- This topic has 26 replies, 17 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 11 months ago by
.
-
Topic
-
I work for a National chain and recently overheard the DM talking about a new policy where any mistakes caused by the Techs like broken bolts, broken parts, and damage to upholstery and wheels would be taken from the Techs pay to cover said damages. What do you guys think about this policy? Do you work under a similar policy at your shop?
I believe that if I’m going to now be personally responsible for covering 100% of part and labor cost when things go wrong, then I should get the profit from parts and labor when things go right. When is this endless war going to stop?
The war between management constantly trying to externalize all costs even to their own employees, and employees just trying to get paid for the quality work we do. They constantly widdle down our wage and book times and at the same time charge the customer higher labor rates. For what? So a CFO can manipulate the gain into figures that show growth?
And that’s the name of the game,”GROWTH.” Every company in every trade needs to show that their market share is growing, at all times, even when the market can’t support it.
Like Eric says, there has to be an alternative, and this new idea has to come from the bottom up, because the salary entrenched management has no motivation to improve things for the laborers that actually do the work that pays their salaries. Sorry for the rant, but I have friends in many fields and we all hear the same things, and one clear observation is that NO ONE has the techs best interest in mind in any trade.
This idea that Techs are disposable is not right, you are no more disposable than the President of your company or owner of your business. Remember, if your VP disappeared today, would there not be someone in his office the very next day making the same wrong decisions?
-
Replies
-
Im so glad I dont work for a big national chain or dealership. I get paid hourly at my job. Comebacks in the shop are very rare since we all take our time to do the job correctly since we are not paid by the job. If I feel a bolt or nut about to snap I stop right there and tell the customer the situation. Now if I blew a engine up and was told I had to pay for it I would refuse and go and find another shop to work for. It would be a mistake if i let that happen, but neglect… which I would never do is a different story.
I have the pleasure of working on very rusty plow trucks for several landscape company’s at my job. They never want to come apart for half the work we do on them. They get charged accordingly. If you want to beat the crap out of your truck to make money your going to pay to get it fixed. Not my fault everything is rusted and seized.
Also unless its a frequent customer how are you suppose to be responsible for job the last place that worked on it messed up and botched? Too much liability can be placed on a tech for something that might not have been their fault in the first place.
I agree with all your responses guys, thanks for the feedback. Sometimes it helps hearing a crowd say what your thinking, reminds me i’m not crazy.
I can’t imagine something like that flying in the rustbelt. I don’t give a damn how careful you are, its not IF you are going to snap off a bolt but HOW MANY will need to get extracted to finish the job. I’m practically a surgeon with a cutting torch.
I would never work for a shop that expects to dock my check if I make a mistake. If you have a guy constantly screwing up you fire him. Otherwise you have to realize that shit happens and nobody has a good day every day. We are only human.
No matter what brand your toolbox is, if you look underneath you’ll see that wheels were standard equipment. Show the boss why that is if he tries to enforce this crap. Besides, what does the front office trouser stains know about what we do? They don’t know that certain breakage is par for the course. So they would simply try to dock you for every last bolt or hose or plastic widget that breaks on a 15 year old POS they took on when the customer came in with a coupon.
Light the torches and grab the pitchforks boys. Time to start a revolution.
It could go both way, I believe that tech should be held responsible for something they damaged but not something that is accidental. Being a tech is our profession and we have to becareful on our troubleshoot. Do not try to force a bolt or nut out if it feels like stripping or breaking off without consulting management so they can consult the customer so everyone is aware of the situation.
This is some of the sickest shit I have ever heard. I can’t believe what some of you guys are saying.
This is unheard of in New England. This would never happen in Boston.Let me put it this way; if someone EVER tried to take my money; the food that feeds my child- I would have a field day.
Mechanics use big tools, that should inhibit a certain fear when messing with somebody’s pay.
There would be so much blood spatter that when the cops arrive they would think Michael Myers was real. Not fucking around here either.A frozen bolt is not a technicians fault. Metal breaks just as easily as plastic sometimes, and no tech should ever be expected to never break something. If an owner can’t afford insurance, they shouldn’t own as shop. Period. Don’t fuck with somebody’s life line because you don’t understand that insurance is a REQUIREMENT. If there isn’t insurance in your area that covers this, don’t get in this industry.
Iinnsane. I can’t believe those few of you that stand for this.
I can see the big corp. doing that. If bolts break and strip you should be able to feel it. Now if your a tech that don’t gives a crap and tries to go at it so the job can get done. yes you should be liable because you didn’t advise anyone so that things could be handle appropriately. I am a shop owner and I know how it feels when a the owner is the face of the shop. If things aren’t told to manangement and the vehicle is return because a tech didn’t say anything and believe that it won’t cause anything to happen and a few time months later that little thing escalated, there might be a law suit, or you just might lose that customer and have a bad reputation. You talk about your pay, your family food, what about the owners pay, there more liable for a lot more other stuff, what about their family, you cant just think it one way, and I am referring to a independent shop not a big chain. The tech needs the shop and the shop needs the tech to operate but, its like a relationship, things have to get communicated. Like I said, before. We buy tools to make the job easier, its not about working the job to get it done but to be smart on the job. We can afford insurance but how many claims a week and month we have to make and pay all the deductible for every mistake and claims. Not trying to be a jerk @just1tech but you got to understand where the independent shop owner like myself is coming from and it all depends on the relationship the owner has with their tech.
Not offended, your stating your opinion just as I am stating mine. Although I should elaborate a little bit more about what I said.
If a technician continuously approaches R/O’s with a bad attitude and is always stressed and seemingly doesn’t give a hoot when they break something.. then that individual needs to be fired. Why bother having the tech pay for it. Your right when you say that a line of communication needs to open.
However, with that said I still firmly stand where I did before. Metal breaks. It happens. It should go without saying that a technician needs to alert the writer that a bolt, bracket or whatever it may be- broke.
There are plenty (too many) of guys that use air ratchets and impacts for everything. Unfortunately, most of these guys (air hogs) didn’t receive training or have the equipment to fabricate bolts and identify or MIG weld like I can. I only bring up my own skill to let you know that one can NOT always feel when something is about to go. Around here it’s not uncommon for cars to drive off the lot with at least some kind of rust.Around here people sign liability waivers that pretty much state damage done to the car isn’t the shop or mechanics fault. I’ve never heard of a shop enforcing the waiver because repairs are always made but it does prevent lawsuits.
Several years ago I worked in a shop with 30 other mechanics. One of the guys had a wheel come off a vehicle. Several weeks after he worked on it.(minor body damage no one was hurt!) The service manager decided he was starting a new policy that tech were now responsible to pay damages. This didn’t sit well with everyone in the shop so all the guys chipped in and payed for the damages. The SM got wind of how the bill was paid. Never herd another thing about his policy! Sometimes a show of unity against a bad policy is all management needs.
It’s one thing if a mechanic breaks things on a regular basis due to clumsiness or not giving a crap. The cure for that is to fire them.
To blame mechanics for a corroded bolt in a water pump that snaps off is utter stupidity.
Corrosion, aged brittle or deformed plastic, or straightening out a mess that the car owner caused or had caused by someone else is not a mechanic competency issue.Bottom line is that an employer can’t deduct any damage out of a check unless it’s authorized by the employee. The IRS can’t even take income taxes without authorization; a.k.a. the W-4 form.
Read through most of the responses… Didn’t see any posts from any shop owners. I am a shop owner thought I might put my two cents in. First off, let me tell you that I am one of the few shops that pay hourly instead of flat rate. In my opinion, quality suffers with the flat rate pay system. I would never charge a tech if the did any damage to a vehicle or component. Now saying that, how I deal with the situation depends on those specific circumstances. My main concern is why it happened. If it is an apprentice tech and he broke a bolt, I just (calmly) explain to him what he did wrong and teach him how not to do that again in the future (no, it is not ok to use your 1/2″ ratchet on a 10 mil bolt!). If it is an experienced tech and he does the exact same thing because he was in a hurry because he has a date tonight, I would have to consider letting him go. I have a motto “A person is either stupid or just doesn’t care…I can teach stupid, I have to fire someone who doesn’t care.” Luckily, I have a small staff that goes above and beyond what is expected of them. Most of the time when they make a mistake that is clearly their fault, they actually offer to pay for the part or repair it “off the clock”. I never take them up on their offer but, it makes me feel good about having someone like that as a part of my team. I know that my opinions and actions are not the norm but, I am not your typical shop owner. Thanks Aaron
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.