Happy Hour!

Good Evening Gentle Readers,

I hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday Night, in moderation of course.   I, as you probably can guess, am home on the comupter.  One can only guess I am too tired to move any part of my body except my fingers.  So, moving, they are.

There appears to be a serious brain illness going around mankind.   It's symptoms are:  stupidity, inconsideration, overblown sense of self worth and a loud mouth.  It seems to be contagious.  I hope and pray a cure is found soon as we are destined, as a society, for the big flush.

We repaired a vehicle for a nasty lady 4 months ago, an insurance repair, and it turned out beautiful considering where she was hit.  There was nothing, even perfection, that would have calmed her healthy mouth.  After several attempts to get her to take her car, I called the insurance agent to look at the car.  He deemed it to be perfect and had no idea what her problem was and his only suggestion was to put her in front of a firing squad.  She came for the last time and my office manager said he would take some money off the deductible she had if she would take her car.  A very pleased look came over her face, she signed all the documents and left. 

Well, Friday at 4:38 she came in and demanded from one of my employees a rental immediately and that the repair be done properly.  She also told my employee she did not want to speak to me.  WELL, now, just how I want to start happy hour........What seems to be the problem.  bla, bla, bla.....Mam, it is 4:50 on a Friday night and you cannot just show up demanding a rental, which by the way I will never pay for.  BLA...BLA...BLA....  I am sorry, (I cannot remember the particulars of the case) you will have to come back when Peter is here and talk to him since he handled your repair.  "I want it fixed now"  Again, mam, You will have to come back.  Peter is on vacation till Thursday.  WHAT IF I NEVER GET TO TALK TO HIM, YOU WON'T FIX MY CAR!!!

Mam, Peter is on vacation, he is not dead!!!!  call next Thursday and make an appointment to see him regarding your car.   AND...HAVE A NICE DAY!  I will not fix one thing on that gal's car!  Ever!!!

I have piles and piles of paper on my desk of work to do.  Why?  What can possibly be so paper intensive about owning a body shop?? 

I have hired a second gal for the back of the shop!  I have two women who work in the shop.  They are both showing up the men, big time.  My new gal is a sander with 7 years experience and works harder, faster and does a better job than her counter part!  Women Power!

It has been four years.  I have an anniversary coming up...That means SALE!  I am thinking of the dreaded Half Price Sale.  Well, it is an anniversary. 

It is eerie......Nothing has broke in the shop lately, I am getting better at handling the scammers, I axed a couple of guys and the drama is less.  Could it be????????

Bon Nuit, Andy, Tony, Durango, Jeff and Gilbert.

Shangri La,   CQ CQ CQ.....calling CQ and listening

We All Live In a Yellow Submarine....

In the time when I was born lived a man who sailed the sea.  And he told us of his life in the land of submarines...

Bon Jour body shop fans and friends.    Hot has been the word of the day for the last month.  Makes work tiring and dirty.  The crew has held up for the most part.  We had a couple of quittings and a hiring.  Core staff still intact.  Lets start a recap of a few customer stories.

Our clientele has changed much in the last few years, but once in a while we still get a real life thug with a throw away drug car.  (by the way, we do have a car in shop with a bullet hole in the right rear door that we are repairing.)  The thug was the young gentleman who could not count his money in the last post.  In an effort to get some money back, bless his little heart, he called and started to call me unprofessional, and other names.  I told him I would not discuss his two tone disco  ball car with him unless he brought it back.  So, the car came back with three of "his boys".  Peter went out to go over it with him and the three boys got threatening and were pulling stuff like the line for the two tone is in the wrong place.  (we document in writing such things, have it marked on a picture of a car and signed off on)  Peter just walked in and told me he could not deal with the three of them.

They gang walked to the front desk holding onto their pants to keep them around their knees and started to speak to me in Ebonics.  I stopped them mid word and ask the young man his name.  Sir, I told him, you do not own this car and I will not speak to anyone but the owner.  "Hey, lady, you can shout at him on my cell".  What, I am not going to shout at anyone!    His eyes rolled and he said he wanted to talk to me on the phone.  No, I won't talk to him on the phone.  Tell him to bring his car in person, period.  Have a good day.  To my surprise, out they walked......quietly! 

Before you think I am such a tough gal, the tip off is they probably have outstanding warrants.  If a shouting match begins and I call the police, they will be run for warrants and off to the big house.  So, if a argument is avoided quietly, there is a reason.  I am fine with that.

I recently got to know a wonderful customer who also teaches "Sociology" at a local University.  We began a discussion on what is the definition of "Normal"?  My brain nerve endings were enjoying the intellectual conversation and hope to have more of them with this fine man. 

It is always an interesting estimate when a squad car comes in.  Recenty, a officer brought his car in to get an estimate on some damage and I was told one of my employees was out back hiding.  An adult man.  It was not long before he was picked up. 

I have been so busy upfront lately, I have missed the fun in the back.  I am fortunate that I now have a great crew and things are under control.  I do hear out breaks of laughter from time to time and am glad that they are enjoying each other.  I want to be part of the fun too, but sometimes it is more fun without the boss around. 

I recently started hearing a new word out of the various crew members describing a not so good place in body work that needed a little extra attention before paint.  It is now called a dippitydoo.  I kept hearing it and finally figured out it came from the painter Craig.  Cool.  They are all talking and smiling.  What more can Mom ask for.  Just, lets not have anymore dippitydoos! 

Heard a fight outside and saw the shop boss at the transmission place next door fighting with an employee.  Walked away.  Do not need a piece of that.  Heard a gunshot a block away when I was opening up the other day.  Only heard one shot, so I opened up.  Do not know what to think of this world I now live in.  I need to have more talks with my sociologist friend and my God to try to understand.  We have been doing 30+ cars a week and only about once a week or two do I get a crazy acting individual.  Means, we are doing better and getting a better group of customers.  We still find a lot to laugh about.  Like the man who was dressed with enough bling to add 50 pounds to him.  Needed his car fixed while he waited as he was a very busy man getting his Masters!  Well, sir, we have to order a part to fix your car and that part won't be here until tomorrow.  Whoa, was he mad.  How does someone not understand that concept and be getting a masters degree????

God Bless everyone and never stop smiling.  Shangri la