Disastrous service!

hls wrote:

> That indicates that there should be a consolidated approach to
> diagnosis and repair
> as part of the basic job. A person or team has to be paid for the job
> successfully done.
> There has to be a commitment (as in ISO) for constant improvement,
> and I believe
> that customers would bitch less and pay easier if they felt that the
> dealership shop was
> really providing best in class service. (And, some do, while some
> very much dont)

Most of the problems stem from the archaic way that mechanics
are paid. It rewards the slackers, the "upsellers"...etc. It does
not reward the person who may be good at diagnosis. Diagnosis
works pays straight time "at best". All of the maintenance work,
and/or parts replacement type work pays at "flat rate" times.

Example, in our shop, the driveability guy will do the diagnostic
work and then send the vehicle over to the general side to
get the fuel pump replaced. Under warranty, the most he can
get for diagnosis is probably .3 hrs. The fuel pumps on most
GM vehicles can easily be done in half the R&R warranty
time. Mind you, I have little sympathy for him as he's been
offered a hoist in his bay, but he's a prima donna from the
old days when driveability guys did carb overhauls all day
long and made 20 hrs a day. He doesn't want to do the
"dirty work". So I happily change the fuel pumps for him.
The industry has changed so drastically that I now make
as much money or more then he does. When I worked with
him in the 80's, I'd be lucky to make half of what he did.

The whole system has to change, and there is talk in the
air that it's going to. Here's the big problem, every scenario
I've seen offered, includes a big pay drop for the techs. Who
in their right mind will put up with a 30-40% drop in pay?
You might just as well get out of the trade if that happens.
And guess what? Ton's of the "good" guys are getting out.
If some financial things work out for me this next year, I'll
be phasing out of the trade as quickly as I humanly can.

If you take away the flat rate system, you will end up with
drastically less production...which means drastically less
money flowing in the doors to pay the techs. I've seen
so called "team" systems in other dealerships where a team
of techs share total hours made. How unfair is that? Big
time unfair to the competent and efficient tech! Sure, he
gets a few more bucks an hour then the others, but that
will never make up for what he could produce on his own.
The problem is that the flat rate system as we have known
it, has made some of us so much money that it would be
a major paycheck changing event if you simply went to
straight time at 8 hrs a day with "maybe" 5 dollars more
an hour.

Customers will "always" be billed by the flat rate system. You
can say what you want about the system, but I can't see many
customers being interested in paying vastly different amounts of
money for the same basic repair based on "which" tech happens
to be working on it. It would make no sense for the customer
to pay more because a tech is slower, or less experienced...etc.

Ian

"shiden_kai" > wrote in message
news:U_28h.336234$1T2.285112@pd7urf2no...

> Customers will "always" be billed by the flat rate system. You
> can say what you want about the system, but I can't see many
> customers being interested in paying vastly different amounts of
> money for the same basic repair based on "which" tech happens
> to be working on it. It would make no sense for the customer
> to pay more because a tech is slower, or less experienced...etc.
>
> Ian

It sounds like the system in inequitable and need some fixing, but for those
of us outside the industry, we wouldnt know how to start. Trained and
hardworking
people need to be adequately compensated, and the customer needs a good job
for
what he pays.

I hope it goes better for all of you.

In my industry, we have a problem getting good and well educated people who
can
think and are willing to work. And once we get them and invest some time in
special
training, they often go to work somewhere else where pay is better,
advancement is
more likely, or work responsibilities are less demanding.

I came out of retirement thinking I could help. Now I see that incompetence
at the top
make it impossible to change anything or improve the system. They dictate
policy, and
everybody else is supposed to make their planning, or lack of it, work.

Ive had enough

hls wrote:

> I came out of retirement thinking I could help. Now I see that
> incompetence at the top
> make it impossible to change anything or improve the system. They
> dictate policy, and
> everybody else is supposed to make their planning, or lack of it,
> work.

Never a truer word was spoken! And they protect themselves
and their idiocy at all costs!

Ian

"shiden_kai" > wrote in message
news:nj98h.336798$1T2.213712@pd7urf2no...
> hls wrote:
>
>> I came out of retirement thinking I could help. Now I see that
>> incompetence at the top
>> make it impossible to change anything or improve the system. They
>> dictate policy, and
>> everybody else is supposed to make their planning, or lack of it,
>> work.
>
> Never a truer word was spoken! And they protect themselves
> and their idiocy at all costs!
>
> Ian

Yes, they do. And I have seen what happens when someone from the lower
branches of the organogram tries to send a message north...The ranks close
and the whistleblower gets sent to Siberia.