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When saving the customer money; backfires!


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The sad or/and funny thing is, she may come back with a broken seat in a couple of month again.

But I definitely agree with Xrac, or if I my add to his statement my personal observation.

Most likely your best/most paying customer = less complaining, happy, referring customer

your least paying, most given attention to and white gloved customer = most complaining, never could be pleased customer.

Please note, i am not advocating neglecting or mistreating the customer, the above is just another cost of doing business imo.

Edited by nmikmik
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I have learned however not always followed is to always offer the best and "right" fix at all times. I tell my customers that we have to perform this repair procedure and/or use this part for their benefit and to do the job right. If there are any issues with the repair or the part we can surely warranty the work and would take responsibility for the job. Otherwise there would be a larger possibility of a failure with no recourse.

 

Of course in the interest of keeping a customer happy I have resorted to breaking my own rules which has bite me in the ass many times but thats a different story!

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Me too and some of the biggest messes I have gotten into were when I tried to save someone money. It is the "No good deed goes unpunished syndrome."

Seems everytime you look at a situation and you know the cost of a replacement component is more than the car is worth or out of the customers pocket book... AND you take the initative to go the cheaper way it always bites ya in the seat of the pants.

 

I totally agree with everybody... give them the option first! Then the decision is entirely theirs and if the patch job fails it's their problem not yours. (Considering too...that the patch job was first done well.)

 

Been there..done that...got the chew marks on the ars to prove it.

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Seems everytime you look at a situation and you know the cost of a replacement component is more than the car is worth or out of the customers pocket book... AND you take the initative to go the cheaper way it always bites ya in the seat of the pants.

 

I totally agree with everybody... give them the option first! Then the decision is entirely theirs and if the patch job fails it's their problem not yours. (Considering too...that the patch job was first done well.)

 

Been there..done that...got the chew marks on the ars to prove it.

I agree. If I feel there is a viable option I will always present it to the customer and let them make the decision. It gains far more trust I find to not dictate but to educate. Such as with brake pads, we can go with compressed cigarette ash like the $99.95 brake place, but you're going to have shorter life, more noise, more dust and lower braking power, or we can go with a premium pad, restore the factory performance and all that other stuff. When faced with options and reasons why the cheaper option is cheaper, not better or of greater value, the customer has to decide how their ability to pay and the value of their life plays into the decision.

.

With that said I absolutely hate the good/better/best scenario because if you use economy or inferior grade parts, it doesn't matter if you explain to the customer the short life-expectancy and poor performance they won't remember the discussion 6 months from now when the part fails. You can put in on the work order, video-tape the discussion, have the customer sign the disclaimer and promise you that they are actually selling the car (haven't we all heard that story before?) you just know you're going to see that car 19 months from now, the 12 month warranted part has failed and the customer is complaining, "But you JUST fixed it!"

 

Yeah, well you were selling it too!

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I agree. If I feel there is a viable option I will always present it to the customer and let them make the decision. It gains far more trust I find to not dictate but to educate. Such as with brake pads, we can go with compressed cigarette ash like the $99.95 brake place, but you're going to have shorter life, more noise, more dust and lower braking power, or we can go with a premium pad, restore the factory performance and all that other stuff. When faced with options and reasons why the cheaper option is cheaper, not better or of greater value, the customer has to decide how their ability to pay and the value of their life plays into the decision.

.

With that said I absolutely hate the good/better/best scenario because if you use economy or inferior grade parts, it doesn't matter if you explain to the customer the short life-expectancy and poor performance they won't remember the discussion 6 months from now when the part fails. You can put in on the work order, video-tape the discussion, have the customer sign the disclaimer and promise you that they are actually selling the car (haven't we all heard that story before?) you just know you're going to see that car 19 months from now, the 12 month warranted part has failed and the customer is complaining, "But you JUST fixed it!"

 

Yeah, well you were selling it too!

Oh man did you hit the nail on the head. This is exactly why I won't sell or install parts I am not willing to back.
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Me too and some of the biggest messes I have gotten into were when I tried to save someone money. It is the "No good deed goes unpunished syndrome."

 

That's great! Thanks for putting a name to this, xrac. It seems that we have been having more than the usual bouts of this in the past couple years and we have been here for 31 years. What is really difficult to deal with is when the "good deed" is put into a review as a less than stellar experience for the customer. So not only did we go above and beyond eating things that weren't even ours to eat seems we don't even get to keep the customer and we have to explain why saving a customer money was a bad thing. Oh well, such is the life we have chosen! :-)

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

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      It always amazes me when I hear about a technician who quits one repair shop to go work at another shop for less money. I know you have heard of this too, and you’ve probably asked yourself, “Can this be true? And Why?” The answer rests within the culture of the company. More specifically, the boss, manager, or a toxic work environment literally pushed the technician out the door.
      While money and benefits tend to attract people to a company, it won’t keep them there. When a technician begins to look over the fence for greener grass, that is usually a sign that something is wrong within the workplace. It also means that his or her heart is probably already gone. If the issue is not resolved, no amount of money will keep that technician for the long term. The heart is always the first to leave. The last thing that leaves is the technician’s toolbox.
      Shop owners: Focus more on employee retention than acquisition. This is not to say that you should not be constantly recruiting. You should. What it does means is that once you hire someone, your job isn’t over, that’s when it begins. Get to know your technicians. Build strong relationships. Have frequent one-on-ones. Engage in meaningful conversation. Find what truly motivates your technicians. You may be surprised that while money is a motivator, it’s usually not the prime motivator.
      One last thing; the cost of technician turnover can be financially devastating. It also affects shop morale. Do all you can to create a workplace where technicians feel they are respected, recognized, and know that their work contributes to the overall success of the company. This will lead to improved morale and team spirit. Remember, when you see a technician’s toolbox rolling out of the bay on its way to another shop, the heart was most likely gone long before that.
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