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One day in Phoenix and I'm done with 'roadside fix' jobs
Tuesday I got called to a blown head gasket on an old Freightliner out near Buckeye. Owner kept saying 'just patch it, it's gotta make it to Vegas'. I told him that's not how coolant and compression work, but he insisted. Nine hours later, I'm chasing a second leak that wouldn't have happened if we'd done it right the first time. Charged him $1,400 after parts and he still complained. This is why I'm starting to turn down these patch jobs, even when the money looks good. Has anyone else hit that point where you'd rather lose the work than lose your name on a hack repair?
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nancy8179d ago
That's a fair take, but I see it a little different. Sometimes a patch job is what keeps a small owner operator from going under, and they know exactly what they're asking for. You gave them a clear warning and still made the repair work, which is more than a lot of shops would do.
The second leak sounds like it was on the old part, not on your work, but I get why it feels bad. Charge for your time, note on the invoice that it's a temporary fix with no warranty, and then you're not losing your name. You're just selling what they bought.
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