Yet another reason for mechanics to leave the private sector . . .
Every time a costly mistake is made, it’s always the mechanic eating it and being short-changed
Not ALL dealerships work that way. I know a couple that actually treat the mechanics fairly. They figured it out a while ago that treating your mechanics fairly is long term financially better. You have less turnover and makes for a better and SAFER work environment. Too many companies only driving factor is to maximize profits NOW.
Friend of mine sent me this pic of a boat owned by Herb Chambers who owns 60 dealerships in the Boston Area. It’s the big one with an estimated price of $120,000,000.
He quit for the wrong reason. The tech and the service writer made a mistake by using the wrong labor operation code. The technician is responsible for providing the op code in many dealerships.
His next employer will assure him that they don’t discount labor for business partners/clients but that isn’t what happened.
The company lost 0.6 X $150/hour = $90
The technician lost $15 to $18.
I would hope the service manager cared about the oversight, but they usually don’t. They bill 200 hour each day and don’t have time for the small change. “Be more careful next time” is what he will be told.
How was the technician mistreated? Do you think the tech was billed for the lost labor? He showed the labor guide in the video; he used the wrong labor operation code. Half of my co-workers had poor reading skills.
In my experience, anytime I brough a mistake like this to their attention, the manager corrected it.
The beauty of the capitalist system is that it is self correcting over time. Voids tend to be filled and surpluses tend to get trimmed. A buyer and seller need to agree or one walks. My last visit to an indie shop the guy complained about not being able to find mechanics. Both local GM dealers did the calculation and decided not to spend the $400k plus to handle electrics. They didnt seem to worry about the lost business. GM played their hand and it remains to be seen who wins but customers don’t seem to be hot on electrics besides maybe hybrids. Schools are just starting to recommend vo tec instead of a sociology degree to students. So the market tends to even out, not without some bumps in the road along the way.
General Motors had to comply with Minnesota’s Clean Cars rule: 6% of new vehicle sales had to be electric vehicles. That Clean Cars rule has expired so for dealers that geared up to sell EVs, the joke is on them.
Imagine the technicians that spent two weeks at the training center to get certified for electric vehicle repair and never get to flag an hour repairing one. Politicians should consider the burden EV marketing places on the car dealers’ staff. Minnesota is the wrong environment for EVs, if customers won’t buy them, force the manufactures sell them.
If you guys think the private automotive sector is do great, you’re certainly entitled to stay in it
I made my choice to leave long ago and have no regrets