You'd think by now I would be over it, but I never cease to be amazed at the psychos and dickheads that pollute the auto-repair industry.
Not only do I wonder why they chose to go into business for themselves, but I am astonished that they stay in business.
I need an expensive, but straightforward, job done on my car. Buy the rebuilt component, fit it, use consumables. A + B + C. I deal every day with suppliers who can quote a multi-million dollar project, down to the last dollar. Yet these muppets can't even quote a simple job on my car.
And in addition to being unprofessional dickheads about it, some are outright psychotic. Like the guy, who instead of replying to my email like a normal person, went to the effort of typing his comments all through my email, and all in
BRIGHT RED CAPS.
I initially contacted three local workshops, and got nothing, so gradually expanded. I have now contacted 8, and ironically the most professional replies I received were from those apologising that they couldn't do the work required.
A couple that did respond, telling me to phone them, I did waste my time and phone. Only to confirm what I suspected, that they were f_ckwits and didn't want to give a quote.
I had the one nutjob, who having assured me that he
only fitted genuine factory rebuilt units, then said he couldn't give me a quote until he had the car on the hoist. When I asked why, he said that he needed to strip the unit to "see what needed doing"? When I asked why the heck he would do that, he admitted that he planned to do the rebuild himself.
Yes, I appreciate that a lot of buyers are "only lookin for tha cheepest price", but so what?
And sure, of all the quotes you do, maybe only 10% will result in orders. But again, so what? You're running a business aren't you?
I'm not even asking them to generate a formal quote. I'm happy with a one line answer "it will cost $x."
And yes, I can and have "simply phoned" some, only to encounter the predicted dodgyness when I asked them to email the quote; "oh yeah, me computa's playin-up at the moment".