umm...what?

[piercetattoo]

So this SC ask me to do an oil change for him. The way the garage is set up is pretty dumb, I can't close the big door when I have a car on the lift. Now it being 20 degrees out and snowing I really didn't feel like doing it so I told him the lift was broken. The following conversation took place:

SC: My steering wheel is jumping , do you know what it could be?
Me: When you take your hand off of it does is stay straight or does it go to one side?
SC: What?

I'm not even kidding this gets repeated 3 more times.

SC: I think it might be my power steering fluid.
Me: Is it hard to turn the wheel or does it work like normal?

He stares at me blankly like a deer in headlights.

SC: Well last time I had someone put some in they put in 3 or 4 bottles.
Me: That's impossible, where you put the power steering fluid is only about 3 inches high.
SC: Can you look at it anyway? Ill give you a tip.
Me: fine pull your car up to the garage.

I check the power steering fluid and of course its full.

SC: Do you think it could be any other fluid?
Me: The problem you are having has nothing to do with any fluid that goes in your car.

So he leaves and not only do I not get a tip I don't even get a f-ing thank you.

[Ree]

So he leaves and not only do I not get a tip I don't even get a f-ing thank you.

But you didn't fix his problem. (...At least, it didn't seem to me, from reading, that you did.)

Did you end up putting it on the lift and working in the cold to see what was wrong, or did you just do a quick check for him? It wasn't clear from reading, but I got the impression you did. Does that mean you also did the oil change like he originally asked, as well?

If not, he was probably pissy about that, and that's probably why you didn't get any thanks from him. I assume he was billed for the service? If not, it wouldn't have killed him to tip you for it as a gesture.

[Bramblerose]

Piercetatto *did* try to fix said problem- appropriate questions were asked (The only thing I might have done differently would be ask if he tapped a curb recently). Customer was convinced that problem was with steering fluid, and apparently cut off all linkages between ear and brain to other diagnostic questions. Besides, he said he would tip if the steering fluid was assessed. Can you imagine the squaking over being told it was most likely a bent rim?

[kibbles]

From what I can tell, the customer didn't get the service that he asked for.

[crashhelmet]

To defend the OP, there was no service to be done, aside form changing the oil. But given the weather and work conditions, I'm going to side with him.

As for the others, he asked general questions and couldn't/wouldn't/didn't respond to his attempts to investigate the cause of failure. He did enough by checking his fluids and making sure that things appeared to be normal. Anything from there is all on the customer.

I look at it like a customer bringing me their computer and says "it doesn't work." if they don't tell me what's "not working" or answer the questions I ask them, I'll make sure it boots, do a quick check for anything out of the ordinary, and then send them on their way.

CH

[iradney]

If someone asks a question like "If you do A, does it result in B or C?" and you do not answer it, they cannot magically pull the answer from your ear.
The customer didn't answer piercetattoo's questions about the issue, PT did check what the customer thought was the problem, and it wasn't the problem. Due to the customer not listening or refusing to answer PT's questions, there's not much else the OP can do...

[Gabrielle Proctor]

I don't think I would want to work in the snow if this asshole can't even tell me what's wrong with his car. It's called, "Help me, help you."

[piercetattoo]

I guess there were some details I left out that I shouldn't have. My shop isn't a full shop, we just do tires, batteries, changing wiper blades, things of that sort . I was trying to explain this to him so i wouldn't waste his or my time. But he failed to answer very simple questions and pretty much told me it was the fluid. He told me he would give me a tip just to check if it was the fluid. Now after all is said and done I didn't charge him anything. Doing something like that I never charge. I would of checked for him anyway even if he didn't tell me he was going to tip. Its just the fact that he told me he was, me doing what i could to help him and then him not.

[Ree]

Thanks for clarifying a bit.

I guess I was low on caffeine when I first read the post.

I didn't mean to imply that I thought you hadn't done the job. I meant that the customer probably felt you hadn't done the job. (Although he did come in originally for an oil change, and you couldn't do it because of the situation with the cold weather, so that was probably why he was pissy to begin with.)

He's an ass for not tipping after he told you he would.