This article started as '3 Things that Annoy Mechanics' but sometimes you have plenty of material to work with! What do you think, are we on the money?
1) The Blame Game
‘Ever since’ complaints have been a perpetual issue for decades in this trade. In the unlikely case you’re unfamiliar with what we’re talking about, we’re referring to the “Ever since you changed my headlight globe, my AC doesn't get cold” and other grossly unrelated systems or parts of a car. In some instances, these are valid complaints and any customer complaint should be thoroughly inspected and assessed. Members of the Mechanic.com.au Team have had a come-back or two over the years that sounded very far fetched but actually did turn out to be caused by the work performed. In most cases however, customers seem to go looking for issues and then correlating them (incorrectly) to the last time their vehicle was worked on by a technician.
2) Wheel Lock-Nut Keys
There aren’t many things more frustrating than getting a car up on the hoist, cracking the sump plug and going to take off the wheels to find a lock nut. Actually there are; putting the car back down and fossicking around to find the lock nut key and then having to call the customer to retrieve it. There are a number of parties that may be to blame here, the customer for forgetting it, the service advisor for not asking for it and the technician for not checking it before starting the job. We have to remember that most of our customers don’t spend their time around cars or even put much thought into what is required during a job, they are merely transportation tools. The onus is really on us to ensure that we have the lock nut tool (where applicable) when the customer books/drops off the vehicle.
3) Running on Empty
We can only imagine this one comes down to customers not putting any thought into the process we need to go through when we carry out servicing and repairs. What are we talking about here? Empty fuel tanks of course. Ironically it’s usually the vehicles that require some significant drivetime such as drivability complaints that are presented like this.
Again, maybe we need to start taking charge and quizzing customers whether their vehicles have sufficient fuel at the time of drop-off? We have better things to be doing than waiting at a petrol station for fuel.
4) The Crystal Ball
One of the worst possible things for all parties involved when it comes to diagnostic jobs is a lack of information. We’re not referring to technical data but rather having no clear definition of the complaint from the customer. Again, if the technician does not have direct contact with the customer, it is up to the service advisor to ask the right questions and get as much information as possible about the fault.
Try using our handy diagnostic checklist to ensure you are getting the correct information from your customers.
5) Priorities
As technicians, we get baffled when customers opt to repair their head unit over their engine or their AC over their brakes. Sometimes it seems like our customers priorities are completely backwards. The best we can do is try to educate them about the importance of critical vehicle systems and try and assist them in prioritising repairs.
6) Walk right in, sit right down
Around the driveway, past the sign that says ‘Authorised Personnel Only’, across the striped yellow and black hazard area on the floor and over the chain across the workshop bay that says ‘No Entry’. Short of reminding customers that a workshop is not a safe place, there’s not a lot more we can do about this one besides clear signage and policing. It does astound us how little consideration some customers give to warning signs that we’re sure would be heeded in other buildings such as a construction site or hospital.
7) Patiently waiting
So your customer's booked in for that job at 9am, you’ve got the parts ready, you’re keeping a bay/hoist free and you’ve got some time squared away for your technician to carry out the job. Half an hour passes, an hour, so we make a call to check how far away our customer is.
Turns out they had forgotten about it or something has come up, they will call us later in the week to re-book it. Thanks.
A good way to get around this is reminder calls or sms messages much like many medical offices do these days. It’s a little more effort (unless your CRM can send out automatic sms reminders based on your bookings) but well worth it given how much it can inconvenience us.
8) That's not how I would do it
We’ve all been there; the customer who used to work on cars 30 years ago and insists on hanging over your shoulder while you work and offering advice and ‘help’.
At the end of the day, we should welcome enquiries and questions from our customers about their vehicles and should make an effort to keep them informed, but having a customer over your shoulder when you’re working is not only frustrating but can be dangerous. Another good motive to have clear signage and a zoned area where customers are not permitted.
9) Waiters
This can be a divisive topic. Some technicians don’t mind having a customer wait while they complete a task and for others there is nothing more frustrating. Usually so, when a job ‘snowballs’ and there are unforeseen repairs or an extended wait time. Whilst whether the customer is present or not shouldn’t dictate how long a job takes or whether a technician ‘rushes’, it can certainly put the pressure on. We think the best way to handle waiters is to not take on more work than you have capacity to perform and to adequately manage your customers expectations around time. Always try and account for unforseen circumstances and allow a ‘buffer’
10) Fort Knox
You’ve just finished working on a car and go to pull it around into the carpark for the customer to pick up. By the time you have backed out of the workshop a customer has blocked you in. Not only that, but they have locked their vehicle and proceeded inside to the waiting room.
Whilst it’s always good to see people securing their vehicles, it’s often unwarranted in most workshops where there are 5+ staff around and the workshop is set off of the street.
Again, clear signage and markings can help prevent this from happening by having clearly marked car parks and no parking zones.
11) Community Submission
What is your peeve worthy of being listed as Number Eleven? Submit it in the Mechanic.com.au Facebook Group (Members Only) for your chance to win a prize from our Community Partners!
