Whacko Mechanic!
So I get to the little shop in the little town dad told me about. They tell me that they can look at my car in 45 minutes. I figure that's okay, with nothing else to do I'll look for another shop and another quote.
I drive down the street a little ways and come to a little place called "Master Tire" or something like that. I drove in and parked. Stepped into the office - here's a detailed drawing:
The little lines running parrallel are doorways. The wide spaced ones are bay doors. Rectangle in the circle is where I parked the car - the rectangle in the building is where he parked it a jacked it up to look at it. The customer waiting room is that's little cube with little doors. As you step in, there's a window in the wall to the right that ;et's you see what's going on in the big room (the shop area).
Now, when I step in, I so nobody. I look through the window. There's nobody but in the workroom and there's a tarp that's sectioning off where I suppose they keep they're tools (I learn later that they is actually one guy that owns the place).
I call out "Anybody in here! Hel-lloooo!!" Do that a couple a' times and finally a dude with a very placid looking face comes out and speaks real softly, like he's afraid of me or something (the guy obviously dones't have social skills). I ask him if he could look at my car and give me a quote... after clarifying myself and repeating myself a couple times, he drives the car into the shop, jacks it up and looks at it. I'm watching him through the a'forementioned window. This place is creepy and I don't trust him.
He comes back and asks what I want done. I go in (after he unlocks the "employees only" door and point out the problems that I knew about. He takes me back to the waiting room, gets behind the counter (the norther wall of the little room is actually a counter).
He asks me if I want it fixed today. I say I just want a quote. He ask me how much I want it to cost. A ridiculous question. It'll cost whatever parts and labor will cost!I tell him "I just want to know what parts and labour will cost." He ASKS ME AGAIN! I'm fed up, so I tell him I don't want the job to cost anything over 500 (the other place was 700, remember).
This is how the rest of the conversation went:
"Do you want it done today?"
"NO, I told you I just want a price quote."
"If you give me thirty minutes, I can do it for you"
- this I found unbelievable, the other people had to order the parts and it seemed like a job would take a lot more than thirty minutes.
"You have the parts here?" I ask.
"Yeah, I can do it in ten minutes if you have that much"
"I don't think so... just give me a price quote, please."
"Give me ten minutes."
He went to the workroom and behind the tarp to get what I hoped was his car parts book. He pulled out a big metal thing instead, plugged it in and FIRE CAME OUT! He gets under my car and starts firing away!!!
"HEY!" I yell out from behind the counter. "I dind't authorize you to do that! Price quote only here!" No heed. I try the "eployees only" door. It's locked. I jump over the counter and run into the workroom (mind, this guy seemed like a kook in the first place and I have no idea what he's doing. He might be welding up the break, but he might be doing something else.)
I get within two feet of his ear and tell him to get his fire offa' my car! He pays me no heed.
I consider lower my car of the jack, but then I might end up crushing him. So I just find where his welder is plugged into and unplug it.
He stops, kinda dazed like, and walks over with a confused look on his face.
"I TOLD you that I ONLY wanted a price quote. You are not authorized to do any maintenence on my car." I put it very firmly. A reasonable human could not misunderstand what I said.
He edges me towards the door, points at the sign and says "See that? It says 'employees only.' I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"NO. You are working on my car without authorization. You will stop."
"If you do not step out, I will have to use physical force to remove you."
"That's my car you're working on!"
"If you do not step out, I will have to use physical force to remove you."
I whip out my cell phone and dial 911. "I am now dialing 911. If you do not cooperate and remove my car from your building, I will press the send button."
"If you do not step out, I will have to use physical force to remove you."
I press "send" and step out. He goes back to welding. I give the police the rundown of what's going on and where I'm at.
He gets done welding. He says "Your car's ready. You can drive it out now."
"Excuse me? I want to know exactly what you did to that vehicle. I require written documentation explaing exactly what services were performed.
"Your car is ready, you can drive it out now."
"I want to know what you did to it! I'll inform you that the police are on their way... if we do not settle this issue, we will settle it then."
He just stared at me. Then left to the workrrom and pouted (I was to learn from the police that his mechanics license had been threatened to be taken away if he didn't shape up). Then he drove my car out to where I had parked it. Parked it. came into the cutomer waitng area and said:
"You got a problem with me man?!" Very close to my face, I could tell he wanted a fight. He said this several times
Now, I could satisfy all ya'll's thirst for violence here, but tha's not what happened.
I stood with my hands at my sides, palms outward and said "No, I don't have a problem with you. You seems like a very nice young gentleman. I just want to know what you did to my car." Mind you, this was a LIE. I did have a problem with him... but that truth wouldn't help the situation any.
He stared at me and then went back into the employees area (reall,y employee area. I went out to my car, locked the doors, and waited.
When the police arrive, his demeanor changed entirely. He willing old her that he just welded the break. Now why he couldn't tell me that, I don't know! The officer then took down my name for the file against him.
At this time my forty-five minutes were up and I drove down to the good shop. When I told them that I had been to haye's, they groaned. Apparently they get people from his all the time that are just teed off, even those who get into fights with him.
They were able to fix the pipe with a good wled job for 30 dollars (as opposed to 300) and the other pipe that was rusting can be fixed for another 30 when the time comes (opposed to 400).
They even helped me identify why the muffler pipe broke (borken motor head mount - 30 dollars) so that it wouldn't happen again.
Dr. Jekyl... Meet Mr. Hyde.
I drive down the street a little ways and come to a little place called "Master Tire" or something like that. I drove in and parked. Stepped into the office - here's a detailed drawing:
The little lines running parrallel are doorways. The wide spaced ones are bay doors. Rectangle in the circle is where I parked the car - the rectangle in the building is where he parked it a jacked it up to look at it. The customer waiting room is that's little cube with little doors. As you step in, there's a window in the wall to the right that ;et's you see what's going on in the big room (the shop area).
Now, when I step in, I so nobody. I look through the window. There's nobody but in the workroom and there's a tarp that's sectioning off where I suppose they keep they're tools (I learn later that they is actually one guy that owns the place).
I call out "Anybody in here! Hel-lloooo!!" Do that a couple a' times and finally a dude with a very placid looking face comes out and speaks real softly, like he's afraid of me or something (the guy obviously dones't have social skills). I ask him if he could look at my car and give me a quote... after clarifying myself and repeating myself a couple times, he drives the car into the shop, jacks it up and looks at it. I'm watching him through the a'forementioned window. This place is creepy and I don't trust him.
He comes back and asks what I want done. I go in (after he unlocks the "employees only" door and point out the problems that I knew about. He takes me back to the waiting room, gets behind the counter (the norther wall of the little room is actually a counter).
He asks me if I want it fixed today. I say I just want a quote. He ask me how much I want it to cost. A ridiculous question. It'll cost whatever parts and labor will cost!I tell him "I just want to know what parts and labour will cost." He ASKS ME AGAIN! I'm fed up, so I tell him I don't want the job to cost anything over 500 (the other place was 700, remember).
This is how the rest of the conversation went:
"Do you want it done today?"
"NO, I told you I just want a price quote."
"If you give me thirty minutes, I can do it for you"
- this I found unbelievable, the other people had to order the parts and it seemed like a job would take a lot more than thirty minutes.
"You have the parts here?" I ask.
"Yeah, I can do it in ten minutes if you have that much"
"I don't think so... just give me a price quote, please."
"Give me ten minutes."
He went to the workroom and behind the tarp to get what I hoped was his car parts book. He pulled out a big metal thing instead, plugged it in and FIRE CAME OUT! He gets under my car and starts firing away!!!
"HEY!" I yell out from behind the counter. "I dind't authorize you to do that! Price quote only here!" No heed. I try the "eployees only" door. It's locked. I jump over the counter and run into the workroom (mind, this guy seemed like a kook in the first place and I have no idea what he's doing. He might be welding up the break, but he might be doing something else.)
I get within two feet of his ear and tell him to get his fire offa' my car! He pays me no heed.
I consider lower my car of the jack, but then I might end up crushing him. So I just find where his welder is plugged into and unplug it.
He stops, kinda dazed like, and walks over with a confused look on his face.
"I TOLD you that I ONLY wanted a price quote. You are not authorized to do any maintenence on my car." I put it very firmly. A reasonable human could not misunderstand what I said.
He edges me towards the door, points at the sign and says "See that? It says 'employees only.' I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"NO. You are working on my car without authorization. You will stop."
"If you do not step out, I will have to use physical force to remove you."
"That's my car you're working on!"
"If you do not step out, I will have to use physical force to remove you."
I whip out my cell phone and dial 911. "I am now dialing 911. If you do not cooperate and remove my car from your building, I will press the send button."
"If you do not step out, I will have to use physical force to remove you."
I press "send" and step out. He goes back to welding. I give the police the rundown of what's going on and where I'm at.
He gets done welding. He says "Your car's ready. You can drive it out now."
"Excuse me? I want to know exactly what you did to that vehicle. I require written documentation explaing exactly what services were performed.
"Your car is ready, you can drive it out now."
"I want to know what you did to it! I'll inform you that the police are on their way... if we do not settle this issue, we will settle it then."
He just stared at me. Then left to the workrrom and pouted (I was to learn from the police that his mechanics license had been threatened to be taken away if he didn't shape up). Then he drove my car out to where I had parked it. Parked it. came into the cutomer waitng area and said:
"You got a problem with me man?!" Very close to my face, I could tell he wanted a fight. He said this several times
Now, I could satisfy all ya'll's thirst for violence here, but tha's not what happened.
I stood with my hands at my sides, palms outward and said "No, I don't have a problem with you. You seems like a very nice young gentleman. I just want to know what you did to my car." Mind you, this was a LIE. I did have a problem with him... but that truth wouldn't help the situation any.
He stared at me and then went back into the employees area (reall,y employee area. I went out to my car, locked the doors, and waited.
When the police arrive, his demeanor changed entirely. He willing old her that he just welded the break. Now why he couldn't tell me that, I don't know! The officer then took down my name for the file against him.
At this time my forty-five minutes were up and I drove down to the good shop. When I told them that I had been to haye's, they groaned. Apparently they get people from his all the time that are just teed off, even those who get into fights with him.
They were able to fix the pipe with a good wled job for 30 dollars (as opposed to 300) and the other pipe that was rusting can be fixed for another 30 when the time comes (opposed to 400).
They even helped me identify why the muffler pipe broke (borken motor head mount - 30 dollars) so that it wouldn't happen again.
Dr. Jekyl... Meet Mr. Hyde.
posted by JoeC @ 7:54 AM
4 comments
