Do you ask for the old parts back

You betcha


Dave, you run your own business. Do you treat each and every client in exactly the same fashion in every step of the process from start to finish?

Or do you tailor your service to their needs and wants?

 

Trust, but verify...

 

So, they screwed you and ....you still go there?

 

I ask for some parts back as I like to transform them into art or knick knacks.

 

It really depends on what is being updated.

For example, I had my US Spec lights replaced with Dark Lights, Yellow Wheel Center caps with Carbon ones, and Yellow Shields replaced by carbon ones.

In this particular case, I obviously want those parts back. I made that clear to the mechanic in writing, and they were dutifully returned.

I also had the annual done - I did not request back the replaced parts (oil filters, air filters, etc.) for that operation.

 

We tailor to fit the requirements of the customers. Some want to know every detail of the manufacturing process from how man sheets of paper we received from the mill to how many sheets were wasted in production. Others simply want to know when their product will ship. Some send us a PO and we don't hear from them again until the next time they order.

Each customer is different. You learn their needs, and then you cater to them. Some of our customers are not very trusting, so we give them more detail than customers we've been working with for 30 years.

I think, the real point here is exactly that. As the supplier/vendor, we tailor our behavior to meet the expectations of the customer. That's generally a formula for success.

Oh, and I'm no longer working there. Just doing some part time stuff in semi-retired bliss.

Dave

 

Every day is Saturday eh? Good for you.


I guess you did it wrong though. You're supposed to do it the same for everybody.

 

Why is it the more money a client has the bigger the pain in the *** they can be? That's what I'd love to know... Agree with firing customers when needed.

I've always felt the better customer you are to work with, the better the outcome overall. Of course, that presumes you are working with competent people.

 

In my line of work, the big customers know they can go anywhere and demand whatever level of service they want, there's always a vendor who will take them on in exchange for their big dollar orders.

However, the same vendor soon learns that the customer is a jerk, and then is stuck. They want the volume, they think they will somehow transform the jerk into an everyday good customer.

We have profiles for customers. There are hero customers - they are what they sound like, work with you, let you make a buck, expect you to work hard for them, but don't beat you down. And, God forbid you make a mistake, they let you fix it.

There are everyday Joe customers - good guys, not too demanding, do business with you because it's easier than changing, or your product is a good fit.

And JERKS - don't really need to do define them.

D

 

The Hank Moody award drops here!

 

Trust but verify. But with my cars....I have to trust the mechanic 100%. If one of my cars actually has to go to a mechanic, I like to see the offending item just out of curiosity because they were able to solve a mystery I couldn't.

 

I worked in a auto parts store in college. I can spot the good shops from the bad ones from a mile away. I can tell by Rifledriver's comments he's a good one. All the good ones I met didn't mind losing customers if needed because there were more waiting.

I would maybe want a piston or something if we go that far into a repair but I don't ask for parts. I would flip out if my Ferrari had a box of old dirty parts waiting for me in the front seat when I finished paying. I don't even eat in that car.

 

Some of the comments here are hilarious or down right arrogant! Telling people they should just "trust" their mechanics. I bet a lot of people "trusted" Bernie Madoff too! How can you just trust your mechanic if he never expects you to and you don't ever verify that they did what they said they were supposed to do or changed exactly what they said unless you verify from time to time? It doesn't have to be every job but just keep them on their toes. We're talking about human beings right? How many stories we've heard or read about where the mechanic or shop screwed someone over? Who will pay for a bad repair that only shows up 6 months to a year later. I'd bet not one person on here telling you to just trust your mechanic!

You hope and trust your mechanic does good work but you should verify to save both of you a lot of drama later. If your mechanic has a problem with showing you your bad parts or letting you watch him work from time to time, I suggest you run. Some mechanics try to act like their too busy or have too many wealthy customers to be be bothered with you. They got this way because their customers were too intimidated to stand upfor themselves in the beginning. Reminds me of the "soup Nazi" episodes.

 

Build a relationship - my mechanic has been looking after my cars for more than 25 years... been times I've wanted to kill him over time delays on restos, but then there's no one else I'd trust to tune my Bambino. He retired, but still comes in to do my cars

 

It always is a two way relationship and experience.

For a good shop (and ONLY a good shop) it presumably is great to have a customer, who would be able to do the ordered work himself, knows what is involved, in particular has an idea what time he himself would have needed for the job, will understand unexpected problems consuming more time (e.g. that typical rotten bolt tearing off), be really able to appreciate what was done, AND, consequently, not weep when receiving the detailed invoice and looking at the final figure.

The average customer, who just expects his car to perform properly, but has less or no knowledge about mechanics and/or electronics, will have the "problem" to understand some charges, because he will not know e.g. what effort it is to exchange the clutch hose in a 550. And maybe feel ripped off, if not presented with a detailed explanation why.

And there are the customers, who are not interested in anything except that everything works properly, who do not even take a real glance at the figure at the bottom of the invoice and pay. But dare the shop make something wrong resulting in a breakdown. This kind of customer will not accept excuses then...

So it is all a matter of appropriate communication with each customer type.

And there are quite a number of shops out there, typically larger ones, where customers are ripped off. In Germany a major motoring magazine carries out each year anonymous workshop tests of both, independents and mark-bound. One test issue, aside building-in faults, is to fill up the screen washer bottle completely before bringing the car to the shop. Significantly more than 50% of the shops nevertheless have the item "screen washer fluid" in their invoice. This is, frankly, fraud. Also, most shops have checked the worklist in positions also, where a fault had been built-in, but have not identified/rectified the fault. 100% of all faults, which would inevitably be found, if all the worklist points had really been done (and not just checked on paper), are very rarely found ...

 

True in all business. Move on if you get a sense of arrogance or incompetence.

 

On a Vintage Ferrari, not keeping the replaced parts would be absolute insanity.

 

Always get your parts back, unless your car is new and they take them as core trade.

 

You want'em, take them. Saves me from throwing them out. Irregardless, I always keep them around after the car leaves my hands for a couple of days.

 

Howie, that's just the start. Then it's well why did you replace that... Why did you charge me for that? Did that REALLY have to be replaced? Did you really have to do all that work? My friend who fixes Ford Pintos for a living and worked on his uncles BMW last Christmas replacing a battery told me that he read on the internet..

You will probably explain what's going on to the client, but there's a subset where asking for the part is just the beginning. Fire em'. Let them pull the same BS with the next repair shop and the next... because the last will be bad mouthed and not paid in the end. If you're honest and honorable, there will be 10 people waiting for you to work on their car.

 

Sure that happens. And with parts in hand I can show and explain why. In fact having the parts in hand, sometimes helps explain a lot of things to people who just don't understand how a car works. I kinda look at it as giving the customer a bit of a crash course in how a car operates, And many appreciate me taking the time to explain things to them. Many are just interested.

Yes I have wasted time explaining very basic things, but to them they just didn't understand, until I had the old parts in my hand. Once they saw what I was talking about, and they held it in their hands, they started to understand.

It has always been a positive for me. But now it's gotten to the point where I don't have to show my clients anything. Yet I always offer. But with new customers I always take the time. New customers turn into regular customers. Do what you can with in reason yo keep them happy and comfortable. After all, they do help keep the lights on, and food on my table.

 

Howie, that is exactly the proper approach for the average customer, I believe. The time is not wasted, though, but in most cases well spent in the sense of customer binding.

 

That's a real good post.

 

The phrase fits. No doubt about it. But don't verify if you don't feel the need.