How to be a good customer!

In the spirit of "Brutal Truth Motors" the Tappert brothers at Car Talk (or Click and Clack if you know them by that name) just published an interview reminding all of us that sometimes it helps to be a good customer too.

Some gems include:

CAR TALK: So, what makes a great customer?

RAY: There are some customers who have been coming to the garage for years, who we love to see. First of all, they're pleasant people. They're non-confrontational; they don't come in ready for a fight, or assuming we're going to rip them off — which is especially important when things go wrong.

We consider some of our customers to be our friends. They have the same qualities that you would want in a friend.

TOM: And they can describe their problem clearly. That's really important. It saves us hassle — and saves the customer money. We're more likely to get it right the first time, which is important to our sense of self-esteem.

RAY: Right. You know, mechanics suffer from an extremely low sense of self-worth.

TOM: And then, of course, there are the customers who come bearing fresh baked goods. Somehow, they never seem to need transmission rebuilds. Isn't that interesting?

As has been said for years, it's easier to catch flies with honey than with vinegar!

CAR TALK: And the customers who are less than friendly?

RAY: There are some people who are jerks. They're adversarial, because they treat us as if we're trying to rip them off. They're attitude is accusatory from the get go.

TOM: And, nobody wants to be approached like that.

RAY: We've actually fired customers.

Sure, the customer is always right, but wouldn't it be great if they were always nice too?