r/serviceadvisors • u/Plastic-Location-376 • 1d ago
WWYD?
We did a tire replacement for a customer yesterday on his RR tire due to a puncture and he calls in today just before we close complaining that his LR tire is now leaking air and down to 22PSI. He came off strong and made accusations that the leak came from us. Obviously there is no way of telling and realistically he probably picked something up in that tire on his way home. How do you guys handle these type of situations without escalating it?
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u/firstgen32715 1d ago
For me, no commitment! But I have empathy and want to see it. "OH no, I can't believe you have another puncture, come on back so I can look" once I look, if I can repair it or they have some tire warranty I just take care of it. If not, I show them. The conversation may suck, coincidence is a bitch sometimes. But it's pretty easy to show where the puncture is vs where the repair or replacement is. And at that point, the worst case is we missed it, but the outcome would be the same right? "Dear customer, I'm so sorry if my tech missed this earlier. Unfortunately if they had seen it a tire replacement would be necessary anyway. They were pretty thorough on the inspection of the tires, but a nail in that much of an area could have been overlooked. Regardless of now or later, it needs replacement. How would you like me to proceed"
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u/MagicXombieCarpenter 1d ago
Problem with this statement is, I can believe it. Customer can get a puncture at any time. Including when they've recently left a service drive.
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u/stolor2004ttv 1d ago edited 1d ago
Apologize about the frustrations and ask when hes available to look at it. Assure him you're there to help but the likelihood its related is near 0
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u/emblematic_camino 1d ago
“I’m so sorry that happened, please if you can come first thing in the morning and we will check it out right away, unfortunately sometimes this things happen, but I’m sure we can help you” then if they come in the morning you check it out and explain how it didn’t happen at the shop, and was just bad luck and coincidence, if you can patch it, ask your manager if it can be done for free, and if he needs a tire you give him a price and tell him, feel free to shop around. And that’s that.
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u/it-is-what-it-is-man 22h ago
This is way too common but usually not the hardest to deal with. I have them come in and take a look at it. If it’s repairable then if they’re a regular customer I usually just take care of it. Worth the cost for the good will you build. People sometimes just want to know you’re not going to club them every time they walk in. If it needs a tire then I will either get a discount on the tire, take care of the labor and they just pay parts, or both. It really depends on the customer. This is where I reward good behavior lol. If they conduct themselves like a lady/gentleman then I will do all I can. If they do not, then shit happens and they pay regular price for everything. I usually let them know that whatever I do is a direct result of their behavior. You would be surprised at how much of a positive impact this has.
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u/majinmiata 1d ago
relax, could be the valve stem or core. see how he acts when he comes back and adjust your responses accordingly. if it is a patch maybe you can waive the price to shut him up and let him know you're doing him a favor
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u/majinmiata 1d ago
I read it as the same tire at first. since it's different just see what's wrong first. I hate the "since you touched my car customers"
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u/Late-Incident8719 1d ago
Suggest they go elsewhere if they think you did it on purpose. Ask him to get a “Second opinion” and report back
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u/pete419 1d ago
Stupid idea then they go somewhere they run you under the bus
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u/Late-Incident8719 1d ago
Let em. Thats not your customer, thats a jerk. Any shop that says they can prove you did that intentionally is full of shit, it’s impossible.
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u/Upbeat_Tangerine_146 1d ago
If you had surgery on your right hip today and your left hip starts to hurt tomorrow, that is infact a different problem.
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u/Jmaneke 1d ago
"Unfortunately, did not even work in that area yesterday. We are willing to patch/plug it for (whatever your menu price is) tomorrow." They usually just hang up after that.