As requested by Nunavut Pants, my auto mechanic story. Warning: bit of background, and the more I wrote the more I remembered…
*****
My cousin has been an auto mechanic since he got out of high school, and finally got enough money to open his own shop. It’s not a huge shop but he’s got a good reputation and lots of repeat business. One thing he does is hire kids from the local high schools to work weekends and holidays – he pays above minimum wage, they get a lot of good experience and frequently get good job offers when they graduate (more than one worked for him over the years).
He was approached by his church pastor one Sunday with a suggestion. Their church had a number of parishioners who were either on state assistance or were elderly with fixed incomes. They drove older vehicles which were in poor shape and they couldn’t afford to get them fixed or pass state inspection. Could he help?
After giving this some thought he came up with a plan - he could offer a program where he would do his best to keep costs down as much as possible.
He debated about how many work slots to open each month as he did have to have room for paying customers. He finally decided on two slots a month – first come, first serve. A special contract sheet was printed which spelled out this and more:
- No warranty, expressed or implied. The only thing he guaranteed was that it would pass inspection and would drive out the door.
- He would try and get used parts from junkyards whenever possible.
- Absolutely minimal body work, just enough to make the vehicle legal and drivable. No painting was offered.
- He would use his trainees to keep labor costs down. He would eat labor costs to keep the bill down if necessary although this wasn’t mentioned in the contract.
- They would be as careful as possible, but if window glass was broken it was the responsibility of the owner to get that fixed at THEIR expense.
- He would only do such work as to get the vehicle drivable and up to code, anything else would be discussed but would have to be authorized.
With this in hand the program started. And it was a disaster, in the end he serviced only six vehicles before cancelling it. It seems he’d forgotten one big thing, these people had no money. Thus when it was time to get paid he got all sorts of excuses about how they needed the vehicle immediately and would pay later. One couple even brought in their pastor, who swore “these were good people and he would get paid.” Of the six one paid $50, two paid $25 each, one paid $10 and about $20 more later, the last two were total stiffs to around a total $800-900 loss, not counting what he wrote off.
The worst part, though, was the absolute entitlement. I spoke to the secretary and a couple of the mechanics and they all agreed this was the most offensive part. After my cousin cancelled the program he had people demanding he honor it. He agreed to honor it for the next two people on the list but both argued with him about payment to the point where he told them he would not work with them and to take their vehicles and leave.
His secretary put it best. “If any of these people had shown some gratitude and willingness to work with your cousin he would have bent over backwards to try and help. But each and every last one came in with what your grandfather (his uncle) used to call ‘a full load of rude.’ (I always wondered where my father learned this phrase, he sometimes used it as well.) They made demands and threats, would not listen to us or even try to work with us but instead gave outrageous and impossible orders. I’m not surprised your cousin cancelled this program, I’m shocked he tried as hard and as long as he did before shutting it down. It’s not OUR fault your vehicle is past its inspection date and you need it fixed now, you have to go on the list and take your turn. And it’s not OUR fault you want to take in on vacation next week and need it fixed now, you need to wait your turn. We cannot turn away fully-paying customers to get you in now.”
His own minister gave him grief about it, and when my cousin suggested the minister pay for the work and then collect from these people he got the silent treatment. He left the church and never went back…
*****
And unfortunately this colored his view of charity from that point on. In his mind everyone on welfare and social security is “a parasite and a leech” and he refuses to donate any more, feeling he’s donated enough already. He would be willing to work with someone but will NOT be bullied into helping.
*****
There was some karmic comeback. He got a call from one of the two complete stiffs (hereafter called The Family Deadbeat) about six weeks later. The caller complained their mother’s vehicle had crapped out and DEMANDED he fix it for free and NAO! After trying to get a word in edgewise and explain he told the asshole on the phone to shut up, that they had stiffed him and thus even if there was a warranty (which there wasn’t) he wouldn’t fix it. He then hung up and had their number blocked.
This was a Thursday, and on Monday a tow-truck driver showed up with a vehicle to drop off for repair. He went out and took a look at it to find it was from The Family Deadbeat. He told the driver he was NOT going to accept the vehicle, had told the family such and hoped he’d been paid at least. The driver told him they got cash up front but he’d only been paid to bring the car there, NOT bring it back. My cousin was adamant it was not going to be put on his property so the driver dropped it in the street in the only free area – right in front of a fire hydrant. My cousin had his secretary call the cops who came out, ticketed it and put on a notice saying if not moved in 24 hours it would be towed. Sometime before work started Tuesday it was towed, he wasn’t sure if it got a second ticket or not.
Cue Friday and The Family Deadbeat shows up – mother, 2 sons and an unidentified third male. My cousin knew there would be trouble and had the secretary call the police.
They came in with an attitude, demanding to know the status of the vehicle. My cousin played dumb at first and things started getting out of hand, a couple of the mechanics came out with a small sledge hammer and a large socket wrench and stood behind him. The cops showed up, the younger took the Family Deadbeat outside to get their story while the older officer got my cousin’s. He showed the officer the contract stating NO warranty and that the bill remained unpaid.
The officer informed my cousin and his staff of a few things. The older brother was currently out on parole, and the officer told them this could easily be considered a violation of it. The younger brother was currently out on bail, and this was definitely a violation of it. The third male was a cousin who the officer was pretty sure had an arrest warrant out on him a couple of counties over. And mama was no prize either: numerous arrests for shoplifting. Then she would go back, was told she was banned and refused to leave. She would then get arrested for trespassing and, more often than not, resisting arrest. A real upstanding family…
So officer goes out and talks with his partner. He then asks Family Deadbeat for the paperwork showing they paid for the repairs and the warranty. What a shock, they didn’t have those with them! Officer then informs them of the fact that car was towed, they can get it back by bringing down their paperwork and paying the ticket, tow and storage charges – and of course right now are more than the car is worth. Then he tells them he knows what’s really happening here. “The shop owner will not press charges for failure to pay, but he wants you to leave and you are banned from these premises for life.” They start to argue but officer puts up his hand. “This is NOT up for discussion and you have two choices. The first is you leave on your own. The second is that you all come down to the station and have a talk with my captain. And meanwhile your names will be run through the computer.”
Family Deadbeat couldn’t leave fast enough…
Officer comes back in. “That’s what I figured was going to happen, they know what would happen if we ran their names. I doubt they’re stupid enough to come back but if they do call, the next time they WILL go downtown.” They were smart and never came back…
*****
Over the years my cousin has calmed down a bit, but still refuses to donate to any charity and has nothing but disdain for organized religion…
*****
My cousin has been an auto mechanic since he got out of high school, and finally got enough money to open his own shop. It’s not a huge shop but he’s got a good reputation and lots of repeat business. One thing he does is hire kids from the local high schools to work weekends and holidays – he pays above minimum wage, they get a lot of good experience and frequently get good job offers when they graduate (more than one worked for him over the years).
He was approached by his church pastor one Sunday with a suggestion. Their church had a number of parishioners who were either on state assistance or were elderly with fixed incomes. They drove older vehicles which were in poor shape and they couldn’t afford to get them fixed or pass state inspection. Could he help?
After giving this some thought he came up with a plan - he could offer a program where he would do his best to keep costs down as much as possible.
He debated about how many work slots to open each month as he did have to have room for paying customers. He finally decided on two slots a month – first come, first serve. A special contract sheet was printed which spelled out this and more:
- No warranty, expressed or implied. The only thing he guaranteed was that it would pass inspection and would drive out the door.
- He would try and get used parts from junkyards whenever possible.
- Absolutely minimal body work, just enough to make the vehicle legal and drivable. No painting was offered.
- He would use his trainees to keep labor costs down. He would eat labor costs to keep the bill down if necessary although this wasn’t mentioned in the contract.
- They would be as careful as possible, but if window glass was broken it was the responsibility of the owner to get that fixed at THEIR expense.
- He would only do such work as to get the vehicle drivable and up to code, anything else would be discussed but would have to be authorized.
With this in hand the program started. And it was a disaster, in the end he serviced only six vehicles before cancelling it. It seems he’d forgotten one big thing, these people had no money. Thus when it was time to get paid he got all sorts of excuses about how they needed the vehicle immediately and would pay later. One couple even brought in their pastor, who swore “these were good people and he would get paid.” Of the six one paid $50, two paid $25 each, one paid $10 and about $20 more later, the last two were total stiffs to around a total $800-900 loss, not counting what he wrote off.
The worst part, though, was the absolute entitlement. I spoke to the secretary and a couple of the mechanics and they all agreed this was the most offensive part. After my cousin cancelled the program he had people demanding he honor it. He agreed to honor it for the next two people on the list but both argued with him about payment to the point where he told them he would not work with them and to take their vehicles and leave.
His secretary put it best. “If any of these people had shown some gratitude and willingness to work with your cousin he would have bent over backwards to try and help. But each and every last one came in with what your grandfather (his uncle) used to call ‘a full load of rude.’ (I always wondered where my father learned this phrase, he sometimes used it as well.) They made demands and threats, would not listen to us or even try to work with us but instead gave outrageous and impossible orders. I’m not surprised your cousin cancelled this program, I’m shocked he tried as hard and as long as he did before shutting it down. It’s not OUR fault your vehicle is past its inspection date and you need it fixed now, you have to go on the list and take your turn. And it’s not OUR fault you want to take in on vacation next week and need it fixed now, you need to wait your turn. We cannot turn away fully-paying customers to get you in now.”
His own minister gave him grief about it, and when my cousin suggested the minister pay for the work and then collect from these people he got the silent treatment. He left the church and never went back…
*****
And unfortunately this colored his view of charity from that point on. In his mind everyone on welfare and social security is “a parasite and a leech” and he refuses to donate any more, feeling he’s donated enough already. He would be willing to work with someone but will NOT be bullied into helping.
*****
There was some karmic comeback. He got a call from one of the two complete stiffs (hereafter called The Family Deadbeat) about six weeks later. The caller complained their mother’s vehicle had crapped out and DEMANDED he fix it for free and NAO! After trying to get a word in edgewise and explain he told the asshole on the phone to shut up, that they had stiffed him and thus even if there was a warranty (which there wasn’t) he wouldn’t fix it. He then hung up and had their number blocked.
This was a Thursday, and on Monday a tow-truck driver showed up with a vehicle to drop off for repair. He went out and took a look at it to find it was from The Family Deadbeat. He told the driver he was NOT going to accept the vehicle, had told the family such and hoped he’d been paid at least. The driver told him they got cash up front but he’d only been paid to bring the car there, NOT bring it back. My cousin was adamant it was not going to be put on his property so the driver dropped it in the street in the only free area – right in front of a fire hydrant. My cousin had his secretary call the cops who came out, ticketed it and put on a notice saying if not moved in 24 hours it would be towed. Sometime before work started Tuesday it was towed, he wasn’t sure if it got a second ticket or not.
Cue Friday and The Family Deadbeat shows up – mother, 2 sons and an unidentified third male. My cousin knew there would be trouble and had the secretary call the police.
They came in with an attitude, demanding to know the status of the vehicle. My cousin played dumb at first and things started getting out of hand, a couple of the mechanics came out with a small sledge hammer and a large socket wrench and stood behind him. The cops showed up, the younger took the Family Deadbeat outside to get their story while the older officer got my cousin’s. He showed the officer the contract stating NO warranty and that the bill remained unpaid.
The officer informed my cousin and his staff of a few things. The older brother was currently out on parole, and the officer told them this could easily be considered a violation of it. The younger brother was currently out on bail, and this was definitely a violation of it. The third male was a cousin who the officer was pretty sure had an arrest warrant out on him a couple of counties over. And mama was no prize either: numerous arrests for shoplifting. Then she would go back, was told she was banned and refused to leave. She would then get arrested for trespassing and, more often than not, resisting arrest. A real upstanding family…
So officer goes out and talks with his partner. He then asks Family Deadbeat for the paperwork showing they paid for the repairs and the warranty. What a shock, they didn’t have those with them! Officer then informs them of the fact that car was towed, they can get it back by bringing down their paperwork and paying the ticket, tow and storage charges – and of course right now are more than the car is worth. Then he tells them he knows what’s really happening here. “The shop owner will not press charges for failure to pay, but he wants you to leave and you are banned from these premises for life.” They start to argue but officer puts up his hand. “This is NOT up for discussion and you have two choices. The first is you leave on your own. The second is that you all come down to the station and have a talk with my captain. And meanwhile your names will be run through the computer.”
Family Deadbeat couldn’t leave fast enough…
Officer comes back in. “That’s what I figured was going to happen, they know what would happen if we ran their names. I doubt they’re stupid enough to come back but if they do call, the next time they WILL go downtown.” They were smart and never came back…
*****
Over the years my cousin has calmed down a bit, but still refuses to donate to any charity and has nothing but disdain for organized religion…
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