Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2000 06:49:22 EDT
Reply-To: KENWILFY@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: KENWILFY@AOL.COM
Subject: Re: scammed? Idle stabilizer
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Oh, I heartily agree with you there. Not too long ago a customer, who I had
dealt with before when I first started my business, said he was having a
problem and asked me what I thought it was. From his description it sounded
like the Air Flow Meter to me and I suggested that he test this via the
manual and get back to me. Well he didn't want to bother with that and said
to just get him one. They are over $200 but he didn't seem to care. Then he
said he wanted to come down to my shop and have me install it for him. I
told him that it would only take him a few minutes to do the job himself and
he said that he would install it and then drive down to the shop for a tune
up. The only day he could come down was a Saturday and so, even though I
didn't want to, I took some time on my day off to help him. He arrived with
the new AFM still in the box. "I thought I would just let you install it".
So I did and also fixed an idle problem that he had by swapping out his
throttle valve and doing a few other things. By the time everything was done
it was three hours later (he stood there watching and talking to me as I
worked so this slowed me down) and we went to settle the bill. He didn't
want to pay! When I gave him the bill he didn't want to pay the labor and
said, "I could have done what you did myself." And he didn't want to pay my
high labor cost of $30 an hour either, "I have a mechanic that can do it for
$15 an hour," he says. The thing that I want to get across here is how I
felt. This guy was telling me that what I had done was of zero value to him
since he didn't feel obligated to pay for it. I could have spent the day
with my family and friends, but I sacrificed it for this? Well he payed less
than he should because I was so angry at this point that I just wanted him
out of there. And I will never work for him again. So the conclusion is, if
you feel like you are getting ripped off by a mechanic don't deal with him
again and let him know why. But if you have a guy that is trying to help
you, don't begrudge the man his money because if you do he may not be there
for you the next time around.
Thanks,
Ken Wilford
Van-Again
John 3:16
http://www.vanagain.com
Office: (856)-765-1583
Fax: (856)-327-2242
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