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…my knees pop and I have cuts all over the place.
I reflect every day on my career choice, from loving it to hating it to tolerating it. I envision a better life for techs and work hard to do my share to achieve it for all.
I just sometimes cannot get out of a rut. I have began to truly despise customers. I know how silly that sounds, since customers are the reason I get paid every Friday. The thing is, I am so sick of my profession being assaulted by people with not even the slightest clue on how the business works, the investment required and the reason we bill as we do.
I am taking some business management courses, and I go right after work so I am in my work clothes. We had one entirely ignorant woman slam mechanics as dishonest, charging her for an hour for something that takes them 15 minutes. I tried explaining that skill, knowledge and better tools cost time and money and that is why that particular tech did it in 15 minutes and why the guy next to him who is new took 2 hours, but both people got charged the 1 hour. I explained how flat rate pricing keeps it fair for all, everyone pays the same thing for the same job and you are not at mercy of how long the tech takes. I explained that the time you pay is based off how long it takes an average tech with hand tools to do the job.
It just didn’t get through to her, or others in the class. It is hard to stay positive about your job when everyone, everywhere, online, in person, in class, in the store, on the TV, etc. has no respect for your skill and know-how.
I don’t think I regret going to work anymore or the various bull that will come with it with the advisors and my paycheck. I regret having to work on a car owned by ignorant people whom think their worth in life and their career is worth more than yours, and they get to spew their vitriol all over you, the internet, their friends ears and face no consequences for their very own stupidity, tyrannical behavior and absurdity.
I sometimes wonder if people go into Walmart, put their groceries on the conveyor belt and then rage at the cashier who asks them for payment?
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I wish I could say it will get better, but….hang in there and keep taking those classes and remember you can’t reason with idiots, just consider the source.
[quote=”SpawnedX” post=104419]…my knees pop and I have cuts all over the place.
I reflect every day on my career choice, from loving it to hating it to tolerating it. I envision a better life for techs and work hard to do my share to achieve it for all.
I just sometimes cannot get out of a rut.
I sometimes wonder if people go into Walmart, put their groceries on the conveyor belt and then rage at the cashier who asks them for payment?[/quote]I don’t know what to say to you other than I know many, many folks that are unhappy with their career choices, even doctors and lawyers. Some are young enough to change their course in life, some are not. I think, honestly, it’s a slice of life that reflects our current political climate and change is inevitable.
Yes, I have seen women in curlers torment the checkers at Wal-Mart, and I think some folks are happier inflicting their miserable existence upon those of us who try harder. This is my philosophy: people like that have earned all the relentless depression and blinding poverty they so richly deserve.
As for the aching joints …find some wrenches that fit your fingers and hands and carry on. My hands sound like a bowl of rice krispies on a hard pull!
I threw my back out 2 weeks ago picking up a trailer brake drum/hub trying to put it on the brake lathe. I have been walking like a 80 year old man since and my customers have been understanding because they know what it is like to have that happen. I talked with a customer who is a R.N. and she said I should take time off and relax because the recovery time is 4 – 6 weeks. I have been taking pain killers and using hot and cold compresses but not much more can be done without time off to heal. Too bad that taking time off right now is not an option.
I try to get my customers involved in what I am doing to their car so that they understand why the bill is what it is. When they are there with me staring at the rusted mess that is the underside of their car they can see why.
Just recently I refused to work on a guys car because/ The fuel line was leaking reqireing removal of gas tank and exhaust on a early 90’s Chevy Corsica with 300,000 or so miles. The car was so rusted I couldn’t put it on a two post lift. I just said that I wouldn’t do it and the look on his face was priceless, I tried to explain that the repairs would be more that what the car is worth.
The single biggest issue in the automotive repair industry is customer knowledge. From tires to tune-ups the single biggest challenge is letting them know what you’re doing, why you’re doing it and why it costs what it does. It’s an uphill battle the whole way, lots of people still think fixing a car is like it was 30+ years ago and can’t even to begin to grasp how a modern engine works.
In the end though when you inform them on the details of your repair they tend to be more understanding and appreciative of your time and explanation. Which means they’ll probably come back . Which is the goal anyway, isn’t it.
Some people will NEVER be happy with anything, the woman in the class sounds like that, at which point the best thing to do is to let it go. The headache and energy involved in trying to make them happy just ins’t worth it.
I am feelin’ you brother. Everything I use to do my job hurts,cracks,pops,snaps. After 15 years of the profit driven side of this business I took a fleet job for less money than I wanted but no customer/service writer crap. Been doing it for 20 years and have worked up to a comfortable salary and good benefits. I am 53 and hope to be able to retire in 5-7 years. Keep telling management it is time to find some younger guys to start training. Oh well, that will be their problem!
I know how you feel. Sometimes I hear their angry comments to the service writers: “Why does it cost so much?! Autozone ( or Autozoo as I like to call it) told me it was a bad oxygen sensor! So just change what I’m telling you!” And we all know what happens if we do that without a proper diagnostic.
I had a lady walk right into my bay while I was working on something and ask how much to fix her flat tire she drove in on. At my shop, we take the tire off the rim to inspect and seal it from the inside. You know, the right way. We charge $10 for that. She looked at me like I was Satan and said that was too much. Seriously? How much is she gonna spend on lunch today? How bout her hair and nails? But $10 is too much so she can drive again?
You can’t get away with the stuff they pull on us in any other profession either. Like coming in after an oil change and demanding we fix the power window(s) that we made not work. I can’t go to my dentist and say “hey, these cavities weren’t here last time I came in for a cleaning 5 years ago! You owe me some teeth!”
I’ve seen people blow up at gas station attendants because of gas prices.
When I was a cable installation tech I had people threaten my life because the cable company couldn’t get someone out for three days.
I can understand where you are coming from. People don’t mouth off to walmart cashiers because they are worried the cashier will follow them to the parking lot and stab them.
It is very hard to not tell these people where to go, most times they are just unhappy with their lives and are looking for someone to unload on, other times they have been “oversold” by whomever they bought the car from and think they can put a quarter million miles on it without expense. One of the best places I ever worked at had what they called “the speech” that they gave to all new and used vehicle buyers, it involved a tour of the service area and a comprehensive explanation of pricing and service expectations on the part of the buyer and seller. That place also worked with the techs when slob jobs came in so nobody lost their shirt.
There are some people you can explain till you are blue in the face and they will not care. It is something that is getting worse as time goes on as people are more and more clueless. As for knees and cuts its part of the job. It sucks but, it is part of it. The grass is always greener on the other side cause you aren’t standing in the fertilizer making it green. I have worked in a corporate environment and as a mechanic hands down mechanic wins. You don’t have to exercise after work. You know how to fix just about everything after you have done it for a while. You can do side work and make some money. Also there is less and less people in the trade so you can easily make more and more.
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