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SIGN FOR BROKEN PARTS

DUFRESNES
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bantar Community Regular

bantar

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The concise definition that I remember reading was:   "If it breaks during disassembly, then its on you.  If it breaks going back on, then its on me."   Of course, this needs to be wrapped flowery words.

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Patrickrocks Rookie

Patrickrocks

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For jobs over $1,000 we add a 10% contingency on estimate.  We explain to the customer what it’s for (additional labor for broken bolts, old brittle clips, a seal that was not put on estimate, etc) and that if it’s not needed, it comes off the bill.  
 

We use some of the contingency 20% of the time. If we sell it up front, the customer is usually resigned to the fact that the repair will cost the higher amount and when the job goes smoothly and we don’t need it, we tell them it’s less, and they are ticked pink. 
 

i am also wary of putting up warning signs and the vibe they give off. 
 

just my 2 cents

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JimO Collaborator

JimO

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Most of the jobs we do are already entered in my shop management system as “canned jobs”. When I entered all these canned jobs I added all miscellaneous items such as clips, retainers, conditioning discs, nuts/bolts/washers etc.. onto jobs that would routinely utilize those items. Over the years I have adjusted these canned jobs to include more items or in some cases removed some items. My estimates are done using my shop management program so in most cases the forgotten or overlooked part or a part that commonly fails is included in the estimate. If The part is not used then it is removed from the invoice. The above covers all of the small, incidental items in most cases. If I fail to include a clip or small priced item and add it to the final invoice I very rarely have anyone question it. I always have the option to N/C the item if I think this particular customer will cause a fuss over a low price, unexpected part. Over time you get to know your customer, even first time customers. When I review an involved estimate I always try to verbally inform the customer of the potential need of additional parts or labor based on my past experience. When the unexpected happens and the additional part or labor is costly I call the customer as soon as possible and inform them of the need and cost of the additional part or labor. Letting something like this go until the customer receives the invoice is never a good idea. When we increase the cost of a customer’s invoice because of unexpected issues we need to realize that we are spending the customers money so they deserve to be informed and be brought into the decision of how to proceed. Concerning signs - I find that most people don’t read signs so I don’t post a sign concerning this matter. I suppose if I had a sign and the customer questioned an additional charge I could then point to the sign but that to me would be wrong. Pointing to a sign when a customer is standing in front of you, upset about an up charge will only add fuel to the fire.

 

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James William Newbie

James William

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On 3/29/2022 at 12:47 AM, DUFRESNES said:

Does anybody have a sign stating if parts coming off to make a repair are broken, the customer is responsible.  I don't want to make a new sign if someone already has one.  Such as bolts, plastic pieces and windshields that have rock chips and split.  I am not talking about abuse, just warn parts.

I guess it depends from case to case and there shouldn't be any hard and fast rule. For example you may prepare an estimate of a repair order and later while repairing procedure, you discover that some other parts need your attention. This doesn't mean you are going to to the additional repair for free. You have to charge for this and hence you revise the estimates after your customer's approval. 

Moreover, your customers are not easy people to deal with. They do not trust you easily. In worst cases, where customer actually complains that you are responsible for the additional broken part, you can look into the case.

Another case would be that you gave your best and the vehicle looks absolutely fine when your customer leaves your shop. But returns on the same or next day complaining that the part broke off. What should you do here? You again have to look into the case. It may be your customer fault but it could be yours too. In this case, I believe you should just go for free repairing of the particular part. After all, it may give your customers confidence into your shop that you did not try to upsell them. Hence, its your gain ultimately. But, remember, this is a rare case. May happen twice in 6 months. Do not let your customers deceive you! You have to be smart here. 

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

    • Joe Marconi
      Want to End Your Technician Shortage? Focus on Retention!
      By Joe Marconi in Joe's Blog
         5 comments
      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”

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