Re: Here's what's going on w/my Scout/Help in the Bay Area?

["J. Michael Shaw, II" <MikeIIDC@domain.elided>]

-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Harais <tjhemh@domain.elided>
To: J. Michael Shaw, II <MikeIIDC@domain.elided>; Farmer <pharmer@domain.elided>;
Heather & Bryan Faldalen <bryheath@domain.elided>; ihc-digest@domain.elided
<ihc-digest@domain.elided>
Date: Friday, April 16, 1999 2:49 PM
Subject: Re: Here's what's going on w/my Scout/Help in the Bay Area?


>Michael:
>
>The "other guys" were dishonest in one respect: if they didn't fix it, they
>should not be charging you! At least not for thier labor.
>
>I wasn't there, but I can tell you the made the most common mistake of
>"professional" mechanics and that mistake gripes me to no end. They just
>"fixed" things until they thought they had it right. Of course, you're
>paying for this the whole time. They aren't dianosing the problem. They
>didn't track it down. They just fixed based on symptoms, until they thought
>they had eliminated all the probablities. This is an efficient way for a
>pro mechanic to work. You pay for the parts, and he is keeping his
>investment of time down too. But, he/she isn't doing you any favors in my
>opinion.
>
>The local mechanic I sometimes go to. He charges $73/hour for his time,
>starting with the diagnosis. I am free to take the car after his diagnosis
>and estimate of the costs of repair if I want to go somewhere else or
>tackle the job myself. But, I OWE HIM for his diagnosis time, at the rate
>of $73/hour. It is well worth it. And, I usually just have him do the job.
>He puts the diagnosis time on my bill, if it was a half hour or more. If it
>is less, he recoups on the repair labor.
>
>Tom H.


Tom-

Well, everywhere I have been, if the problem is not fixed immediately, tey
will continue to work until they do fix it, and I will get a break on the
labor, as they realize that they have erred.  However, I have also, on
occasion, been given the-"Well, we gave you an estimate of what it would
cost to replace _______, and we replaced ________.  That is what you are
being charged for.  If it did not fix your problem, you should have let us
know right away, and we would have remedied it."  The problem in this
particular instance was that it was such an intermittent thing, that it
would work for up to three weeks without the shaft bouncing out of balance,
and would sometimes fall right back into place when you let it stop.  I
would leave each place thinking it was better, then two or three weeks later
it would pop up.  In this instance, the business has a very legitimate
complaint.  They cannot know what I have done in that time, nor do they know
that it is actually acting the same way, or if I am trying to get a "bonus."
This is similar to people at a bar ordering a drink, sitting down for twenty
minutes, and coming up saying I poured the wrong thing, or it is flat or
bad.  I have no idea what they have done-such as drink the whole thing, then
pour some partial leftover drinks they found into their glass and claim I
made it.  And trust me, when it comes to alcohol, people will stop at
nothing!
Or it is akin to you doing some minutiae of bookwork for a company, and then
three weeks later having them come to you and saying it was messed up, but
not being able to show you the books to prove it.  If you know a garage that
will let stuff like this go, let me know and I will use them to get my
entire Scout rebuilt!!!  Actually, I think you know me better than that, but
I think you get my point.  I still have respect for the other mechanics, as
I have had enough other bad experiences that I know IH's are a foreign breed
to many.  They are both still in business in Taos, and both still very
respected.  I would recommend either to anyone from all I've heard of them.
Anyone, that is, except an IH owner, who I am sending down that long dirt
road to see Jesse!

Michael