How is this not robbery?

[Car Doc]

I just have to wonder how many responders to this thread that have negative opinions of the pricing practice (flat rate) of the repair industry have ever made a LIVING working as a mechanic. I am willing to bet few if any. If you do not, then why did you not become one? If you are complaining you can always change careers and become one.

Yesterday I had a conversation with a fella that drives a truck for a regional grocery store chain. He said he earns $27.00 per hour on the clock and he said he had excellent benefits. No tools to buy, no technology to keep up with, no busted knuckles, no complaining customers claiming the radio does not work since he fixed the check engine light. I am sure somewhere his wages are figured into the price of groceries. By the way, he said he used to work as a mechanic.

I have the utmost respect for qualified technicians; they deserve every penney they earn.

Exactly right I have been wondering the same thing!

I bet as soon as most average joe hourly and salaried people had to actually be tied into the cash flow of a business good or bad by their individual production numbers and had to bring a huge part of the "tooling" at their expense into the equation and did all that at a small percentage of the actual cost of sales they would run out the door with their hair on fire.

Now with that said I know lots of jobs in our world that pay absolutely insane wages and are not at all tied into an individuals personal production so the people that get paid that way this doesn't reflect you just the little guys that get by paycheck to paycheck but the thought of that make me want to laugh out loud.

 

[Car Doc]

JJ's real issue is he was lied to, the book time is 1.2 as per Alldata. I will not condone the dishonest business practice he was subjected to. I try to treat my customers like I want to treated.. fairly and honestly.. The book time system is normally a benefit to our customers.. because most jobs take more time then we are given by the book.. fact.

However some techs are slow and some are not slow.. we could use another word, but slow works. This works too: Some techs are exceptional, some aren't.

Well put sir and agreed 100% by me at least. :thumbsup:

 

[beppington]

Exactly right I have been wondering the same thing!

I bet as soon as most average joe hourly and salaried people had to actually be tied into the cash flow of a business good or bad by their individual production numbers and had to bring a huge part of the "tooling" at their expense into the equation and did all that at a small percentage of the actual cost of sales they would run out the door with their hair on fire.

You mean because they recognize a bad deal when they see one?

Or because they wouldn't want to be subjected to feeling the "need" to charge somebody 3 hours time for a <1 hour job?

 

[beppington]

JJ's real issue is he was lied to, the book time is 1.2 as per Alldata. I will not condone the dishonest business practice he was subjected to. I try to treat my customers like I want to treated.. fairly and honestly.. The book time system is normally a benefit to our customers.. because most jobs take more time then we are given by the book.. fact.

That may be one issue JJ has, now that he knows the real book time, but I'd bet he'd still be P.O.'d if they quoted 1.2 hours & the guy did it in say 30 minutes, which a "gifted" mechanic can prob do in some cases ... less P.O.'d, but still P.O.'d.

 

[Car Doc]

You mean because they recognize a bad deal when they see one?

Or because they wouldn't want to be subjected to feeling the "need" to charge somebody 3 hours time for a <1 hour job?

What?

You miss read my post I am talking about you making your living on commission. :laughing:

 

[Car Doc]

That may be one issue JJ has, now that he knows the real book time, but I'd bet he'd still be P.O.'d if they quoted 1.2 hours & the guy did it in say 30 minutes, which a "gifted" mechanic can prob do in some cases ... less P.O.'d, but still P.O.'d.

That is JJ's issue period they quoted him a price but they made the mistake of telling him the hours which they got wrong also and they are charging some off the wall low ball shop rate that defies explanation.

They FIXED his truck thats the fact and they did it at the price they told him it was like it or not.

What is so fascinating to me about this thread is how everyone is stuck on the time he was charged or said he was being charged for but they dont want to pay straight time and they dont agree with the book so what do you charge and what do you use as a reference?

Tell us how would you level the playing field pray tell?????

(and dont say what you want to pay)

quoted from irwins post and I agree: The book time system is normally a benefit to our customers.. because most jobs take more time then we are given by the book.. fact.

So if we are expected adjust the ones down that we do faster why cant we adjust them up by the same token who is defining that dynamic and how could it be done fairly? Still hate the 'book"?

 

[Leejohn]

When you buy parts at a auto parts store it's a DIY deal, not take to some shop. Lets see him take it to Ford or Chev dealer and have his own parts. And he didn't even want the shop have anything to do with a core charge. How much could that be, even if you didn't get the part back, on a windsheild motor?
The guy helped him out for putting his parts on. He just made his mark up on the parts. He was told XXXX$ and he said OK.........

 

[orezok]

I build schools for a school district and because of that we must pay prevailing wage and are subject to taking the lowest bidder. That means we have to pay from $45 to $80 per man hour.

Because they are schools and the size of the individual contracts (up to $10M for a single trade like HVAC, electrical or concrete), we typically get only the best contractors with the most productive workers. Remember, everybody gets paid the same wage no matter the size of the contractor. This results in separating the wheat from the chaff very quickly.

Given all this criteria, we still only count on getting 5 to 6 hours of actual production out of a worker in an 8 hour day.

I don't think automotive repair has a significantly different efficiency.

 

[Car Doc]

I don't think automotive repair has a significantly different efficiency.

BINGO sir you are exactly right it is 5 hours is the target and its rarely done!

And as an employer and an educator I can promise anyone it is unbelievably hard to teach common sense let alone micro electronics and hydraulics and hvac and on and on and still make a productive employee.

They need 15 years of experience at a minimum to survive alone let alone pay their way and make a decent living at it in the mean time.

This is my last post I am out of here folks btw good day you guys!!!! :thumbsup: unsubscribing at this moment

 

[J_J]

I had ask that this thread be shut down, but no one honored my request.

Where are the moderators.