Your business, your choice who you accept as a customer and probably best for both of you because if there were any problems you were unlikely to cut him any slack you migh normally as he'd already raised your hackles.
Personally I like to be able to watch my mechanics working on my car and have never been refused (their insurance obviously doesn't exclude this). If they did then I'd want an explanation and if I trusted them would take it at face value.
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It's a fine line, like a painter & decorator v an interior designer, the former does what you tell him and is paid for it, the latter takes a strategic approach.
"My car is making a funny noise, can you let me know what is wrong and how much it will cost" requires the interior designer approach.
"I have bought a new underhung wangle valve, please can you fit it for me" requires the painter and decorator approach.
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Though as Oldhand says its is your business so your choice who you accept as a customer.
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How's that for a test eh ? - two identical threads running. Anyway locked one and it will be deleted, the two replies have been transported here. This wasn't covered in Moderator academy -
PU
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100% Yorkie.
It seems obvious that he would be the type to come back and complain when things go wrong - anyways, if he's such the expert, why doesn't he do the job himself?
Oh, damn, i forgot.. you're the bloke with the expensive lift, jack, tools, premises etc...
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dont let him get to you yorkie
you dont want him and i hope you certainly dont need him
we know the crack with these dave down pub types
let him go somewhere else to get his car mended (if he can)
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Blame the internet and forums for blokes like that.
My current car ('90 MX5) is often reported having crank nose failure due to bad design. Recommendations of replacing the crank bolt and locating key, using a specific loctite compound and accurate torquing are all over the internet. I guess a lot of it is true and a paranoid owner might go to extremes.
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Not all of us - "civilians" - have driveways, garage lifts and space to perform maintenance of our cars. It is also true that many, if not most car mechanics in this day and age are a bit like proctologists forced to perform brain surgery - in the old days if you turned up to a backstreet garage with Citroen XM the owner would tell you straight he has no clue how to go around those French electronics, not to mention adjusting its weird suspension. Now most private garages will just google up how to reset service lights and if they don't know what to do under the bonnet they will still give it a stab or at least give it "rest on the parking lot" treatment for a good measure. I'm not saying all garages do it, but it is certainly growing trend. The truth is - statistically your chance of finding honest mechanic with continuesly updated technical knowledge is much slimmer than leaving your car to underpaid, undertrained kids that won't even be able to balance your wheels properly despite available diagnostic equipment availble in the shop, let alone dive into details such as fast dying art of using manufactirer specified torque on all reassembled elements.
I suppose from the clued up customer point of view, there is only so many times you can pick up your car from garage to discover filters forced against threads, nuts rounded up by compressor wrenches and rattling covers assembled in wrong sequence before you demand to be present at the next service...
--------------------
[Nissan 2.2 dCi are NOT Renault engines. Grrr...]
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As i understand it v0n you are saying by the law of averages ALL mechanics are going to screw a car up because they dont have all the tackle an internet link or a wrong spanner to do a job?
or do i misunderstand your long post?
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there are lots of service places where you can sit and watch the work and have a coffee, myself i never let on that i have a clue about cars - better to watch and let them think you are clueless, done this lots of times although mostly recently i just have not had the time to hang around, never seen any of them skimp or make mistakes while being watched
i wouldnt supply my own parts id rather they were on the hook for any issues
my own personal trick for saving money is location location location, even in main dealer land a service in north of england can be 100-200 quid cheaper than down south, as i travel around a lot anyways i normally have the work done as far north/as far away from london as possible, usually i can organise my diary to fit this in
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or do i misunderstand your long post?
Yep, you misunderstood it.
He said that you're MORE LIKELY to come across a spanner monkey than a truly competent mechanic, doesn't mean that ALL mechanics are spanner monkeys.
Not sure I agree with him about the likelihoods, but taking your car to a mechanic you've never used before there's always that worry than he might be inept or simply criminal.
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As a humourous aside, I remember reading a story (maybe apocryphal?) about an owner who would mark filters etc. with a dab of paint before a service to check that they'd been replaced/disturbed.
On one occasion he received a bill with the item: 'for marking up parts as per customer's originals £5'. He never did it again, apparently :-)
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Martini123 and Von are quite right - this is a problem that will become more pronounced in future as people use the net to spread information - accurate or otherwise - on potential problems.
How many times on here have we had threads about people who have trusted firms to do a good job, only for the whole thing to go sour?
I don't think there are any easy answers to this and I'm certainly against general paranoia, but I can understand people worrying about just whom they entrust their pride and joy to. (Just as well there isn't a grammar-checker on here...)
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I am a "one man band" and am busy enough to be booked up normally 2 weeks in advance.
I assume therefore my reputation and ability is "up to the job".
I am not an underpaid youth at a ff or main dealer.
I do the job to my standards and gurantee all my work.
Use the internet by all means, but would you tell a solicitor how to work?
A washing machine man? They are much easier (I know)
You want to watch / tell me how to do my job means in my book you dont trust me or are looking for a problem. So bye bye if thats what you want !
Not every mechanic is a as bad as the ones portrayed, but there are enough out there to find another if you dont like my service.
Oh well, got day off now so may as well enjoy. The rain !
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UPDATE UPDATE !!
The wife of the owner of this car has just rung me and apologised for her husbands approach.
They need the car for holiday NEXT WEEK! and cant get the job done today anywhwere else, so can she bring the car round for me.
I just laughed and said "sorry but closed for the day now !"
I feel so much better even though its still raining!
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I've never yet come across a mechanic who had any objection to me watching any work in progress if I wished to do so.
If they did object, I would be very suspicious.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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If they know about cars they should be able to spot dodgy servicing by inspecting the car afterwards.
Watching the mechanic every second will probably make him more likely to take longer to do the job and make mistakes. Go to his workplace and look over his shoulder for 1 hour.
In all my years having the car serviced 90% of mechanics I have spoken to have been decent chaps who like cars and happy to talk about oily bits and what they've done. One man operations included.
The thing I hate is when the mechanic spends 5 minutes chatting to the service manager about the car, hands keys over , then service manager says "your's cars done, no problems".
Main thing is, if he had worked on cars he'd know you can end up getting frustrated at that nut that has seized on or a part that won't shift, then the last thing you want is someone peering over your shoulder wondering why you're taking so long...
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If they know about cars they should be able to spot dodgy servicing by inspecting the car afterwards.>>
Precisely how?
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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A very interesting thread!
I have some odd experience with mechanics. Some of them often suggest to you change something proactively when it is not exactly required. I'm not blaming them as they have to grow their own business BUT it takes a long time to build up trust. Many roadside/small garages who sell used cars often tweak a thing or two in the cars which normal customers (even some one who has some theoretical knowledge of how things work) won't be able to understand easily.
No one can deny that fixing up a car nowadays is VERY costly affair. Especially the labour cost is sky rocketing. Now if a mechanic charges for two hours for a half-an-hour job, the only way someone discover that watching what he is doing (even for complicated cases it is hardly possible to find out exact time spent on task).
Cost of doing same thing varies widely among garages. For example, a cambelt change in my car varies from £125 to £200. Incidentally few independents asked for £150 where as main dealer was ready to do for £140. I nearly spent half a day to phone several garages from yellow pages. Cost of fitting a tyre varies (same brand) from £35 to £50. Changing of drive belts varies from £60 to £90. Surprisingly, a garage which was cheaper for cambelt change turned out to be expensive for drive belt changes!
So, every single task requires market research - which is often very much time consuming. And if anything goes wrong, then the mechanic will often try to prove that faulty part was not fitted by him!
Nowadays, because of forums like this, even every Tom Dick Harry has some sort of technical understanding how cars work.
I don't really understand the insurance coverage aspect. I assume no customer is going to bend over the bonnet to see what bolt you're tightening. What they can do is to observe you from a distance (like in KwikFit)
The customer simply wants these - low price, good quality job (obviously) and a chance of boasting his own knowledge in spite of he not being a mechanic :)
The job for mechanics is going to be tougher.... so expect similar cases even more.
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We all have our own, apparently different, expectations.
I expect to pay £372 for a cam belt and water pump replacement at my local VW specialist. Cheaper than the main dealer.
I do not expect to pay up to £50 per tyre change. Maybe £10 or so to include valve and balancing - perhaps I am deluding myself.
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Most of my customers are repeat customers, or friends of such or members of their family.
I dont advertise for work ( I dont need to) and I will agree a price on any job if required before starting. I allow customers easy payment terms if I know them well enough (enough history with me) and I fetch and deliver cars if needed (from home or worketc).
My point is, I pride myself on my work, I keep a loyal customer base, I have a good reputation (based on amount of work pre booked etc), I support my local suppliers too.
If this isnt good enough for anyone then they are perfectly entitled to go where they choose.
But why will so many people tell a mechanic how to work on their car but not any other trade? A washing machine can be bought for around the same price as a service on a car (give or take) but nobody even considers telling a washing machine man how to work on it. A solicitor on the other hand is normally dearer, but you wouldnt tell them how to work. so its not just down to money. Why the diference?
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But why will so many people tell a mechanic how to work on their car but not any other trade?
Because sometimes cost of fixing a car can be more than several new washing machines ;-)
Most people ride cars but only a few goes to solicitors in reality. Only then they realizes how solicitor sucks even more!!
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yb,
I think i'm with you on this......I once took my old m/c to a local chap to fit an exhaust. I knew I was selling it, to buy my mate's bike and just wanted an 'el cheapo' part. He was having none of that.....he told me most firmly he'd only fit genuine parts and if i wanted anything different i'd have to go elsewhere.
Although not what i wanted on that occasion, deep down i was quite happy really, as when i took the newer one in, i'd get it done properly.
Sadly he's retired now so i'm back to square one.
The other thing is preventative maintenance...was talking to my Independent about coils going on S Type Jags. He recommends to customers that if it is the side that meant taking the manifold off, for the sake of another £46 or so (each coil about £23....3 coils per side on a V6... i.e. one coil for each cylinder and one bank of 3 easier to get to than the other)... they should do all 3 on that side, to prevent another load of labour if another one goes......he says a fair few people don't authorise that and risk it and/or think he's trawling for work
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>But why will so many people tell a mechanic how to work on their car but not any other trade? nobody even considers telling a washing machine man how to work on it. A solicitor on the other hand is normally dearer but you wouldnt tell them how to work.
I wouldn't dream of telling a mechanic, washing machine repairman or solicitor how to work but I would monitor their work to make sure I wasn't being ripped off and also to learn a thing or two. Isn't that reasonable?
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Old hand, Surely if you agree the work needed and the price before work starts why do you need to monitor the work unless its because you dont trust him?
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Just because I'm genuinely interested. As I said if they asked me to clear off and I trusted them I wouldn't have any particular problem with it other than a mild dissapointment that I wouldn't have the opportunity to see how things are done.
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Just because I'm genuinely interested. As I said if they asked me to clear off and I trusted them I wouldn't have any particular problem with it other than a mild dissapointment that I wouldn't have the opportunity to see how things are done.
Same here. I do the repairs and servicing that I can to my car. When jobs arise that I am not capable of doing I will take the car to a professional, but I'd love to watch for several reasons - mainly to learn, so that I can have a go at doing it myself next time. When the cambelt needs doing soon I hope to be able to watch them do that. I'll probably offer a few quid extra for him putting up with me.
There is a difference between watching (to learn/because you're interested) and watching because you suspect the mechanic's going to rip you off. I think that if a mechanic refused my request to watch, I would wonder why - has he something to hide?
Although I think that him telling you he wanted it done "his way" was out of order. Him supplying the parts, also a bit dodgy. If he is that clever he can indeed do it himself!
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I don't have any real intention of doing the work myself but I just love knowing all I can about what's going on. Sad isn't it?
I also supply my own parts sometimes. When you have a specialist or high performance car there are some parts you may wish to upgrade from OEM spec that the garage can't easily obtain. For example uprated platinum tipped long life spark plugs on one of my Subarus that the garage couldn't get except for an exorbitant premium and a long wait. Or the fuel injectors for my old RS2 that they couldn't obtain. Also if you have a preference for a certain brand of oil rather than whatever comes out of the barrel why shouldn't you provide it.
I think the key here is to communicate with your mechanics. Make it clear that they are the professionals but that you like to have a bit of input where it's appropriate. If it's a long standing relationship it shouldn't be a problem. Perhaps the bottle of whisky and tin of chocolates I drop off at Christmas time help as well?
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I wouldn't dream of telling a mechanic washing machine repairman or solicitor how to work but I would monitor their work to make sure I wasn't being ripped off and also to learn a thing or two. Isn't that reasonable?
LOL, visions of the tv program "Rogue Trader" plumber guy finishes job and sits in loft for over an hour so he can charge for another hours labour.
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One problem is that in the UK anyone can set up to do motor repairs - there is basically no licensing or accreditation system. Lot of motorists will opt for the lowest quote and then things go sour.
When we had the garage we used to get a fair number of problem customers. Its surprising how many people would bring a car in with a problem - they wouldn't know exactly what the problem was, but they would know that it wouldn't cost much to fix! Another problem is working on a car and then it comes back a week or two later with an unrelated problem and the customer tries to blame you. I remember my dad MoT'ing a Chevette. It came back a week later overheating and owner was convinced it was as a result of something my dad did during the MoT. Lots of threats of solicitors etc. Obviously the bloke had no chance of a claim, but it wastes a lot of time and energy arguing with these people.
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Personally I think every mechanic is tarred as being a shark and uninformed etc.
I just wonder how these customers would react if they were approached in the same maner regarding their work.
Imagine, I want to see what ground preperation you did before planting these potatoes, and did you space them all 6" apart?
My computer is slow, but its old and I like her, can you fix it but not be too dear !
I dont think that white paint you have used is the right shade compared to my neighbours window, can you repaint it please !
You have messed up the traffic flow in my town can you get the consultants to explain why we paid so much money for such a bad design?
I have asked you to fix my washing machine and now my dishwasher has packed up, Its your fault can you sort it please!
The list could go on!
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I have the same thing in my trade (computer repair), which I have been doing for the last 8 years (I'm 28).
The people that are like this are, generally, the people you don't want as customer's because they think they know best, about everything.
I've just picked my car up from my local garage (independant working from an industrial estate). I've used him for years and I know that when I gave him my keys this morning I don't need to see what he does because I know the work's going to done to a very high standard.
Same goes for when the plumber goes round to service my boiler. I trust him to do a good job so don't need to watch over him. I'll go and busy myself doing something else.
Chris
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The problem really is that mechanics cover a spectrum from genuine car engineer - I know some people don't like this term but it is appropriate in some cases - to half-witted con man or cheeky irresponsible onanist. The reason for this is that most car owners, probably more than three quarters, couldn't identify a decent mechanic if he bit them in the bum.
The problem is made worse by the very low standards and negligent service sometimes to be found in franchised dealers' workshops. This leaves many owners totally confused.
I always worry when friends of mine say they are getting work done by a local garage. I don't trust most of them (my friends I mean) to assess the work done. I have always found that a mechanic capable of rational discourse is a good bet, while one who fudges, hums and hahs is likely to be carp.
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I have a self imposed rule to only places that are recommended by friends and family, and I tend to trust them once I've made the decision to use them. I also find small one-man bands or indie garages far more trustworthy than big plate glass outfits.
I would never dream of asking to accompany someone when they worked on my car. It implies a lack of trust, and is likely to just wind up the person you're watching and affect their concentration. I am perfectly happy if the person genuinely listens to what I'm asking for, and can spend a couple of minutes with me afterwards explaining what they've done, and even why (if it's not obvious of course).
Talking to me as an intellectual equal rather than an idiot is always welcome too. I understand and fully accept for example why makes sense to change a cambelt driven water pump as a matter of course when you change the belt, and why the labour component of a clutch change on a Mondeo is so costly. I don't accept however that a 406 needs a new ECU when you run it out of fuel, or that a good wheelspin will cure a persistent front wheel wobble from the new tyres I've just had fitted. These two incidentally were on company vehicles which were serviced at big, supposedly reputable places who I wouldn't trust with my pushbike in all honesty.
The mechanic I use currently has been a family friend for years, and I always feel I'm ripping him off as his "mates rates" are too generous. Every completed job involves a stand up row to get him to take what I think the job is worth to me, which is always about twice what he wants to charge.
Cheers
DP
--
04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
97 Ford Fiesta 1.4 16v Chicane (for sale)
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I fully agree with yorkie bar & aprilia. I once used to attend the southern regional commite of the RMIF & once raised the issue of licencing mechanics to which I was shot down in flames saying it would be an imposibility & would put loads of people out of jobs!!!!!!!!!!! ( I rest my case)! after that I didn't bother attending We should be licenced & accrededted for what we are trained to do. I wasted years doing C&G's for what? when any tom dick or harry does it
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Background - When I wes a youngster I ran high maintanence and repair old bangers. I couldent afford garage fees so haynes manual in hand I learned how to keep my car on the road, head gaskets, brakes, wheel bearings, you get the picture.
I am happy to be looked upon as an amateur by the trade, but know my way around a car.
Story - I recently had my car serviced by a main dealer, on its return the oil filter (plastic cap paper element type) had 12000 miles of undisterbed dust on it. Returned to dealer and accused them of not sevicing the car.
Result - Instant courtesy car, full refund, full reservice, apologies from service manager, workshop manager and company chairman with a promise of disiplinary action.
As my wife said "If they had done that to me I would never have known".
I like being a little "expert".
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Just a small point: people definitely do tell a solicitor how to do his job, accuse him of being incompetent, deliberately padding, etc.
I'm not saying it never happens but as with mechanics, the majority are trustworthy, honest, capable and hardworking. Knowledgeable, regular clients are quite happy to let the professional get on with it; if things go wrong they simply go elsewhere. However, those who are only occasional clients who don't build up a relationship and are uncertain of what is a good (or likely) outcome will often be very demanding and expect work to be done that doesn't actually achieve anything other than push up the cost of the service they are receiving (albeit they may not pay that element, either because of Legal Aid or fixed fees).
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That was great yorkiebar.Just think of the conversation when he had to explain to his wife.I have sold cars for a living for many years,guess how many people know far more about it than me,and used to revel in telling me,and guess how many times they got the best deal.
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With you 100% on this Yorkie. Chances are the blokes like this on many other things (regarding his personality), You can bet `something` would have been an issue to him. I wouldnt go near him with a bargepole no matter how much the wife apologises for him.
Regards
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im not an expert..but ive been fleeced a fair number of times over the years...
as a 19 year old kid i took a Lancia HPE into a so called Lancia specialist about a stiff gearchange..only for them to tell me they had sprayed it with WD40 and told me at the same time that all 4 CV boots were suddenly split..(thanks Mr Stanley) that was 25 years ago and Ive never found a 'totally' honest mechanic since
pre Xmas is favourite for hefty bills
I think you need to accept that that your profession ranks the same as car salesman,solicitors and estate agents..
some of us dream of finding a trustworthy bloke like you..most of us just dream
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apologies..meant defence solicitors
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I have sold cars for a living for many years guess how many people know far more about it than me and used to revel in telling me and guess how many times they got the best deal.
Yes I come across it all the time; never ceases to amaze me when I am selling a Merc or BMW just how many 'ex' (funny how they are never current) BM or Merc mechanics crawl out of the woodwork with an interest in buying the car!!
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I think the summary of this is ; those in the trade understand and agree and those not in the trade don't and can't.
Oh well such is life!
Now for the next touchy subject? Should I send hima bill for my wasted time? i.e I had reserved a day for his car and ended up not earning anything so I have suffered loss of earnings. When I booked his car in he never made it clear he wanted to supply parts, watch me or instruct me on how to do it.
Does booking in a car for work constitute a contract? And if so did he break it?
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dont bother mate
not worth the hassle
we both know that
put all your rates up £5 on monday,
have a nice holiday in november,
i fancy cheap praque again ,
we could have a knees up
;-)
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Your right I know, but Its the principle !
I took a day off, ended up shopping with the wife and its cost a fortune!
Every time a report on here about a problem with a trader and the court is always mentioned and encouraged. Just curious to see if the same people can see the opposite point of view and if not why not?
And I fancy munich in oktober !
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The Oktoberfest should really be called the Septemberfest - it lasts for 2 weeks and finishes on the first weekend in October.
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as someone not in the trade who doesnt understand... (joe public)
you are taking the mick arent you?
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Not taking the mick !
If this guy had me do the work and anything had gone wrong do you think he would have hesitated to threaten (or use) the courts to sue me?
Why cant I claim my loss of earnings? And for that matter the expenses I incurred that I wouldnt have done if I had been working? New fridge and cooker!
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This is a serious response to a perhaps not so serious posting.
Why can't you claim loss of earnings?
Because you walked away. I sympathise and I think that walking away was the right thing to do but there were matters unresolved between you which normally wouldn't have mattered (his right to bring his own parts, specify the way the work was carried out and watch you).
You walked away on those terms but any contract that may have existed was silent on them and therefore you simply failed to agree terms that became material to the performance of the contract. The flip side is that if he has to pay £100 more than you were charging to do the work, he can't sue you for the £100 loss of bargain.
No contract, no breach, no action.
As for the new fridge and cooker:-
i. You've suffered no loss - in theory, the fridge and cooker are worth what you've paid for them;
ii. If they were, the damages do not flow naturally from the breach - therefore under the principles in Hadley -v- Baxendale they are not recoverable.
Oh and that'll be £100 + VAT for the advice please :-)
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All solicitors are the same!
Never do what the customer wants !
I am going to find a new one ! And I am not paying your bill !
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So you've suddenly turned into your own most hated punter yorkie ?
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The chances are that the bloke has had a few bad experiences and wanted to find someone he could trust....
From your first post it looks like you didnt hit things off....im sure he could have watched in some way shape or form..and im sure if he wasnt such a muppet you would have found a way of letting him watch..true?
let it go
the chances are hes already slagged you off to his family / workmates / friends / long lost relatives...and none of them will grace your doorstep so no problem
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his loss doug
and to put the record straight i cant work if someone is on my shoulder,in fact ive given them the spanners before now and told them to finish the job
chip?
probably
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>>i cant work if someone is on my shoulder
I know what you mean - you can change a few hundred sets of points in a year, but the time you drop the screw down into the distributor body is the time when the customer is being a bit curious!
I used to hate this too.
Not having to deal with the frequently idiotic general public is one of the things I most rejoice about in my current job.
Number_Cruncher
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I have a bit of a foot in both camps.
I can well remember my father making it clear to a number of problematic car owners that their custom wasn't wanted, and the best thing for them to do would be to remove themselves and their vehicles from the premises quickly!
He was in the same situation as Yorkiebar - he never advertised, the garage was off the beaten track, and didn't rely on passing trade. Most of his customers had been customers for years, and most customers either knew another customer, or were family members of existing customers.
The way that he got rid of the unwanted element was sometimes quite funny. For example;
Upon lifting a customer's bonnet at a breakdown on a wet Saturday morning, he saw that they had bought their battery from ASDA. He closed the bonnet, and told them that they should ask ASDS to sort the problem out!
On the other hand, every know and again, there's a job needs doing on the car which I don't have the kit for at home, and I need to farm the work out. Being a stranger in the barely civilised East Midlands, I haven't a clue who is any good, or who is a joker. The loss of power and control I feel when handing the car over is something which I find really quite stressful. (Having said that, apart from MOTs, I've only spent £200 in 10 years) To me it's not unlike the loss of control I feel when the removal men are carting our furniture in or out of our house. I hate it.
So, I can understand the problem people feel with letting go, and trusting someone to work on their car.
Why do people think they know?
Perhaps its a man thing? I think most men think that they are almost expected to know about cars - as though the knowledge passes with the mother milk. Of course, most haven't a clue because they have never put in any serious effort to learn about cars. A bit like many mechanics!
As such, perhaps Yorkiebar **may, just may** have mis-judged this customer (this was certainly true of my father - once or twice he did cut off his nose to spite his face!). Perhaps if the customer's fears about the job had been discussed in depth, and a work plan agreed (including a lift home for the customer!), then some trust could be built up, and a troublesome customer could be turned into a loyal advocate. Perhaps he just needed his hand holding a bit?
Of course, I wasn't there, and this customer may have been rightly spurned.
Number_Cruncher
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i think "this customer" is exactly the same customer i wont sell a car to,nothing wrong with the car, it will sell, i just dont like the cut of their jib.
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Send him a bill for the hours,and if he fails to pay take him to small claims.About 10 years ago i sold a car to a customer that then proceeded to try and make my life a misery with a car that had a few minor problems(all of which i fixed).
3years later he came in to buy another car,he was most perplexed when i told him that Hell would have to freeze over before i sold him another car.He really could not understand it.
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I know you're all right bb. I can tell by the cut of your jib.
But consider the innocent punter, doesn't know, er, much, isn't all that, er, brilliant, and has been done over once or twice by some of your less salubrious colleagues... You know it happens.
OK. Here he is, about to spend good money, terribly worried about the results.
Not everyone really knows how to behave under stress, if you see what I mean.
Actually guys like you need a psychiatric nurse to deal with these people. I'm not joking entirely. The psychology of the thing is important. Someone remarked above that the garage man and worried punter 'hadn't hit it off'.
It can happen, but pity to lose a job over it if it isn't essential.
Psychiatric nurse. Not all that expensive probably now that they are releasing all the lunatics into the community.
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What about when the customer knows exactly what's wrong with the car but the garage ignores him?
Several years ago as a company car driver, my diesel cavalier became very difficult to start.
I had exactly the same symptoms on my own diesel escort the previous year & 3 of the glow plugs had failed.
I took the cavalier to the vauxhall main dealer as I had to because it was a company car, told them the symptoms & suggested that the glow plugs may be us. They took the attitude that they know best & that I was an idiot. When I collected the car after they had fixed it, they told me that the glow plugs had failed & had been replaced, It was very satisfying to say to them I told you so.
I now don't drive company cars any more & avoid main dealers like the plague.
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