Take em' to the cleaners?

[Syini666]

tyger_claw > just imagine how much women get screwed when they take a car in to be repaired. I've heard of more than one instance where a woman took in a car to be serviced, and got taken for every penny they could get from her.

[zaddikim]

re: customer education vs. profit$:

Having worked in the retail industry (in automotive, no less), I can personally attest to both attitudes when it
comes to profit margins vs. customer retention. Having an objective viewpoint (having a snowjob attempted on
yours' truly) I can honestly say that it does required a *little* education on the clients' part, but the onus is
definitely on the part of the service tech ( whether 'puter or auto ) to educate the customer, and failing that
at the very least, treating him/her with the utmost respect no matter what.

I am currently in a training program in for the IT field ( I was a Geek in denial for years), and our instructor,
who used to work for IBM ( i know...) and also had his own business, informed us that it behooves us to
improve our collective stature in the consumers' viewpoint. I don't know what the stats are like in the rest of the
Canada and the U.S., but for a couple of years running, the BBB has Computer Techs/Consumer Electronics
service ranked higher than plumbers, used-car sales AND auto-repair! Kinda makes you think...

Anyhow, the point is that we all have to recognize that this is going to happen no matter what. What makes the
difference is rising to the challenge, to resist any temptations to fleece decent people. One might have customers
that are so dense as to drive one absolutely nuts, but it's far more rewarding to smile politely, not show any
frustration ( despite the uncontrollable urge to...!), fix what's needed and send them on their blissful, merry way.
Challenging? Yes. But would our conscience have it any other way....

Zaddikim

[|The|Specialist]

Whenever I feel like I might be conned by auto-repair shops and stores I just research that particular vehicle and then inspect it myself.

[allenb1963]

Like aeallison, I too am in a small town. If you screw somebody over and they find out you did, it only takes about 2 weeks for everyone to know.

[GreekGoddess]

Most advertisements and the general market are based around "the impressionably stupid consumer". It's hard today not to be 'fooled' by a salesperson trying to sell you what you don't need to make a profit. My grandfather dealt cars for quite some time, and the money was excellent, but his job was to lie to people and sell something expensive to someone who didn't really need all that. He had to sugar coat every sale and he hated being like that, because, well...my grandfather is a very honest man, he believes still that a handshake means something, but he needed the money. I take him with me if I need anything done to my car, because he's also a mechanic, and I don't want him to fix it, because he doesn't need to be up under the car at his age, but...he's caught customer service representatives in lies about what my car needed. He's sure to tell them exactly what I need and be sure that they don't 'need to do anything else'

I agree that society today is greedy. But also look at it from my grandfather's point of view, some markets, such as the automotive, both sales and repair are about really promoting a product and getting it out there, even if it means lying. But as I said, the money was needed.

I worked for a short time at a dealership handling loan information. My job wasn't to sell anything but to 'approve' people for non-existant loans. I HATED IT! I had to take all their information, and then, put them on hold while I was 'processing their information' which usually consisted of me going to get a soda or taking a trip to the bathroom, then got back on the phone, told them they were approved and made an appointment to come in. Isn't that HORRIBLE!!!

I guess it's about the ethics of the company, their values and etc. that would determine the type of service you get...But your best defense as a consumer in any market is EDUCATION.

(P.S. Hope you could follow along, I'm exhausted.)

[tyger_claw]

GreekGoddess> I totally hear you that some stores have policies which force customers to purchase what they don't need/require. Both RadioShack and FutureShop work that way. I don't place the blame entirely on the store clerk/broker/inspector, the customer/client also has some blame, allowing themselves to be taken.

It's kinda sad that people are controlled by the buck. But that is the way of our economy and the society....

[Tedob1]

as a salesperson your job is to suggest the best, most people who really don't know computers want the best. their afraid if they buy something less than the best 2nd cousin whats his name will bad mouth them to the rest of the family and friends, and tell all how stupid they are. in cases like this, (and you can tell,) if you don't offer it or even hard sell it, they'll shop around and buy it from someone else. that doesn't mean selling high priced garbage, but the best. even if someone wants to conserve money, selling them 'not enough' will only have them mad at you when they get some experience.

what Joey_Batch_File said is the way it should be done.

[PuReExTaCy]

When it comes to computers, I do alot of contract work, and in my case I have to ask myself, what can this company afford to pay me, is this a one time deal or am I going to be able to come out and work for them again. Do I charge them alot because I know they have the money or do I charge a fair price. In the end, what I do is charge a reasonable price based on the length of time and complexity involved. Of course what they can afford to pay is a contributing factor, but for the most part, I try to take care of my customers, because in the end, my customers end up being my best advertising. Don't forget, word of mouth is priceless.