$700 in Impound Fees - Car was at Repair Shop and moved to street - Towed away

[ExtraSlow]

Was at Bob's this week. Not shady.

[Gestalt]

The place I work at, when the customer drops of the car, keys and that work order is started, we are responsible for the car until it's picked up.

I can't understand that it's not the same everywhere.

[rx7_turbo2]

Originally posted by Gestalt
I can't understand

I agree, that seems to be the issue.

Here's a list off the top of my head of businesses that by your definition are shady because at one point or another they've parked my car on a public street once work was competed.

Country Hills Toyota
Kal Tire
Northstar Ford

[roll_over]

Originally posted by Gestalt
The place I work at, when the customer drops of the car, keys and that work order is started, we are responsible for the car until it's picked up.

I can't understand that it's not the same everywhere.

You really are dense

[tirebob]

Originally posted by Gestalt
The place I work at, when the customer drops of the car, keys and that work order is started, we are responsible for the car until it's picked up.

I can't understand that it's not the same everywhere.

Yes, but are you responsible for his registration lapse? What about if his insurance is not up to date? Maybe he has never done an oil change in 100,000 kms, and upon starting his car to pull it in for a flat repair his engine seizes... Your responsibility too?

There are a shit ton of things we business owners are responsible for, but customer neglect is not one of them generally...

Again, if the shop was using the street for storing a vehicle with no engine or transmission in it, or they had it for a week and it got towed 1 day in and they never realized and 6 days later the customer gets a call it has been in impound for 6 days, and the shop didn't realize, that is a different story for sure, but you seem to live in the land of fairy tales and gumdrops where a customer is always right and can never be responsible for anything, and the real world is not like that. Sometimes the customer does make mistakes and has at least partial resposibilty.

That is not a comment on the OP at all because he seems to acknowledge his part in this too, which shows maturity and understanding. You just don't seem to have that rational thought process yet.

[Gestalt]

Originally posted by tirebob
Yes, but are you responsible for his registration lapse? What about if his insurance is not up to date? t.

Of course you are. Or at least we are. It's in our possession. we have full insurance and our own plate.

You telling me if you crash the customers car on a road test, you would insist his insurance pays?

There is no law stating a customer needs registration or insurance to have his vehicle repaired.

Anyway. My boss is obviously doing it wrong.

We should be parking cars on public streets, downsize our shop and lot to save money, and risk the occasional incident.

[tirebob]

Originally posted by Gestalt


Of course you are. Or at least we are. It's in our possession. we have full insurance and our own plate.

You telling me if you crash the customers car on a road test, you would insist his insurance pays?

There is no law stating a customer needs registration or insurance to have his vehicle repaired.

Anyway. My boss is obviously doing it wrong.

We should be parking cars on public streets, downsize our shop and lot to save money, and risk the occasional incident.

OMG... You seriously do not know how see a big picture let alone read and comprehend someones entire post.

Post on little troll... I bow to your incredible expertise.

[spikerS]

Originally posted by Gestalt


Of course you are. Or at least we are. It's in our possession. we have full insurance and our own plate.

You telling me if you crash the customers car on a road test, you would insist his insurance pays?

There is no law stating a customer needs registration or insurance to have his vehicle repaired.

Anyway. My boss is obviously doing it wrong.

We should be parking cars on public streets, downsize our shop and lot to save money, and risk the occasional incident.

you are obviously too new to remember a thread from a few years back that came around from a mechanic damaging a customer's car, and only stated he needed to pay the insurance deductible for the customer's insurance, and that it would be the customer's insurance that would fix the car, not the shops insurance...Toma was quite vocal in that thread...

I will see if I can dig it up.

*edit* found it

http://forums.beyond.ca/st2/tuner-sh...=&pagenumber=1

man i was a dick in that thread, wonder what pissed me off that day.

[cancer man]

W8 passat that is the question? followed by a ? mark.
Why not the W12 you've probably have steel nuts.
700.00 big deal that's 2 oil changes.
And i'll gurantee that shop will not know how to overhaul that tranny.

[rx7_turbo2]

Originally posted by Gestalt
Anyway. My boss is obviously doing it wrong.

No, but not doing it that way doesn't make you "shady" as you suggested earlier. Get it? Fuck me this doesn't seem like a hard concept to grasp. When everyone around you seems to get it and you're struggling with the basic concepts it might be time to take a break and look at things a different way

[HiTempguy1]

Pretty sure you cant park non-running cars on the street legally. So the business practice is definitely questionable.

CoC sayz:
A vehicle must be operable and moved within 72, hours or it may be considered abandoned and removed as such.*

Note it says and. That means at any time either one of those conditions isn't met, the vehicle is parked illegally

Moral of the story, if that car could not move under its own power, they had no right to place it on the street.

[RLK]

Originally posted by tirebob
Yes, but are you responsible for his registration lapse? What about if his insurance is not up to date? Maybe he has never done an oil change in 100,000 kms, and upon starting his car to pull it in for a flat repair his engine seizes... Your responsibility too?

There are a shit ton of things we business owners are responsible for, but customer neglect is not one of them generally...

Again, if the shop was using the street for storing a vehicle with no engine or transmission in it, or they had it for a week and it got towed 1 day in and they never realized and 6 days later the customer gets a call it has been in impound for 6 days, and the shop didn't realize, that is a different story for sure, but you seem to live in the land of fairy tales and gumdrops where a customer is always right and can never be responsible for anything, and the real world is not like that. Sometimes the customer does make mistakes and has at least partial resposibilty.

That is not a comment on the OP at all because he seems to acknowledge his part in this too, which shows maturity and understanding. You just don't seem to have that rational thought process yet.

If a technician gets pulled over on a test drive, and the vehicle has expired plates. The technician gets the ticket, the person driving the vehicle is responsible for making sure the vehicle is registered. Now who actually pays for the ticket is a different story. I see expired plates all the time, I just make a note about it on the work order.

To get a automotive repair business license you have to have sufficient parking. Its has to show in your lease or the deed of you own the building. They are not very picky about it, but you have to have a certain amount of spaces.

Your insurance policy will state that you are responsible for the vehicle once you touch it. If it is night dropped and it gets broken into the shop is not responsible. If the shop has worked on it and left it on the parking lot the shop is fully responsible for what happens to it.
This shop has a open work order on this car, they have worked on it. They moved it off private property onto a public space. The shop is fully responsible for what happens to it. Its doesn't matter if the plate is expired or not.
Yes shops will park cars on the street its not ideal, but you have to do what you have to do. The shop is taking a risk doing that. The shop in question took a risk, it didn't pay off so they paid up.

I'm thinking Gestalt is young and fairly new to the industry.

[dirtsniffer]

Originally posted by RLK

I'm thinking Gestalt is young and fairly new to the industry.

That's a nice way of putting it..

[Gestalt]

Originally posted by RLK


If a technician gets pulled over on a test drive, and the vehicle has expired plates. The technician gets the ticket, the person driving the vehicle is responsible for making sure the vehicle is registered. Now who actually pays for the ticket is a different story. I see expired plates all the time, I just make a note about it on the work order.

To get a automotive repair business license you have to have sufficient parking. Its has to show in your lease or the deed of you own the building. They are not very picky about it, but you have to have a certain amount of spaces.

Your insurance policy will state that you are responsible for the vehicle once you touch it. If it is night dropped and it gets broken into the shop is not responsible. If the shop has worked on it and left it on the parking lot the shop is fully responsible for what happens to it.
This shop has a open work order on this car, they have worked on it. They moved it off private property onto a public space. The shop is fully responsible for what happens to it. Its doesn't matter if the plate is expired or not.
Yes shops will park cars on the street its not ideal, but you have to do what you have to do. The shop is taking a risk doing that. The shop in question took a risk, it didn't pay off so they paid up.

I'm thinking Gestalt is young and fairly new to the industry.

Yet we agree on all the important points.

Good post. I worked at a custom shop prior, and they rented the bay next door for cars waiting on parts. Current shop has a secured, fenced yard. We get the occasional break in, and my boss handles all details, repair, etc. The customer is not put out in any way.

And he's not young and new.

[max_boost]

Originally posted by rx7_turbo2


No, but not doing it that way doesn't make you "shady" as you suggested earlier. Get it? Fuck me this doesn't seem like a hard concept to grasp. When everyone around you seems to get it and you're struggling with the basic concepts it might be time to take a break and look at things a different way

lol ya. classic beyond. my way is the only way!

[rx7_turbo2]

Originally posted by Gestalt
Yet we agree on all the important points.

No you don't. WTF dude, do you bother to even read what others write?

You said

Originally posted by Gestalt
You must designate your parking when you apply, and street parking definitely does not fit the bill.

He said you have to have "sufficient" parking. There is no law requiring an automotive repair shop to have exactly the same number or more parking spaces for customer cars being repaired at any one time because "street parking does not fit the bill". A shop needs to have "sufficient" parking, totally reasonable, but that doesn't mean they have to turn customers away when that parking is full and public street parking is a completely legal option. Furthermore, if they do choose to keep customer cars on the public street it certainly doesn't make them "shady" which gets us back to the asinine assertion you made that started all this.

[Gestalt]

Between this thread, and the warranty regulation one, I have to wonder if you work at a shop that makes consumer protection regulation necessary.

I keep my car in a garage. If I knew a business would keep my car on the street after hours, I would definitely take my business elsewhere. That's unacceptable business practice to me.

[rx7_turbo2]

Originally posted by Gestalt
I keep my car in a garage. If I knew a business would keep my car on the street after hours, I would definitely take my business elsewhere. That's unacceptable business practice to me.

Originally posted by max_boost
lol ya. classic beyond. my way is the only way!

I'm tapping out. Everything seems to go right over Gestalt's head. If he posted a YouTube video and his English was worse I'd swear it was Arash

For the record, other than needing to have my vehicles serviced I have nothing to do with that industry whatsoever.

[J-hop]

Wow, what the hell is going on in this thread.

This isn't utopia, compromises are always made in the real world. How many threads have we had on here where people bitch about shop labour prices?? Then they turn around and tell someone like bob who offers people services at a fair price that he needs to lease or buy a larger shop and land that can house all customer vehicles at the shops busiest times while leaving it empty when it's dead. Then those same people are going to turn around and be pissed when he (and other shops like his) has to increase prices to offset the additional opex.

As mentioned in this thread, registration renewal is always the same month no matter when you buy/first register the vehicle. The amount you pay at the registry is prorated to reflect the time of registration relative to your renewal date.

Unfortunately I don't think the OP has much of a case. Hopefully the shop is nice but they aren't responsible for the vehicle being properly registered and insured. One could argue they shouldn't leave the vehicle there for an extended period of time (days) but at the end of the day that isn't why it was towed.

[zipdoa]

hahaha, this thread is epic.

needs more w8 tho: