0 to a**hole

[ksystems]

i have been repairing machine tools for 15 years and as i got off the phone with one of my customers tonight my wife made the comment,
"you answer the phone like a jerk and you're getting to be quite the a**hole"
i have noticed that others in my field behave the same way,does anybody have a reason or theory why this happens to guys that fix machines?

[dertsap]

negativity breeds negativity
chances are it's because you have to deal with people who are neg'd out because they are loosing money for every minute their machine is down . From my experience ive watched my previous bosses walking around in circles babbling while the repair guy tried to explain that the company needed to take time to maintain the machines or what have you , and it generally falls on deaf ears , the only concern is "when will it be running"
I could see how it would be difficult at times to be always smiley under those circumstances

[HuFlungDung]

I dunno, I never heard of that happening

[Switcher]

Looks like being nice would be a better thing.

Heck, they write the checks... so what If they tear up a machine, it's their machine, besides the more they tear up, the more calls you will get to come fix the machine.

All the guys that have worked on our cnc machines, have always been nice (no jerks, lol)

[JoBwan]

Originally Posted by ksystems i have been repairing machine tools for 15 years and as i got off the phone with one of my customers tonight my wife made the comment, "you answer the phone like a jerk and you're getting to be quite the a**hole" i have noticed that others in my field behave the same way,does anybody have a reason or theory why this happens to guys that fix machines?

It seems ironic that you started this thread at this time. My wife says the same is happening to me. I am a maintenance supervisor (with no other maintenance employees under me), a facilities mgr., a logistic coodinator (3 truck driver's), an auto mechanic, and a CDL delivery driver at my job. I have over 400 machines to keep running, 3 seperate facilities to keep maintained,10 vehicles to keep on the road, and parts to be delivered. Of coarse, we have 110 employees "that think they can repair anything", but by the time they get me involved, all hell has broke loose. As stated earlier, corporate mng't just wants to know "why it's not running yet".

[HuFlungDung]

The "nice" people are typically the ones who are not involved to the point of accountability for what they do: the front end people, as it were. They are paid to be nice, whereas the repair guy is paid for results.

I think it is irritating to deal with many issues at once. What repairman is not juggling umpteen problems while waiting for parts, return phone calls, etc, etc?

Plus every Ahole out there thinks their problem is most important regardless of how long they delayed in scheduling work to be done to fix or even preempt failure of equipment.
Plus, many guys think their problem is your problem, as if you should pitch in free labor or free expertise on finding a solution for their problem, then start the clock when you actually begin to take out a screwdriver or power up your machine.

I'm prepared to cut the repairman, or the mechanic some slack for a bad attitude, so long as he is actually good at what he does. If humor can be brought into tense situations, it can be of great help as well.

[Switcher]

The "nice" people are typically the ones who are not involved to the point of accountability for what they do: the front end people, as it were. They are paid to be nice, whereas the repair guy is paid for results.

LOL, maybe I don't live in a typical world.

I still say be nice about your job, what does being an a-hole get you? More grief!

It's just a job. I say enjoy your job, or move on.

[ksystems]

this morning was the first repair that i made an effort not to be an a**hole.the lathe was stopped in cycle and was down on a tailstock alarm.no time for oem parts so lets find one local,no problem.got the parts,installed the parts then proceeded to check operation through the dgn(as the machine was still stuck in alarm and i didn't want to power down.just in case).when i got the machine up and homed the customer proceeded to tell me i took to long to find the switch and checking the dgn was a waste of time.with a smile on face i suggested next time he can find the part,install the part, check operation and then phone me and tell me what a good job he had done.i think it is easier to be an a**hole.

[Al_The_Man]

I have found about the opposite, if you are good at what you do and there is not alot of competition for this kind of service, they seem to go the extra mile to keep the help happy

I often try and get them going over the phone, although it is not really to my benefit.
I had one customer the other day where I suggested a fix and did not work so he asked for me to drop in.
I walked up to the machine and less than two minutes had found a stuck limit sw.
He looked at me and said Oh sorry to bother you coming out all this way.
I really think he though it was going to be a 'freebie'
Al.

[Switcher]

i think it is easier to be an a**hole.

LMAO,

Hey, at least you tried.

[Switcher]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Man I have found about the opposite, if you are good at what you do and there is not alot of competition for this kind of service, they seem to go the extra mile to keep the help happy I often try and get them going over the phone, although it is not really to my benefit. I had one customer the other day where I suggested a fix and did not work so he asked for me to drop in. I walked up to the machine and less than two minutes had found a stuck limit sw. He looked at me and said Oh sorry to bother you coming out all this way. I really think he though it was going to be a 'freebie' Al.

I hope you charged at least a base rate, to drive to the site, etc...

Next time I bet he checks that limit switch, before he calls, ha

[HuFlungDung]

Originally Posted by Switcher LOL, maybe I don't live in a typical world. I still say be nice about your job, what does being an a-hole get you? More grief! It's just a job. I say enjoy your job, or move on.

Enjoying your job and putting up with (some) people can be mutually exclusive goals.

I think the independant repairman would probably be happier, because he can adjust the bill for the situation. Being an employed repairman, with both the customer and the boss riding your ass has to be thankless much of the time. That sort of crunch might cause early onset bitterness.

Put it another way: the good customers probably never find out if you are an a-hole, but the bad ones do. So who does it hurt?