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"I work in an auto repair shop in the U.S. The shop at which I currently work is very busy with a 4.8-star rating on Google, and we averaged $600K - $750K per month in sales pre–health crisis. Like most businesses at the height of the health crisis, we lost work and staff, and we had to implement protocols for the safety of our staff. This story starts around November 2020. At the time, we provided customers with free estimates on any repairs they might want done. Most body shops do. One of the protocols we had implemented for the health crisis was that customers weren't allowed to sit inside the shop. If they needed to use the restroom, we still had to check their temperatures and they were required to wear face masks. Otherwise, they had to call the front office to drop off a vehicle for repairs or to get an estimate. We had three estimators (including me) at the time, and our receptionist would notify us when a customer called for us. When Karen called in and said she was outside for an estimate, I came out to meet her and found that she was already upset. "I'm here for an estimate. How long is it going to take?" I told her that it would take about 15 minutes, including the photos I would need to take of her vehicle (four corners, VIN, damage, mileage). "That's too long. Why can't I sit inside and wait?" I explained that we cannot allow customers inside to just sit because we were still practicing social distancing. "Well, I have other things to do. Can't you just write my estimate and email it to me, please?" I told her that I didn't mind doing that for her, got her contact information, and even gave her a business card I kept in my pocket. Karen had a 2020 Jeep Cherokee that was damaged on the left front side; she said she hit the garage backing out. She firmly stated that she was not going to get repairs done through her insurance. I confirmed her email address, she left, and before I left work that day, I emailed her a copy of the estimate. Replace the front bumper, replace the headlight and mirror, and repair the front door and fender. All told, I estimated about $3600 for the repairs. A couple of days later, the receptionist came to my office and said she had a very upset customer who wanted to speak with me. I thought it was odd that she didn't direct the call to our GM or the assistant, but of course I took the call. It was Karen. "I was looking over this estimate for my Jeep and your repair cost is way too high!" I reviewed the estimate with her on the phone. Parts alone were around $1000 altogether, and the rest was paint and body labor. "That is an outright lie! I went to another shop and they quoted me $1400. AND they can get the parts for $400. You're clearly price gouging." I told her that I doubted that quote on the parts was accurate, and told her that her estimate would show I wrote for OEM parts straight from the local dealership. Karen, obviously, didn't care. Long story short, we went back and forth for 40 minutes about the other shop's quote. Karen said several times, "I know your shop is highly recommended online and I would rather use your shop, but I could get it done cheaper elsewhere." Even though our shop was doing worse than it was before the health crisis (around $300K - $400K per month), I let Karen know that she had a right to choose that other shop and that I would not be able to budge on our prices. That should have been it, but nooooooooooo. Not Karen. Maybe Karen was feeling extra jolly, but a few more days later, she came to the shop and started knocking on the locked shop door. Since we had started locking the main door, our receptionist had dealt with a number of people who knocked on the door, and her response was the same every time. The receptionist walked up to the door, calmly unlocked it from the inside, and used her body to keep the door only ajar. After talking to Karen, the receptionist came to get me so that I could address Karen. I walked out to Karen's still-damaged Jeep. "I know you said you won't budge on the price of that estimate, but I need my Jeep fixed as soon as possible. The other shops I've talked to can't get me in until January and this is a brand-new Jeep looking like this. I need it fixed as soon as possible and I can pay $1400. How soon can y'all take it?" I told Karen that it would cost at least $3600 and that we would be able to take in her Jeep as soon as the parts arrived at our shop, so her repairs wouldn't take long. "Y'all don't have the parts already here?" I told her, "No." "So how long does THAT take? I'm going out of town for Christmas and New Year's, and I want my car to look brand new again." I told her that we would have to paint the bumper, fender, and door, and that it would take three days. "THREE DAYS?! NO. That's unreasonable. First you want to charge me more than double what the other guy would, then you don't have the parts, and now you're keeping my brand new car for three days?? Are you the manager?" I told her, "No, but I will get him for you." My GM has more years of experience in body shops than I've been alive. He's dealt with all types of customers and situations. So when I told him about Karen's situation, he calmly asked for a copy of the estimate, put on his face mask and gloves, and went outside to meet her. They talked very quietly for almost another hour. When Karen left, she was clearly furious from the way she slammed her damaged door and peeled out of our parking lot. The GM told me before I clocked out that day that he confirmed everything I had told Karen and that he wouldn't discount the repair cost even if she were his own wife. When he told Karen that it would be three days of repair time, Karen demanded a loaner vehicle. The GM told her that we don't provide loaners and she would have to pay for that out of pocket as well. The GM said that he told Karen that if she didn't want to pay the cost or go through her insurance, there would be nothing further we could do. After that incident, the GM instituted a new policy of charging an estimated writing fee. It's around the going hourly labor rate for our state and serves as a deterrent for future Karens. It's also a great way for customers to pay a deposit for repairs upfront. Thankfully, Karen didn't leave us a negative review online anywhere about her experience."
