Invoice And Receipts

[Redline_GTR]

OP, you have a single invoice because when your mechanic supplies parts, and you have a problem that is fault of the parts or his labour, you take your car to him and he will sort everything out for you including chasing up suppliers of said parts. A lot of people like to save money by supplying their own parts...as experiences in this thread detail, this doesn't always work out so well. It also gives the workshop a blurred line to work with if they want to get out of blame for faulty workmanship because this can be very difficult to prove. So consider the gamble.

And rightly so. They can put 200% margin on parts for all I care. Simple equation here:

If you are happy paying the quoted price, go with them.

If you aren't happy paying the quoted price, don't go with them, unless you have no choice because they have a niche market and you're open to an ass ramming.

The dissonance in these situations is usually caused by lazy customers who want to spend as little money as possible and do as little work as possible. The two don't mix. If you can't be fked putting in the research to find out if you're getting a good deal or ripped off, then you are more susceptible to the latter and probably shouldn't whinge about it when it happens. If you're such a tight ass that you can't stand your mechanic earning $10 on a part, that's the gamble you take that you may have to deal with the manufacturer and any likelihood that you bought the wrong part.

Bingo. Ahhh f**k the number of times I had people call up after giving us the go ahead or the job was already 75% complete: "My friend reckons you're charging too much labour for this." or "This other workshop I spoke to (who would have no hidden agenda AT ALL) said they could have done the job for cheaper, you should match their price." Oh shit, don't get me started on dumb customers...there are infinitely more stupid customers than there are rip off mechanics. It's a numbers game.

Automotive trade isn't like the electrical trade. When you have companies offering bare bones servicing for $80 because they hire apprentices to do everything and use cheap shit, you can't afford to throw high labour costs in a customer's face unless you have a niche or a big reputation for quality work and a lot of loyal customers. You have to make the money somewhere...this usually comes from parts, because the part suppliers support their biggest customers (workshops) with trade prices. Better it come from the parts anyway...if the profit is in the labour, where's the incentive to get the job done in a timely manner?

Very true. You should take it to someone who you can trust. If you do your homework then this will reduce the obvious issues.

[badben]

It's called a quote. That's the incentive.

[C4a0s]

while as a customer, i can see that everyone wants the best deal, best bang for their buck but yeah... businesses have to make $$ to stay in the business...else there will be no one left to do the jobs on ur car that u cant or dont want to do.

i have seen people who are really cheap asses but yet dont do their research... these are the worst... and sometimes, its alrite to let the business earn abit from u..once u build a good working r/ship, then discounts can come from repeat business/loyal customers rite?

[Birds]

It's called a quote. That's the incentive.

Nope...if you tell a workshop that you're supplying parts and they don't like it, they will quote a 3 hour job as 4 hours etc.

You also ask a workshop what It will cost to do the job...then say okay what about if I supply the parts...instantly you fk your rapport with them. The best thing you can do is research, be honest yourself, and let a reputable workshop take care of pretty much everything. We do look after repeat customers. In fact, a good workshop will look after any new customer who does the right thing by them. I've had letters threatening legal action...in the same lot of mail I've had hallmark thank you cards expressing gratitude for all the free help we gave someone. People have even shouted me meals at their restaurants. The latter are few and far between, though; your average customer knows more than you about your line of work, doesn't want to pay full costs for anything, and is in their eyes your only customer. This is why mechanics are grumpy!

Don't see why people are so unhappy about workshops making money off them anyway. Like a convenience store, the prices are more expensive...because of the convenience. I used to lol @ customers spending a day trying to source their own part to save $20. Workshops don't exist just to break even, but the reality is that most workshops struggle just to do that. If your mechanic is driving around in a GT3, then he might be making more than he should...but how many mechanics are actually rolling in it like that? People who think they are all rip offs usually aren't aware of the overheads. I used to tell people our labour costs were $75 an hour. Sometimes their response was "That's more than I earn! How can you charge that?".

Okay I'll stop ranting about customers now lol

[badben]

A quote from you birds "Better it come from the parts anyway...if the profit is in the labour, where's the incentive to get the job done in a timely manner?"

My response " get a guote. That's the incentive. "

You can't hardly say no. That's the incentive. As the client you don't have to accept the quote. You shop around if so inclined and get the quote your after.

Edited July 4, 2013 by badben

[badben]

75 is quite normal. People that question that in my opinion don't respect the trade or the industry. As you've been through 3 or 4 years of study. Possibly extra training in new diagnostic equipment etc.

Kinda the same when people question call out fees. We don't stop what where doing,drive to your place of business or home for free.

[mad082]

It's funny how many customers seen to think that hourly rates = wages in pocket.

But shopping round for quotes doesn't always mean you are getting the best deal. Lowest price yes, best deal no. The lower price may come from cheaper quality parts or lower quality workmanship. This isn't always the case though. Around my area the highest workshop charges are from the dealerships, and they certainly don't do the best work. Only a small amount of dealership work is because of their workmanship and reputation. Most of it is because they are a dealership. Independent workshops rely on their reputation to keep business coming.

My point is, do your research on the workshop. If they do good work and the price is reasonable, then go with them. There is no point going to a workshop to save a few dollars if it's going to cost you more in the long run.

[Birds]

A quote from you birds "Better it come from the parts anyway...if the profit is in the labour, where's the incentive to get the job done in a timely manner?"

My response " get a guote. That's the incentive. "

You can't hardly say no. That's the incentive. As the client you don't have to accept the quote. You shop around if so inclined and get the quote your after.

You'd be surprised how many people will go with you whatever you quote, particularly if they've been recommended to you. But what I'm saying is, you think you're saving $100 by supplying parts...mechanic ups the usual labour quote by another 1.3 hours...can still have a cheaper quote than competiton or has a good reputation or a niche market or is closest workshop to you, so you go with them anyway...there's your $100 back in his pocket again and you fked around with getting parts + risk of you screwing that up.

All I'm saying is, the workshop is there to make money and they will make it somewhere. Yes some will try to get every spare dollar out of you, but others are just trying to pay the bills and won't work for nada. So you can either pay it to them for parts or more in labour and have a good relationship, or take the risks of supplying your own and possibly end up paying much the same anyway + having to deal with issues / bad rapport / whatever. My advice is to go somewhere reputable, or research well and pay what you are willing to pay for the job, don't just try to get out of it as cheaply as possible.

Another funny thing I used to come across occasionally was a customer paying more for parts they supplied than we would have charged them.

[StevenCJR31]

im more than happy to pay for good service and pay for good labour but a 200% to 300% mark up on parts they have supplied is the reason why people go to the effort of supplying their own parts!

[Redline_GTR]

Another valid point. Reputable workshops are exactly that, they have built their reputation. While yes I am still sure they have their share of horror stories/customers.

As already mentioned I would be happy to pay more for work from people I trust and perform a good job. Of course you're not the only customer, but when they treat you as such and put in the extra yards that's what puts them apart from others. And yes will also create repeat business.

[StevenCJR31]

^^ definatly agree with the above . . im sure there are plenty of customers that get it wrong~ same as a reputable workshop here in perth that quoted me $10,000 to make engine / transmission mounts (i supplied halfcut) so i could fit a y31 engine into my y30 . . needless to say they didnt get the job