Sexist Car Repair Woes

What is it with car repair people that they totally do not believe you when you say “Excuse me, but my car still isn’t fixed.” Why do they just stand there saying “Well, it was fine when you picked it up yesterday” when the dang thing started sputtering all of three blocks away from the shop?

And why does this happen to every woman you know and never to a guy?!

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You’re no fool. You know perfectly well your car wasn’t fixed right, and you really resent being made to feel like one. You’d love to give these people a piece of your mind, but that won’t do any good and besides, you still need to get your car fixed! What to do?

Arm yourself with information.

Write down exactly when the sputtering started again, where it seemed to come from in the car, and anything else that seems relevant. Then, go back to the shop, look the head mechanic right in the eye, and in a pleasant, confident voice without any "maybes," or "sort ofs" or anything like that, read off your list. Ignore any noises the mechanic makes like “Well, it was fine when you picked it up,” just smile and say “I will be back at 5 p.m. to pick up the car, and since I’m sure you guarantee your work, I'll expect the problem fixed at no charge. Thanks."

If the mechanic says anything, write it down. Writing things down tends to get people's attention and it'll probably make your mechanic appropriately nervous.

You may need to practice this approach with a friend a couple of times to get your confidence up, but oh is it worth the look on the mechanic's face!

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One for the sisterhood, YAH!

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