Blog

Way More Than an Instant

June 19th, 2023 by Kenneth Abrahams

Brace yourselves, this is yet another customer service missive. Some of you, our intrepid editor among them, may ask why another customer service blog? It’s not like this topic hasn’t been covered in this space and by others many times over. So, why now and why again? Customer service cannot and shouldn’t be overstated. Many businesses, due to staffing concerns, are unable to interact with the number of customers or clients that we/they could pre-pandemic. That means taking extra special care of the folks that do walk through your doors or in this case drive through your doors. Very few businesses have the luxury of having an exclusive product or service that they are either the only one that provides it or are one of a very select few to offer it.

This was supposed to be a quick stop on the drive home. A few hundred miles overdue for an oil change and a trip to the Big Apple (New York City), on the horizon, I thought it was prudent to take care of the oil before I hit the road. First, I tried the service center near my house to see if they could squeeze me in but, alas, no openings for a “while you wait” oil change. So, I went to an instant oil change place. You know the ones Jiffy Lube, Valvoline, or Quick Lube. Having been to those types of places before I am aware of the process and how long it takes. For whatever reason this seemed to be taking a bit longer than usual. Cars that had come into the bays at around the time my car pulled in had left and I was beginning to wonder what was taking so long. It also seemed that underneath the vehicle there was an issue as the car was rocking back and forth quite a bit.

Finally, after sitting there for some time one of the staff came sauntering over to let me know that there was an issue with the drain plug on my oil pan. The last place I went to (according to him) had over tightened the plug and as they tried to take it out my oil pan cracked. Awesome, just the kind of news we all want to hear at the end of the day. They were going to drain the oil, repair the crack, put the oil back in, make sure it held, and I would be able to drive the car. But I would need to come back to have a new oil pan put in. Nope, this was not going to be done in an instant, or 15 minutes, or even 2 hours. Bonus, I was going to need to go back before my New York trip to have the oil pan replaced, a four-to-five-hour job.

Sitting in my car for two and a half hours, I had a chance to watch the staff in “action,” color me unimpressed. All the while I am thinking “oh this is going to be a blog; I can just feel it.” First off, the person that told me that my oil pan was broken turns out to be the manager of this establishment. It is a quick oil change place and not the floor of the stock exchange but the toothpick hanging out of his mouth didn’t scream leader to me. He and the rest of the staff had a common affliction in today’s society, cell phone addiction. It was a tad disconcerting to see them walk around the establishment, with open floor pits, noses down frequently checking their phones. Several of them, being a nice day, were sitting outside the shop either scrolling through their phones or chatting among themselves. There were long periods of time when the only person in the shop was me.

More than once, a car pulled outside an empty bay and there was no one to greet them or guide their vehicle into the bays. As for me, no one came by to provide a status update, offer me a cup of water, see if I needed to stretch my legs, or use the restroom. At one point a tech walked by the car, and I asked him if they had an ETA and would it be possible for me to use the men’s room. He indicated that he had come over to check on the progress and would let me know. He also said that as soon as it was free, I was more than welcome to use the restroom. When he returned, he informed me they still had no idea when the repair of the pan would be dry enough to add the oil. About 30 minutes later they put a hose in the engine and sucked out all the oil they had just pumped in. Clearly the seal had not held.

About 15 minutes after the oil had been pumped out the manager returned to tell me that the repair had failed. I had figured that part out already. He continued that they were drying everything and resealing it. He was ordering a new pan and could put it in on Friday or Saturday, of course at no charge to me. I asked him if I was free to get the pan replaced elsewhere and simply send him the bill. His response was an emphatic no. Even though, by his own admission, the car came in not leaking oil and with no crack in the pan, stated that he and his crew did nothing wrong. He was willing to pay for the pan and do the labor for free, but he wasn’t going to cover the $300 - $400 for someone else to do it. Since he was standing there, I did let him know that I wished he and his staff were more communicative with me during the process. A shrug of the shoulders and a less than congenial “I’m telling you now” was his retort. In the end the repair held, two days later I returned dropped off the car for the new oil pan and the car was fine on my trip to NYC and is still fine today. Knock on wood.

Yes, this was a long narrative to get to a short but poignant point or two. Customer service matters. Communication is often vital to the customer/client experience. Had the staff been even a little more attentive it would have made the experience more palatable. Face it, I wouldn’t have been happy about the whole affair, but it wouldn’t have left such a bad taste in my mouth. It was interesting observing people working there for more than 3 hours. It reminds me of the book Fish. Regardless of what you do, have some enthusiasm for your work. This crew, from the leaders on down, were sleepwalking through their job and their day. Remember, to paraphrase Julia Roberts in Oceans 11, somebody is always watching.

About the author

Ken Abrahams is the well travelled author of this blog. He has been to 48 of the 50 states. Since it is summer, he will be spending a lot of time on the grill and with 1 or 2 of his multiple smokers. He also never gets tired of writing about customer service and trying to improve his own interactions with clients.

To find out more about the company go to our website www.funent.com you can also go to this link to sign up for our newsletter which comes out about 6 times a year    https://funent.com/subscribe-to-the-funny-pages/.  Our newsletter will tell you more about the company and the products and services we offer as well as some games, things to do, and the occasional cooking tip.