Mazda tried to arrest me

[chuyler1]

Let's pretend for a second something different happened...

The O2 sensor was in the right place and the Tech installs the part in 20 minutes because it was a perfect fit.

Does the Tech tell the service manager it only took 20 minutes? Maybe.
Does the customer pay for the full 45 minutes of labor? Yes.
Does this happen all the time? YES

This is just another example of how the customer can get screwed. However, there are just as many times that the dealership gets screwed when things take longer than expected. It probably works out even in the end between the dealer and all of its customers. Some customers will benefit while others will get screwed without knowing it.

Unless the the customer signs a contract that says he/she is going to pay for the exact hrs that go into a job, the estimate provided before the job is binding pending the job is finished. The person providing the service may call and negotiate new terms should the estimate change and at that point the customer may be given the opportunity to cut their losses (pay for what has been done so far) or agree to pay more for a completed job. Customers should not go to a service provider that does not do this.

 

[mazdaowner123]

So why is it the dealers fault that your part didn't fit? It's just that you don't want to pay for the labor that was done. They did remove your old downpipe, try to put the new one in, and it didn't fit, so they put the old one in. Hell, they probably did more work than if it had fit.

~brian

 

[PimpDaddyJ]

This is just a friendly reminder that with anything aftermarket that you dont have the time to install or can't install yourself, you should take it to a shop with a good rep instead of a dealership or franchise garage. On one hand I can understand why you would be pissed,but work was done, no matter how unfair it sounds, it was someones time...Could have been worse, could have been like the dealership that fryed my blower fan while changing a switch, and wanted to bill me for it and the labour @ $85/hr to check the electrical system.

 

[mp5jeff]

reason you install stuff yourself, it's really not that hard...=)

 

[Sprout]

customer should pay for time spent cause the customer should have known if the part would fit or not in the first place since it was an aftermarket piece. If it were a factory piece and there were problems then I can see the argument.

 

[mspdfreak]

The moral of the story is this. Buy a car that is as fast as you you're satisfied with from the factory. There are plenty to chose from these days. Leave the modding to the boys at the factory, then make it your own by adding non-drivetrain related stuff.

 

[BlkZoomZoom]

What car is "fast enough" and cheap?

 

[Shadow102]

Let's pretend for a second something different happened...

The O2 sensor was in the right place and the Tech installs the part in 20 minutes because it was a perfect fit.

Does the Tech tell the service manager it only took 20 minutes? Maybe.
Does the customer pay for the full 45 minutes of labor? Yes.
Does this happen all the time? YES

This is just another example of how the customer can get screwed.

Actually that is not screwing the customer thats how we make our money from being paid so low...from the 80 sumthing they charge for labor a tech only sees at the very most $20-25 of it (thats a master tech/shop foreman top pay) What you are paying for in the long run is the convience of the job being done either early or expirence Ie. It takes me 2 mins max to program a keyless remote but i get a half our per remote i do however i am one of only a couple of people in the shop that know how to program remotes.

 

[BlkZoomZoom]

Actually that is not screwing the customer thats how we make our money from being paid so low...from the 80 sumthing they charge for labor a tech only sees at the very most $20-25 of it (thats a master tech/shop foreman top pay) What you are paying for in the long run is the convience of the job being done either early or expirence Ie. It takes me 2 mins max to program a keyless remote but i get a half our per remote i do however i am one of only a couple of people in the shop that know how to program remotes.

Yeah it also only pays 1/2 to do a key. What a pain in the butt, I always mess up on the blinking lights the first time, usually towards the end too..

 

[peepsalot]

What car is "fast enough" and cheap?

skittles

 

[geomatics_tech]

I know it was an aftermarket piece, I know they spent time working on it, BUT, they wanted to charge me essentailly the same amount as the quote itself for nothing. If they contacted me when they found out about the issue we could have negotiated a new deal, and I could have arranged to have the piece altered. But instead, they put everything back on, never even phoned to say the thing was kinda ready, and now I have to pay someone to DO THE EXACT SAME THING AGAIN. (yes, I know i should do it myself, but Im working to much right now to do so)

When I asked for a quote they never stated any concerns about the fitment of aftermarket parts, never said they have had problems before, just that they have done it (maybe not the same piece, but aftermarket parts) and it would be no problem. I understand they cant know if there willl be a problem before hand, but when they say no problem one would think they could solve problems if one arised.

I work in land development and have worked on many different types of construction projects, from design work to surveying and even site inspecting. In my line of work there is responsibilities on both the contractor and the developer. If someone says they can do something, but never looked at the project itself and gets the bid, they must complete the work to specification or not get paid, and when the job is completed properly the developer must pay his bills.

I know that they could have arrested me based on the fact that I did not pay the bill, but this just goes to show you how un-reasonable these stealerships can be. They did not even try to negotiate with me after we talked about the issue.

Shaun

 

[mountjonas]

whatever happened to "the customer is always right?" he agreed to pay to get a downpipe installed... was it installed? no.

i'm not a mechanic but i have been told this many times in my stint at customer service in a retail store. nothing drives me more crazy. no, the customer is hardly ever right. whoever came up with this saying needs to grow up. you agreed to pay for labor. they did labor. you should pay for the labor that was done. should they have called you the moment that it didn't fit? yes. you know what they say about two wrongs...

 

[BlkZoomZoom]

See the thing is, my Service Manager would have never let you take your car for one, second he would not have let you pay with a check after you bitched and complained. Third there would have been cops waiting for you at your house if you did get your car, lol.

I have never been to a dealership that had a welder and other fabrication tools. They simply are not needed when your job is to put a car to factory specs.

 

[BlkZoomZoom]

Fine, then don't install aftermarket parts. That's your prerogative, and I believe it to be a wise one especially for someone working at a dealership.

The issue is that he paid for a service to get a part installed. Unless it is expressed in writing that the amount paid is for the time the tech spends on the vehicle and not the job itself he shouldn't have to pay. The service was obviously not complete so he should not pay for it. Anyone can look at a part, say it doesn't fit, then want to charge the labor amount.

Actually a Dealerships Service Department does exactly that, and only that. The service advisor sells you the technicians time, period. The amount the job costs is based soley on that. Parts department sells parts, Sales sells cars.

 

[Hughes412]

I read most of this thread but couldn't wait any longer. I ran several shops both JEFFY LUBS and full auto repair shops. Both kinds of shops suck, and there isn't one tech mechanic or service writer out there that has never tried at least once to get money out of a customer when they shouldn't have.

First, the service writer should have taken the time to go over the what ifs. The tech should have checked the part befor ever taking off a nut. That didn't happen so what should have happen next is they should have called the customer and given the 2 opitons. Have the part fixed then installed or tell the customer that they will put the car back together but will still have to charge for half of the labor cost. The labor is to remove and replace, all they did was remove.
Second, if when you left the shop they took your money legally they excepted payment for the job. Thats why if you have a problem you always pay cash and get a recept. Yes they could have filed on you if you didn't pay.

Last, and this is why I don't work in the auto industry any more, is yes I'll bet 99% of all shops screw the customers. The dealer here that did my clutch tried it on me. I told them to hand tighten the lugs that if they didnt it would mess up the lugs. I pick the car up the next day take it home jack it up to check every thing. I found on lug lose, one lug only had a 1/4 in of threads left on it and the bottom bolt that holds the exhaust to the tany missing.
I called them and told them what I found and they said to bring it back. Long story short I had to take it back one more time to get the lug replace and get the bolt put in. Both times I was ashored that it was fixed and it wasnt.

I'm sure I'm forgeting something but I've alread lost intrest in this so I'll stop here. LOL Glad to hear it worked out for you.

 

[YuYuRena]

sorry to hear about your trouble. any dealership is like this. had the same bad service at toyota and honda dealership before. it all depends on the owner and the gm of the dealership

 

[Hughes412]

i'm not a mechanic but i have been told this many times in my stint at customer service in a retail store. nothing drives me more crazy. no, the customer is hardly ever right. whoever came up with this saying needs to grow up. you agreed to pay for labor. they did labor. you should pay for the labor that was done. should they have called you the moment that it didn't fit? yes. you know what they say about two wrongs...

Some one already hit on it once. The customer is always right, unless he/she is grossly wrong. The amount of money lost on this one job will cost that dealer thousands of dollars. This guy if treated right might have went back for the next item, or even a car. Plus I bet his family and friends will not use them. All for 45 mins, thats what, 75-80 bucks. Last I charged was 80 per shop hr. It all boils down to the tech not doing his job!

 

[BlkZoomZoom]

Some one already hit on it once. The customer is always right, unless he/she is grossly wrong. The amount of money lost on this one job will cost that dealer thousands of dollars. This guy if treated right might have went back for the next item, or even a car. Plus I bet his family and friends will not use them. All for 45 mins, thats what, 75-80 bucks. Last I charged was 80 per shop hr. It all boils down to the tech not doing his job!

Oh go get a clue. How is it the technicians fault the service advisor quoted a job on installing a aftermarket downpipe that ended up not fitting. He said it was the angle that the O2 sensor bung was welded in made it hit or rub on something. How are you supposed to know that until you put it on?

 

[jurgs01]

The customer is always right because that's good business, not because the customer is actually always right. I haven't worked in anything customer service since I was in high school, mostly because I can't stand rude people. I realize that if I did choose to work in a customer service job I would have to deal with them with a smile. That's part of it.

The tech could have handled things better, plain and simple. That's not the way you do business. The customer should never have walked out. He should have asked to speak to the manager on the spot, and if the manager had concluded that he pay then he should have payed and filed a complaint. I still think the tech is a tool for not catching the problem early.

 

[jurgs01]

Oh go get a clue. How is it the technicians fault the service advisor quoted a job on installing a aftermarket downpipe that ended up not fitting. He said it was the angle that the O2 sensor bung was welded in made it hit or rub on something. How are you supposed to know that until you put it on?

For it to actually hit something it would have to be in a different position. Angle would not make it hit anything. How do you not catch that?