This is part of the info we give to our travelers but it also gives a good idea of:
HOW THINGS WORK AROUND HERE
First of all, try not to be nervous. Dr. How's is owned and operated by Howard & Suzanne Kusisto. Dr. How is an ASE Certified Master Tech and resident genius. You will be dealing primarily with me (Sue). Although I have nowhere near the certifications my husband has, I still know my stuff and can intelligently answer any questions you may have. This business is our livelihood and our reputation is extremely important to us. We will treat you fairly and with respect, we expect the same in return. We are not going to take advantage of you, we will treat you as we would expect to be treated under similar circumstances. We travel also and believe that what goes around, comes around.
The goal here is to get you operational ASAP, however circumstances sometimes prohibit that. We have vehicles in our bays that may have scheduled appointments weeks in advance. Our regular customers understand your circumstances too, but they also need their vehicles. We will, whenever possible, put your needs as priority but not at the expense of getting a scheduled job out. When we do get to your vehicle, it may have a very obvious problem but more than likely, it will need to be diagnosed. Please do not begrudge us diagnostic time. This requires concentration and many resources and allows us to repair your vehicle in the most efficient manner. It also saves you the cost of unneeded parts.
Many times vehicles end up here not under their own power. It is IMPERATIVE that we know the history of your ride in these cases. If the vehicle ran poorly, smoked, used excessive oil or coolant etc., please tell us truthfully when asked. This will save us both from a great deal of frustration. When a diagnosis is made, you may or may not be here. Either way you will receive an explanation of what needs to be done, an estimate and a time frame. We don't want your vehicle here any longer than necessary--we tend to get stressed when the lot is full of out of state tags. We are both at the mercy of parts availibility. Most times parts will have to be ordered, we can generally receive them within a day but sometimes not. This is beyond our control. Please don't ask that we use salvage parts....you may have had good luck with them, we have not. I only use salvage in rare, specialized circumstances and will let you know if that is an option in your case. We will recommend parts that have a known good track history. We will, if you request, use parts that we have found to be not as reliable because you can't wait or have monetary concerns, however you will be asked to sign a waiver. It is in our best interest that we don't find you back on our doorstep (for your original issue) after your repair is completed and will do anything within our power to avoid that.
The workday here ends around 5:30 pm. We won't boot you if your service requires that we stay a little longer. If you request that we stay past 6 pm to complete a repair, we may at our discretion, but you will be charged time and a half on labor. We are concerned about you and yours but we have a family too and will not put your needs above theirs.
OK, so now you have an overview of what type of place fate brought you to today. You are more than welcome to hang in our cute little waiting room (guitars and literature- wifi if I remember the key). You're also welcome to watch progress through the doorway if it's open but please do not come into the shop area unless you're invited or you need to use the rest room. Don't bug Howard while he's working, it breaks his concentration and really annoys him. I'm always floating around somewhere close by, if you need something, you need to ask me. We are professional but human; sometimes we swear or throw things due to pain or frustration. Neither will be directed at you, unless required, I promise.