Craig O'Neill
Forum Replies Created
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Back in the day when we found out a tech used weed, they were told to quit the grass or hit the pavement.
I’d let that guy stay where the grass is greener! Everyone I know that smokes left handed also has short term memory issues anyway.
Correct me if I am wrong, but MI business owners, are not prevented from making their own drug policies? Right?
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I’ve been around enough lobby’s now as I go from shop to shop…
While I wait to speak with owners, it’s interesting to look around and gather a sense of whats important to each establishment.
I appreciated the point in the article about the TV channel.
This is a politically volatile and diverse world we live in. The very news channel you select can trigger a potential client and actually hurt your credibility if they are cynical, or more likely, jaded enough.
But hey… who knows… you might have a nature channel on and inadvertently trigger a debate on wolf conservation with an angry rancher in some parts of the country!
Better just get their car done accurate and timely and get them out of there before something triggers them! xD
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Your great uncle Jack used to sneak a smoke out back every hour or so – this was back in the 70’s ?
HAHA! I never knew Uncle Jack, but man have I heard stories. I really need to hear your stories from that time periord eventually. I only know them from grandpas perspective. lol!
At least Jack would sneek out back. When I was a kid coming around the shop ol’ Dick Moore was always smoking while he sat with one cheek on each of the two little cement pillars next to the gas main right by the front entrance.
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I can only speak to the fact that the absence of a written policy results in frustration.
I am not exaggerating in the least to say this was a catalyst for SUBSTANTIAL discord in our shop.
You should try being the SOB (son of boss) that was alert to the customers concerns on the matter, but had no actual authority (for many years anyway) to affect a change of policy. Ugh.
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Don’t believe in rotating tires. Can cause more issues and comebacks. My customers are educated to this fact. Most understand it and for those that still wish we do it with that understanding.
Do believe in balancing with road force including lateral force. This every 10,000 or once a year.
Spence
YES! I was just going through this thread and began to wonder if there was anyone else that thought like me on this. We have a road-force balancer. Once you see how many tires are out there with excessive road force, or have unacceptable lateral pull, you will never feel good about rotating tires in a conventional manner.
Comebacks are to be expected with symptoms the client legitimately never had until you switched things around!
One example: We’ve seen tire shops adamantly insist the vibration is NOT caused by a NEW set of tires because they are perfectly balanced. The balance was true, but the tire on the LF had 35lbs of road-force. Mimicking an out of balance assembly at 55 mph.
Would never sell or rotate tires without that machine again.
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A recent example: I was visiting a shop, while a technician was doing an inspection, and I noticed he had just marked a battery as “good”. I look around him and see that the battery is just caked with sulfate fuzz. The battery also looks quite old.
“Why did you call that good?” I asked, politely.
“It passed the test,” said the technician.
“Don’t you see anything wrong with it though?” I point to the battery.
“I’m not selling a battery that passed a test,” he replied, a bit defensive.
“No one is asking you to sell anything. I’m asking if you see anything wrong with that? And if you do, to make a professional recommendation.”
I took the opportunity to commend his desire to save the client money. I then asked how the customer would feel on a cold Michigan day if they were in a parking lot with kids in the car, and their car doesn’t start. Wouldn’t they think… Hey, I just had this looked at, they said it was good!
Techs need to be reminded of this from time to time. The stigma of our industry often triggers the mindset that to be the good guy means to not present too much to the customer.
It’s not our choice though. It is our professional responsibility to report the true state of health of a clients vehicle, be it good news or bad.
A properly informed customer must be given the chance to make their choice, not have it made for them in the bay.
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“I have been doing a lot of research into alternatives to the tried and true RDI method of pricing transmissions. What I was researching was the concept of having transmissions with up-front pricing, which would be the price to install a reman transmission. To take it a step further, change the shop’s website to where visitors could look up the price for a transmission in their vehicle. Sure, there’s a lot of people that will be “sticker shocked” with the prices, but they aren’t our shop’s type of customer. There will always be cheap shops. Where else are cheap people going to go? My concept is no more or less than skim the cream off the top. A few of the benefits: Upfront pricing. Quick turnaround. Nationwide warranty. No hassle transaction. Free pickup and delivery. There would effectively be no comparison because a customer could look up their price online, then call for a free pickup.”
Having nearly two decades of perspective on this matter, I’ll speak to this issue happily.
In no way is listing the cost of a transmission for a vehicle on-line a good idea.
That should say to a smart client two things: 1. They sell transmissions. 2. If I go in there, the will sell me a transmission.
Look at it this way.
You sell solutions. This is why transmission shops have expanded their services.
Never forget, customers ask for the price only because they do not know what else to ask.
Transparency prior to an RDI is highly encouraged. However, until diagnosis is complete, the only cost a client should ask about is what it costs to identify the problem.
After all. The most expensive transmission… is the one you didn’t need!
