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Joe you are absolutely correct.  A similar though is the BNI saying that "culture beats strategy every time" and culture is determined by people.  

Great article! Well said Joe!  In all of our lives yesterday is gone and tomorrow never comes. Today is the day that matters. Those who wait until this is over to move their business forward will probably find they don't have a business anymore.

Welcome Tony! Good to have you.  We are all in the same boat. If you have a question you do not want to present in open forum message me.  Otherwise through it out here and we will respond. 

My wife and I are almost 100% recovered. We were well enough to travel to Atlanta to visit our daughter last week.  Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes. 

I started having symptoms on the 7th and tested positive for the virus on January 9th. My symptoms were fairly mild but breathing became an issue by the 14th. My oxygen level was dropping. I had to sleep setting up.  I received antibody infusion therapy on Saturday, January 16. I started feeling better yesterday and feel better today. If you have Covid and can get the antibody infusion therapy go for it. It is a game changer. I drug my feet when I could have had 5-6 days earlier.  Three of the seven people at our shop tested positive. Be sure you take this serious. It is no joke. 

And it keeps on affecting. One of my techs and yours truly have tested positive.  I have the shop with no one to enter the building except people that I have no symptoms and are waiting on test results. Trying to clear out cars that are in the shop so people don't go days or weeks without them.  Maybe not perfect but I think it will be effective.   So far it only feels like a mild head cold.

I haven’t been around much but I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a better New Years. 

The advantage right now is money is as cheap as you will ever find it. If you don’t go for it you will probably regret it everyday. 

Talk to the major parts vendors and ask them who they know that may want to consider retiring or selling. 

One of my employees son was working as a dish washer. When the virus hit he was getting almost $900 on unemployment take home pay per week which is more than any of my employees typical take home.  Doesn't make a lot of sense but no one ever said that our Washington politicians have much sense.  They have no trouble giving away our money.

And I will not consider a system that isn’t in the clouds because it simplifies hardware needs and eliminates backup issues. 

We have not worn masked since this began but our mayor and council have passed an ordinance requiring them in indoor areas beginning Wednesday.  I will ask my guys to wear them when pulling cars in and out or when around a customer.  I frankly don't expect them to wear them while working in the shop in this heat.  I will ask the counter personnel and myself to wear them at least when a customer is in the waiting area.  It is going to be a real pain when talking on the phone.

Business here has been strong for the last 8 weeks.

I am looking at this one and considering changing. It seems to be system of choice with many of the Facebook group.

https://www.tekmetric.com/?utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=90611462&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8EaPf_z-A-CkXytJQzHfTLZ5wmNd6PaLNR4j_KZro3OdDI2kp_ir2SGiUS-JmxrMnaaJHC-8m-KJrtG-Bzdn76tEtFww&utm_content=90611462&utm_source=hs_email

The biggest change we have made is to eliminate Saturday hours for the time being.  It has made life easier and reduced staffing needs.  So far I think it may yield more positives than the revenue lost.  I had been thinking about this before the crisis.  There are many reasons that I had considered it.  (1)It makes it easier to hire help.  Saturday hours are unpopular. (2)Parts availability on Saturdays is limited.  Some dealers are closed and all the parts stores operate with the B team.  (3)Parts delivery time on Saturday is very slow. (4)I am too old and don't want to work Saturdays.  

I have considered it but really don't want to. If push comes to shove I may do it.  I personally find the shields are a real nuisance when conducting business. I dislike having to talk through them or pass money under them.  Many of them are mounted too low with inadequate clearance in my book.  I have also noticed that a lot of people go to the end and pass money around them and talk around them.    

Me neither! I have only had one R1234 car this summer.

4 hours ago, Joe Marconi said:

For R134 we charge a flat fee of $189.00 (includes the R134) for passenger cars and small SUV's.  For Pickups, large SUV's and dual air, we charge $229.00. 

We also inform every customer with a recharge that there is a leak, and they must return at least twice for us to check for leaks, which is included in the intitial price.  

R1234 is a different ball game. Shops in my area (New York) are getting up to $550 for a recharge with the R1234

 

Joe do you have a R1234 machine?

You did not over react. I would probably asked them to never come back as well.  The customer isn't always right.

Last week we were asked to find a noise in a 2015 Mazda 3.  The noise was coming from the transmission. What we found was that something had been ran over and smashed the transmission pan.  When the customer picked up the car she was huffy and said she was going to get a second opinion.  Seems her son-in-law had the car on a rack changing the oil and had seen no damage so we obviosuly must be either incompetent or lying.  All in all her attitude was a stinker because:  (1)We had charged nothing to look at the car and obviously that wasn't appreciated. (2)We suggested they contact their insurance and potentially turn this into an insurance claim (which we wouldn't do if we were trying to fabricate something because the insurance would have an adjuster look at it.  (3) We had no reason to lie.  I even offered to rack the car and show her which she declined.  What she didn't realize is there is a plastic shield that covers the transmission pan.  The shield is flexible enough to give, allow the pan to be damaged, and pop back in place.  You do not remove the plastic shield to change the oil or filter.  This customer was absolutely wrong in our attitude and conclusions.  It would probably make me want to tell her I could set her up an appointment on the second Tuesday of next week. 

That creates a lot of good will. 

Not so much here guys. 

Joe, you may find this of interest:

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-sba-paycheck-protection-program/

Glad to hear you were successful. It really helps take some pressure off. Be sure to remember the bank that helped you. 

Yesterday we removed a tail light to change a bulb! Surprise as this is what we found. Joe you may see a lot of this in the rust belt but here not so much. 

The PPP money has bought me time and lowered my blood pressure. I really feel bad for a lot of shop owners that have not gotten the money and now the supply is exhausted.  It's seems the key to getting paid besides filing early is you needed to bank with a smaller bank and have an existing relationship with your banker. If you didn't already have a relationship with your banker or banked with a big bank where you are just a number the chances are you didn't get the money.  On other forums tha seems to be the situation and approximately only fifty percent got the money. If you applied on line with the SBA and not through a local bank you did not get the money.