YEA ITS LONG SO I DID MAKE CLIFFS, BUT AT LEAST READ THE CLIFFS AND LAST PART OF THE FULL STORY. THANKS
Ok a little background. I moved from Wilmington NC to Raleigh NC about 18months ago. I finished my double at UNCW and moved here to find a job. I am STILL looking to this day. But I got a dead end 10hr job and that does not pay the bills. So being I have been a auto tech for the past 10+ years (mind you I started at 18) and even ran my own shop when I was in school (yes working 40+ hrs and going to school full time means I don?t have a 4.0, duh) I decided to do a little auto work on the side, ala mobile style. That way I make the money I need and someone gets a good honest auto tech for less.
So I put an ad on Craigslist just saying I do mobile work and use to be ASE and all the other good sounding stuff. First 3 or 4 jobs go real well. I do the work they are VERY happy with not only my work but price since I come to them. So then I get an e-mail to work on a 95 Ford explorer. Says the right front right headlight is out but the bulb and wiring is good and it needs a tune up. I do my research and find the lamp out module is the most common problem. He oks the work by e-mail AND over the phone. I install the new lamp out module and also did a full tune up with fuel filter, Plugs, wires, PCV valve, and clean out the throttle body. Well I start the car and notice the check engine light is on and has a miss. I also check the headlights; they are both on now and working fine. He did not tell me of a check engine light so I assume that is the reason for a tune up. Well he calls me and says it has a miss NOW. So I ask about the engine light. I show back up and tell him the fuel filter was clogged and maybe fixing it opened up another problem. Like a car running rich and you fix the vacuum leak now it runs even richer type deal. So I now fix the EGR pressure sensor. But still has a miss. So I check all my work and take the plugs out to read the plugs and one of them is black, the Plat. Tip went bad. So I replace it and bamm, runs great. I leave a message saying I am also leaving for july 4th but your truck runs great and you are ready to go and I will settle up when I get back.
So I return from VA and call and call, but my cell phone keeps going straight to voice mail. So I call on my girls home phone and he picks up, even though I JUST called on my cell. Well he says now the headlights don?t work at night they just turn off. I inform him that is a different system that does that but I will take a look at it for free when he settles his bill. So I go out and wait and wait, he is a no show. I keep calling and leave message after message. I have then had enough, so I send his bill by certified mail. I still never hear back. So now I fill a small claims court action.
So yesterday (Sept 19 2005) was the big day for small claims. My luck turns out bad, yahoo maps pwns me by giving bad directions to the court house. I finally find Glenwood (major road in Raleigh) by luck and follow that to downtown. So I make it and have 20 minutes left before 1:30 (start of court). Now my luck look like it might change. I find a space but have no money for the meter. I get out as I see it is green, and see the wonder image of 1:43 remaining. WOW I just got almost 2 bucks worth of time. So I get to court. I wait a couple of minute?s hopeing he will be a no show, but he is there. Of course I also really want to hear what he has to say. So we wait as the other cases come and go, WOW I should tell you about a couple of them but that is another story and this is getting longer then I thought. So we get up there I have copies of the bill I sent, receipts for the parts, e-mails he sent asking for the work to be done, etc? So I tell the judge he asked for work, 1 plug was bad, I did the work and gave him PLENTY of time. Now here is his story. He says I did not do any work, he did not approve anything, I told him to not be there and put the key in the car, I am not certified nor have a business license with Cary NC, etc.... Now mind you I have HIS e-mails showing that he did ask for the work and even had an estimate, I have receipts for parts to a 1995 ford explorer, I have a copy of the certified bill I sent, I left the old parts on his door step for him to inspect, etc? Now the judge looks weird at first as we did this over the internet and of course even small claims courts are new to internet problems. He, the judge, then says it comes down to a he said he said which 99% of the time goes to the defendant. But my luck is still going up, he says it comes down to did we have a contract for work, and the judge without even looking at the e-mails or my receipts says yes. !! So he finds for me for the FULL amount PLUS court cost.
So don?t lie if you go to court as you WILL get caught. Also his first bill was $320 for the original work. Add in the service call from him standing me up (mind you he did it twice and I only charged for 1) $40, and the EGR pressure sensor which I said I would take off and not charge if he told me to when he paid his bill (never paid bill so it got added) and the court cost he is not up to about $520. All he had to do was pay his bill for $320 and be done, but he thought he could get some free work. Well lying and cheating don?t pay off. He now has 10 days to appeal and if he does not appeal or pay then I will repo his ford explorer.
Now I almost did not type this up, but I saw Quixfire was getting out of the auto field and after this customer I removed my ad and told one former customer I was not free at this time. I felt bad but it left a bad taste in my mouth that I live job/check to job/check. The auto makers are complaining not enough people are becoming auto techs anymore. Well duh!!! The pay is low unless you are the top dog at a busy dealer and the writers give you the sweet jobs (job that pays 4 hours but you can do it in 1) or own/run a good shop yourself (risky). But a lot of shops, esp the national ones like Firestone, precision tune, etc? are so dishonest after ?learning? how it works at a firestone when I applied, I started working for myself. So if you find a good independent mechanic you better hold on to him (or her). Don?t lie or cheat them as it really is getting harder to find good auto techs and a lot of them, like Quixfire, are leaving as it is just not worth it anymore.
CLIFFS:
1. I am a mechanic byatch
2. I did the grease monkey work to pay the bills as my college degree isn?t doing sh1t.
3. Got a bad customer
4. Sued non paying customer in small claims court
5. Bad luck got lost on my way to court house
6. Luck changed and I made it just in time
7. He lied and I won
8. Left me in a bad mood for working on cars
9. Getting harder to find a good auto tech so don?t lie or cheat
Ok a little background. I moved from Wilmington NC to Raleigh NC about 18months ago. I finished my double at UNCW and moved here to find a job. I am STILL looking to this day. But I got a dead end 10hr job and that does not pay the bills. So being I have been a auto tech for the past 10+ years (mind you I started at 18) and even ran my own shop when I was in school (yes working 40+ hrs and going to school full time means I don?t have a 4.0, duh) I decided to do a little auto work on the side, ala mobile style. That way I make the money I need and someone gets a good honest auto tech for less.
So I put an ad on Craigslist just saying I do mobile work and use to be ASE and all the other good sounding stuff. First 3 or 4 jobs go real well. I do the work they are VERY happy with not only my work but price since I come to them. So then I get an e-mail to work on a 95 Ford explorer. Says the right front right headlight is out but the bulb and wiring is good and it needs a tune up. I do my research and find the lamp out module is the most common problem. He oks the work by e-mail AND over the phone. I install the new lamp out module and also did a full tune up with fuel filter, Plugs, wires, PCV valve, and clean out the throttle body. Well I start the car and notice the check engine light is on and has a miss. I also check the headlights; they are both on now and working fine. He did not tell me of a check engine light so I assume that is the reason for a tune up. Well he calls me and says it has a miss NOW. So I ask about the engine light. I show back up and tell him the fuel filter was clogged and maybe fixing it opened up another problem. Like a car running rich and you fix the vacuum leak now it runs even richer type deal. So I now fix the EGR pressure sensor. But still has a miss. So I check all my work and take the plugs out to read the plugs and one of them is black, the Plat. Tip went bad. So I replace it and bamm, runs great. I leave a message saying I am also leaving for july 4th but your truck runs great and you are ready to go and I will settle up when I get back.
So I return from VA and call and call, but my cell phone keeps going straight to voice mail. So I call on my girls home phone and he picks up, even though I JUST called on my cell. Well he says now the headlights don?t work at night they just turn off. I inform him that is a different system that does that but I will take a look at it for free when he settles his bill. So I go out and wait and wait, he is a no show. I keep calling and leave message after message. I have then had enough, so I send his bill by certified mail. I still never hear back. So now I fill a small claims court action.
So yesterday (Sept 19 2005) was the big day for small claims. My luck turns out bad, yahoo maps pwns me by giving bad directions to the court house. I finally find Glenwood (major road in Raleigh) by luck and follow that to downtown. So I make it and have 20 minutes left before 1:30 (start of court). Now my luck look like it might change. I find a space but have no money for the meter. I get out as I see it is green, and see the wonder image of 1:43 remaining. WOW I just got almost 2 bucks worth of time. So I get to court. I wait a couple of minute?s hopeing he will be a no show, but he is there. Of course I also really want to hear what he has to say. So we wait as the other cases come and go, WOW I should tell you about a couple of them but that is another story and this is getting longer then I thought. So we get up there I have copies of the bill I sent, receipts for the parts, e-mails he sent asking for the work to be done, etc? So I tell the judge he asked for work, 1 plug was bad, I did the work and gave him PLENTY of time. Now here is his story. He says I did not do any work, he did not approve anything, I told him to not be there and put the key in the car, I am not certified nor have a business license with Cary NC, etc.... Now mind you I have HIS e-mails showing that he did ask for the work and even had an estimate, I have receipts for parts to a 1995 ford explorer, I have a copy of the certified bill I sent, I left the old parts on his door step for him to inspect, etc? Now the judge looks weird at first as we did this over the internet and of course even small claims courts are new to internet problems. He, the judge, then says it comes down to a he said he said which 99% of the time goes to the defendant. But my luck is still going up, he says it comes down to did we have a contract for work, and the judge without even looking at the e-mails or my receipts says yes. !! So he finds for me for the FULL amount PLUS court cost.
So don?t lie if you go to court as you WILL get caught. Also his first bill was $320 for the original work. Add in the service call from him standing me up (mind you he did it twice and I only charged for 1) $40, and the EGR pressure sensor which I said I would take off and not charge if he told me to when he paid his bill (never paid bill so it got added) and the court cost he is not up to about $520. All he had to do was pay his bill for $320 and be done, but he thought he could get some free work. Well lying and cheating don?t pay off. He now has 10 days to appeal and if he does not appeal or pay then I will repo his ford explorer.
Now I almost did not type this up, but I saw Quixfire was getting out of the auto field and after this customer I removed my ad and told one former customer I was not free at this time. I felt bad but it left a bad taste in my mouth that I live job/check to job/check. The auto makers are complaining not enough people are becoming auto techs anymore. Well duh!!! The pay is low unless you are the top dog at a busy dealer and the writers give you the sweet jobs (job that pays 4 hours but you can do it in 1) or own/run a good shop yourself (risky). But a lot of shops, esp the national ones like Firestone, precision tune, etc? are so dishonest after ?learning? how it works at a firestone when I applied, I started working for myself. So if you find a good independent mechanic you better hold on to him (or her). Don?t lie or cheat them as it really is getting harder to find good auto techs and a lot of them, like Quixfire, are leaving as it is just not worth it anymore.
CLIFFS:
1. I am a mechanic byatch
2. I did the grease monkey work to pay the bills as my college degree isn?t doing sh1t.
3. Got a bad customer
4. Sued non paying customer in small claims court
5. Bad luck got lost on my way to court house
6. Luck changed and I made it just in time
7. He lied and I won
8. Left me in a bad mood for working on cars
9. Getting harder to find a good auto tech so don?t lie or cheat
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