Pro Tip: Don’t Joke About Discounts

I dropped off my car today at the family mechanic. I like to refer to this shop as the family mechanic because that’s where we (the family) go.

My maintenance light has been warning me to take it in for a tune-up for a week or so. I realized that is was also more than 10,000 miles since I replaced my tires so I asked him to rotate them too.

Two hours later my mom and I came back to pick up the car and pay the bill. My mom gave the mechanic a hard time because he didn’t call us when the car was done like he said he would.

Then we went to the desk to pay the bill. The receptionist asked the mechanic (in Spanish) how much it would be. The receptionist laughed and told us it would be $40, but that the mechanic said it would be $5 off if we didn’t want a receipt.

I laughed. I thought they were joking.

My mom pulled out her checkbook as the mechanic walked by. She wanted to know what he did. He said he just changed the oil and rotated the tires. He checked the brakes and everything else, and nothing more needed to be done. She nodded and began to write the check.

The receptionist asked if she wanted a receipt. My mom said no, then turned to the mechanic and asked — no, she told him that she’d have $10 off since she wasn’t getting a receipt. 

The guy looks at my mom and ….. AGREED!

This is what happens when you joke around with an Asian mother about discounts. She takes you seriously and doubles her discount.

So I got my oil changed and tires rotated for $30. This is why I go to this mechanic — with my mother, of course. 

13 Notes/ Hide

  1. summersumz said: Can I hire her for my auto dealings? I have a phobia.
  2. rangt said: Ahhhh….Asians. :-P Hehe, i’m including Indians in this bargaining that runs in our blood :-P I tell my friends…you want Indian rug, bring me with you for the real price.
  3. drjeff posted this

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