Don't Tear The Arse Out Of It

in LeoFinance4 years ago


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My car was dropped off on Saturday to have some minor things done to it. It was no longer safe to drive as the brakes sometimes failed and never gave you any warning either. The master brake cylinder was playing up and letting in air causing air pockets and reduced brake pressure. I was fine with it but didn't trust family members as they would panic and it was a danger too them.

I had them look at the gear box as well as that wasn't being kosher either and turned out it had a crack in the casing. I later learned this morning that my son thinks he did that bit. Riding over an island kerb and banging the undercarriage. Sounds like the possible cause as that makes perfect sense.

Anyway cutting a long story short I got the quote this morning for the repairs and nearly fell off the chair. I phoned the manager of the repair shop up and had a frank conversation with him. I wasn't rude but spoke truthfully and he listened.

He mentioned on Saturday that they are very quiet and there are no customers spending money on repairs due to lack of income. I asked him why he was tearing the arse out of my bill and I would consider the quote, but I was not happy. I said I felt it was unfair that my repair bill was subsidizing his lost business and that I was not a fool. I gave him two options with one being I would not proceed and the other he needed to re visit the quote and do some magic.

During these times we have to be very careful on what is spent on unforeseen circumstances as I haven't received $1 for over 3 months now. Many are in the same position and this lock down looks like we have just started so there are many months to still go. What is important needs to be priorotised and the less important things can just wait.

The final bill was reduced by $400 which is at least something and just goes to show we have to negotiate and bargain wherever we can. I know and understand he needs to make something but in my mind is lucky he can right now. Turning over business and keeping your head above water should be his aim and not surfing on the waves ripping people off.

This I find is something fairly common in businesses today as they think way too big and not about today and tomorrow but are thinking like it was last year. Things have changed dramatically and everyone needs to change and step into reality at some point. I don't know if I changed his thinking but hope he listens and survives the next 3 or 6 months as the ones that do will surely benefit.

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I recently had to get some work done on my Prius. I got stranded and had the car towed to the dealer. The problem was a bad water pump that caused the inverter to overheat and blow a fuse. $600.

While it was there, they noticed a couple other things they could fix for another $600. I won't be take that offer.

The first repair involved taking apart most of the front end to get to the pump. I'm not doing that.

The second repair involves removing the steering wheel and replacing the "spiral cable" which is neither spiral nor looks like a cable. I can do that myself.

Some work is worth the cost. Other work is just squeezing money out of you. We do have to be careful.

Posted Using LeoFinance

If you can do it yourself then that is great. I wouldn't even attempt this as I know my capabilities. Fixed a radiator once which was easy to get to and saved a fortune. Yes we have to watch our spend right now.

Oh, I YouTubed the repair. That’s how I know I can do it. The dealership made a mistake in diagnosing the problem for free to try to up sell. Once I knew the problem, I was able to search how to fix it.

Gaining new customers and retaining them is going to more important now than ever with people doing much of their consumer activities from home. I hate having to take my car into the shop. I have a local one that I have come to rely on as trustworthy, but not everyone has that luxury in their area.

True. Having a customer base is the security blanket a business requires. Without one they don't have much of a future. I think this guy if smart could gain more customer support by showing how he is helping everyone. Dropping 5% off every bill and letting people know will be money well spent. Only let them know when paying and it will leave a lasting impression.

Modern cars can be very difficult to fix yourself. I guess you could save something by watching DIY videos getting some of the simply stuff done or even some of the difficult stuff. But there are risks and the time spent can be considerable.

it was lucky for him that you bothered to have a conversation with him about it. A lot of people would have just walked away.