Old fashioned bike dealers

How long does it take to change the bulb in question though? Seriously - if
it's a 2 minute job fine - but if it involves some odd manouvering maybe it
isn't unreasonable. And did that price include the bulb (I know, I know) ?
Alternatively they're encouraging you to do it yourself

That's not what I was getting at - I was getting at an expectation - I
didn't say I'd choose the main dealer.

I just don't expect things to be done 'for free/as favours' when they are -
great - makes it all the more pleasant.

 

Are you still sending him Christmas cards?

 

Nope, but I always wave at RAC vans in case it's him.

 

and to think I avoided saying that he soldered me a new nipple on, in order
to avoid just this sort of comment.

 

dwb scribbled:

I'll let you know when I do it next

For the rear bulbs about 30 seconds. For the sidelight bulbs maybe a
couple of mins. For the side repeater bulbs I've no idea, 10~15 mins?

But for the £60ph you'd expect a highly skilled Ovlov technician to be
working on your car, and changing a bulb is a menial task, so for
something that requires so little skill £60ph is OTT.

Oh god, yes!

Yep, I wouldn't expect them to be done either, but as you say if you
find a good garage that does do little things like that for free, you
pray that garage stays open for decades.

 

MikeH scribbled:

"PotNoodle"

HTH

 

Good thinking

 

I've never had my labour costs broken down into
"£10 for idiot trainee to make vrmm vrmm noises"
"£60 for skilled bloke to do stuff"

It's just been a flat labour rate irrespective of who did the work (and
it's/was £35p/h for my local dealership).

Judging by the article in the paper yesterday, £60 an hour is quite
reasonable for some car marques.

 

I just hope I never find out he left ten years ago to work for the AA, I'd
feel a right twat then, especially if I'd ridden past him in his AA van and
didn't wave.

 

flash wrote:
[RAC man]

Yeah, but the AA cunts don't salute members these days so I reckon
if he had defected he didn't deserve a wave.

 

Any chance of a quick scaramanga, flash? ... Oh, hold on ...

 

dwb scribbled:

Be nice if they did though...
"Oy, Taking the wheel off is an IQ checkout gurl job..."
"And cleaning it, sheesh! IQ McDonalds FFS!"
"Ok, putting a new tyre on and balancing it, thats IQ PostOffice"

1 hour to do the job, 5 hours to argue about what to pay for it.

<gulp>

 

Beav scribbled:

So its all about making more money, no matter if the customer gets
pissed off/on.

That's bollocks and you know it. There's a hell of a difference between
grabbing a screwdriver and twiddling a screw/nut whilst the cars there,
bonnet open, lights on and pointing at the headlamp aim machine, and
prepping an area for welding, getting welder out, mask on, welding,
painting and undercoating.

Just like the car MOT I had done yesterday, where no computers were
used (to tap the results on) and I walked away with a bit of paper? I
know car MOTs are supposed to be kept on record, but the MOT
certificate still exists.

If you don't want repeat business, or good advertising by word of
mouth, then you really will be sitting in the dole queue in the not to
distant future.

If you don't understand the principal of keeping customers happy, and
can't figure out why thats a good thing, I feel sad for you and anyone
working for you. It is, or should be, the cornerstone of any business.

Do you think customers are privilaged to be able to get their cars
repaired in your bodyshop?

Why not? Takes you a lot less time cause its already there and setup.

- rip off by the industry IMHO.

How did all those small garages survive for decades, years ago, and are
still surviving in some cases, when they never had any "minimum
charges" and did respect the customer and did them favours?

 

Beav scribbled:

So since they both are licensed, WTF are you moaning about then?

 

snip

Those little extra touches... Costs the company little but goes a long
way... Will you use them again, will you reccomend them to others? Job
done...

 

Beav scribbled:

Running the business the way you do I'm not at all suprised you attract
these type of customers. I am suprised you stereotype all customers and
lump them all under your "greedy gits" file though.

And now you're calling all your customers thick. Not a good idea.

I'll take it you don't understand the next paragraph I wrote.

Who are all tight thickos according to you, whilst the ones that have a
clue, are prepared to pay for good old fashioned service go elsewhere.

If you ever think customers are privilaged to be using you, you've got
it the wrong way round. *You* should be privilaged that customers are
using you. Without them, you are nothing, serving fries.

You just said it, paint in house, gun in hand. They want a cheap job
done quick, not a 100% prepare everything, etc, just something that
looks OK.

Well you're dealing with other dealers/insurance companies on the whole
I imagine.

Private individuals operate on "do it on the cheap" all the time.

Yes, by using them again for all 4 vehicles and recommending them to
friends. Using them for servicing, repair work, etc.

My dad ran his own (joint owner) garage for 20+ years. It was one of
those little back street ones, did very well, he practised good
customer service, loads of people came back to him for other work, and
others through word of mouth. He lived "hand to mouth" and did very
well out of it, because people *respected* him and gave him loads of
business.

Sorry you don't understand that, but, whatever.

 

Hmm, and you work in a bodyshop, right? Shouldn't you spend a bit more

time persuiading them not to ding their cars? )

 

Lozzo is licensed to do MOT's?

 

dwb scribbled:

<re-reads thread...>

Doh!

There's a little problem with XanaNews quote colouring, reading back it
looked like Beav was saying Beav couldn't do MOTs. Double duh...

 

Try Outlook Express - it works fine.