I spent all day yesterday at the Sprinter shop with the owner who has a personality like the Soup Nazi. I'm told I have an appointment so I go in first thing, and he rudely tells me I don't. In addition, he opens at 9, and I was there a little before, but he and his crew arrive a little after 9. He has a small lot and its way over packed with Sprinters, so he has to spend a half hour moving Sprinters from the lot onto the street. He tells me he can't see me until after 11, so I go out to hang in my van for a couple hours, but I can't do that because he needs all the curb space for those Sprinters on his lot.
I come back at 11, and he doesn't touch the van for 2-3 hours. I had a few things on the list, and like usually happens, they cherry pick some easy things and don't touch the big things, one of which was the AC freezing up as I drive. We already knew there's a small leak somewhere and we're losing refrigerant, so I wasn't surprised it needed to be topped off. They weren't going to do that until I insisted.
Now it's close to closing time and they are as done as they're going to get, including the AC service. The bill is $800, fortunately the owner's money, not mine. It's been a long day and I want to leave, but now the owner is friendly and wants to yack non-stop. I don't want to be as rude as he usually is, because it'll be like fighting with a cook or waiter who's handling your food. We need this guy. He's on good terms with my company and my owner.
Finally, I escape out to my waiting van, and the AC is blowing hot air. It's been running out there for the half hour I've had to listen to this guy yammer and yammer. And it was allegedly just serviced. He comes out and pokes around and says it needs a new AC compressor. I point out that it was working when I came in, not the best, but it was, in fact, blowing cold air when it wasn't frozen up. He says it'll be $600 for the compressor and $200 for labor. I'm afraid my owner won't approve this, figuring it's a con job and he just laid out $800 to them, including AC service. But he approves, so I go back and sit my ass down in the waiting room. Got a headache and I really just want to go home.
After a couple hours, they tell me it's done and blowing cold air. $1000. I say, "What happened to the $800, 6 for the parts and 2 for labor?" Well...It's 650, actually, plus labor plus tax, so $1000.
I was worried I'd bump the credit limit of my owner's card, but it went through, and $1800 later, I could leave.
My back side is as sore as a porn star's, but not as sore as my owner's.
I come back at 11, and he doesn't touch the van for 2-3 hours. I had a few things on the list, and like usually happens, they cherry pick some easy things and don't touch the big things, one of which was the AC freezing up as I drive. We already knew there's a small leak somewhere and we're losing refrigerant, so I wasn't surprised it needed to be topped off. They weren't going to do that until I insisted.
Now it's close to closing time and they are as done as they're going to get, including the AC service. The bill is $800, fortunately the owner's money, not mine. It's been a long day and I want to leave, but now the owner is friendly and wants to yack non-stop. I don't want to be as rude as he usually is, because it'll be like fighting with a cook or waiter who's handling your food. We need this guy. He's on good terms with my company and my owner.
Finally, I escape out to my waiting van, and the AC is blowing hot air. It's been running out there for the half hour I've had to listen to this guy yammer and yammer. And it was allegedly just serviced. He comes out and pokes around and says it needs a new AC compressor. I point out that it was working when I came in, not the best, but it was, in fact, blowing cold air when it wasn't frozen up. He says it'll be $600 for the compressor and $200 for labor. I'm afraid my owner won't approve this, figuring it's a con job and he just laid out $800 to them, including AC service. But he approves, so I go back and sit my ass down in the waiting room. Got a headache and I really just want to go home.
After a couple hours, they tell me it's done and blowing cold air. $1000. I say, "What happened to the $800, 6 for the parts and 2 for labor?" Well...It's 650, actually, plus labor plus tax, so $1000.
I was worried I'd bump the credit limit of my owner's card, but it went through, and $1800 later, I could leave.
My back side is as sore as a porn star's, but not as sore as my owner's.
