How does a true professional differ from an ordinary person? Perhaps the fact that they spent many years learning their profession, gaining significant experience that allows them to do something better and faster than other people. Or, as sometimes alas happens, abuse their professional experience to rip off gullible customers…
The author of the post bought a car many years ago at the official dealership
Image credits:RLGNZLZ (not the actual photo)
The contract also included 3 years’ maintenance, so after a year of driving, the owner took the car to its first service
Image credits:u/Ko-Riel
The odometer showed only 12K kilometers so the author didn’t expect any significant repairs
Image credits:Emyr Jones (not the actual photo)
However, in the evening, the car mechanics issued a bill of around 1K euros (over $1K)
Image credits:Vincent Teeuwen (not the actual photo)
Imagine their anger and devastation when the owner simply let them know about free maintenance due to the contract!
According to the Original Poster (OP), it took place in the Netherlands around 17 years ago. They got a new job and the family needed a second car. The author of the post bought a Renault Twingo from one of the local official dealerships, and one of the clauses of the contract was 3 years of maintenance included.
If you’ve ever repaired a car, you can roughly imagine how the mechanics’ eyes lit up at these words! In the evening, when the original poster arrived to pick up their vehicle, three representatives of the car service were already waiting for them – apparently (and the bill that they presented to the author proved that), they included many completely optional improvements and ‘improvements’, and were now expecting hefty pay. Yes, around 1K euros (around $1050 at today’s exchange rate).
However, the original poster did not give them a reason to rejoice – they simply thanked the guys for their job well done and asked for the keys. They immediately demanded payment, to which the author, smiling in their heart, replied that payment would not be required – and strongly recommended opening the contract under which they bought the car a year ago.
Image credits:brian kelly (not the actual photo)
Well, such a case is traditional, alas, for auto mechanics around the world – many years ago I myself encountered a similar situation while repairing my very first car, and since then I have always tried to bring the vehicle for service only to mechanics whom I have known personally for a very long time. In other words, to trusted people. So far it has worked.
“The shop has to stay in business,”ABC News quotes an auto mechanicwith 40 years of experience as unveiling the tricks his colleagues resort to to rip off the clients. “There are pressures to do things that maybe you wouldn’t do normally. I’m ashamed a bit to admit it, but when your boss tells you… ‘Either you do it here or the door’s right there,’ what are you going to do?”
Automotive
