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Businesses that don't seem that interested in doing work; Strange phenomenon around here.
Topic Started: Nov 15 2015, 12:57 PM (1,403 Views)
Woodie
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Woodie
Nov 16 2015, 04:44 AM
I contacted five different businesses trying to get my turbo rebuilt for the Firefly before anyone got back to me. How hard is it to return a phone call or e-mail? Even if it was to say "screw you and your minuscule turbo, ain't nobody got time for dat", I would have appreciated some sort of response. Why bother having a website claiming to offer a service?
I finally sent my turbo off to a place in California who answered my e-mail almost instantly. Figured they were at least willing.

Well, they rebuilt the core okay, but then bolted all the pieces on willy nilly, seemingly completely at random. Both snails were clocked incorrectly, water manifold was backward, oil drain was backward. They broke an ear off the compressor housing trying to get a stuck bolt out, did the rebuild, and then welded the ear back on with the buggered up bolt still in there! Once you've broken the thing wouldn't you go ahead and finish getting the bolt out? They replaced all the rest of the bolts and screws. Anyway, I took a hacksaw to the head of the bolt and it just fell into two, allowing me to unscrew the shaft of the bolt with my fingers. Couldn't figure this out?


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cwatkin


Yes, I have found the same with the text messages. Anyone who contacts me through a text message is usually not a serious potential customer. They are usually a wishy washy time wasting tire kicker. They ask a complex question over a text so I tell them to call me. Some do and eventually the jobs pan out while most just never respond via text or a call.

Charging some money upfront, even just a small amount, really helps weed out the bad ones. I won't touch a computer these days without having $35 upfront. I also apply this to the final bill as long as they pickup the computer within 7 days of repair completion. I am not a storage facility and like to get them turned around quickly. Also, once they get left for long, the people usually just buy a new one and leave the one they brought behind. I require all items be paid and picked up within 14 days unless a payment plan is arranged. This never happens so I end up having stuff left.

Because of this I pretty much require they pay for the parts upfront if they are specific to their unit. I don't bother doing this if they are relatively common parts that can be pulled and used in another system. You would be amazed at how many people tell you to complete a repair and then never follow through.

Conor
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Freeman
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The Family Man

Probably a small portion, but a lot of companies are so busy they can (literally) afford to ignore many customers. My local machine shop was overflowing with work, so I wouldn't have been surprised if he said he didn't have time for my small job.
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cwatkin


I never ignore customers but small jobs are priced so that they are worth my while as stated before. Those wanting a $15 computer installation don't always bite but finding someone reliable to do onsite work is often difficult around here. You can find them but many are on heroin, meth, etc. and just looking to pay for their next fix. One customer who called me said that after a guy had TRIED to fix her computer for $15 and spent like 6 hours in the process, someone had showed up at her house and broke a window trying to get in that next morning. She ran him off at gunpoint and it was the same guy.

I have had several jobs where the cost of the trip to the location far exceeds the cost of the actual work. There are a lot of people who are afraid to even open the box when they buy a new computer, much less connect and install everything. I can do that in a few short minutes but the cost of getting there and back has to be factored in. Lots of people think that shouldn't matter.

Conor
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ZXTjato
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bass heads

I don't think its just people to do work. here is another side of the coin.

at my job we do birthday parties and they are not that cheap, people pay for them and request a day, we call them e mail them text them what ever is most convenient for the paying person. yet these people still wont ever pick up the phone, return an email or even return a text. How is it that you pay for a service then never follow up with the process. The planning of an event takes a bit of communication and some people lack it so hard core I wonder how they even made the money to pay us in the first place. plenty of customers have gotten just "whatever" because they would not answer the phone or return our calls. we have a 3 a day policy and we document each call and email and text time, duration, recorded etc. we contact them 3 times in a 1 day span to plan things, if we don't get a reply in 24 hours we do 3 more attempts to reach them. its stupid to me.
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cwatkin


Yep, I have definitely had this too! People bring a computer in and I know it is going to be a specialty part so I require half or more upfront. Then they never answer my calls or make any attempt to contact me. Only a few who have paid more than $35 upfront have done this. I used to offer free estimates (BIG MISTAKE) and I had stuff left like this all the time.

There are two reasons I like to get computers back to the customer ASAP. I apply the $35 upfront diagnostic to the final bill as long as they are picked up within 7 days of repair completion. I also apply this to the purchase of another if their unit is uneconomical to repair, provided they do so within 7 days. After 14 days the computer is mine to do whatever with. I can resell it, use it for myself, or send it to the scrap heap. They sign a form agreeing to this when they drop them off.
1. I am not a storage facility and these things can build up quick. I once paid for storage and it wasn't cheap. The problem was that no one ever came and claimed these stored unit. The few that did were pissed when I charged them a few months of storage fees. I will serve as my own storage facility as long as they are paying me to do so (never happened).
2. The longer a computer stays in my hands, the less likely a person will come back and get it. I try to offer same or next day service on most jobs. Unfortunately some parts take a while to arrive and can extend this out to a week or so. I guess people need their computer so get another one, then never come back for the one they wanted fixed.

I had another person I sold a laptop power cord to cal me saying it had gone bad. I told them I would swap it for another one or trade it for comparable value work. They were going to bring me a computer and I went to meet them. They never showed so I called after waiting a while. They said they got busy putting together some furniture but they could meet me in a little bit. I told them where I was going and to call me when they were on their way. They never called so I called them before heading back to my place and they said they would get it to me another day. I never heard back. I do charge $35 for missed appointments now.

When I have multiple jobs lined up each day, I give people a time window and let them know I will call them when I leave the job before them. Of course I have a pretty narrow time window for the early jobs. There is greater uncertainty as the day goes on so afternoon/evening jobs get a wider time window. People seem pretty happy with this system and understand that with other jobs, you can't be there at an exact time. The problem is when you wait around for someone to show up and they never call.

Conor
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2000Firefly1.3L
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I'm right now trying to contact a man who does specialty ECU tuning on cryslers, his voicemail inbox is full and he won't reply to emails. perhaps he doesn't want my money ?? $$
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cwatkin


It is a CHRYSLER! Anyone who works on them probably has their hands full.

Yes, I agree. People should have more of an interest in doing their job.

I have ordered 3 parts for a TV I am trying to repair. The first arrived full of water so I sent it back. The second was the wrong part and I could tell the instant I opened the box. The third... We will see...

Conor
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mt999999
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Self-Declared "Genious"

cwatkin
Jan 6 2016, 11:31 PM
It is a CHRYSLER! Anyone who works on them probably has their hands full.

Yes, I agree. People should have more of an interest in doing their job.

I have ordered 3 parts for a TV I am trying to repair. The first arrived full of water so I sent it back. The second was the wrong part and I could tell the instant I opened the box. The third... We will see...

Conor
What? You didn't order it avec de l'eau? (With water)... :lol I thought that was a feature! :P
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Woodie
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mt999999
Jan 7 2016, 01:50 AM
cwatkin
Jan 6 2016, 11:31 PM
It is a CHRYSLER! Anyone who works on them probably has their hands full.

Yes, I agree. People should have more of an interest in doing their job.

I have ordered 3 parts for a TV I am trying to repair. The first arrived full of water so I sent it back. The second was the wrong part and I could tell the instant I opened the box. The third... We will see...

Conor
What? You didn't order it avec de l'eau? (With water)... :lol I thought that was a feature! :P
Au Jus ?
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mt999999
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Self-Declared "Genious"

Woodie
Jan 7 2016, 06:28 AM
mt999999
Jan 7 2016, 01:50 AM
cwatkin
Jan 6 2016, 11:31 PM
It is a CHRYSLER! Anyone who works on them probably has their hands full.

Yes, I agree. People should have more of an interest in doing their job.

I have ordered 3 parts for a TV I am trying to repair. The first arrived full of water so I sent it back. The second was the wrong part and I could tell the instant I opened the box. The third... We will see...

Conor
What? You didn't order it avec de l'eau? (With water)... :lol I thought that was a feature! :P
Au Jus ?
You lost me. :P
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