Rant Over Work Ethic: A Real Blog Post

I bought a used jeep two months ago. For the past three weeks I have been waiting to get a quote back from the mechanic I was recommended to go to so that it can be made ready for winter.

I should not have to wait three weeks for a quote.

If I drove the vehicle there without any issues, and I know what the big issues are that I want taken care of, you shouldn’t have “a long list” of items. That tells me that you don’t understand what I need the vehicle for.

I bought a 98 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9L Limited. For those of you who don’t know, that is a jeep with an extra big engine. I bought it for winter driving because that was in my budget and the best buy I could find for my budget. It isn’t a long-term vehicle, it is a vehicle to let me split miles between that and the Honda Civic that I will never sell and because I have to drive out in the country, currently, to work and wanted something that would make me more confident driving in the winter.

So, it needs to be able to be driven. I won’t have it for very long. And I know what the things on it are that I want fixed.

I get it, I am a female and maybe you think that “oh, she probably wants everything fixed so that it is like new”. You would be wrong.

I want it to drive. I understand cars, and don’t currently have the ability to make the fixes that this one needs so that I can drive it. It needs new tires and a part replaced, and I wanted them to look at the sunroof.

Ranting, I know, how surprising on this site. But, sincerely, do mechanics do this because they think that they can get away with it, or are being extra kind?

I don’t care if you are kind, I care that you get the work done well in a timely manner. You have been sitting on a quote for the last three weeks when you could have given it to me and we could already have the parts in and I likely could have taken my vehicle back and paid you.

I will not cheap you when it comes time for payment. Unlike some of your other customers, I budgeted for this vehicle. I have a good idea of what it will cost to get the work done on it that it NEEDS. It is almost 20 years old, it will have some issues. If those issues don’t affect how it drives, I really don’t care. I’m not planning on having this vehicle for longer than two years, and I already know some little projects on it that I am going to be doing so that I can get a decent price on it when I sell it.

I don’t like Jeep Grand Cherokees. I am a Wrangler girl. And a Truck girl. And a Honda girl (modern only, thank you!). But I do know that I happened upon a vehicle that Jeep people do like, especially Grand Cherokee folks.

I am not very worried about selling it because I will make the effort to get the word out everywhere that I can when I go to sell it.

I just want it to work for what I bought it for: winter. I want to know the price of tires and if you think it needs winter only tires or all season tires. I want you to replace the rusted through part on the under carriage.

And do it in a timely manner so I can recommend you to other people.

Work ethic. It is what gets you more customers, and ends up having a positive affect in your life. If you have that, but put it towards something other than your business, maybe you shouldn’t have your own business.