Just too expensive

creeper wrote:
Took 2 minutes for me to find it on the internet.

Plus several days for the item to be shipped to you vs same day from a CW store. Sure you can always find lower prices online than at a retail store. Some items I prefer to see up close, not photos on a website. Many of the monkey's as you call them have been VERY knowledgeable at CW. Depends on the store you go to. Often I don't want an item next week, I want it today so am willing to pay more for that convenience. For me it depends on what the item is, how soon I want it and what the cost savings would be to order online. If none of this means anything to you then buying everything online works better for you. Everyone's needs are different...try to respect that!

Was in CW today having the valve stem extenders replaced. Saw several mechanics and had short conversations with them. Everyone at our CW is approachable, kind and helpful. I guess maybe it helps going in with a positive attitude and realizing that they are people too.

wbwood wrote:
Was in CW today having the valve stem extenders replaced. Saw several mechanics and had short conversations with them. Everyone at our CW is approachable, kind and helpful. I guess maybe it helps going in with a positive attitude and realizing that they are people too.

Are you assuming I don't go with a positive attitude? Strange I was having some good laughs with the service counter people. It's rare I don't leave a place without the people smiling and laughing at my corny jokes. After all i was a regional manager in a large retail organization for years so I suspect I know how to treat people who work retail.

BTW, customers are not allowed in the work bays at our local CW.

wbwood wrote:
Was in CW today having the valve stem extenders replaced. Saw several mechanics and had short conversations with them. Everyone at our CW is approachable, kind and helpful. I guess maybe it helps going in with a positive attitude and realizing that they are people too.

So were they billing other customers for the time they were talking to you?

Why do folks think they can just go into a shop and talk to the techs. These guys are on the clock on whoevers vehicle they are assigned to. That's the reason my shop is locked and by apt only

jcapps wrote:
Why do folks think they can just go into a shop and talk to the techs. These guys are on the clock on whoevers vehicle they are assigned to. That's the reason my shop is locked and by apt only

Your guys are on the clock but who is paying for wasting the customers time to resolve problems and find solutions? Your business model favors your needs rather than that of the customer. The ability of a customer to discuss issues with someone who understands the issues the customer maybe experiencing is essential. That person would be the one performing the work and not some ticket writer on the phone taking appointments. There are numerous excellent shops that don't lock up as you do and are willing to talk to customers. Thats where I take my money.

mileshuff wrote:

jcapps wrote:
Why do folks think they can just go into a shop and talk to the techs. These guys are on the clock on whoevers vehicle they are assigned to. That's the reason my shop is locked and by apt only

Your guys are on the clock but who is paying for wasting the customers time to resolve problems and find solutions? Your business model favors your needs rather than that of the customer. The ability of a customer to discuss issues with someone who understands the issues the customer maybe experiencing is essential. That person would be the one performing the work and not some ticket writer on the phone taking appointments. There are numerous excellent shops that don't lock up as you do and are willing to talk to customers. Thats where I take my money.

"Your guys are on the clock but who is paying for wasting the customers time to resolve problems and find solutions? Your business model favors your needs rather than that of the customer. The ability of a customer to discuss issues with someone who understands the issues the customer maybe experiencing is essential"

I am the owner, I am in charge. I know more about your vehicle than the tech does. Talking to my techs is not my business model. And there is no need to talk to "several mechanics" as the poster stated. If you want to talk to the tech working on your vehicle that's fine but you will be billed for that time. Talk to me, I do not bill for my time discussing your project.
Too many customers would walk in my shop and start talking to techs working on other customers cars, while that customer is paying. If that's the kind of shop you want to work on your vehicle, more power to you. My clientele is a little smarter and a little more appreciative that I conduct business this way

jcapps wrote:
If you want to talk to the tech working on your vehicle that's fine but you will be billed for that time. Talk to me, I do not bill for my time discussing your project.
Too many customers would walk in my shop and start talking to techs working on other customers cars, while that customer is paying. If that's the kind of shop you want to work on your vehicle, more power to you. My clientele is a little smarter and a little more appreciative that I conduct business this way

Since when is catering to the desires, expectations and needs of a customer so wrong? Who are you to tell the customer what their needs are? The person working on the car is going to know more about whats going on with that vehicle than you until you talk to the tech yourself. The customer talks to you, then you have to go talk to the tech and see whats going on and what he found. Then you go back to the customer and report...and the loop continues wasting your time and more importantly the customers. Yes, I agree the customers shouldn't just walk in and interrupt unannounced. I don't do that nor did the OP say they did that. Every single shop I take my money to allows me time to talk to the techs without an issue. Your method echoes that of some dealerships where the customer must talk to ticket writers. I avoid those like the plague. Thankfully there are many shops that have zero issues with the customer talking directly to the techs diagnosing and performing work on my vehicle. In fact, the owner of the shop I go to will personally go and get the tech for me to talk to...service #1 and thats a smart owner!

mileshuff wrote:

jcapps wrote:
If you want to talk to the tech working on your vehicle that's fine but you will be billed for that time. Talk to me, I do not bill for my time discussing your project.
Too many customers would walk in my shop and start talking to techs working on other customers cars, while that customer is paying. If that's the kind of shop you want to work on your vehicle, more power to you. My clientele is a little smarter and a little more appreciative that I conduct business this way

Since when is catering to the desires, expectations and needs of a customer so wrong? Who are you to tell the customer what their needs are? The person working on the car is going to know more about whats going on with that vehicle than you until you talk to the tech yourself. The customer talks to you, then you have to go talk to the tech and see whats going on and what he found. Then you go back to the customer and report...and the loop continues wasting your time and more importantly the customers. Yes, I agree the customers shouldn't just walk in and interrupt unannounced. I don't do that nor did the OP say they did that. Every single shop I take my money to allows me time to talk to the techs without an issue. Your method echoes that of some dealerships where the customer must talk to ticket writers. I avoid those like the plague. Thankfully there are many shops that have zero issues with the customer talking directly to the techs diagnosing and performing work on my vehicle. In fact, the owner of the shop I go to will personally go and get the tech for me to talk to...service #1 and thats a smart owner!

I am in the specialty auto restoration I know the complete picture of your vehicle. I tell the tech what I want done and how I want it done. The customer is not running the shop I am. My techs are given specific tasks to perform. I tell them what to perform. I know this because I have had extensive meetings and discussions with the customer.

It seems you are missing the whole point, repeatedly. The poster stated he talked to several techs that day. All those techs were not working on his vehicle. So he was stopping and chatting with techs who were working on others vehicles. The other vehicle owners are getting billed for the time the poster was talking to them about HIS issues.

Its okay, you just do not get it and I avoid clients like you like the plague. My clients appreciate getting billed for actual time worked, not the time when someone like you wanders through the shop polling the different techs working on THEIR cars.

Maybe if you realized you were paying the tech who is supposed to be working on YOUR car when WB is chatting them up. With shop rates around $100 an hour I do not think you would put up with it too long

.

jcapps wrote:
It seems you are missing the whole point, repeatedly. The poster stated he talked to several techs that day.

The poster stated he talked to several CW techs and other CW staff and his needs taken care of by friendly CW employees. The only one who has a problem with this is you, not CW and not the customer. So why the problem if CW has no issue with this and it makes the customer happy?

Heres the difference. A customer tells you what they want and you tell your techs to do what you want. You know far more about the car than the techs do. Instead, I take my vehicles to shops where the techs are experts and know the vehicle inside out and backwards. I meet with the service manager as well as the techs who will do the work to find the best solution for my needs. I do not have to go in a loop talking to the manager who then talks to the tech who then talks to me who then talks to the tech over and over. A different philosophy I follow with my own business (not auto related). Customers can always talk to those doing the actual work although I am always there too. Customers demand this and they're the ones writing me checks! Everyones happy!