Let me explain a little bit about how our shop operates. You bring your vehicle in with a complaint, then the technicians spend time figuring out what is wrong with the car and what it will take to repair it. As most of you know, this is called Diagnostic Time. An estimate is then written and you are phoned with what the repair costs are. Here is where some confusion comes in. I get a lot of people that ask, “If I have you repair it, will you take the diagnostic fee off?” or “Does that price include the diagnostic fee?” The answer to both questions is “No”
“Well JoeBobJimPaul Shop takes their diagnostic fee off if I have it repaired there.” Or you’ve seen the signs that say ‘Free Diagnosis’
People, there is no such thing as free.
Professional technicians are paid by the time they spend working on a vehicle. If the shop is slow and the technicians are standing around, they are not being paid. So, with that in mind, lets say you’re a technician, your boss gives you a car to diagnose, it takes you 30 minutes to figure out the problem but the customer declines the repair, does that mean you should not be paid for your time and expertise? And what about the fact that you are diagnosing 4-5 cars a day, that’s 2 to 5 hours a day you’re going to work for free?
Ok, let’s look at it from the shop owner’s point of view. Let’s say that you go ahead and pay you technician, but your not getting the jobs, or you’re giving the diagnosis time away “free”, so how are you making up that loss? Most “free” diagnostis fees get hidden in the price somewhere, I guarantee it.
At European Autospecialist, NOTHING is hidden from our customer. We try very hard to be fair to everyone across the board, customers and employees alike. Happy technicians do quality work for you, our customers. You, our customer, know exactly what we are doing and what you are paying for. For me, this is the easiest way to go. I’m honest with you so I can go to sleep at night and not have to worry about any sleight of hand that I performed for someone or any ‘stories’ I said that I have to remember.
There is nothing “Free”, it’s there, somewhere.
Oh, I stand corrected. We will occasionally replace your burnt bulb, without an appointment… For free.
No comments:
Post a Comment