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I don't see how my attitude towards customers is a "typical spoiled millennial attitude"? My stance on customers is I'm willing to work with them to come to an agreement. I am not willing to bend over backwards and kiss their ass and tell them they're always right, because they're not. They are bringing their car to ME to get it fixed, other than telling me what they want repaired and what they don't, who are they to tell me how to do MY job? They're coming to me because they can't do it themselves and they require outside skills and knowledge to get the job done, so how are they in any position to tell me how to do my job?
If I was getting the roof replaced on my house, I wouldn't be up there trying to tell the roofer how to do their job, so why does someone with no automotive knowledge or experience think they can tell me how to do my job? Like I said, the customer only gets to approve or refuse the work, they have no say in how it will be completed, that's all up to me. If you want someone you can "boss" around and control, find someone else to do the work. I simply say "X repair will cost x amount of money" and that's that, take it or leave it.
If I recall, youre like in your early 20s, no actual automotive repair education, other than "Ive been working on cars my whole life", worked for a dealership that you didnt like. Correct?
Most millennials I know have the attitude of its all about me, me, me, me, me! That is exactly what you said! It all about me, not about my customer(s). "Who are they to tell me how to do MY job?" YOUR CUSTOMER! If the customer is wrong, are you going to flat out tell them to kiss your ass? Or are you going to do the proper, respectful thing and tell them somethig to the effect of, "Well, cold be this or that. Let me check it out, and Ill get back to you", or something similar. Go around telling customers to kiss you ass will most likely cost you business, not only from that customer, but future customers as well, as soon as the one guy tells his buddies jimmy12345678 is a jerk! Ill give you credit for one thing though, having the courage to go out on your own and start your own business. Good luck, jimmy!
I'm not sure why everyone has their back up about this. I'm an admitted follower. I'm good at my job, but I like having my boss give me assignments. When I was in another position I often wasted time because I couldn't prioritize well and flitted from one project to another. I'm much happier with a hands-on boss and we've worked well together for 20 years.
If I recall, youre like in your early 20s, no actual automotive repair education, other than "Ive been working on cars my whole life", worked for a dealership that you didnt like. Correct?
Most millennials I know have the attitude of its all about me, me, me, me, me! That is exactly what you said! It all about me, not about my customer(s). "Who are they to tell me how to do MY job?" YOUR CUSTOMER! If the customer is wrong, are you going to flat out tell them to kiss your ass? Or are you going to do the proper, respectful thing and tell them somethig to the effect of, "Well, cold be this or that. Let me check it out, and Ill get back to you", or something similar. Go around telling customers to kiss you ass will most likely cost you business, not only from that customer, but future customers as well, as soon as the one guy tells his buddies jimmy12345678 is a jerk! Ill give you credit for one thing though, having the courage to go out on your own and start your own business. Good luck, jimmy!
During my 3 years at the dealer I was always taking new web based training lessons, as well as being sent to the Chrysler Academy and learning more about the new systems and vehicles that Chrysler was coming out with. Was constantly learning new things everyday, and I believe the real knowledge in this business starts with hands on experience. The reason I quit that dealership was because I didn't like the work environment and attitude, not because I couldn't do the work or didn't enjoy it.
You can sit in a classroom and have a teacher explain concepts to you, but rarely are those programs representative of the real world of auto repair. I learned more in the first two months working at the dealer than I did in my two years of taking auto shop in HS. Learned there's a big difference between "by the book" and "the real world" Worked there for over 3 years and currently working on getting my ASE's (which I know don't mean you know anything other than how to take a test, but it's really the only accreditation that the automotive field has, other than manufacturer certifications). Worked with a few of those tech school grad "techs" and they were the worst in the field IMO. They had a big ego because they had a "degree" and thought they were a super tech that knew everything, in reality they were a know-it-all who really knew next to nothing, but were so convinced of their own "brilliance" because "I graduated from UTI, Wyotech,etc." What they were lacking was real world experience and knowledge.
I'll readily admit that I DO NOT know everything about cars, never will, learn new things every single day, always have an open mind on new ways of completing repairs, and most importantly am not blindly convinced of my own brilliance. I've made so many mistakes over the years I've been doing this, but that's part of the experience that comes with doing the job. Any tech out there that tells you they've never broken something or screwed something up is a damn liar! That's how you learn. Watching other techs work has also taught me a lot of things, both what to do and what NOT to do.
Also, I never said I was going to tell the customer to kiss my ass. I'm saying I'm not going to kowtow around, tell them they're always right, stroke their ego and kiss THEIR ass. I'm saying I'm not going to put up with a know it all customer that really doesn't know squat! If they did, they'd be fixing the car themselves, but they don't, so they're coming to me for my expertise. And again all I can do is write up a work order telling them the parts and labor needed to fix their car, it's all up to them whether they want the work done or not. And no, I'm not going to him-haw around and say "Could be this, could be that, etc". I'm going to say "Here are the tests I've done, I've gone down through the diagnostics and everything points to x part being the cause." I don't guess or throw parts at something to fix it, I diagnose the problem and fix it RIGHT!
Last edited by jimmy12345678; 09-15-2017 at 08:52 AM..
Yes, people who prefer others to take the risks/responsibilities (including the financial ones) of being in charge live empty lives while you clearly lead a better, fuller one.
Meanwhile, I've often found that those who cannot handle any authority are usually immune to any criticism even when at fault, and tend to be insecure.
You must have read his posting history! Or was that just a really good guess?
You must have read his posting history! Or was that just a really good guess?
So there's no such thing as a job that's a "bad fit" for someone? Or a work environment that just doesn't mesh with their personality? Is their no such thing as a "bad boss" or is it always the employees fault? Are all authority figures above reproach in your eyes?
Jimmy, let's talk about that customer who wants you to fix her car the same day. You said you would refuse, but what if it was a personal emergency? She had to get to her dying mom or her kid was in the hospital in another state. What if she only had $290 in her account but the bill was $300?
Would you show any compassion or would this just be another customer wanting you to kiss her ass?
I am just saying you seem kind of defensive and rigid.
Jimmy, let's talk about that customer who wants you to fix her car the same day. You said you would refuse, but what if it was a personal emergency? She had to get to her dying mom or her kid was in the hospital in another state. What if she only had $290 in her account but the bill was $300?
Would you show any compassion or would this just be another customer wanting you to kiss her ass?
I am just saying you seem kind of defensive and rigid.
Again, I'll work with customers with reasonable time/cost expectations. There are many jobs that CAN be completed in far less than a day, and I'm more than willing to do that in order to help a person out, same with cutting the price a little if they are a little short on money. But that has it's limits. Replace your brakes all around in a day? Of course. Replace your engine/transmission in a day? That's a tall order unless I started first thing in the morning and spent all day on it, and even then it's iffy. Every situation is going to be different, of course, I'm just trying to illustrate the difference between getting a big job done that fast vs. a smaller job.
You can sit in a classroom and have a teacher explain concepts to you, but rarely are those programs representative of the real world of auto repair.
Ill agree with you on that!
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They had a big ego because they had a "degree" and thought they were a super tech that knew everything, in reality they were a know-it-all who really knew next to nothing, but were so convinced of their own "brilliance" because "I graduated from UTI, Wyotech,etc
I too would have an ego if I spent my hard earned money to get an education. But not all techs, or really anyone, is like that.
Quote:
Also, I never said I was going to tell the customer to kiss my ass.
Yes, you have, more than once! Im not digging back through all of your posts to find it.
I too would have an ego if I spent my hard earned money to get an education. But not all techs, or really anyone, is like that.
Having an ego is fine, you just better have the skills, knowledge and tools to back it up. Like they said in Top Gun "Your ego's writing checks your body can't cash!" Some techs out there deserve to be "king of the hill" and some just think they are but aren't even close.
I myself prefer to be the one calling the shots, even if the blame for making the wrong decision falls back on me. The risks and responsibilities are much greater, but the freedom that comes with it makes it worth it IMO.
Easy to say when things were given to you or you were lucky enough to have things work out for you
Not so easy when you are struggling and the few times you attempted to move ahead were complete failures and you feel like you don't have any more room to have another failure.
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