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pseydtonneDid I say one headlight? It became two on my way to work yesterday. I scheduled an appointment with a different place because they could get me in this morning. I drove home with my high beams on last night.
I got up early, showered and got to the shop by 8 a.m..
Remember the other estimate I had? Ha ha. These guys said $180.
Yes, for two headlights.
So I leave my keys, thinking "what other options do I have?", and take a nap in the lounge.
They call me back over about ten before nine. Not much of a nap, eh?
The bill was only $160. Oh, joy. I took note of the rates they've posted on the wall, such as "labor -- $70 per hour" (high end for outer Boston), sign the bill and leave.
So I get gas, bother my friend Ron, get some groceries (forgot to get peanut butter) and got home.
My friend the Scoundrel hit the roof when I told him the price. "Three words, Better Buisness somethingerother," he said. My friend![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
moominmolly concurred. I'm trying to figure out how they billed me for two units of labor when I wasn't there even an hour. How is that fair? Two guys had to work on it?
Events like this could turn me into a total redneck. Here I am, a pompous bastard, but not a man afraid to get dirty. I want to be able to do this low-level work myself, like I did with my parents' cars. I am not an old biddie. I may be swishy, but I've gotten beyond a lot of my wuss tendencies.
This car has made me neurotic and oblivious at the same time -- I have to ignore body work and other concerns because I cannot afford to have them fixed, but then I feel nervous and guilty. It's bad for my mental health to drive this VW.
Maybe I should become an auto mechanic. Then I'd learn something useful and be able to do my own work in a garage. I would get to work with my hands and have my brain free for problem-solving.
The money can't be that bad if they're billing me that much, eh?
-fighting off a throat cold, ps/d
I got up early, showered and got to the shop by 8 a.m..
Remember the other estimate I had? Ha ha. These guys said $180.
Yes, for two headlights.
So I leave my keys, thinking "what other options do I have?", and take a nap in the lounge.
They call me back over about ten before nine. Not much of a nap, eh?
The bill was only $160. Oh, joy. I took note of the rates they've posted on the wall, such as "labor -- $70 per hour" (high end for outer Boston), sign the bill and leave.
So I get gas, bother my friend Ron, get some groceries (forgot to get peanut butter) and got home.
My friend the Scoundrel hit the roof when I told him the price. "Three words, Better Buisness somethingerother," he said. My friend
moominmolly concurred. I'm trying to figure out how they billed me for two units of labor when I wasn't there even an hour. How is that fair? Two guys had to work on it?Events like this could turn me into a total redneck. Here I am, a pompous bastard, but not a man afraid to get dirty. I want to be able to do this low-level work myself, like I did with my parents' cars. I am not an old biddie. I may be swishy, but I've gotten beyond a lot of my wuss tendencies.
This car has made me neurotic and oblivious at the same time -- I have to ignore body work and other concerns because I cannot afford to have them fixed, but then I feel nervous and guilty. It's bad for my mental health to drive this VW.
Maybe I should become an auto mechanic. Then I'd learn something useful and be able to do my own work in a garage. I would get to work with my hands and have my brain free for problem-solving.
The money can't be that bad if they're billing me that much, eh?
-fighting off a throat cold, ps/d
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no subject
Date: 2002-05-10 08:57 am (UTC)Well, the fun part of auto mechanics is problem-solving. Why won't this work? What's keeping it from turning over? etc., etc. But I bet that like any job, most of what you'd do would be changing people's spark plugs and crap like that. Probably easy to tune out.
Renderking gets more pissed...
Date: 2002-05-10 10:08 am (UTC)It's not the car, Chooch... it's the machanics. I think they see you as a swooshy/swishy boy and a push over. One of the joys of being an Asshole (it runs in the family) is that I'm able to tell them whats wrong, how long it should take and how much I'm expected to pay all with in the same breath. Black Leather Jacket, brown fedora and a perpetual pissed look also helps.
Cliff Notes: Its not you or the car. The saw you as an easy mark and took advantage of you. My advice is a momentary laps into the Darkside and kick some ass. I would even bet you got a legal case.
Go for it
Date: 2002-05-10 10:06 am (UTC)Go for it, dude. Then you'd be a triple threat: a philosopher-humorist who knows how to clean out a fuel injector system and geek out on Perl...
And you'd be living in Boston... and Italian... oh, no, you'd become (Click and Clack) + Linux!
Forget I ever mentioned it!
Re: Go for it
Date: 2002-05-11 12:18 pm (UTC)I think he would become "Clock"