Valuables and personal belongings

[glass tek]

I've read in the forum where some of you have worked an office complex. When a customer hands you their keys to do a repair, do you ask that they be present while you do the repair or do you ask them to secure any personal belongings they might have in the vehicle? :-k

[desertstars]

The latter, glass tek.

Frankly, I've never had a problem though even when I didn't bother.

[GlassStarz]

Forb 90% of the breaks you dont really need to be in the car at all.

[Coitster]

I never take their keys, I ask them to come out and unlock the vehicle just in case I need to get in it. I then tell them I do not want their keys and that they are more then welcome to watch.
David
Coitster

[sunshine wr]

Coitster , same here

[johnnyone]

Teck
I usally have them meet me at the car and have them unlock it, most of the time you dont need to get inside but you never know. I alway ask them to show me the damage to make sure I fix the the one they are aware of and some times we find a nother one that was hiding under the wyper blade,, and since they are there I have them sign the invoice and give them a card to pass out to the friends that might need some work!!! Then I ask them if the have time to watch the repair being done if not let them go back to work and l will lock the car when I am finished or I ask them if they want to come back in 20 minuntes to see the finished repair. During that time I am looking at all the employees coming and going from there vechicles and asking them if they need any work I call this fishing for work!! be visable,,friendly,, someone will alway come to ask you a question or you go ask the questions at the frount office who owns that car with a chip sound familar!!! yes it does work This is always a GREAT WAY of getting more WORK \:D/

[desertstars]

Gee whiz.

Thought this was a simple question as to liability in case someone sez or claims you ripped them off and keys were sort of a tangent.

Guess my original terse answer was less than sufficient.

We ALL have cell phones.

I call them when I get there.

I meet them at the vehicle after cell-phone directions.

I always ask them to unlock the vehicle and secure or make note of any personal items.

I offer to let them watch the procedure.

Whether they do or whether they don't.

I do the job.

While I'm doing the job, I look around for additional work or leads.

I call them when I'm done and ask them to inspect it and to sign the invoice and they always come down with nada problemo.

In the case of a few and far between network lead, I then give them a business card with instructions to NEVER EVER call the 800 number on the back of that card again but to call me FIRST unless they are either morons or masochists looking for a cheap replacement instead of a quality repair.

(Or even a quality replacement when a quality repair would suffice,)

And, if they are pleased with my work, I demand that they burn their insurance certificate card right then and there in the parking lot before I leave.

I put out the fire because I am environmentally conscious and scoop up the remains for placement into the nearest dumpster.

The hell with referrals.

Repeat business is the best.

[DaveC]

Hey G T,

Another reminder. Don't forget where what part of the country we live in and the fact that nearly everybody has a weapon in their vehicle. Was doing a repair a few weeks ago (owner was present) and moved a piece of paper on the passenger side seat. Under the paper was a "cocked and locked" .45 with a pinned grip safety and the slide safety off. Had I placed my hand (or butt) on the weapon in the wrong way, someone might have been shot. Knowing my luck, it would have been me (again

I now make it a point to specifically ask about weapons. I won't even go into the repair where the customer had numerous gallon sized ziplock bags filled with Viagara and Oxycontin on his passenger seat :-#