After years of witnessing customer’s attempt to prove their superior diagnostic skills and automotive knowledge, you will hear some doozies. Sometimes your first inclination is to correct a customer’s error in judgment. However, if you don’t want to trigger the fight instinct in your customers, bite your tongue and never say:
1. You’re an engineer; everybody knows that engineers don’t follow directions…
2. If you pulled your pants up around your waist where they belong, you wouldn’t wear out clutches so often.
3. No, you don’t need a ¾ ton, extended cab, 4 wheel drive, diesel to supervise your work crew.
4. You put 6-ton of wet sand on a 1-ton dump truck; no the hoist won’t lift it. They do that because the brakes aren’t designed to stop that much weight. After you have to hand-shovel it off, you won’t forget next time.
5. That ABS buzzing noise right before the crash means you were going too fast for conditions.
6. It’s hasn’t worked for six months – - and you’re just now bringing it in!
7. What made you think a 500 gallon water tank should work fine in a ½ ton pickup?
8. No, that oil light doesn’t mean you can bring it in when your shift is over. They call them “idiot lights” for a reason.
9. Sorry but a driver’s license doesn’t qualify you as a fleet manager.
10. The one response that I just can’t stop doing: Can you demonstrate to me again, what that noise sounds like? Sorry, I didn’t quite get it; can you make that noise again? Okay, one more time?
In our society, a vehicle is part of the right of assentation; because of this, it is loaded with emotion and vested ownership. If any customer thinks they are perceived as ignorant regarding vehicle function and design, it’s instantly personal to them… No matter how bad you many want to repeat one of these comments – don’t. Remember, “Stupid is as stupid does” Forest Gump.
