Just been reading NW's thread and it made me wonder - as and when garages (main dealers or indies) realise that a customer is savvy and not easily duped or scammed, do they mark that job sheet somehow to prevent the telephone call for unnecessary work?
Conversely, do they mark the cards of the mugs that have been conned previously?
Or am I just being a bit cynical?
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They might mark the card of the trouble-makers!
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Main dealers are the worst...................;-)
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Maybe there's some customers they'd be happy to lose and act accordingly.
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I reckon they usually don't actually credit the average customer with any savvy and just go for it. Sometimes you will get the call...."sir, your tripple headed sprokle washer is worn, you air con, your tyres, your.....etc..."
I think how you react to that call can drastically affect your wealth.
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dave - yes, I agree, but I think that if you subtly present as being someone 'savvy' when you hand over keys to the service manager (which is what I try to do!) then you are less likely to get 'the call'.
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Yeah, walk in with dirty fingernails clutching the Haynes workshop manual for your car and make some comment about not having the time to do it yerself.....heh ;-)
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...clutching the Haynes workshop manual...
Anyone even mentioning a Haynes manual in a service department will be instantly branded a home bodging prat.
However, I think it does no harm to give the impression you know a little about the service and repair process.
The trick is to do that without putting the garage peoples' backs up.
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However I think it does no harm to give the impression you know a little about the service and repair process. The trick is to do that without putting the garage peoples' backs up.
Any suggestions on how to do that?
Apart, of course, from not being a woman :(
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..The trick is to do that without putting the garage peoples' backs up.
Any suggestions on how to do that?....
NowWheels,
There is no easy way of putting over the: 'I'm not telling you how to do your job, but don't think you can rip me off either' position.
I suppose if there was, no garage customers would get ripped off - and the motor trade would be bankrupt in a month. :)
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I suppose if there was no garage customers would get ripped off - and the motor trade would be bankrupt in a month. :)
Garage employees are just ordinary people and are as honest as employees at any other establishment. It's not a condition of employment at garages that employees are dishonest.
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...Garage employees are just ordinary people and are as honest as employees at any other establishment. It's not a condition of employment at garages that employees are dishonest...
Agreed, the smiley at the end of my comment meant I was not being (entirely) serious.
In a customer service environment ripping people off can be habit forming
Pretty quickly the business - and staff - come to depend on the illicit income.
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Garage employees are just ordinary people and are as honest as employees at any other establishment. It's not a condition of employment at garages that employees are dishonest.
Of course. But as quite a few drivers have little idea of what is under the bonnet, there is potentially more mystique to be exploited; and many threads on here suggest that there may be quite a bit of exploitation about. Many other occupations are much more transparent - and some are more opaque I suppose.
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I suppose if there was no garage customers would get ripped off - and the motor trade would be bankrupt in a month. :)
I know thats tongue in check, but some motortrade bosses seem to believe it!
I have worked in the motortrade many years, and IMO it is more unethical than it ever has been.
so much so, I want to get out!
But.... I also believe, that if we were more honest, and transparent, that rather than LOSING profit, we would GAIN it!
to be fair, its not just the motortrade that works to this business model, of making work to increase profit.... and Im sure that if customer felt more trust to the company, then they would be more willing to spend their hard earned....
does that sound reasonable?
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Very reasonable.
And as you say, it's not just the motor trade.
Lawyers are past masters at making a job last longer than it need to while charging by the hour.
When I worked in the motor trade in the 1970s and early 80s, customers were treated fairly well.
It would never have occurred to us to make up work or replace bits that didn't need replacing.
So I agree that it looks like standards of honesty have slipped.
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I am sure that those people who begrudge the price charged for oil at some garages (£98 at the last service my Merc E320 CDI had!), and supply their own oil will find that the amount they 'saved' has crept back in the bill somewhere.
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>I am sure that those people who begrudge the price charged for oil at some garages
>(£98 at the last service my Merc E320 CDI had!), and supply their own oil will find that >the amount they 'saved' has crept back in the bill somewhere.
Quite frankly, anyone who's happy paying that much for oil deserves to get ripped off!!!
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wear some mechanics overalls
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Pretend to work in another garage in the same town and make a call to the servicing garage tipping them off that Trading Standards are posing as genuine customers and booking cars in for servicing to check the work carried out all this week.
Edited by Robin Reliant on 27/09/2009 at 22:03
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I think the mark your record the other way as well. If it's clear you have a bit of mechanical knowledge and/or discuss work required in an informed fashion you'll not have too much trouble.
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I find that, by using garages who are very busy, they have little or no time to make up extra work or try to rip me off. It's also a sign that they're trusted by many.
I was caught out in my younger days by less busy institutions, so tend to keep to the busy ones now and book well in advance.
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