Jim Warman Posted July 21, 2007 Share Posted July 21, 2007 We have a lube-monkey..... worked at Canadian Tire for several months before he came to our shop and has been with us for maybe two months... perhaps a wee touch more.... I had the apprentice in the next bay to him keep an eye on him and I visited him often during the course of the workday - and then I went on vacation... While I was gone, a very good friend took his work truck (06 F350CC 4X4 PSD) in for a service and (what I told him to tell the SA) replace the steering shock and check the front end - truck had it's own mind of where it wanted to go - heavy on the check the front end.... He got his truck back with no change to the steering concern.... After I got back, I had him bring the truck back and we put it on a two post.... I called all my apprentices over, including the one that changed the steering shock (and went no further).... turned the front wheels hard to one side and spun both the tires.... next, I had the "shock changer" lock in the front hubs and attempt the same maneouver - of course the left front wheel wouldn't turn due to the siezed steering knuckle U-joint... What comes next is inexcusable.... he told me he did that very check and that the joint must not have been "as siezed" when he did it (this is the apprentice I gave supreme "what for" to over another incident and had to apologize to aussuage the DP). Apparently, I must have a cabbage leaf behind one ear and I just got off the boat yesterday.... I may seem hard to please but, in reality, I'm a pussycat.... don't lie to me.... don't tell me you know stuff you don't.... and don't shortchange my freaking customers... after that, we can have fun and learn and become the best people we can be... Now, when this truck was in during my vacation, it was put up in the air twice.... TWICE.... My flat rate guys are wise. They know that this is the grand opportunity to look for "itches that need to be scratched". Our maintenance ops are sold at less than cost just for this type of opportunity.... My "aces" managed to miss the retail pinion seal, the retail rear wheel seals, the retail spindle service, the retail rear brake job (at <2mm, the rear brakes are one rainstorm away from new rotors) - not to mention, we had the truck during scheduled down time.... rather than waiting for a breakdown to ruin my friends schedule (he's regional supervisor for a service rig company). Sorry to continue my rant, guys.... but we all wonder why this trade has gone to hell in a handbasket.... It can be a great career... and the guy that is going to make it great is the one staring back at you in the bathroom mirror every morning. If you see the guy in the next bay shortchanging a customer, remember it is YOUR customer he is shortchanging.... Only YOU can build YOUR rep.... but almost anyone in your shop can destroy it. We are all concert pianists... our keyboards are our tools and measuring equipment.... our sheet music is our documentation.... how we interpret our sheet music and how we play it on our keyboards is what matters..... Like that concert pianist, we need to perfect our craft and study and learn.... and to pass on what we learn to our co-workers... Thanks for listening.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwayneGorniak Posted July 21, 2007 Share Posted July 21, 2007 "If you see the guy in the next bay shortchanging a customer, remember it is YOUR customer he is shortchanging.... Only YOU can build YOUR rep.... but almost anyone in your shop can destroy it." Jim, I couldn't agree with you more. I pride myself on high quality repairs and having a large base of regular customers and fleets that keep coming back to me. For the right reasons. I am in a sense the Lone Diesel gynaecologist in our shop. I am now training a very bright young apprentice beside me to be the rookie diesel gynaecologist. I have been working with this young lad for over two years now and he is on the right track. He will be a great technician. However, once in a while there is a hack that will work on the other side of me and he has the title of Shop Foreman. "The guy in the next bay shortchanging a customer." Example: 04' F-150, (retail)wire harness under driver side of truck that is very poorly routed along the outside of the frame (because some jackass engineer thought it seemed like a good idea at the time) is hanging down with the wires ripped out of the hardshell connector and some damage to the connector. Now there are many economical ways to fix this with a high quality outcome. You can make a connector from left over harnesses that you have kicking around, you can make two or three connectors if you have to, or you can phone some auto wreckers and see if they have any totalled trucks kicking around that you can cut the connectors out of. Or you can do what this hack did: Order an $1800.00 body harness at the customers expense and cut the connector out that you need and charge the customer a crap load of labour to repair his truck and throw the rest of the harness under the work bench so that you have all kinds of connectors for the future. This was yesterday (Friday)by the way. This isn't the only time this hack has pulled this kind of "stupid stunt." I know our dealership gets a bad rap because of this crap because customers come right to me and tell me. However, I am in a nice postition because my customers tell me that they are happy that the hack is not a diesel tech and that I am. Therefore they keep comeing back because they don't have to worry about the hack working on their truck. I tell them all they can request for certain techs to work on their vehicles and that they can request that certain techs do not work on their vehicles. Which is now what happens. But I don't have time to do front end work or brake jobs or general rpairs. So alot of other good techs there are now being requested for work. hopefully someday this crap will catch up with the "hack". Any way Jim, my point is that you are right about the fact that this is what is wrong this trade. But it's not allways just young lads either. I strongly believe in lead by example, but not if you are piss poor example. In your case: keep up the good work and make them hacks change their ways! You have the power. May the force be with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Clayton Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 It's amazing how just a little effort put forth can head off disasters... putting a floor mat in a brand new car in for first service, putting the oil change reminder on windshield or resetting the oil life message, not letting a car get out of the shop with low tire pressure when in for service, you know the little things that should be done without any effort and should be common place, but if they fall to the wayside problems start to arise. Another big one is resetting radio stations to customers original presets. Customer appreciation and expectations stem from the basics and without that you can't go forward with the relationship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted July 22, 2007 Author Share Posted July 22, 2007 Right you are, Brad..... Two things I try to impress on our service department.... we're $30 an hour more than any independent shop - the customer should get that "little bit extra" for his money.... and we should never give a customer any less than we would expect for ourselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaysonfordtech Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 It all boils down to greed. I see it in my shop, and all the shops I have worked in just as you are seeing it in yours. Guys it bad enough when we make a mistake, or work is dispatched to the guy who does not have the skill for the job and botches it. I can't stand the guys who do it for greed or laziness. I am in a flat rate shop. I have found that although it lowers the laziness factor somewhat it increases the greed in some people by a factor of 10. I wish I had an answer for this but I don't. In my career I have actually found that the greedy ones who cut the nasty corners like chopping out a connector and charging full bore, who get away with it are rewarded by the management due to their increased productivity numbers. Throughout my career I have found that management has the see no evil, speak no evil, and hear no evil point of view so long as it doesn’t come back. I have resigned myself to attempting to train the young ones as best I can and just hazing the greedy ones unmercifully who sell the brakes at 5 millimeters and flush, flush, flush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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