instant gratification society now…people want everything NOW.
Isn’t that the truth, I could be elbow deep into front end work on a truck someone will always come in and want something right away.
[quote=”brokemechanic3000″ post=127873]We live in an instant gratification society now…people want everything NOW.
Isn’t that the truth, I could be elbow deep into front end work on a truck someone will always come in and want something right away.[/quote] It’s such a shame too. We don’t tell them how to do their jobs…don’t tell us how to do ours. Patience is a virtue.
[quote=”Chevyman21″ post=127884]It’s such a shame too. We don’t tell them how to do their jobs…don’t tell us how to do ours. Patience is a virtue.[/quote]
[B]Just in case you missed it.<—Click that link[/B]
Patience is also a scarcity. I'm about out of it with those people that expect everything should be free to them. What's worse is sniveling, whining, and bitching attitude and they're the victim for having to pay for anything. And it's usually the same asshole that has the stones walk through that door that says "EMPLOYEES ONLY" and then bitch at me asking why his car isn't ready when I'm clearly not working on his car while I'm holding that heavy transmission over my head to line up that input shaft to the clutch.
Anyway, to the OP. That VHC is probably not much more than a visual inspection, bulb, and fluid checks. You don't owe it to him to give away more than that. The whole point of such a checkup is to start upselling services like that standard diag time. Just stand your ground with him and let him walk away in a huff when he doesn't get what he wants.
[quote=”no_common_sense” post=127910][quote=”Chevyman21″ post=127884]It’s such a shame too. We don’t tell them how to do their jobs…don’t tell us how to do ours. Patience is a virtue.[/quote]
[B]Just in case you missed it.<—Click that link[/B]
Patience is also a scarcity. I'm about out of it with those people that expect everything should be free to them. What's worse is sniveling, whining, and bitching attitude and they're the victim for having to pay for anything. And it's usually the same asshole that has the stones walk through that door that says "EMPLOYEES ONLY" and then bitch at me asking why his car isn't ready when I'm clearly not working on his car while I'm holding that heavy transmission over my head to line up that input shaft to the clutch.
Anyway, to the OP. That VHC is probably not much more than a visual inspection, bulb, and fluid checks. You don't owe it to him to give away more than that. The whole point of such a checkup is to start upselling services like that standard diag time. Just stand your ground with him and let him walk away in a huff when he doesn't get what he wants.[/quote]
Tried and failed sadly most dealerships seem more interested in CSS than actual profit large chunk of my bonus is on CSS as well actual better for me bonus wise to get CSS then hit productivity figures unless i hit 115% productivity.
And on a car under warranty it has to be done warranty don't pay for diagnostic time At all and cant ask the customer to pay for diagnostic time unless the problem is found to be a non warranty issue.
[quote=”no_common_sense” post=127910][quote=”Chevyman21″ post=127884]It’s such a shame too. We don’t tell them how to do their jobs…don’t tell us how to do ours. Patience is a virtue.[/quote]
[B]Just in case you missed it.<—Click that link[/B]
Patience is also a scarcity. I'm about out of it with those people that expect everything should be free to them. What's worse is sniveling, whining, and bitching attitude and they're the victim for having to pay for anything. And it's usually the same asshole that has the stones walk through that door that says "EMPLOYEES ONLY" and then bitch at me asking why his car isn't ready when I'm clearly not working on his car while I'm holding that heavy transmission over my head to line up that input shaft to the clutch.
Anyway, to the OP. That VHC is probably not much more than a visual inspection, bulb, and fluid checks. You don't owe it to him to give away more than that. The whole point of such a checkup is to start upselling services like that standard diag time. Just stand your ground with him and let him walk away in a huff when he doesn't get what he wants.[/quote] Ah ain't that the truth. I need that sign.
A local DJ, Phil Stone, passed away a couple of years ago but his persona lives on. This one may be applicable….
[quote=”Bluesnut” post=127987]A local DJ, Phil Stone, passed away a couple of years ago but his persona lives on. This one may be applicable….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=hLsGUuFdvIM#t=52%5B/quote%5D Hahaha wow that was great.
[quote=”Bluesnut” post=127987]A local DJ, Phil Stone, passed away a couple of years ago but his persona lives on. This one may be applicable….
Aww yes, I miss Phil and Brent in the morning on KMOD. Real shame he passed on.
In the indy world, we don’t get buried in as much of that as dealer guys normally. Then again, if we have an inexperienced service writer with no back bone, we’ll end up with page long list of complaints the customer wants looked at. It gets a quick visual, then the request for time. No time, no diag., and no Buck Rogers. I have had the luxury of working with some service writers that were always trying to get us to do free stuff, and they never would learn. Especially at the chain shops. If the customer doesn’t want to pay anything, then they have no plans to fix anything or have no money.
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