not chainsaw related but need a little advice

[fordf150]

Ok so here is the story.

I had a customer come in last week with a Cub Cadet Z. Right wheel wont pull on hills. I gave him 2 options. Repair his or I could sell him a complete new motor.

I priced the new motor at $650 and also priced the repairs at $400-450 depending on what needed done.
He says that he didnt have the money for that..."can you just patch it to get me through the rest of the year and i will buy a new mower with income tax?"

I informed him that it was a crapshoot. There isnt much inside of those hydrogear units. Informed him that just tearing one down and installing new seals, cleaning the screen and replacing a couple bad bearings would likely be a $200 bill and that it probably wouldnt fix it or fix it for very long and that it may be a total waste of money. He decides that i should go ahead and try it.(mistake #1 for me agreeing to patch something instead of fixing it right but i was curious if one could be patched)

On to what i did....i tore the unit down and found a bearing that had failed, the screen(filter) was plugged with metal shavings, piston assy. had wore grooves into the piston block, and the pistons were starting to pit. Exactly as i had originally told him was the problem....those were the parts i quoted in my original repair estimate. So instead of just reassembling it and giving it back him i tried replacing the bearing and carefully sanded the grooves out of the aluminum block with sandpaper wrapped around a file hoping that would give a smooth surface for the piston block to ride on and seal against and that he could finish out the year like he had hoped. cleaned all the shavings out and reassembled with new oil. Tried it out today and worked ok around the shop....would spin the tire instead of stalling out on smooth concrete and seemed to pull decent but not as strong as the other side. Did seem to pull better than when he brought it in....would stall the motor out instead of spinning the tires before.

He picks it up and takes it home.......still wont pull hills....so right off the bat he is pissed that i ripped him off and he wasted $200. I am inclined to refund the labor....It wont make him happy I'm sure but it will go along way towards it. If it matters any....he is not a long time customer...only brought it here after i was the cheapest quote on replacing or rebuilding the unit.

So do i just live with a pissed off customer that will never be back or refund and hope for the best

 

[Big_Wood]

you can't make everyone happy, it will just never happen. even if you did nothing to them some will ***** anyways. it was his decision and was warned. i'd tell him to **** right off.

 

[opinion]

Get rid of him. Keep the money because you did the work agreed upon. You don't owe him anything and you don't want customers like that.

But in the future, quote complete jobs and don't agree to do half ass jobs. It's a waste of your time. Do it right or take it to a shade tree mechanic.

 

[fordf150]

That is my normal policy....Done right or not at all....I hate half assed repairs but i made an exception and it is coming back around the same day i did it.

 

[Ironworker]

I hope I dont come off wrong and should probably not say anything, but as nicely as I can possibly be you are both at fault. If I were you for the sake of your business I would try and patch it up and keep losses at a minimum. Lesson learned.

 

[Ironworker]

That is my normal policy....Done right or not at all....I hate half assed repairs but i made an exception and it is coming back around the same day i did it.

We all learn lessons, sometimes they're free with minimal damage and sometimes we pay out the wazoo.

 

[wde_1978]

Very unfortunate story , sorry to hear that!

I am reluctant to out an opinion what to do or what not to do in this particular situation as I don't have a business to run.
But as @opinion said and You confirmed to usually do rather stick with parts replacements instead doing fixes - it will serve You better on the long run.

That "I don't have 400$ for repairs now, fix it for 200$" sounds fishy to me anyways - if it had worked I doubt You'd have seen that customer again.

Again , sorry for Your misfortune Nate!

 

[fordf150]

I hope I dont come off wrong and should probably not say anything, but as nicely as I can possibly be you are both at fault. If I were you for the sake of your business I would try and patch it up and keep losses at a minimum. Lesson learned.

If i was worried about getting my feelings hurt i wouldnt have posted this question. I know i am at fault....been through this before(when i first started this biz i did patches all the time). I knew better than to do it like this but let myself get suckered into it. I personally am leaning towards refunding the labor costs but looking for a little feedback. I have ate bills before on stuff that wasnt my fault and handed out some new saws when a customer destroys a new one they just purchased....those deals have always earned me back business ten fold what i lost but i warned this guy a dozen times that it was most likely a waste of money and we wouldnt be able to fix it without replacing those parts...i even talked to his wife on the phone a couple days after he dropped it off and explained it to her. they both told me to go ahead with the repair.

 

[1Alpha1]

You're the "expert". If you felt the repair would not work sufficiently, you should have stuck to your guns and refused to repair it.

You made a decision, and now it's up to you to do the right thing.......whatever that might be.

 

[weedkilla]

We all have one of those stories.

In my experience you'll be the arsehole that ripped him off if you just tell him to go and take a leap.
Or, you'll be the arsehole who tried to rip him off if you refund his $200, buy and fit a new motor and buy him a case of beer for his troubles.

Better off the arsehole with $200 in his pocket with customers who can't be pleased and forget that they chose a half arsed job. People like that can tell their story all around town, but anyone who listens will quickly realise the stories don't add up.
I've got one who tells the world I'm an arsehole for a sod seeding job my father did 20 years ago. Same story - "do it the cheap way" "it won't work" "it'll be fine"
Didn't work.

 

[jughead500]

type up a letter for your next customer to sign stating that you will do the certain repairs but will not be responsible if the repair doesn't fix the problem.if they dont sign it dont do the work.if they do come back complaining pull the paper out and read it to them.

 

[weedkilla]

Saying that - I'm the big softy and more likely to refund him anyway. I'd just spend ages kicking myself because it didn't change the outcome.

 

[jughead500]

oh and keep the money or refund all for labor but keep what covers parts and materials

 

[Definitive Dave]

If it were me, on the possibility that future business may exist not just from him but from others he may talk to about the experience, I would give him a call and tell him you have exactly "X" number of dollars and cents in parts for the repair that he asked you to try and that in the interest of wanting him to feel he was treated fairly (utter BS but useful phraseology) you are willing to refund the difference between the $200 and the cost of the parts if he feels you misrepresented the chances of the cobbled together repair actually working.
This puts the ball in his court and the wording allows him to back out of being mad with grace if he thinks about it and realizes he is an asshat.
Also changes the outcome of the whole experience in his mind whether he takes the refund or not, that is important when he talks about it with others.
Hopefully he decides not to take the refund and will definitely remember you when he does eventually spend more money - just make sure you remember how he responded to your offer
Dave

 

[Babaganoosh]

I'd just offer him an explanation and a discount on the full repair. Usually that makes people happy. Might end up with a customer for life. Might not but at least you tried to offer something.

 

[Abrasive_Wheels]

You know I have a big heart and would try to help customers out all the time when I first started working at a lube shop. I had this co worker named Billy, Chinese feller always smoking benson and hedges. He told me my first week "dont be a hero you end up a zero" and I was aloof about it and figured he was just a cranky old man. Well we are supposed to decline cars with drastic problems and let the customer know they need something more than an oil change. I got one not even a week later. This nice older mexican lady came in and had nothing registering on the dipstick. I went downstairs and she did not have an oil plug in! I put a plug in and told her about it. Dont know how long she had been running dry but it couldnt have been long. I pumped 4.5 quarts in and noted it on the paperwork. Her engine failed about a week later and she tried to blame me! I'm lucky I noted the missing plug and didn't charge for the service but she was trying to make the shop buy her a new motor. Billy was kind of right. I know long story ok. Some people won't be happy no matter what you do for them. If it was my business I would offer him a discount on labor when he is able to afford the parts he needs but not a refund. Next time say NO to liabilities.

That's my 2 cents take it or leave it

 

[fordf150]

Its noted on the repair order that he wanted it patched and was informed it probably would be unsuccessful.Exact words on work order are "Patch RH motor" "warned that it may not fix the problem" and "advised to rebuild or replace and he declined" I make notes on the back of the work orders about the repairs and if any repair that i mention is declined i retain that order for a month or so to have a record of what was told to the customer and what they wanted done.

If it were me, on the possibility that future business may exist not just from him but from others he may talk to about the experience, I would give him a call and tell him you have exactly "X" number of dollars and cents in parts for the repair that he asked you to try and that in the interest of wanting him to feel he was treated fairly (utter BS but useful phraseology) you are willing to refund the difference between the $200 and the cost of the parts if he feels you misrepresented the chances of the cobbled together repair actually working.
This puts the ball in his court and the wording allows him to back out of being mad with grace if he thinks about it and realizes he is an asshat.
Also changes the outcome of the whole experience in his mind whether he takes the refund or not, that is important when he talks about it with others.
Hopefully he decides not to take the refund and will definitely remember you when he does eventually spend more money - just make sure you remember how he responded to your offer
Dave

I like that! Much better solution than just offering a flat refund.

 

[lone wolf]

Talk to him one more time try to compromise a bit partial refund, if no luck forget it.

 

[Definitive Dave]

Its noted on the repair order that he wanted it patched and was informed it probably would be unsuccessful.Exact words on work order are "Patch RH motor" "warned that it may not fix the problem" and "advised to rebuild or replace and he declined" I make notes on the back of the work orders about the repairs and if any repair that i mention is declined i retain that order for a month or so to have a record of what was told to the customer and what they wanted done.

I like that! Much better solution than just offering a flat refund.

Sometimes if you offer someone a way to be a little less of a **** they will take it

I once had a new customer who wanted all of the beds around trees in her 2+ acre lawn to be re-edged and mulched so they were all round instead of bizarre shapes.
When it was done and she got the bill, she called to say she was shocked at how much it was and hoped we could talk. Her proposal for the year listed a flat rate per yard and an estimate of the number of yards.
Of course the estimate was pre bed expansion. I met with her and gave her a copy of my invoice, showing the number of yards we bought for her site. She asked if I would be OK with an amount that was about 96% of the invoice I had sent her, she really just rounded down a bit.
I told her that was no problem and that we could have a firm number in the future since we would have historical data to base her proposal on. She is still a good customer to this day, pays on time and has referred other good customers.
Of course it doesn't always work this way

 

[weedkilla]

Probably the best thing to do - and the one I struggle with sometimes- is staying on the front foot. Calling him up, listening to his crap and explaining your side (Whatever you decide) again and again without getting cross.