4 days ago
‘I Charge Them More Every Single Time:' Tech Reveals 1 Quality Guaranteed to Make Your Mechanic Hate You
A
mechanic
who goes by Claw Boss (@reelclawboss) on Instagram shared a customer pet peeve: Asking non-stop questions while he works. And it seems like there are more than a few other folks in the craft who share his mindset.
The auto tech's short clip is set to the tune of a song that repeatedly implores a person to 'shut the [expletive] up,' as part of its hook. Pairing this tune with the text overlay in their clip, along with a group of dancing chickens, intones that the service tech isn't a fan of this particular client interaction. 'We all have that one customer. Stands in the shop while you're working on their car and won't stop asking questions,' he captions
Commenters Were Divided
Folks had differing opinions on the clients they render service to in their respective auto businesses. One person remarked that a patron has the right to ask questions since they're the one paying for their car to be fixed. 'Customer's car, customer's paying,' one said.
However, there was another Instagram user who seemed to concur with Claw Boss's commentary on the chatty individuals who roll into his shop. They said, 'Best part of our shop: Only staff allowed in shop.'
Another person, who said that they were an auto tech themselves, echoed the aforementioned sentiment. According to them, they've never been employed in an automotive service center that allowed customers to watch the work techs were doing. 'Never in my life have I seen a shop allow customers in the shop,' they penned. 'I be on the other side of the glass like *hey, did you make sure to torq that bolt!? While I smoke my dart and continue to stare. Lol all jokes aside I do enjoy watching and learning.'
But this didn't appear to be par the course for all folks getting their cars fixed. One person who got their vehicle's air conditioning system repaired expressed that they were grateful to watch their mechanic fix the issue. Moreover, they said the tech was forthcoming about the work he was completing. 'My mechanic let me watch him do my AC for my truck. I asked a few questions and he didn't mind. He seemed to like that I was trying to learn,' they said.
Other Mechanics Sound Off
It seems like Claw Boss wasn't the only service tech who took to social media to decry this specific customer behavior. YouTuber Barricade Garage also professed he wasn't too fond of someone looking over his shoulder while he was working on a car. In a caption for his
video
that touches on this same topic, he writes, 'most mechanics usually want to be left unbothered when working on your vehicle.'
Additionally, Redditors in this
r/MechanicAdvice
post also discussed this same client phenomenon. The thread's original poster wanted to know if it was considered poor manners on his part to watch the tech replace the tires on his vehicle. One person remarked that the practice is 'a touchy subject with a lot of shops,' due to how different customers react to the work being performed on their vehicle.
They said that customers might try to nickel-and-dime labor time, not considering that a mechanic who has accrued decades of experiencing fixing problems is able to rectify a problem more quickly than a less experienced tech. Thus, their complaints about inaccurate labor times are invalidated. To drive this point home, they shared an anecdote about a client who went 'ballistic' for being billed for 30 minutes of labor on a muffler replacement.
They said the tech swapped out the component in around five minutes and asked why they were charged for 30 minutes of labor instead. Following this, the Reddit user explained to the customer, 'The guy who just put your muffler on has almost 30 years' exhaust experience. And has it down to an art. If I'd known you wanted to wait longer I would have done it myself - I'm a diagnostic tech and really bad at exhaust. It takes me forever,' they wrote.
Some Mechanics Don't Mind Watchful Customers
Another commenter in the same Reddit thread said it all boils down to the type of person who is watching them perform their work. This user said, 'I don't mind people watching because they are curious.' Although, when they begin to chime in with their own repair strategies, or when they reference other handy people they know, that's when they begin to take issue with sideline commentary. 'Don't call me a liar, and don't bring it to me to fix it if you trust [someone else] so much,' they penned.
In this
Quora
post, some auto techs argued that barring customers from entering the shop area boils down to potential safety concerns. They said that due to heavy machinery, car lifts, and an array of moving parts, clients could be at risk of bodily harm. In order to mitigate these possible incidents from occurring and any legal actions that could be levied against the shop, many service centers will bar folks from watching their cars being worked on.
Motor1
has reached out to the Claw Boss via Instagram direct message for further comment.
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