Ok I know I've done one of these threads before, but there's something in the water/air or full moon or something at the moment! All in the last month. I had a guy phone me and tell me that his oil had gone all milky. It was my fault and I had to fix it immediately 'under warranty' because when I did the WoF three months ago I topped up the oil and water (for free I might add).
We did a per-purchase inspection on a 2013 Commodore for a guy in Auckland. He flew down next day, the weather was terrible and he ended up driving it back via the East Cape because the Napier-Taupo road was closed. On the way back it developed a 'slight brake judger' he call me the next day to say that because of this (and this alone) he was 'seeking a proportion of the vehicles purchase price back' from ME (I was not the seller) because he would never of bought it had he known this was going to happen!
The local council have been having a blitz on no WoF. In the last month four customers have tried to blame me for their $200 fine. They all received reminders two of them even admit it?
Four years ago I replaced an an engines for a guy that admitted it (the old one) had NEVER been serviced. Last week the one I supplied seized (in exactly the same way). He actual thought I should pay, even though he 'hadn't got round to bringing it in for an oil change yet'. The best bit was 'don't you check the oil when you do the WoF?'
Two years ago I GAVE a women a very good secondhand battery, she came back on Friday claiming 'Supercheap said it's no good, It says three year guarantee on it' SHE WAS SERIOUS and got upset when I said NO!
franc123,
Aug 18, 10:30pm
I feel for you, idiot lines like the classic old 'I didn't know my WOF was expired' get pretty unfunny after the first few when they should be Wet Yourself hilarious given the information required is about 400mm slightly up and to the right of the eyes of these morons when they are behind the wheel. The way the auto repair trade is going I think banishing the magazines from the customer lounge and replacing them with laminated sheets describing witty anecdotes of successful DT rulings in favour of the repairer might wake some of them up, you've got to get the message across in this featherbedded no fault no responsibility CGA society we have that try this s%#t on you WILL be humiliated in court and end up costing yourself more.
snoopy221,
Aug 19, 2:28am
Yaaar Tis lyk zee dawg in zee ole HILUX addd,,,,,, Bugga
whqqsh,
Aug 19, 4:55am
Im not in this business but some years ago a friend of a mate had a water pump fail on her import Honda City (top of range sporty turbo model). I offered to 'help' on the weekend, ended up having to take shitloads of crap off to get to it & then couldn't get a spare for that model which would take weeks to get in & she wanted the car for Monday so off to the wreckers & managed to get 2 other pumps cheap & made one good one out of the three, put it back together which ended up taking all day & charged her a box of beer & $75 for the 2 pumps with the warning that I wasn't sure how long it would last & get a 'proper' one on order asap & get it fitted (by someone else). I got a call from the mate who said she wanted to get in touch asap because her water pump had failed again & she wanted me to pay for a new pump AND fix it. We counted back (as blokes do. 'I drove around in my Charger & didn't have the dog etc etc') & it turned out it was over 5 years. & she was bitching about it!
whqqsh,
Aug 19, 5:00am
Then I sold a BMW 7 series to a mate (don't normally do that but he seemed ok), about 6 months later he calls around saying his car had failed one night & wouldn't start & he wanted me to pay for the new battery as he'd ad to call the AA to get him going, which I refused but added the advise to get the alternator checked as well because the battery was good not long ago. He left not too happy, then contacts another few weeks later complaining the same had happened & I now owed him for another battery AND an alternator that the AA guy had diagnosed when he'd broken down again (but hadn't got checked when I told him). you can imagine my response
franc123,
Aug 19, 5:45am
I think most of us have learnt the hard way re getting involved in friends and relatives vehicle transactions and repairs, its just too much potential strife.
kazbanz,
Aug 19, 6:06am
The problem is guys that in every single case quoted above two things will happen 1)The story will be modified by the "poor innocent customer' to ensure we look like ripoff merchants. 2)time scale will ALWAYS be conveniently forgotten
bjmh,
Aug 19, 6:18am
OP I had a guy ring up telling me he was a friend of Joe and Joe reckoned I was the best mechanic blah,blah. then wants to know how much to fit springs. fairly broad spectrum.Then finally I get that he wants a quote from me for winz. I politely tell him to sex and travel. his reply angrily "well i'll ring a real garage" ha ha . the public . most are brilliant. but !
robotnik,
Aug 19, 6:27am
What would be wrong with giving a WINZ quote? If it was approved, the customer would probably have used your business for the repair, but got funding for it from welfare. You'd have definitely gotten paid for the work if WINZ was involved also.
mike1345,
Aug 19, 7:53am
One way of weeding out the "friends" you really don't need, lol!
tgray,
Aug 19, 8:12am
The only thing that puzzles me, is the "I love my customers but" line. Surely you are not expected to do that! Strangers brought together by a vested self interest. Nothing more, nothing less.
llortmt,
Aug 19, 8:26am
I charge $25 for WINZ quotes. In general they??
tgray,
Aug 19, 8:36am
I had a lady drive 14,000k over 9 months in a $3000 car I sold her and after that time and no contact, she called me up and demanded a full refund because her Mitsi had a puff of smoke from the exhaust first thing on the morning. Some people have no idea and it's just part of the game.
kam04,
Aug 19, 8:41am
Unfortunately these people are out there. They think it is their entitlement and that things should last forever. It happens in all trades. I've had the same sort of problems in the electrical industry.
kazbanz,
Aug 19, 8:41am
for me the "best" so far was 8 year old car. 12 months /20000km use Wanted his money back because there was a squeak from the alternator belt.
llortmt,
Aug 19, 8:45am
Typical car salesman LOL??
llortmt,
Aug 19, 8:52am
I hope you gave it to him Kaz!
kazbanz,
Aug 19, 8:57am
ahh shuddup troll --He got EXACTLY what he deserved.
mainlander05,
Aug 19, 5:16pm
Mate.had a lady ring up and ask how much to fit two tyres on her car.$10 on $10 off.so in comes car and front tyres got wires sticking out.take tyres off and go to get tyres out of boot and they are on rims.well 13 inch rims and hers are 14.I point this out and she says her dad said they would fit.so next second its my fault.we told her we could fit 2 second hand ones for $60 for both.she wanted old tyres put back on.no way.my fault again.in the end her dad paid.clowns out there test you sometimes eh
brapbrap8,
Aug 19, 5:23pm
Sounds like the lady who I changed a tyre for. Her tyres had wires showing everywhere, and one had just blown out from being so worn. She said she didn't need new tyres as her WOF was not due for another few months so she would keep driving on them.
sw20,
Aug 19, 5:47pm
No good deed goes unpunished. I've stopped helping out people on a whim because once you help them once, they will come back for more.
I followed a late model Falcon into a servo once, had a tail light out. Said to the guy driving that his tail light was out, he replied that it had not long got a WOF so will have to wait for the next one.
melonhead1,
Aug 19, 5:57pm
What a Muppet they were.
cubasesx,
Aug 19, 6:01pm
Before the job was complete too! We do winz quotes, you're silly not to IMO, they're easily approved, and they pay full retail. You don't have to market yourself as a winz garage, but we've never done a winz quote we haven't actually converted to a sale. Fair enough, they're usually not customers for life, and that is our aim for every customer who walks though the door, but it's easily obtained work, they come to you because they want it!
rosehonda,
Aug 19, 6:38pm
Stories like this are what scare me when it comes to annual wof cars.
brapbrap8,
Aug 19, 6:56pm
Even worse is what these people will do if they get a new car with a 3 year WOF. Expect to see trouble when people buy a $15,000 brand new chinese car under the assumption that because it is new they won't have to spend a cent on it for a long time.
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