You Get More Than You Pay For

I have a co-worker, and he and I often joke about customers that grouse about paying retail, paying for good labor, or just paying anything period. We say that, "Yeah, we're here to rip you off and send you out there with substandard repairs. We are EVIL!"

And we do that because, of course, that is so patently false that it is humorous to us shop mechanics. We don't try to "screw" anyone over. We really don't.

In fact, as today's Tweet from a fellow mechanic in a Kansas City shop illustrates, we actually do things to your bicycles you don't ask for or even know about because, well.......we are mechanics. It actually pains me to hear a squeaky chain. Really, it does, so if you have a flat repair and your chain is squeaky, guess what? I probably lubed it for you. I cannot count how many times I've made free head set adjustments when the customer never asked for that. Truing wheels? All the time when it comes to brake adjustments, because,well.......I am a mechanic. 

Look, if we actually charged for everything we did, you would be livid. Really. You have zero idea how many freebies we throw out there as mechanics, and the upshot is, we really shouldn't be doing these things we do for free. 

But we cannot help it,because we are mechanics.