Maybe Santa Can Give Him A Lift

(It is two weeks before Christmas:)

Me: “So, here is what we found. The cause of the issue with your car is a bad [component]. The price with parts and labor is [price], and we just happen to have one in stock. We can get it fixed for you today.”

Customer: “That’s way too expensive. I can’t afford that right now.”

Me: “I understand. Just don’t take the car out of town until you can get it fixed. There is a good chance it may strand you.”

(Fast forward to December 24th, 12:45 pm. We close at 1:00 for Christmas. This has been posted on every door and window in the place for a month. A car pulls up to the door, and the driver lays on the horn. I open the door and the driver from two weeks ago gets out of the car… along with his wife and three children. The car has a large car-top carrier on top of it.)

Me: “Can I help you?”

Customer: “I need my car fixed right now.”

Me: “Okay, well, we close in 15 minutes.”

Customer: “We are going out of town right now and I need the car fixed.”

Me: “Well, let me see what I can do.” *I hear the audible groan come from the mechanics who are ready to leave* “Have a seat in the waiting room.”

(20 minutes later…)

Me: “Well, I am sorry, but we won’t be able to fix the car today.”

Customer’s Wife: “What?! We are leaving for a 300 mile trip right now! Why can’t you fix our car?!”

Me: “We don’t have the part in stock right now.”

Customer: “But you told me you had it!”

Me: “Yes, I did… two weeks ago. We don’t have it anymore because we sold it.”

Customer: “So you are telling me you are going to ruin my family’s Christmas?”

Customer’s Wife: *to Customer* “Wait… you knew about this TWO WEEKS AGO?!”

Me: “I am sorry to deliver the bad news, but we don’t have the part in stock right now.”

Customer’s Wife: “You mean to tell me you told him this needed to be fixed two weeks ago?”

Me: “Yes, ma’am.”

Customer: “How long will it take you to get the part?”

Me: “Well, seeing as how tomorrow is Christmas and we are closed, it would be sometime next week before we could have it.”

Customer: “You mean to tell me you can’t get it tomorrow?”

Me: “No. As I said, we are closed. In fact, we closed five minutes ago.”

Customer: “This is bull-s***! I want to see your boss RIGHT NOW!”

Me: “Since he is currently in Florida with his family for the holidays, I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”

Customer: “So you are just going to completely ruin our Christmas?!” *points towards his children*

Me: “Sir, I cannot fix your car if I don’t have the part to fix it.”

Customer’s Wife: “You should have every part for any car you work on in stock.”

Me: “Ma’am, I’m afraid it is just not possible to have every part for every year, make, and model of every car always in stock.”

Customer: *as he leans in and gets right in my face* “I will be calling customer service and telling them how poorly you treat your customers!

Customer’s Wife: *to Customer* “You know, if you had fixed it two weeks ago this wouldn’t be a problem!”

Customer: “I’ll never be back to this dealership! You have lost my business for life, you a**-hole!”

Me: “Okay, I think it is time for you to leave now.”

Customer: “I’ll leave when I’m god-d*** good and ready!”

(I realize three of my mechanics have been listening to the conversation. All are over six feet tall and menacing. Suddenly they are standing behind me with large wrenches in their hands staring burning holes in the customer.)

Customer: *to his wife* “Honey, I think maybe we had just better leave.”

Me: “I think that may be for the best. Have a Merry Christmas now!”