I wish I had the equipment to go undercover and reveal how people can be such ignorant assholes. For those that do not know, I went to school to become a certified technician. This is one of my many talents all wrapped up in my versatility ;) If need be, I can and will perform most minor work on a car, that is if the tools are available to me. Most major work, with the reassurance that my diagnosis was correct, I
could take out the time to do but I work slow so I usually find someone else to do it for me. When I was in school, I spent most of my projects pulling out motors and dropping them in. I loved outshining the guys in my class, but apparently, I later found out that your classroom efforts aren't enough even if your breast are the smallest of cup sizes.
I worked part-time at an auto parts store, with efforts of seeking other employment to kick off my career. This is where things start to become a little on the fiery side. Knowing that the field I had chosen was a "man's field", I had high hopes and big dreams for mastering my career choice. As if the looks on people faces weren't enough when walking into an auto shop to hand in applications with some of thee top notch references to back me; getting the turn around was worse with knowing that they would never look at the application twice to see my accomplishments, confirm my references or to come to terms with the fact that a woman was capable of doing a man's job. No call backs. No interviews. No nothing. On top of me knowing (for fact) that they were hiring and did have positions for employment available to me. I knew what was happening here. I tried at this shit for 2 years until I finally gave up. Yes!! Candi had been defeated, smh.
Not only do we start the discrimination here, but it proceeds far beyond applying for a job. When teaching a class full of men, they should go ahead and incorporate a lesson for
"how to bullshit women without them being smart enough to find out." You see, now that I can take my car to a shop and know exactly what it is they are talking about, I can also let them know what I know and believe to be the problem. While also stating my process of elimination along with what tinkering I have already done to it on my time. It's so funny how these "bullshit mechanics" will argue with you and belittle you until you give in and say, "yeah you are right." Enough to give them a "hard-on" and to, then, swindle you for every dime that you do not have. Although, I have not been to a regular auto shop in years, there still are others that make this mistake (taking their car to a mechanic) quite often. Let's go into detail of how a regular conversation would go with mechanic verses woman customer or me:
Woman/Me: I'm having some problems with my suspension. It keeps making this squeaking noise. I understand that Ford's have a reputation for their suspension not performing as they should and so far I have replaced the tie rods, upper and lower ball joints along with the upper and lower control arms. Not to mention, my bushings have also been replaced. I'm thinking it could be the sway bar. I was informed the LAST time I had that replaced, they probably just replaced it with the cheaper part that was made of plastic. I'm thinking we should go with the polyurethan sway bar and see if that lasts longer than a year.
Mechanic: *laughing*
Who told you that was the problem?
Woman/Me: *straight face*
No one. I work on cars too. Figured it out for myself. I've damn near had the whole suspension replaced on both sides. There shouldn't be any reason why in less than a year, I'm still having the same problems.
Mechanic: Well I won't know until I look at it.
Woman/Me: I don't need you to look at it. I need for you to just replace what I asked you to replace and to let me know what it will cost.
The squabble will usually last for "x" amount of minutes. That's only if I allow it to before snatching my keys and leaving. But, in other cases, most women usually let the man be a man and do his business lol. Then you get the phone call that you have painstakingly awaited, as if someone's life was on the line. He has had his chance to "look at it" and they come up with a shit load of bullshit to let you know that "they have to have
this fixed before they can fix
that", so forth and so forth, until you are well up into at least a $1000.00 worth of labor. And it's either all or nothing. You can vote to just fix what you had taken the car in there for to begin with. But believe me when I say that you may endure more problems than what you had when you first went in.
The Difference: I have walked into an auto shop with a man. Attitudes are totally different. Not only did the mechanic speak firm as he said hello, introduced himself AND shook his hand, but he also gave access to the garage where he "shared the hood". "Sharing the hood" (one of my vocabs) man bonding with the car. Mechanic shares with the "man customer" what the problem is, where it is coming from, and how they are going to fix it. Mechanic empathizes with customer and gives him the reassurance that he's going to take care of him. More like an act of gayness to me. Now on the day that I witnessed this happening, the mechanic was taking note that the guy was confiding in me about what should be done. Mechanic notates this and then decides to "share the hood" with me and try to convince me on what
should be done. Where I then, politely respond, "just do the shit that I asked you to do or I can take my business elsewhere." You see, this wasn't my car, so I was merely there for back up anyway. Because honestly, I would have never taken my car there in the first place.
Hopefully this paints a pretty picture for everyone. All types of discrimination still take place whether you want to believe it or not. Whether the law states it or the protesters protest until they turn black and blue. It's still here. Listen up class! The more labor that a mechanic concurs, the more money they get paid. Almost like working on commission. The more customers with a lack of knowledge about their own vehicle, the more money they get paid. It never hurts to get a second opinion, or third or fourth. Wouldn't you think that if you try building honesty and trust, you would gain more customers along with your regulars? Not the honesty and trust where your good intentions mean trying to fix the whole car all at once; but the honesty and trust where you look at my overall situation and fix my car based on that: my money, what I can afford, my situation, my time, how serious the problem is. And thus we have... more pay! You can't try to build a career based on dishonesty and feel that this is going to pay your bills forever. That's almost as bad as being a con-artist, loan shark, drug dealer, pimp... there is no future in making others feel that they are inferior. Because somewhere lurking in your customers, are people like me who can spot a bullshitter from a mile away.
I think I've stated my peace for today, until next time bloggers... find you a backyard mechanic. They are the best!!
