thisis How you deal with a dodgy mechanic

Hello ScoFans!

"Would you grow up? There's no room for truth on the Internet"
Howard Walowitz - The Big Bang Theory

I have been having trouble with my mechanic lately. I went in and saw him in May and about two weeks ago he started sending me accounts telling me I didn't pay him on the day. Accounts which were for totally different (lesser) amounts than the ones I paid, and which completely different invoice numbers to the one I was given.

As you can imagine, I got quite angry about the whole situation. I've been running around town badmouthing the place, telling coworkers and clients not to deal with them, I've written letters to the local papers telling them about the situation.. and I've even written letters to not so local papers.

On Friday I went in there and I didn't care that there were customers he was talking to as well as others waiting, I walked right past him and told him exactly what I thought of the stunt he was trying to pull.

I told him I knew I always paid him on the day, and he must have been fucked up on something to think I wasn't going to check a/ my bank account and b/ the previous invoice when he started sending me demands for payment. I called him a con artist and asked him how many other people he had scammed pulling this stunt, who couldn't be bothered double checking and just paid their account because it came in the mail.

He became quite flustered and kept stammering and backtracking and mumbling and really didn't have any answers.

And now for the truth...

I have been having trouble with my mechanic lately. I went in and saw him in May and about two weeks ago he started sending me accounts telling me I didn't pay him on the day. Accounts which were for totally different (lesser) amounts than the ones I paid, and which completely different invoice numbers to the one I was given.

As you can imagine, I found the whole situation quite humorous. I've been having a bit of a laugh with some people about it (mostly people who don't live in the area, but with those who do I'm careful to never name the place).

On Friday I went in there and I waited patiently while he dealt with the other customers who were there before me, even though one of them just seemed to be an old guy who was up for having a chat and not actually doing any business. I walked up to him and nervously pulled out my original invoice as well as the accounts he'd been sending me.

He checked the computer system and told me my original invoice was for all the work done to my car on that day, and that someone had raised a second invoice for some unknown reason which was for only part of the work done. He apologised about 1,000 times and I told him "It's okay. These things happen. No system is perfect and we all slip up ones in awhile"

He seemed to be a bit embarrassed about the situation, but told me he was going to look into how it happened. (I hope I didn't get anyone fired)

I'm not the sort of person to get to worked up about things or abuse people for mistakes. We're all human, we all make them, and my way still gets results.


Thinking of you always,


ScoMan