Real-Life Decision Making
Your position at a major downtown RV service center has put you in touch with many people who are on their holidays. For most, this is a happy time. And when the dream vacation hits a snag (in the form of an unexpected repair) and you help them on their way quickly, well, it makes doing what you do so worthwhile.
This Sunday, a large motorized camper lurches into the lot. Trouble! A dazed-looking family stumbles out. Clearly this is not what they need just now.
Luckily, you have an idle mechanic who can take a look right away. The mom pulls the big RV into the service bay as dad looks up the auto club info in his wallet.
The mechanic comes back in about 20 minutes with a preliminary report. It seems the front end is in trouble. A supporting rod has simply fallen off and this has caused other parts to take more of a strain than they could handle. Consequently, they are ruined. The vehicle is not safe to operate.
To repair this will take about three hours. The parts are available locally. You should know in about half an hour how much they are from the local parts depot. The family decides it's breakfast time anyway and heads off to a restaurant. You cross your fingers you can have a good estimate by the time they return.
Your parts supplier gets back right away with the total. It will be $355 for the parts. Your shop labor is billed at $60 per hour charged by the half-hour. The total bill will be $565, give or take half an hour on the labor costs. With taxes, it will be at least $600.
You have to wait till the family returns before you can order the parts. Experience tells you this is too big a job to start on without an official OK.
It doesn't take long before they arrive. Their mood is upbeat despite this setback. While waiting for their food, the mom has talked to a relative who is planning to meet them in the next city and continue on together with them. Timing is critical. The relative is on their way to a convention and is delighted to travel unfamiliar roads with someone she knows. The convention is just the day after tomorrow.
When you talk to the parents, they are clearly not pleased about the price, but happy that they can be on their way with hardly a delay. They head off to confirm travel arrangements with the relative they are meeting. They will pick up the repaired RV at closing time.
So it's on the phone with your parts supplier. You get the parts delivered in less than half an hour. Your mechanic is happy to be occupied. She clearly hates spending a Sunday filing papers when the shop is slow!
About 15 minutes later, your mechanic gets some bad news. The parts supplier has sent the wrong parts! You check every number to make sure. Everything matches. A quick call to the supplier solves the riddle. The parts are for a model with cruise control. The one in the shop does not have this option.
The supplier looks for a replacement. They have some made by a different company, but still perfectly compatible. But they cost $590.
What do you do?