Why do they do that?

I am sure that most of you will already know that I run a couple of motorcycle workshops here in London. Every day I meet lots of customers who, in the main are very friendly folk whom I have come to regard almost as friends over the years. Some of them have been customers of mine for more than twenty years. Most of them are pretty much on-the-ball,

BUT.......

WHY DO CUSTOMERS........

- book a bike in and fail to turn up

- book a bike in and turn up on the wrong day

- turn up on the wrong day and say you must have made a mistake when you put it in the diary

- drop bikes off for servicing empty of fuel

- except when they are having the fuel tank repaired and it is full to the brim

- leave a bike for servicing and then go off with the keys

- leave the bike in the workshop, the keys in reception and the alarm remote control in Teddington

- have expensive extra lights and chrome accessories "expertly fitted" without any thought about how the standard access panels can be removed

- always blame "a friend" for any accident damage

- insist on maximum discounts and favourable rates, then pay with a credit card

- leave bikes standing all winter, then complain it has not started since we serviced it

- claim the bike is totally original ( does this include the overspray on the engine brackets?)

- go elsewhere for second-hand parts, get a "really good deal" and then moan when they find they have paid more than the current retail price

- ask how much it will cost when you are trying to identify a mystery noise over the telephone

- all claim to be VAT exempt

- insist "it was working when it came in"

- expect a quick tune to cure three burnt out valves and a blown head gasket

- ask you to keep the bill down "because they are selling it", then keep the bike for a further eighteen months

- tell you that you are mistaken because a "friend" would not dream of selling them a dodgy bike

- think that they should pay 1960's prices for repairs to their 1960's bikes

- phone up to complain that they had to put a pint of oil in the engine when they got home after leaving our workshop, forgetting to mention they had driven home to Milan!

- get a quote over the phone for a certain job, bring the bike in with a list of additional jobs, then complain that the bill is higher than the original quote

- believe that a bottle of "Slick 50" can take the place of the set of main bearings the bike really needs

- phone to see if "my bike" is ready, when questioned admit to it being a Honda and when pushed further concede "it is a blue one!"

- baulk at the price of Triumph parts, supply their own pattern items, then complain that they do not last like the originals

- when told they need replacement brake discs and calipers, bring in some they have had "in storage" (on the Titanic, we think!)

- always ask you to get the insurance company to pay for unrelated additional damage after an accident

- when told that their brake discs are 2mm undersize, ask if they can be skimmed (too thin means too thin, skimming removes metal)

- phone up and expect you to remember every detail of their bike when you have not seen them for the best part of a year

- all know somebody who has found a BSA Gold Star in a barn in mint condition

- spend money on expensive leathers, helmets and accessories then complain the bike lets them down because they cannot afford routine maintenance

- moan that the brakes have only lasted 11 months but overlook the twenty-six thousand miles the bike has covered pulling a sidecar and a trailer!

- moan about the size of the bill but forget that they authorised all the work

- say "but that is more than the bike is worth!"

With thanks, as observed by the men who know.

Neil * Geoff * Paul. c/o A.W.B. Motors

  Back to my Home Page
Who am I
My Gallery
Odds and Ends
Holiday Snaps