thetrustedmechanic
Forum Replies Created
-
I wish I could edit. I should have led in with the OP has a valid point that we shouldn’t be argumentative or confrontational with the customer/consumer. I fear I could be interpreted that way regarding my response to the OP.
I agree we need to understand the customer, we need to deal with the consumer and we need to treat them as if they aren’t trying to cheat us. But I fully believe that the customer who wants to supply their own parts are, and that’s the reason for my very long post.
But I apologize if anyone interprets my previous comment as being mean, dismissive or rude. I really didn’t mean it that way. I wish I could edit it and add my support for the OP but I still don’t think that we can change the part supplying consumer regardless of how we explain it. It’s just not possible with that type of customer. At least not in my experience.
-
Be careful with anything “in the cloud.”
Many court cases have decided that they who own the server, own the data.
What that means is all of your customer information and archives that you have online, you don’t own it. The owner of the server owns it and only “licenses” to you access. What if you decide a year from now or 2 years from now to switch? All that data is gone, inaccessible. Regardless of what the service provider says, they can deny you access at anytime for any or no reason.
Also any large aggregator of data like that is far more likely to get hacked than your shop’s computer system will be.
For all of those reasons and many more, if it’s not “local” don’t use it.
Alldata Manage on DVD, any database you have will be accessible as long as you have an install DVD and the database backed up. Even 15 years after you stop your subscription to their service. Anything online, you stop your subscription and you lose all access to what should be YOUR DATA. But because of the ownership (it’s all there in your EULA that nobody reads) of the data on “the cloud” when you stop your subscription, you stop your access to your data. That is part of why so much is going to subscription, cloud based programming.
-
The customer in not only unaware but does not care that you need to make a profit on your parts to stay in business. The customer who wants to supply their own parts only cares about “The CHEAP!” As in they want the repair and they want to try and cut costs anyway they can because, in their mind, you are too expensive. That is all. I sometimes use the term “consumer.” I define the consumer as: They don’t trust you, they don’t want to pay what it costs to fix their broken automobile, they don’t value you, they don’t even really care if their car is reliable, if it breaks down right after you fixed something else it will be your fault , they will complain and expect you to fix the new failure free or at a discount because, “Since you fixed my fuel pump my radiator is leaking, you must have done something to it.” The consumer consumes. They consume your time, your money, your good will, your faith in humanity and worst of all, your profit.
To try and explain to the consumer that you want to supply the parts because that enables you to accept total responsibility for the repair gets lost when all they care about it the price. They don’t understand that IF the repair fails due to the part they want to buy because it is cheap they will be on the hook for more costs than if they had just allowed you to do it in the first place with YOUR parts. The consumer only sees, in their minds, that you are overcharging them for the part.
There have been many articles written about court cases deciding that the shop was responsible for installing the customer’s inferior part because the shop agreed to accept the part from the supplier, in this case the customer. The shop accepted the part and in doing so agreed that the part was acceptable, proper and correct for the repair. The shop was the expert and therefore had the greater responsibility for acknowledging and determining the fitness of a said part for the needed repair. And by accepting the customer supplied part the shop accepted responsibility and liability for the repair involving said customer supplied part. No amount of disclaimers, waivers of liability or agreements, recorded, signed, notarized are going to save a shop from, “But you just fixed it!”
Once upon a time we could take solace in the idea that if we did this for a customer and the repair went south and the customer bad mouthed us to others those others were one of two types of people, People who knew what kind of person Bad-Mouth Customer was and didn’t really pay attention and might actually give us their business out of pity or People just like Bad-Mouth Customer and we didn’t really want more of them anyway. But now with online reviews anyone can read the review, they don’t know Bad-Mouth Customer and will believe that we are an evil, dishonest shop because we refused to stand behind the repair we didn’t do right (when it was really their CHEAP inferior part that failed, not our work). And you tried to cheat Bad-Mouth Customer by charging them again to fix it right when you couldn’t fix it right the first time.
No, there are too many pitfalls to accepting and installing customer supplied parts, even something as simple as wiper blades. Too many reasons not to and most of the customers who want to buy their own parts do so fully knowing that you need to make money on your parts, that you increase the value of said part as it is just one component of a complete repair that they can have confidence in and that you will stand behind. These consumers know all of this already, they simply are trying to get you do let them cheat you. And no amount of explaining anything will change their minds. I know, I have tried it.
I get at least two calls a month, “Yeah, I need (insert repair job here). How much will it cost for you to replace the (insert part name here), I already have the part.”
Often times they admit they bought the part online, typically like RockAuto or eBay or CarID. Cheap sites, sketchy parts brands but they were CHEAP! I have tried all manners of handling the call, accept the customer part, charge a higher labor rate, make them sign a waiver acknowledging they supplied the part and there is NO WARRANTY, to explaining the liability and warranty provided if my shop obtains and supplies the part. I have even answered objections like, “But I bought it right from Thirlby (a local independent chain of parts stores) , the same parts store you would be buying it from.” I explain that yes, I do buy parts from Thirlby but they carry cheap, low quality economy grade parts with short lifespans for cheap repairs and used cars and they carry top quality professional grade parts that repair shops use in order to provide a longer life higher value repair. That doesn’t matter. I explain that even it if is the exact same part, brand and supplier, if there is anything wrong with the part the store has no responsibility to my shop to help replace the part, the obligation is to the customer who bought the part only. I explain that there is no coverage for labor if the part fails and has to be replaced under warranty. I run the whole spiel in the OP, it simply does not matter to the customer who wants to supply their own parts. They have already decided that the repair is too expensive, you are too expensive and all the “Added value” you can offer isn’t of value to them. All they value is the CHEAP! It doesn’t matter that if they allow you to supply the part and do the job that the repair will last twice as long as the cheap part they bought and would install if,
“it weren’t too cold outside,”
“they had the right tools, “
“they weren’t’ too busy and had the time.It doesn’t matter that the $300 repair today is cheaper than the two $200 repairs they will need over the lifetime of YOUR part. To the consumer who wants to supply their own part all that matters is THE CHEAP!
The only proper way to handle the caller or person at your counter who wants to supply their own parts is, “I am sorry, but we do not install customer supplied parts under any circumstances. There are too many problems that arise from doing so.” The only time it is even remotely acceptable is if it is a very personal taste item like the customer bought a steering wheel cover with swoopy hearts all over it or they were given a gift like a back-up monitor that is a universal fit item. It’s hard to decline a gift and harder still for many recipients to install. Still then, it’s a tough situation. You install that back-up camera/new stereo/steering wheel cover and anything happens to it in the next forever and you are the expert who should know exactly why it stopped working or the hearts started peeling off after 6 months.
I am sorry to disagree with the OP, but you shouldn’t even waste your time with the explanation of why you don’t installed customer supplied parts. The consumer doesn’t care, all they care about is finding someone willing to let the consumer cheat and consume them.
“I am sorry, but we do not install customer supplied parts under any circumstances. There are too many problems that have arisen from doing so.” -
I’m still a one man shop and I always play it by ear. I am always closed Thanksgiving day, Christmas Day and New Years Day. Black Friday I won’t open if there is nothing on the schedule. I did the first two years I was in business only to find the other shops around me were closed so I felt like a fool. No reason to come in if there’s no work on the schedule. I don’t avoid scheduling but most customers will tell me to stay home with my family they’ll just wait until Monday. As for December 26 and January 2, same way if it falls on a Thursday, I’ll stay home if there is no work scheduled for Friday. If they fall on any other day, well I am open usually all day on December 24 and December 31 regardless. Of course, if it’s 3:00 pm and nothing else to do and all cars are picked up, well I may take liberty and leave early.
-
The belt boards are NAPA display boards (very nice boards too, I have both) but the brake display is now on my Christmas list.
-
I refuse to buy parts from Advance. When I first opened my shop I tried using their parts, lifetime warranty don’t ya know. Well 28 days after installing a “premium” alternator the truck comes in on a hook. Alldata shows 1.1 or 1.2 to R&R the alt. I get 1/2 at their “generous” $25.00 / hour, no testing allowance plus I got to eat the tow bill, they wouldn’t pay it. No thank you anymore. I installed pads, rotors and calipers on another car. Advance was the only place in town with all of the parts. The first complaint after a week was squealing that I traced to a large piece of metallic content in the pad. Well a complete brake job again with a new rotor and she was happy but I got .8 for the pads, nothing for the rotor or the testing. The following year she came back with a complaint that the brake pedal went to the floor and then she pumped it again and then the brakes were grinding. I inspected the brakes and found one of the rear pads had de-laminated and only the backing plate was left. I called Advance and explained that I had replaced pads, rotors and calipers and one had de-laminated but all the remaining pads had at least 80% material left and they were all even. Sorry, there had to be something wrong with the brake system. I had replaced everything and all the remaining pads were worn evenly. Sorry a caliper must be dragging and wore out the pad. I got to pay to replace the pads and the rotors again with no help from the junk parts store. NEVER again will I buy anything from Advance, even if they are the only place in town with the parts. The customer will have to wait until a real parts store can get the parts.
I am a NAPA AutoCare Center so NAPA is my first call for most parts anyway now. But one time I was pricing out a radiator for a customer who was in a yank for their car so I looked up Autozone and their price for a SpectraPremium radiator was almost the list price from NAPA. Regardless I have a real hard time supporting a parts store that actively and aggressively undermines the value of my skills, knowledge and abilities.
-
What do you use for a scanner? I tried using one of those “neat desk” scanner wands and didn’t see the value.
-
I can understand the feeling of violation from a negative review like that, but I think most people will look at that review and see it for what it is, a cheapskate just looking for something to complain about. Regardless this is the type of customer you DO NOT want or need.
Unfortunately I believe in Michigan we are required to itemize parts and labor operations. Then again I have misread the motor vehicle repair facility manual before.
