'Can't Yell at Me With Food in Their Mouth:' Parts Department Workers Reveal How They Keep Techs in Line
"You're eating on my time."
Tempers can flare between service technicians and workers dedicated to locating and ordering parts.
Utah based car dealership Young Chrysler Dodge Ram Layton posted a video reenacting one such situation that appears to resonate with commenters who reacted to the clip.
The dealership’s Facebook reel begins with an employee chomping on some potato chips. A text overlay reads: “When parts is enjoying lunch but service techs can’t enjoy anything until they get the parts.”
The employee smiles and continues eating his snack until another employee comes walking into the break room and smacks the bag out of his hand.
Next, the clip cuts to footage of the potato chip assailant, who points to the service desk. A bell can be heard ringing off camera, until the lens pans over to the counter, where four other service techs, posing as customers, wait for assistance. One of the workers, staring at the camera, incessantly rings the bell until the video comes to an end.
Waiting On Parts
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There’s no shortage of horror stories from folks online venting their woes about waiting for vital components for their vehicles to get repaired. One driver on the Lease Hacker forum wrote that their ride was in the shop for four months as they were “waiting on airbags” for their particular model to arrive. This left them without a car for most of that duration, they said, because their insurance company wouldn’t cover the costs of a rental for more than 30 days.
Online auto mechanics hub CarAraC published a blog delineating some reasons why shops may keep a car longer than initially anticipated.
One of the main reasons, according to the blog, is due to “unexpected damage” being found whilst working on a vehicle. Oftentimes, new issues are revealed after a car is disassembled. This could lead to the discovery that parts may have to be swapped out. Which leads to yet another reason why your whip is sitting in a shop floor beyond its originally quoted date: parts acquisition delay times.
CarAraC says that the “spare parts supply chain failure” can occur, especially when drivers own uncommon models. The more prevalent a vehicle is on the road, the more likely a service center is going to either have spare parts on hand, or get them quickly.
Other Service Shop Delay Causes
The outlet went on to state that “delayed approval” from insurance companies can also result in your ride collecting dust in an auto repair center.
“Some insurance companies are notorious for letting cars sit in body shops while they try to dodge the approval,” CarAraC writes. Moreover, the website indicates that agents need to obtain verification to cover the cost of repairs several times. If they’re dealing with numerous claims at once, some client requests can slip through the cracks. Or, if it’s a costly repair, they could be attempting to ignore the issue altogether.
However, there are some folks who responded to this, like one concerned commuter on Reddit who said they’d been waiting over a month for a part to arrive. Some responded that such long wait times aren’t exactly par the course when it comes to repair shops. But there were others who claimed that supply chain issues in a “post covid world are normal,” depending on the component needed.
‘Eating On My Time’
Folks who replied to the Layton-based service center’s post didn’t seem to mind if someone ate on the job. Only if, however, they were working on finding parts for customers while doing so. “Sorry buddy bit you can find my parts AND eat your chips at the same time...hop to it. You’re eating on my time,” one said.
Another quipped, “You on the clock right? Where my parts at? Jk, I love my parts guy.”
Someone else said that they don’t even have time to eat while at work. “I can't enjoy anything until I go home,” they wrote.
One Facebook user wrote that they didn’t have a problem waiting on a dedicated parts department employee to secure the components they need. That’s because they put in the orders themselves. “Been a tech since 99. I order my own parts,” they said.
Motor1 has reached out to Young Chrysler Dodge Ram Layton via Facebook message for further information. We'll update this if it responds.
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