10/09/2026
Last week:
Customer who we’ve been talking to for months about a rebuild: “I’m ready, get me an invoice so I can get you a deposit”
Us: “Ok, sent”
This week:
Us: “Hey, just checking in to see if you still want to move forward as we haven’t seen a deposit. We are extremely busy and would like to secure your spot in the queue.”
Customer: “I decided to go to a different shop because of your warranty stipulations”
Us: “What warranty stipulations? We have a simple paragraph that lays out items that need to be cleaned and states that the turbo needs to be rebuilt or new to make sure old engine particulates don’t cause issues with the new motor”
Customer: “yeah the turbo”
Us (what we wanted to say): “so to be clear, you are going to a shop that doesn’t require you rebuild or replace a known contaminated part because it’s going to save you $500? Do tell me 1) what does this tell you about how desperate they are to do business with you? 2) what does this say about their level of internal quality?
Us (what we actually said): “Your invoice has been removed. We wish you the best of luck with the other builder.”
My grandfather taught me something very valuable; there are some people you simply don’t want to do business with and identifying them quickly is key in minimizing the number of hairs you’ll pull out of your head.
