It's unpleasant

[The Wino]

If you want your "pants pulled down" your local restaurant will oblige with 250ml glasses of wine (that you can get a bottle of in any supermarket for £6) at £12 including their new favourite post COVID addition which is 12.5% service charge.

There's your business opportunity!. If you're retired you could still fund a younger relative or friend to open a restaurant!

 

[Northernraider]

So the secret here is learn to fix as much on your own vehicles as you can . I cant afford to pay for tradesmen so i buy second hand , i repair what i can myself and only ever pay someone else to do something if i know i can't do it.

Ive never had an objection to people making a fair profit in business. But very few want to just make a fair profit these days. Its mostly do the bare minimum for maximum profit in the shortest of time so they can retire early.

I suspect you have never worked with the public! We had our own business for years the fact of human life is that no matter how prepared and trained anyone is sooner or later they make mistakes. When that happens it is an opportunity to put things right. But there are some members of the public who are professional complainers

And there are many many businesses who take that view , provide a poor service and then just say its the customer isn't happy.

 

[DDJC]

Original dealer wasn't great, but since then, have used three mh workshops and all been excellent.
It's people like the KwikFit krooks that i can't abide. Mechanical knowledge of an orangutang but with a hefty price tag.
My local garage does all our servicing & MOTs. VfM and they know us.

Not sure what the OP is anoyed about!!

 

[Northernraider]

I've never had a good job done by a garage so learnt to DIY.
New brake line failed after 4 months, luckily I spotted it before driving.
Split CV boot replaced and fell off on the way home.
Engine thrust washers replaced when I wanted a gearbox noise looking at (noise not cured).
3 months to replace a head gasket.
Insisting I need a cambelt replacing on my cam chained Alfa engine.
The list goes on..

Yep i tend to agree , and having spent my earlier working years as an apprentice mechanic ive seen first hand the corners cut.


Having worked in a good dozen takeaways too if i was ever to post the things i have seen people wouldn't eat takeaways.



You often get that used to bad service and workmanship you're just grateful if they dont break or damage something while they did the job you paid them for. Its often just a case of not being good but just being better than the others
Kinda like how the tories get elected in england.

They're crap , everyone knows theyre crap but theres not an alternative.

And that filters all the way down to every business

 

[Steve and Denise]

I suspect you have never worked with the public! We had our own business for years the fact of human life is that no matter how prepared and trained anyone is sooner or later they make mistakes. When that happens it is an opportunity to put things right. But there are some members of the public who are professional complainers

Only for 25years our own company it’s more how the problem is felt with quickly and satisfactory everyone happy.

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[pampam]

Im same as northern raider have worked in bospitality and catering in many forms
I dont eat out

 

[Reallyretired]

My independent garage is very good. The only time I had a really crappie job was taking a motorhome to a Fiat main dealer for a service. A completely botched job at premium prices. Likewise I would never use a motorhome dealer for anything mechanical.
Mot due next week. Mh is too tall to fit in my independent so they check it over and have an arrangement with a nearby commercial vehicle place and take it there, if anything is still found they fix it.

 

[bobnick]

55 years of motoring and biking you are bound to come accross the good and the bad.................not counted how many of each and who's winning (apart from the dealer)

 

[Riverbankannie]

Um !
One does not for example hear the same comments in general about Campsites and other businesses

We do hear it, I have noticed it about veterinary surgeons, councils, GPs and so on. Not so good experiences tend to be written about on social media far more than good ones.

 

[Tony50]

As you say 1,000 vans but if they are prepared correctly before selling no comebacks as you know

It's not always the dealer, I reckon that build quality and parts quality is a major issue, problem is I'm told a lot of the assemblers don't actually know the product they are trained to do that procedure, I have had so called upmarket A classes, coach-built, all had product faults , after a short time, in saying that the worst dealer experience I have had in 2017 I picked up a , Chausson in South West, I was at the dealers 4 hours ( salesmen said I must hold the record for a handover), I cannot on here repeat what I said to him, needless to say I went back 3 convective days , even the lady in reception didn't offer coffee on third visit, the only time I have seen her since is a photo in an advert in a motorhome magazine every month, unfortunately it brings bad experience back ha ha !!

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[stevewagner]

Lots of good independant garages about.
There’s an old expression : Don’t let the buggers wear you down.
There are even such things as good estate agents,good double glazing salesman,good lawyers,good financial advisers,and even good MP’s….although that might be stretching the point a little too far!

I was with you up to ’good double glazing salesmen’

 

[stevewagner]

It’s swings and roundabouts. I get lots of praise on here and lots of criticism. Unfortunately if we sell 1000 motorhomes in a year and 50 people complain you would be pretty happy with that. The problem being the 50 will openly complain and the 950 are too busy enjoying their vans, not writing positive reviews.
Everyone hates a dealer until they need help!

Bought a new Devon Montecarlo from you in 2004 - excellent service!

 

[Wack]

As you say 1,000 vans but if they are prepared correctly before selling no comebacks as you know

You cannot prepare a used vehicle so it never has a problem unless you start replacing things that are working fine , they you might as well not bother as you'll make no money.

 

[Abacist]

I always remember hearing an American lawyer say Bill the client whilst the tears of appreciation are still running down their face which is when you’ll get your maximum return!

 

[The Wino]

So the secret here is learn to fix as much on your own vehicles as you can . I cant afford to pay for tradesmen so i buy second hand , i repair what i can myself and only ever pay someone else to do something if i know i can't do it.

Ive never had an objection to people making a fair profit in business. But very few want to just make a fair profit these days. Its mostly do the bare minimum for maximum profit in the shortest of time so they can retire early.

And there are many many businesses who take that view , provide a poor service and then just say its the customer isn't happy.

I'll give you an example. I used to test people's eyes for a living. The best complaint I had was from someone who appeared to be a pretty intelligent woman the complainant was all these glasses do is make things clearer.
I had another the screw came out of one of the sides of a pair of specs that were a couple of months old. The bloke refused a new screw and wanted a whole new pair in a different frame with new lenses instead. We did them but when he picked them up didn't leave the others. When I called him to ask for them back he said possession was 9/10 of the law and he was keeping them as a spare pair!
What do you do or did you do for a living because if you think all the public are reasonable and sensible I'd be very surprised if it was public facing .
By the way we must have done something right as we were in business over 25 years never advertised and did better every year despite all the TV ads and large companies.

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[Northernraider]

I'll give you an example. I used to test people's eyes for a living. The best complaint I had was from someone who appeared to be a pretty intelligent woman the complainant was all these glasses do is make things clearer.
I had another the screw came out of one of the sides of a pair of specs that were a couple of months old. The bloke refused a new screw and wanted a whole new pair in a different frame with new lenses instead. We did them but when he picked them up didn't leave the others. When I called him to ask for them back he said possession was 9/10 of the law and he was keeping them as a spare pair!
What do you do or did you do for a living because if you think all the public are reasonable and sensible I'd be very surprised if it was public facing .
By the way we must have done something right as we were in business over 25 years never advertised and did better every year despite all the TV ads and large companies.

I deal with the public and i know some are complete assholes.

But that doesn't mean all trades etc are not .

Its not a them or us.

 

[The Wino]

I deal with the public and i know some are complete assholes.

But that doesn't mean all trades etc are not .

Its not a them or us.

I totally agree it isn't and as I said in a previous post a good business sees a complaint as an opportunity to put things right and impress the customer.......but you can't always win!
I'd say look for businesses that are busy but don't advertise. In a lot of cases if they can fit you in straight away be suspicious!

 

[Tony50]

I suspect you have never worked with the public! We had our own business for years the fact of human life is that no matter how prepared and trained anyone is sooner or later they make mistakes. When that happens it is an opportunity to put things right. But there are some members of the public who are professional complainers

As with any business I suspect things go wrong ,My philosophy was to ask the customer to come back if they feel dissatisfied, do the right thing , telling people in the Pub solves nothing, thank goodness I never had a wheel come off or brake or steering problem, but, I have told this to a motorhome dealer, when he'd messed up , " I have never had a wheel come off but, you have" in other words you're dropped a gooly

 

[EuroTrotters]

Its the same with many things in life.

We are all/They are all.

All lawyers are Sharks
All Taxi and Bus Drivers are *******
Buyers are Liars
Sellers are `Liars
Car Salesmen..............

As for us cyclists and Bikers !

 

[Trevor Wbm]

If you want your "pants pulled down" your local restaurant will oblige with 250ml glasses of wine (that you can get a bottle of in any supermarket for £6) at £12 including their new favourite post COVID addition which is 12.5% service charge.

Supermarkets sell alcohol as a loss-leader, at prices lower than the wholesalers who supply bars and restaurants. Bars and restaurants have rent, rates, staffing costs, gas, electricity and water bills, and VAT to pay. They raise that by selling product at a higher price than they pay for it. Commercial fuel bills have doubled, shortage of available staff has pushed wages up.

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[Tony50]

Its the same with many things in life.

We are all/They are all.

All lawyers are Sharks
All Taxi and Bus Drivers are *******
Buyers are Liars
Sellers are `Liars
Car Salesmen..............

As for us cyclists and Bikers !

Who use the roads and don't pay anything ..... Sorry couldn't help saying that. It's a joke , by the way I love cycling the main trouble is motorhomes !! It's a joke

 

[Steve and Denise]

You cannot prepare a used vehicle so it never has a problem unless you start replacing things that are working fine , they you might as well not bother as you'll make no money.

I do understand that but a good PDI can correct a lot of silly irritating small issues that are easy for a dealer to rectify but can be a major headache for the average motorhomer without a clue
For example I drove away from Premium in Doncaster after parting with well over £100,000 for the wipers not to work 30miles down the road Not acceptable, no PDI

 

[Jamesh]

In this area there are def FAR more bad garages than good, and any trade will always be judged on the worst not the best

Some really good garages around here and a few really bad garages.

Problem is the good garages turn down work they aren't comfortable with and your left to the sharks ..

 

[gus-lopez]

One does not for example hear the same comments in general about Campsites

I thought it was taken as fact with them you'd be striped up?

 

[Tony50]

I thought it was taken as fact with them you'd be striped up?

Never had that thought or been ripped off

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[Ninjabob]

Supermarkets sell alcohol as a loss-leader, at prices lower than the wholesalers who supply bars and restaurants. Bars and restaurants have rent, rates, staffing costs, gas, electricity and water bills, and VAT to pay. They raise that by selling product at a higher price than they pay for it. Commercial fuel bills have doubled, shortage of available staff has pushed wages up.

That's all fine but back in the real world these are daft prices. The restaurant in question used to be a favourite of mine and still does good food. The 12.5% service charge is nonsense and just a way of paying their staff low wages. Maybe it is because we are now retired now and money is not finite. We decided reluctantly that won't be going back there. I noticed a marked drop in footfall so I suspect others have come to the same conclusions. There is a whole industry out there being propped up by the 25-30 somethings who are still living with their parents and are earning good money.
I saw in the online news that people had been complaining bitterly at the £7:10p cost for a pint of lager at Wimbledon Tennis and the dreadful quality of the food. I suppose someone's got to contribute to the excessive prize money just as long as it is not me.

There is no value or pleasure in eating out now.

 

[sedge]

I know some 30 odd years ago a friend and I both commented that they'd wrecked the whole experience of a glass of Pimms now they didn't garnish it with a full garden, but only with a herbaceous border. More recently, there's no longer even a sprig of parsley - and they were charging summat ridiculous like £8 a glass - not even a large glass at that - for it at Wimbledon.

The price of wine in licensed premises has always been ridiculous - I remember my first wedding reception in 1971 - the Asti Spumante for the toast cost about 30 bob a bottle - when they sold it in Tescos for 12 and a tanner a bottle. Nowt changes.

 

[nicholsong]

I have never had a complaint as a pilot.....

.......but then I never give out my e-mail address

 

[dunnah01]

I've never had a good job done by a garage so learnt to DIY.
New brake line failed after 4 months, luckily I spotted it before driving.
Split CV boot replaced and fell off on the way home.
Engine thrust washers replaced when I wanted a gearbox noise looking at (noise not cured).
3 months to replace a head gasket.
Insisting I need a cambelt replacing on my cam chained Alfa engine.
The list goes on..

Just to add the the catalogue of why I don't trust garages - had 2 tyres fitted to the rear of the Smart Roadster last year. Great , they were nice black, round, sporty Dunlop jobbies. On to next MOT and it fails , - directional tyres on rear axle fitted the wrong way round . Nice MOT garage swapped the wheels over to the correct way round for free and passed it . Went for our first summer run today in anger and wheel bolts worked loose after about 40 miles so mustn't have been tightened properly by the MOT garage .

 

[bobnick]

Just to add the the catalogue of why I don't trust garages - had 2 tyres fitted to the rear of the Smart Roadster last year. Great , they were nice black, round, sporty Dunlop jobbies. On to next MOT and it fails , - directional tyres on rear axle fitted the wrong way round . Nice MOT garage swapped the wheels over to the correct way round for free and passed it . Went for our first summer run today in anger and wheel bolts worked loose after about 40 miles so mustn't have been tightened properly by the MOT garage .

I'm in that club

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