DUFRESNES

I need help on taking care of our customer and our technician. Our warranty is 2 years. The car is a 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid We put in a rear evaporator assy, a Ford dealership OE part. It failed and we replaced it under warranty again. Also you should know there is only 1 year for this vehicle. Now it has failed again and the part is discontinued. Total parts and labor $1835.43 We put in the assy and now the aftermarket only comes as a core. Ford will eventually refund the part. This aftermarket core has to fit in the box for this vehicle. Both technician and service writer has been paid on this job.

True story. Jacob, our mechanic, owns a 96 Dodge Pu 2500. He travels a long way to work and back 56 miles one way. On the way home, one night after work, blew his radiator. He knew he had to do something, so he found a large rock and pounded it in to plug the radiator and added fluid he had bought for his other truck at home. He made it home. Unbelievable. I thought it might be interesting to have a fun topic, just saying.

Every work order that is written, we have to answer the source where they heard about us or how they found us. In ROW you can't go by without answering the source. You can print that report any time. Always make sure on your advertising that you put a different coupon for each kind, another way of finding the source. If it doesn't work quit doing it and move on

I came back from Business Builders this morning and no place to park. Yes, it is a good thing, yes and no. We just keep doing all the marketing that we have always done. Tracking it always, to make sure it is still working. We still do snail mail as long as it is working. You can't let up, school is coming, vacations are over and then it might slow down if you let up on your marketing.

I just went out and counted, we have 30 parking spots, if you count the 5 bays with cars in them. We can't have people leaving their cars more than the day we call them that it is finished. Most customers are great because they can see our lot. This picture was before they redid the street, sidewalks and signal light. Business is good, but we need parking. We did put in 1 up and down parking hoist. The guys really don't like using it. This was taken in December, before the street was redone. We could still park on the street then using it.

We have been buy all this year. We have such a small parking lot, we have to plan our days very carefully. Sales are up, but some due to raised labor rates. Curious if every body is experiencing his. We are having problems with parts mainly

replying to both of the above. We normally only have a couple of really hot days, so no problem. This year we are having a lot of hot days. When the weather was over 100, we had all employees come in at 6 and go home at 3pm. We usually have 3 of us come in and 6 and the others come in at 8. I am thinking of adding it as soon as possible, probably for next year. Thanks for all the input

Please put this topic in a better place for me. I would like to know how many shops have air conditioning for their shops. Our office has air, but not the shop. If you have it, has it paid off and has it made a difference in you technicians.

If you need to put this in a better forum, just do it. We have several printers. One for the Service Writer and one in the shop for the Service writer out in the shop. Both are HP 3005 DN. They don't make them anymore. These were really good work horses in a less than clean environment. What is everybody using? We do have in the office a brother and an OKI for marketing and color for reports. For the last few years when one HP went out we have purchased used ones.

Some of our ASE certified technicians have in excess of $50K. When it comes to specialty tools, it depends if we will use it again or not. We have a small box to keep shop tools in if they are not owned by the technician. What happens if that tech moves on, he thinks they are his. In Oregon, not all shops, but if the person in charge of PP tax has now decided we have to pay tax on their tools. I have argued we don't own them. Their reasoning is but you make money off of them. I asked if all the dealerships pay PP tax on the tech's tools. No only if we find out. What does that mean?

I need to correct my 39% up for the year should have said up $39,000 Sorry. I should proof read what I write.

Just to show you this morning when I got here, there was only five vehicles on the schedule. We made an email blast and sent it out immediately to fill the bays. Always have to be ready for slow time.

Definitely. We do a colored newsletter every month. Most of our marketing is for our own customers

Well, I am old, been in business 55 years. What I have found and continue to do. You know what has worked in the past, because you always monitor it. If it doesn't work, get rid of it. We are on the west coast. As of today, we are up 39% for the year. That includes being shut down a whole week for a storm. I will say it has slowed down to the effect of we were making appointments out a whole week, now we are working on the current week. A couple things I will say is, know when it might be slow and do what it takes. For us it is our rebate check $39.23 mailed out in 3 groups, February, March and April. Our new snail mail to new customers 3 times over 6 weeks. Probably the best thing we have done is have the phones forwarded to either my daughter or me. We have Log me In on our home computers and can make appointments on the week-end. We have almost every month something going on from coat drives to Free brakes with donations for the food bank. Loaners were are biggest thing, especially after Covid. No more rides. We have a really small parking lot. We encourage our customers to pick up as soon as possible . No care leaves without paying.

Good morning. February was a record month. The Service writer kept saying February stinks, had to eat his words. March we are full for the day and after, but don't have the long term waiting appointments. Still a good month. We send out rebate letters in 3 mailings Feb, Mar and April. That helps us ins the winter months easing into summer .

The only thing I know for sure is YOU DON'T PLAY AROUND WITH PAYROLL. You do it the right way always. It will come back to bite you really bad.

We always have the hunter rep

Over 10 years ago, we paid $65,000 for our hunter. Does it pay for itself, doubtful. Takes up a whole bay. Yes we needed it to be a complete shop for the customer's full needs.

This is my last remark on CC fees. If you take all the fees divide by total sales will give you your actual percentage. It all depends on what kind of cc your customers have on the expense. Ours totaled for November 2%

How can that be on 1.5 million . We pay 2500 -3000 a month

I got an idea. Get your work done in January and pay by December Just a thot

Our rule is no car leaves our lot without being paid. It saves a lot of headaches. If customer says I have to go home to get my check book or credit card. Car doesn't leave without being paid. Employees can say I can't let it go. They can always blame it on the boss or owner or ???

1st of all, we all get the phone calls daily. Our newest answer has declined immensely the calls is "We don't take Credit cards" I still have a hard time charging the customer for the fees. We do approx $110,000 a month in credit cards. The merchant we have now is Heartland. We had him and then Key bank came in and promised us much lower fees. So fired the Heartland and went with key bank. Well, it wasn't what they promised by the time you added all the fees extra. I called my Heartland guy again and said I wanted to come back to Heartland. He did. I did. You have to take into consideration Customer Service and the total bill including all the fees and extras.

Thank you for the rental agreement. Our Loaners are free, except they have to replace the gas. It comes to them full and they just replace what they use. Our agreement is just 1 page.

We haven't given rides home since the pandemic. We have loaner cars. It is the best advertising. It hasn't hurt our bottom line. We don't pickup or deliver as that takes man power. We try to give the best service without doing things that cost us dearly. There are exceptions to all. We have a customer that we do pickup and deliver due to his health, but he is the exception, not the norm. What ever works for you is the right thing to do. Have a great Thanksgiving.