Author Topic: Is this typical Australian? (Read 16590 times)

WilSurf · « **on:** May 18, 2012, 04:21:52 PM »

Last Tuesday I dropped the car of at my mechanic for the aircon and cycled to work from there.
The compressr needed to be replaced/checked/repaired.
I told them that I need the car back so I will pick up the car on Thursday evening.
No problem.

I called them on Thursday after lunch and asked if the ar was back as I am going to pick it up tonight.
Not yet, he will call the aircon shop but it should be alright. The compressor need replacement, but they could built it together so I could drive the car while they order a new compressor. He will call me back in a few minutes.
Half an hour (!) later I called them.
Sorry, the compressor and bearings are shot and they can't built it back, so no car for you.........

Aaaarghhhhh
If I hadn't called them, I had cycled up to their shop for nothing and had to keep cycling home.

Is this normal?

LJs GU · « **Reply #1 on:** May 18, 2012, 04:25:18 PM »

From my experience, yes very normal.
LJ

Sicilianmama · « **Reply #2 on:** May 18, 2012, 04:36:00 PM »

Yep after my experience with my camper recently I am very untrusting of anyone, if that's even a word! No one gives a Shit anymore and if you want stuff done and done properly you have to call and call and even call again.

Sicilianmama · « **Reply #3 on:** May 18, 2012, 04:37:19 PM »

Haha I just came back to edit my post as I thought writing sh$t mighten be appropriate, only to find its already been bleeped out! Thanks computer

KieranR · « **Reply #4 on:** May 18, 2012, 04:38:46 PM »

I went to my autolec thismorning to get them to test my alternator, whilst there the aircon shatitself, they rang me half hour ago, already to go, BUT i have to take in just short of $1500 to pay for the work done, includes finding the little electrical gremlin i had.

I'm happy with the service as I'm off on a long road trip all over the place starting this thursday coming.

Good service but expensive, although i am in the pilbara where there seems to be a pilbara tax involved.

Swannie · « **Reply #5 on:** May 18, 2012, 04:39:29 PM »

unfortunately it is.....

Greg

Bird · « **Reply #6 on:** May 18, 2012, 04:48:04 PM »

Quote from: LJs GQ on May 18, 2012, 04:25:18 PM

From my experience, yes very normal.
LJ

x eleventyteen

dazzler · « **Reply #7 on:** May 18, 2012, 05:49:17 PM »

Quote from: Lost on May 18, 2012, 04:48:04 PM

x eleventyteen

eleventyteen +1

JB · « **Reply #8 on:** May 18, 2012, 06:08:55 PM »

Had the opposite experience last week.

Took the truck in for some panel work as a result of a recent tyre blow out. They said that they would need it all week and it should be ready on Friday. They rang Thurs and said that I could come and get it.

When picking it up, I asked them if they had a little spider clip to fix a bit of stray trim. They showed me a draw with a every clip and screw ever designed. 5 min later, all fixed. No charge!

Then when I went to pay the $500 excess, they asked if I kept the receipt for the blown tyre. Fortunately it was in the glove box. They took a copy of the receipt and took $300 (the cost of the new tyre) of the excess.

I will be going back there next time I ding my truck.

Cheers

JB

Estelle · « **Reply #9 on:** May 18, 2012, 06:13:58 PM »

Quote from: KieranR on May 18, 2012, 04:38:46 PM

I went to my autolec thismorning to get them to test my alternator, whilst there the aircon shatitself,

Did something similar many years ago, alternator needed replacing, picked the car up and the manager said the A/C unit was faulty, broken pipe. Do you want us to fix it?

Trouble was, it was fine before it went in. Got it fixed elsewhere.

noel_w · « **Reply #10 on:** May 18, 2012, 06:15:51 PM »

Yeah, I had a large multi-national company booked in for yesterday to move a MFD printer from one building on campus to another building. Got a call day before to say all is good for Thursday morning. Thursday morning came & went no show no call nothing. Called them at lunchtime & they said the movers must have been delayed, will call you back with an update in 20 mins. Guess what no call in fact still waiting for their call. Called our account manager & hit the roof etc etc. They arrived today very sheepish & moved it without so much as a howdy from them. The builders start tonight to remove all the asbestos from the building so I guess the bollocking I gave them and the comment that they could remove the asbestos them selves from the machine if they didn't get here pronto worked.
Why is it so hard to arrange things to happen these days?

Hoyks · « **Reply #11 on:** May 18, 2012, 06:19:24 PM »

Try a dealer who tells you that a part X needs to be replaced so you tell them to order it and book the car in to be fixed after it arrives.

2 weeks later you drop the car off and in the afternoon they ring to say that part X needs to be replaced and, if it is OK with you, they will order it and book the car in to have it fitted.

Nay-DMAX · « **Reply #12 on:** May 18, 2012, 07:51:04 PM »

We are very lucky to have a great Mechanic who we know outside of servicing our private vehicle. However the service that my partner has had to deal with for his work car is unbelievable, when trying to get his air con fixed a lady on service counter told him it was normal for the air con to freeze over and just cut out. So one day when it spat ice out of one of the vents he drove it straight there and one of the mech's looked at it and said no that is not normal and proceeded to say what it needed to be booked in for. That is one of many stories would be great if work car could go to our mech.

Jon · « **Reply #13 on:** May 18, 2012, 08:08:39 PM »

Quote from: Estelle on May 18, 2012, 06:13:58 PM

Did something similar many years ago, alternator needed replacing, picked the car up and the manager said the A/C unit was faulty, broken pipe. Do you want us to fix it?

Trouble was, it was fine before it went in. Got it fixed elsewhere.

What???
You broke it while working on it. You fix it. I aint paying.

Same as a panel beater, overspray. Would you pay to have it removed?
As an AC mechanic, that sort of Shite gripes my cookies big time.

steve223 · « **Reply #14 on:** May 18, 2012, 08:37:53 PM »

hm wanted to post a similar question

booked in at Opposite Lock Penrith 2 month ago to get a bull bar, cargo barrier, UHF installed.

I requested no drill job for UHF installation (i.e bracket behind the console no screws in dash board) and to have the flairs
for the wheel guards to be glued on not just pinched together as i read that it won't hold.

1st the job ended up taking 7 days instead of 1 day as they got sent the wrong cargo barrier and then it took 6 days to get a replacemnet, then the UHF was smack bang drilled in the dashboard, yesterday I lost both flairs while driving on the highway (no glue detectable) and then while closer inspecting I realized they cut with the saw in to the metal behind the fender and did not bother fixing it so it started rusting.

Am I to fussy???

becboo · « **Reply #15 on:** May 18, 2012, 09:05:50 PM »

We are lucky we have a fantastic mechanic we go to in Townsville. Yes, we travel from Weipa to Townsville to get our car serviced! That takes us 14 hours to drive there. Definitely worth it! We have been going to him for 6 years.

huxter09 · « **Reply #16 on:** May 18, 2012, 09:15:59 PM »

My first post but I've been reading here for a while ,absorbing the "good oil " before we bought a camper trailer . In my humble opinion , service and business responsibility seems to have gone missing somewhere in pursuit of the might dollar .There is an alternative -small country towns. Our local town ,pop.290 , has a servo/mechanic who is brilliant ,capable of most jobs ,with a paddock of wrecks out the back for an older spare ! We have an Outlander ,a Rodeo ,and a Hyundai Exell --he services them all for about half the price of a dealer or city based meachanic .His service is brilliant .It has to be or he wouldn't be able to get a beer at the pub !

By the way ,after 35 years of tenting it on the Murray ,25kms from home ,my old knees and back have convinced to sleep up on high !! --- in an Outback Camper ,being built now ,and ordered thrrough Jeff's Shed in Kyabram ,another brilliant country business.

Estelle · « **Reply #17 on:** May 18, 2012, 09:39:09 PM »

Quote from: Jon on May 18, 2012, 08:08:39 PM

What???
You broke it while working on it. You fix it. I aint paying.

Same as a panel beater, overspray. Would you pay to have it removed?
As an AC mechanic, that sort of ****e gripes my cookies big time.

We would have to prove they broke it. Boss may not know what happened. Bloke working on car broke it and said he didn't? Hard to prove.

cruisindub · « **Reply #18 on:** May 18, 2012, 09:49:29 PM »

Sadly, unfortunately,...... yes.!
So many replies, each of them justified, and we all have to ask teh same question,
WHY? and HOW?

Why must we put up with this crap.
and
HOW do they stay in business.

There is no 'service' anymore. No one gives a damn, and to be brutally honest. Its typically Australian.
Ignorance, arrogance and just dont give a sh$t.

Sadly, all to common.
Unfortunately, happens all to often.

Yep, I'm a cynic. All to justified. Seen too much of that crap.

Too many people 'just put up with it'. Perhaps thats why they get away with it.?

CampAround · « **Reply #19 on:** May 18, 2012, 10:13:02 PM »

Quote from: becboo on May 18, 2012, 09:05:50 PM

We are lucky we have a fantastic mechanic we go to in Townsville. Yes, we travel from Weipa to Townsville to get our car serviced! That takes us 14 hours to drive there. Definitely worth it! We have been going to him for 6 years.

Holy crap! Your car would need a service again by the time you get it back home!!

cruisindub · « **Reply #20 on:** May 18, 2012, 10:39:59 PM »

Quote from: CampAround on May 18, 2012, 10:13:02 PM

Holy crap! Your car would need a service again by the time you get it back home!!

Repeat business?

rotare · « **Reply #21 on:** May 18, 2012, 11:33:39 PM »

Replaced the hydraulic master cylinder on the camper trailer, but went to screw the metal brake line into the new master cylinder and realised the thread on the nipple was different. No drama, I'll just take it to the brake shop and get them to cut off the old nipple, and slip on a new one and re-flare the brake line - 15 minutes of work tops for a brake shop I thought.

So I ring a few brake places and the only one that is interested in doing it is an hours drive away. No probs, so I speak with the guy on the phone and arrange for a day to bring the camper trailer in, when he's not so busy the following week at 8.30am. I tell the guy I'll have two little kids with me and I'm an hours drive away, so I will have to wait around for him to fit a new nipple. I'm assuming that's okay?

"Oh no, you will have to leave the camper trailer with us all day" he says. WTF? It's 15 minutes of work! You just need to slide on a new nipple and re-flare the line - one little threaded nipple, no need to fill up the master with fluid, no need to bleed the brakes, no need to screw the nipple in, I'll do that at home.... I'll even cut the old nipple off for you before I get there.

To his credit he eventually agreed to do it while we waited, but man, it took some convincing! On the day it took him a whole 6 minutes to do the job, and he charged me $30. Not bad.

I'm glad I paid for customer service

Kalebjarrod · « **Reply #22 on:** May 19, 2012, 04:36:55 AM »

My mechanic is a legend!

He goes over the entire car, never does work I have not asked for, works hard charges fair, informs me of upcoming issues I should budget for. Has the car ready onetime and gets me cheap deals on other items I need

Mick - absolute auto - slacks creek

Took me too many years of dealing with dicks to find a good one

tigga27 · « **Reply #23 on:** May 19, 2012, 09:36:20 AM »

I went to a so called reputable mechanic that is affiliated with a 4wd magazine, and after 2 weeks of phone calls and emails, due to the fact I was on Fraser Island at the time, I had informed the sales guy of exactly what I wanted. 150K service and change the timing belt while you are there! simple. Got back hours later after trying to ring and getting no answer and about to pay for it when he told me the price. "WOW thats cheaper than you quoted" I says. "Did you change the timing belt?" "No, we weren't sure cos its only done 148K." "Didn't think to ring me and ask me?" "Take a seat and we'll do it now. It's a 4 hour job but I've done it so many times I can do it in one hour."
"So why the hell am I paying for 4 hours??"
I wouldn't go back there if I lived next door.

cheers
tig

bobnrob · « **Reply #24 on:** May 19, 2012, 10:03:57 AM »

I'm down to the last mechanic in a 30k area - he's new & so far good.
Don't know what I'll do if he turns out to be a dud as well, we don't have the luxury of heaps of mech's around us like city folk!

News:

Author Topic: Is this typical Australian? (Read 16590 times)