people stuck in the past

seductiveone

I just thought this was a little much.
A woman came in to the dealership I work at for some service work the other day. One of our policys is to do a bumper to bumper inspection an all vehicles that come in as a courtousy to our valued costomers.
I couldnt believe she brought her husbunn in the next day because the tech recomended a tranny flush on her vehicle. It needed one! We wernt tring to rip her off, even brought her in the shop, explained and showed her the fluid.
Her husban knows we wern't tring to rip her off but said that we had no right to tell her that she needed other work done, that "It isnt any womans place to make a decision like that." She even agreed with him. "Any womans place."? Come on, please!
Now, I can preciate stickin up for a woman if shes getting ripped of but this is rediculous. He said if it happened again he would take his buisness elsewhere. Go.
My point is, 60 percent of our buisness are women. Do you know how many times a day I would be slapped, kicked, punched, if I said, "Excuse me but I need to contact your husban to ask him if he wants us to service YOUR transmision?" Move on into the present. I wonder if he even allows his wife to vote! Or talk. Or if he tells her who to vote for. I thought women worked hard to be seen as equill. I almost asked him if he was another American Taliban.
All I know is that if I treat my wify that way, I'd want someone to kick my * good. She can make her own desisions.
If I am wrong, let me know!


"Respect my authority"

Rosie

You are wrong

bwa

The man's reaction was of course extreme, and there are plenty of women who are as you say. However, I believe also there are still plenty of women like my girlfriend, who are clueless re autos and feel vulnerable when having them serviced. She never has anything done without asking me about it first -not because I'm an oppressive, old-fashioned tyrant; but because she WANTS it this way. She knows that I know much more about cars than she does, and therefore feels secure with me making the decisions concerning hers. I hope, however, that I would never react in a situation like this as did the man you had to contend with. I also hope you don't have to deal that kind of thing very often.

seductiveone

I have no problem with her asking her man for advise. My girl asks me too. That being said, I do think that the guy could be a little more civil about it. He was actually yelling, veins were poppin out of his head. If he is going to be an * about it then do it somewhere else. I didn't know. Anyway I'm over it now.
Thanks for letting me vent a little.



"Respect my authority"

lrarmsx

You have to understand some places still mess with female customers. A friend of mine was taking a GMC Jimmy for a test drive about 3 years ago. She commented that the Jimmy was basically just a Chevy Blazer. The salesman proceeded to insist that they were absolutely nothing alike, and told her she was completely wrong. I was with her a few weeks later at another GM dealership in another town. This time she was looking at a Blazer and mentioned the same thing. That guy said "Yeah, they are the exact same vehicle. They come off the same production line in the same factory. We've even had some new ones come in that have a mix of the GMC and Chevy logos on the grill, the steering wheel, the tail gate, the quarter panel, etc. In one place it will say its a Chevy and somewhere else on the same vehicle it will have the GMC emblem." He said it had happened quite a few times.

I think this couple that gave you the grief are living in the past, but you need to realize, not every place is straight up with all of their customers, so their can be that area of concern.

seductiveone

I hear you brother. Not everyone is honest but it is still no reason to take it out on everyone and anyone.

I'm not easily angered and when I do get upset over something this stupid is doesn't last very long.



"Respect my authority"

offeror

I don't see how you can assume somebody other than the customer who comes in owns the car to be serviced.

The fact that the woman brought the car in made it, for all intents and purposes, her car as far as you knew. Unless you're leaving a lot out, and she made it clear she was dropping it off for her husband and left his phone number if you needed to give him the estimate, I think you would normally be insulting a woman if you didn't treat her like the car's owner.

- Life NRA Member
"If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878

seductiveone

Besides, if it is the womans car and she was not told there was a problem, whose fault is it when it does break down? What if her man is not able to be contacted? Would you let her go on her merry little way without saying anything? That would just come back to bite you in the butt later. I am just an auto body painter, but I have to say it would be irresponsibe for the shop not to say anything. Fixing the problem now for little money could save big bucks later when more dammage is done.
Like I said, I dont like getting beat up because someones brain is backwards. Just my opinion. Anyway, if you screw someone once, chances are they will not return.



"Respect my authority"

daddo

I deal with people all the time and they can be out of touch with the real world.
I would have told him-" You weren't here at the time so I had to tell your wife instead" Then if he argued (I know he would) I'd tell him "Maybe you should bring the vehicle in from now on, then you would be able to make the choice, as from time to time, there will be other things we will need to do". If he argues- then give him the phone number of another dealer and suggest he might be happier with them!
You don't need his bull88it.

Zuider Zee

Before becoming an investigator, I was in the car business for several years as a service writer, shop foreman, and then service manager. The problem you described happens often; here's how I handled a similar situation. (It also helps that I am 6'6" tall and weigh in at 275). A customer came in yelling and screaming that we were trying to rip off his girl friend, and was referred to me. He started the yelling business, and I said "Stop!" "First of all, we don't have to talk to you because you didn't sign the repair order".
"Secondly, no one rips anyone off in this dealership, and if you think they do; you need to go somewhere else, Now!" He calmed down right away and we worked it out; he became a good customer. Sometimes they don't calm down, had one threaten to whip my a**. Told him "I'm to old to fight anymore, but I'm young enough to call the cops and have your a** arrested!". He calmed down. Another time, a guy took a swing at me, and I threw him to to floor - called the police and he spent the night in jail. People get crazy over their cars!

Now to the free estimate problem. Dealerships are known to do "free inspections" on vehicles for the purpose of selling work. I don't disagree with that, except: a mechanic will fill out 3 pages of what he's found wrong, which sometimes exceeds the value of the vehicle.
Sometimes, they estimate by mileage without checking, and the work has already been done elsewere, and not in the vehicles service file.

I even had a mechanic that filled up the back page of a repair order with work needed, we sold the work - but the idiot didn't repair the problem the car came in for! The customer spent over $1000.00 and still had his original problem.

Service Department work is a thankless business, and I'm glad to be doing something else.

Zee

mudge

Anybody tells Mrs. Mudge to Contact her husband to make sure "whatever" is OK with him is gonna' get an earful.

Mudge the

---

whipped

I can't come to work today. The voices said, STAY HOME AND CLEAN THE GUNS!