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MAXUM · 10-11-2019, 11:32 AM

I'll just share this for what it's worth.

Back years ago I used to be a technician for Toyota. There were times where somebody would bring in a car\truck that was displaying a particular symptom. OK fine, the trouble is I'd take a look and find that the vehicle had undergone significant modifications, some not always well executed and some how I'm expected to be a miracle worker and figure out what clearly whoever was in there before was unable to. Sometimes you can some times you cannot. Heck I've had stuff towed in accompanied with a box of parts, most times missing stuff to reassemble and get working again. Ironically I'd say the majority of owners of these vehicles had little or no money and griped if they were charged to much - keep in mind part of that charge is to figure out what you're dealing with. Many customers do not want to pay for this and it is crucial in order to understand sometimes what is going on.

Experience is also key. I can't tell you how many times due to inexperience I had to pull in somebody usually a master tech to help me out cause I couldn't figure things out. Sure there were a few times I thought I had something fixed and sure enough it came back with an owner who doesn't necessarily appreciate that you're doing your best effort to help them out and fix their problem. Sometimes problems are a phantom, sometimes they come back days, weeks or months later. There is only so much you can do to check to ensure a fix is really a fix. Of course some don't get that and think you're useless as a result, in fact some customers were downright condescending to which I would just think sure everything YOU do is 100% all the time.

Bottom line is - nobody is perfect. If something does end up coming back because it's not fixed, how that is handled is really what gives a customer a good experience or not. I can tell you I hung new parts thinking it would solve a problem when it didn't. It happens. Best I could do in those situations is give the customer some sort of service of equivalent value for their inconvenience. Some appreciated it some didn't. Is what it is.

Not to say there are not guys who don't know what they are doing out there, or upsell work and parts that are not needed. This is a typical assumption which is not fair to those who are otherwise good guys that simply sometimes don't get it right the first time.

10-11-2019, 11:32 AM	#10
MAXUM Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Kuna ID Posts: 2,755 Thanks: 246 Thanked 1,942 Times in 802 Posts	I'll just share this for what it's worth. Back years ago I used to be a technician for Toyota. There were times where somebody would bring in a car\truck that was displaying a particular symptom. OK fine, the trouble is I'd take a look and find that the vehicle had undergone significant modifications, some not always well executed and some how I'm expected to be a miracle worker and figure out what clearly whoever was in there before was unable to. Sometimes you can some times you cannot. Heck I've had stuff towed in accompanied with a box of parts, most times missing stuff to reassemble and get working again. Ironically I'd say the majority of owners of these vehicles had little or no money and griped if they were charged to much - keep in mind part of that charge is to figure out what you're dealing with. Many customers do not want to pay for this and it is crucial in order to understand sometimes what is going on. Experience is also key. I can't tell you how many times due to inexperience I had to pull in somebody usually a master tech to help me out cause I couldn't figure things out. Sure there were a few times I thought I had something fixed and sure enough it came back with an owner who doesn't necessarily appreciate that you're doing your best effort to help them out and fix their problem. Sometimes problems are a phantom, sometimes they come back days, weeks or months later. There is only so much you can do to check to ensure a fix is really a fix. Of course some don't get that and think you're useless as a result, in fact some customers were downright condescending to which I would just think sure everything YOU do is 100% all the time. Bottom line is - nobody is perfect. If something does end up coming back because it's not fixed, how that is handled is really what gives a customer a good experience or not. I can tell you I hung new parts thinking it would solve a problem when it didn't. It happens. Best I could do in those situations is give the customer some sort of service of equivalent value for their inconvenience. Some appreciated it some didn't. Is what it is. Not to say there are not guys who don't know what they are doing out there, or upsell work and parts that are not needed. This is a typical assumption which is not fair to those who are otherwise good guys that simply sometimes don't get it right the first time.