Lady brought in a 2002 Civic with a 'funny noise' and then argued the $90 diagnosis fee

She swore it was just a belt squeal but I found the alternator bearing was literally grinding metal on metal. Showed her the video of the noise and she still claimed I was trying to rip her off for a $450 repair. How do you handle customers who think they know more than the guy with the stethoscope on the engine?

3 comments

3 Comments

grace_knight7018d ago

Whoa wait, she actually argued with you after you showed her the video? That's wild. I can't believe someone would watch metal grinding on metal and still insist it's just a belt squeal.

faithwalker18d ago

That's exactly what gets me too, @hill.andrew. She sat there, watched the whole video, and still tried to tell me it was just a belt making that horrible grinding noise.

hill.andrew18d ago

Did she actually sit there and watch the video all the way through, or did she just glance at it and keep talking? That's the part that gets me, like you showed her proof of the problem with your own eyes and ears but she's still going off about a belt. I've had customers do that before where they'll agree the noise sounds bad but then try to argue the price down like it's a flea market negotiation. How do you even get through to someone who's so dead set on thinking they're being scammed when the evidence is RIGHT there on your phone? Reminds me of people who get a second opinion at the doctor just because they don't like what the first one said.