A little work rant.....that's not about work

[Soufkackicustom]

Kind of confusing title, but I run a car customizing shop, one of the things we offer is car audio. We been in business 10 years. One of the things we learned, don't sell cheap equipment...it's not worth the headache of having to warranty it.

Well another audio shop opened last year. They even called us and asked if we would send them out audio business, and they would send us everything eles. Of course I said no. I enjoy doing it, and where we live...isn't big enough to support a audio only shop. Well a year later they are gone. I now have a wave of customers with non working equipment, who want me to fix it. The same customers who last year told me I was too high on prices. Most think since they had a pro shop install it, that I should be able to fix it under warranty..even though I didn't sell or install it. For one, I hate going behind someone eles work, every installer does thing a bit different, and two, they throw a fit about how they just spent all this money on this shit that doesn't work.

I guess the old saying goes, do it right or do it twice. It's just getting a bit frustrating, because I've seen 9 of them this week. And we don't use any of the stuff the out of buisness shop used, dash kit, wire, equipment.

[toycar]

So why is it your problem?


Isn't it business, or revenue in your pocket doing this work?

[Leung]

So why is it your problem?


Isn't it business, or revenue in your pocket doing this work?

The way im reading it is the customer of another shop wants the OP to fix the problems created by the other shop under warranty(for free); one that the OP never sold the customer in the first place.

[toycar]

The way im reading it is the customer of another shop wants the OP to fix the problems created by the other shop under warranty(for free); one that the OP never sold the customer in the first place.

Warranty work still pays.


Its not like the issuer of the warranty expects some random shop to pick up the tab for honoring their warranty.


This guy is either getting paid by the customer, or the maker of the product but either way there is money involved.


I think what he's bitching about is how people wrote him off initially because he was "too high" in price but he knew the product was shit.


I would be irritated about that too, but business is business yo

[LadyG]

I understand why this is frustrating.

My BF owns a car customization buisness- and we recently had some projects come in with very expensive mill-spec harnesses, from a high profile harness maker, that when the shrink was opened were OEM harnesses with poorly soldered connections for the modified connectors.

Which, if it had been a backyard wiring harness is understandable- but for what they are being charged- its not. The worst part is the responsible parties will not assist in repair by explaining their designs, because they will not admit to what they did.

Company Authorized dealers must warranty each others work on the Companies Components and install (why "authorized" is important).
If they did not want to pay for the quality upfront- they will pay for it down the line.
It might be an easier sell if you remind them that if you fix it, it can then be under warranty. (If that can apply)

[bobbycos]

I understand why this is frustrating.

My BF owns a car customization buisness- and we recently had some projects come in with very expensive mill-spec harnesses, from a high profile harness maker, that when the shrink was opened were OEM harnesses with poorly soldered connections for the modified connectors.

Which, if it had been a backyard wiring harness is understandable- but for what they are being charged- its not. The worst part is the responsible parties will not assist in repair by explaining their designs, because they will not admit to what they did.

Company Authorized dealers must warranty each others work on the Companies Components and install (why "authorized" is important).
If they did not want to pay for the quality upfront- they will pay for it down the line.
It might be an easier sell if you remind them that if you fix it, it can then be under warranty. (If that can apply)

and his name was BINGO

when i used to work as an auto mechanic years ago the shop i worked in experienced the same problems and what we nicely explained to the customer was that we night be able to get the part manufacturer to warranty the part we cannot warranty the install work.

sweet.. simple .. to the point

[Soufkackicustom]

A lot of them think that, but a lot of them what to know what's wrong with their equipment before they will have new stuff put in, which is time consuming. I had a older fella in today, said his radio stopped working. He thought we were the same shop on top of the hill that went out of business. When I saw his radio, I knew exactly what it was. It was a remanufactured pioneer..not the first one I saw out the other shop. He had no idea it wasn't "new" when he bought it. He wanted to know what I was going to do about it. "I told him he would have to buy a new one and have it installed" he then informed me I was a crook and any real professional could fix his problem.

And they usually just show up. Since we do a lot of stuff other than audio, and its only a two man operation...we like to make appoiments for work, so people aren't just sitting waiting for hours on end. And if we're doing something like suspension work, we don't schedule audio appoiments that day because no one wants a greasy person taking apart the inside of their car, and I don't want to ruin no one car

And iam not going to try to warranty anything from there, even if I do carry the same brand. I got to take it out, ship it back, wait for a answer, get it back, and put back in...all while dealing with the customer, who if it doesn't go their way, will bad mouth me for either not getting it done, or wasting their time. And if it not under warranty, I will be on the hook for either the repair or to have it shipped back if the customer whines about me stealing his non working audio equipment his buddy's cousin could of fixed, because he's done it before.

[LadyG]

That's lame.
When you informed him that you were not "that shop", what did he say?
You could also post a sign that informs customers that a "licensed retailer" has to have installed the components for warranties to be honored- and maybe a few sentences about how licensed retailers protect them.

Also, these customers can always feel free to file a complaint with the BBB/ Business Licensing bureau and probably have the "other shop's" licensing reviewed/ revoked- if there are enough complaints filed against the owner of that shop. There is also more litigious routes they could go if it is worth their time.
Even if he is currently out of buisness- he would not be able to renew his licensing or get licensing for a new buisness- until he settled the claims against him.

[Soufkackicustom]

The old guy basically said "we all the same" when I told him we went the same people. The other shops installs arnt bad, it's just junk equipment. Alot of cheap high profit stuff, and b stock stuff. But everyone does stuff their own way, and its kind of hard for people to grasp when I recommend pulling everything out of their car, that they had professionally installed, and starting over. What makes my shop different? The other shop didn't close on bad terms. The owner had run it for a few years out in the boonies, before moving into town at the first of last year. He also had a construction business. Both his parents passed away, leaving him the family construction business to him self, and a money losing audio shop he no longer had time to run, so he closed it