Shop Bill Sticker Shock

[Undy]

One of the first guys I worked for was like that. He was a WW2/Korea vet that had retired from the military as an artillery commander and took up a second career as a small engine guy. Him and his wife ran a tiny little mom and pop store out in the country near where I lived. I started working for him when I was in high school, 12 hours a week. A full carb rebuild from him at the time (early 80's) was about $16. A blade sharpen + balance for a walk-behind mower was $2.50. A full mower tune-up including oil and spark plug was $18. I asked him one time if he ever thought of charging more, and he said "I probably could, but when you've seen what I have, you're just happy enough to be alive and have something worthwhile to do."

Having had an ex-marine uncle who lived through Okinawa and spent 13 months on the front lines carrying the big Browning gun, I grew up around one of those guys who'd seen a lot. This post reminded me of him.

Here's the lyrics from a song that describes it better than I can:

He never drove a new car though he could easily afford it
He'd just buy one for the family and take whatever no one wanted
He said a shiny car didn't mean much after all the things he'd seen
George A. never saw John Wayne on the sands of Iwo Jima
from Drive By Truckers album The Dirty South
Drive-By Truckers * The Sands Of Iwo Jima Lyrics | Album: The Dirty South

Here's to you, Uncle Leo. R.I.P.

Sometimes money just doesn't mean much.

 

[stihlrookie]

Not a saw but service related

Years ago I took my Subaru Legacy LS into the local shop I had used for years. Well they had recently made some big changes, remodeled the front office, new employees and so on. I needed the heater controls fixed, bright lights were working intermittently and I also was having problems with the powered sunroof not opening or closing. I left the car for the day and returned just prior to the shop closing at 5 that afternoon. My repair bill was just shy of $700, ouch, not a single phone call during the day to discuss what they were doing. I examined the invoice most everything was within reason except for 7 hours of labor to trace/track down electrical faults for that dang sunroof, and it still didnt work. Guy said that would be another $500 and really wouldnt be worth it! I paid and left that shop for the last time.

Skip ahead to last week, wifes Subaru Outback was leaking a bit of oil from behind the timing cover, I took it to the dealership this time. I had a good idea it was the front cam seal, again. Anyway, my wife dropped the car off, they gave her a brand new outback to drive for the day. I received a phone call about an hour later explaining what they had found during their inspection, bad cam seal, new timing belt needed due to oil contamination, torn cv boot. Guy gives me the prices for the work and I give him the go ahead. I get a phone call after another hour and the idler for the timing belt is shot, another $170 he tells me, go ahead I say. End of the day the car is ready, wife picks it up and pays for the work, $859 by the way. When she arrives home I go over the invoice, every price that I was told in the morning was a couple dollars more and the timing belt replacement was near $50 more than I was told. I called and told them I would be over first thing in the morning to discuss the differences. In person conversation went well, I was refunded the differences and I will continue to use them for repairs.

Bottom line, ask what things will cost, request a phone call to okay what they will be doing, write down the quotes you are given and hold them to those numbers.