Repair service or the lack of it!!

[Brian Mervau]

Several times lately I have been reminded that service business's are not manned by <br />people that have service in mind. It seems that some have their own agendas and schedules<br />and if that doesn't fit with customers then they are no longer "customers". I grew up in my dad's <br />small town grocery store in a little town in Michigan. I was thought that you must do what ever it <br />took to give people what they wanted, no mater what. We would put up and deliver special orders, <br />fill jugs of vinegar in the back room, replace busted windows, special order "stuff" that would <br />be delivered by GreyHound buss then store it for them until they could pick it up. <br />Make a long story short my dad taught me what the work ethic means and how to make people <br />want to come back and get more of what ever it is I was selling, or offering in life. To bad other dads <br />didn't do as good a job. Last winter my wife bought me an electric anchor for my fishing boat. <br />I was a gift I wanted and appreciated but I think she was tired of pulling the rope whenever she <br />went along. Anyway it was a great gift and it made me happy. I went into R & S Boats in Rome City, Indiana <br />to make an appointment for the "simple installation" or so the box said. I was told that it would be <br />a month before they could get to it which didn’t seem unreasonable as it was spring, so I made the <br />schedule and wrote it on my calendar. On the appointed day, a Friday, I left work early so I would <br />be sure to get my boat to R & S on time and I could park it where they wanted it. I didn't realize it<br /> but I had a flat tire on my trailer and had to deal with that first. <br /> When I got to R & S I was met by an overly busy "service" person and when I told him my name he <br />started into a tirade about how he didn’t want to install an electric device in an old boat and he just<br />knew it would take to long and he couldn't tie up his people like that. I said that I sure wished that<br />I was told that when I make that appointment or that I would have been given a call. He mumbled <br />something under his breath and I left with my ego bruised and my feelings hurt. <br />He blamed the "girl" that made that date and said she should have known he didn't do that.<br />If you go into that store you will see that they sell the same unit on their shelf. I might add that last <br />summer I had work done on my "old" boat and they were more than happy to take my money then. <br /> My whole point is why can't we treat each other the way my dad did. To bad not enough of us <br />listened. And to bad insensitive people have jobs that deal with our lives and passions. And to some <br />of us to sit in a boat on a beautiful morning listening to the loons and maybe catch a fish or two is <br />truly a passion. To bad my wife has to still work the rope! <br /><br />Brian Mervau<br />0060e 405s<br />LaGrange, In 46761<br />219-463-7987<br />emervau@kuntrynet.com

 

[12Footer]

Re: Repair service or the lack of it!!

I know this is kinda off the topic of the thread, but Brian, I coudn't agree with you more!<br />Your message gives an explanation of everything wrong with this country. There<br />are still a few proud people who stand behind their work, work their tails off to please the customer,and in some cases, actually enjoy treating their customers with repect and true concerne.<br />These are the folks we see out on the roads driving fancy cars, or lumbering past us in their luxury yachts,creating a wake you could surf on....And I SAY MORE POWER TO THEM! May they live long enough to enjoy the<br />fruits of their hard work.<br />I could go into a tieraid myself about the tax rates, the sponges of soceity,and so on..But this isn't the place, i guess.<br />So just know you are not the only one who sees what is happening,and is sickened by the sight.

 

[ODDD1]

Re: Repair service or the lack of it!!

Brian, as a Factory backed service facility I would like to apologize for my so called peers......at best what happened was poor customer handling...at worst it shows a pattern that is gonna cut their bottom line...your post poked at a couple points I'd like to comment on....."The customer is always right" is a lofty goal we all aspire to....when the customer and the service provider share the same veiw point of the end result....my viewpoint when a new customer shows in the driveway is to get him out of here with a sense of satisfaction...if I fix his hardware an get him back on the water with a bill he can afford to pay, he will call me next time service is needed...this is how we all hope it will work....<br />Most places if you call with a job they really dont want to do, will tell you a month /6 weeks just to make you go away,no anger/blame to place..you might call em next time...this one of my problems with the credo 'the cust is always right' service people have lost the ability to say NO! It only comes out when you back them into a corner and anger flares...now, if you come in with a request which I feel is counter productive to 'getting you back on the water'[either financially or time wise] customer education begins...i gotta find out why you want this done and try to explain to you what my motives are....a time consuming process most dealers skip because its 'wasting time'...some times the boats leave but most times they stay..its the best advertising i can get<br />There are many services in my shop people find over priced....accy installs being one of them.....if you want slipshod install you can find it anywhere..if you want it by the book [did the factory put that in?] it will cost you $65 an hour till i am done....why so much an hour just for that work? this is America..if i have a factory trained tech that can bill that all day for engine work I am not gonna charge less on him for something else....<br />The end result is if I am being paid well for what i consider a distasteful job I will HAPPILY do it....the choice belongs to the customer, where it should rest...<br />as far as paying for it a customer should know going in what to expect.... a dollar figure [at least a high limit] is agreed upon at drop off...the rare occasion that its an unknown a worst case figure should be given, though it rarely is, you dont want to scare a customer away! I dont get too worried about scaring people...the end cost is usuallly the same even when another shop lowballs the job..and the customer ends up mad at them, i still get another chance....<br />As far as bringing accy into a shop for install when they sell that piece but you didn't buy from them, weel some people get funny about that..[kinda like takin eggs to the restaraunt for breakfast]..I dont sell accy so I dont much care, but if you bring your boat in for an oil change and i see an oil filter [ not what i sell] sitting on the seat....well it will still be there when I am done..the price quoted included the filter.....<br />In my shop you get professional service for professional rates..if a request is made for a substandard repair on a boat, the reason for a different procedure is explained and if unacceptable the job refused....I will not do work which will reflect badly on me in the future....for the same reason I will not work on competitors product,i am untrained and unable to give "professional service"<br />Reminds me of that old stones song...cant always get what you want..but if you try you just might get what you need......

 

[SeaBear]

Re: Repair service or the lack of it!!

At the risk of upsetting ODDD1 - nothing personal. I'm afraid Brian it's the same here in the UK. These days the 'business' takes precedence over the customer's needs. Jobs are only undertaken where the profit margin is high enough, fear of damaging the product [your old boat] is low and confidence that the 'fitter' can do it without risking the 'guaranteed work' clause comes higher on the list than helping the customer who may just tell loads of people about how 'friendly' the service was, etc. Here, more and more business is done by word of mouth but it is still sometimes hard to get good service. I appreciate as much as most that 'business is business' until the businessman wants, expects and demands good service? Also, reflecting on Brian's experience - it may be that when the man saw the 'old' boat assumed that you were not as rich as other customers who he can point his workers at and earn that little bit more out of? Sadly this is a worldwide virus which is eating away at mankind in general! Ooops, we are getting emotional about this aren't we? I better stop now but I expect this will provoke more reaction ...