Automotive repair people deserve respect

Letter to the editor
Nov 26, 2020  •  November 27, 2020  •  2 minute read
Letters to the editor

To the editor:

We are all stressed out more than normal these days. especially with the COVID situation which may last longer than we expected.

In my letter today, I would like to focus on the automobile repair process, particularly changing over to your winter tires.

Having worked in the automotive industry for may years, this time of year can be stressful on every person, from the individual you are making the appointment with to the person doing the service.

Once that first snowflake falls, phones start ringing and people want to get their vehicles in ASAP to get their winter tires on.

Behind the scenes, the service advisors and technicians work hard to schedule as many vehicles they can in a “normal” working day.

People have to have patience in dealing with these types of situations. There can be unforeseen circumstances which occasionally arise which can make the installation process take longer than anticipated — situations such as seized bolts, broken studs, worn-out tires requiring replacing just to name a few.

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The technicians have so many vehicles to work on during the day as their service advisors/managers want to keep the process rolling. When a problem arises, this is when things get behind and tensions arise.

With COVID, certain organizations cannot allow customers to wait, but may provide you a ride home. They probably prefer you to drop off your car in the morning and leave it for the day.
These organizations and their employees are doing the best they can in order to keep the customer (you) happy. Please show some compassion and patience at this time of year. Don’t be demanding either. This just makes matters worse. Common courtesy goes a long way.

The owners and service people are doing the best they can in trying to get the job done to the best of their abilities. No one likes to be rushed either.

Please, for the shops’ sake, don’t show up out of the blue expecting to get your tires on that day. People ahead of you have made an appointment sometimes weeks in advance to get their tires installed.

All I’m asking is to be patient and hopefully things work out well for all parties concerned. Thank you for allowing me to give you my perspective of the automobile service industry. Be patient and be safe.

Craig Anderson

North Bay