Saturday, September 17, 2011

Why we shouldn't squeeze the crap out of sub-contractors or staff......

I have shamelessly stolen this from the good guys at Jalopnik (FTW!) but when reading this I noticed it does not just apply to cars/mechanics......this is a fundamental problem with everything including business operations. We have all turned into a bunch of bean counting idiots. We have failed to recognize that we are only hurting ourselves when we squeeze the bottom dollar out of our relationships.

We should be building proper relationships with these people, and paying them for their worth. We need to change attitudes from "Saving money" to "Making sure money is well spent". The big players in the industry that continue to burn bridges (Wallmart, G.E., Apple, Dell etc) are starting to feel the burn of this as their suppliers/subcontractors and staff suddenly throw a spanner in the works, jamming up the whole system, and costing the firm in more than just capital.

Anywho, have a read, and have a reflection.

Source : http://jalopnik.com/5839253/why-im-not-trying-to-rip-you-off-when-i-fix-your-car



Why I’m not trying to rip you off when I fix your car

If there's any transaction more fraught with fear of scams than buying a car, it's getting one fixed. Mechanic Jeremy Waters explains why people need to be a little more trusting — at least in his shop —Ed.
As a mechanic, I never like delivering bad news to a customer; it's not one of my favorite parts of the job. I don't like telling a customer their 5-year-old heavy-duty truck needs $1,600 worth of brakes, front coil springs (because they are broken and dangerous), tires, ball joints, tie rod end and work to pass state inspection, but I must if that's the case. I don't like telling the single mother that her car needs tires because the ones she has now have metal cords worn through the edges and are about to blow out, but someone has to tell her there's a problem. How many customers check the inner shoulders of their tires? How many remove their wheels every week to check out their brake specs? Very few. And that's why I have a job......