Is that your final answer?

Jan. 1, 2020
There are times I just have to get up from my desk and walk away shaking my head; times I have to admit that I just don’t get it.

There are times I just have to get up from my desk and walk away shaking my head; times I have to admit to myself and everyone else that I just don’t get it. Situations that could easily be avoided pop up and their frightening countenance sends just about everyone here running for cover — some because they are scared, me because I’m confused.

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It’s not like I’m not trying. I want to understand how or why the companies I choose to do business with make the decisions they make. But, I have to tell you it isn’t easy, and quite frankly I’m not happy with the choices I feel I’m finally left with. I know that in the long run, they aren’t good for me. And if they aren’t good for me, they can’t be good for you.

What kind of decisions, you may be wondering. The worst kind, the kind you dread, whether to do business with you or default back to a “known” solution that brings with it the confidence of dependable “fit and finish.” And, for whatever its worth, the discussion isn’t limited to sophisticated electronics. It includes some pretty mundane and rudimentary manufactured parts as well, parts as basic as an upper control arm, for example.

That’s what we were looking for. That’s what we called and asked for. That’s what we thought we were buying when the two arms, right and left, arrived.

Were they identical? Almost. And, almost is not the answer that most quality repair shop owners and qualified technicians are looking for. Almost doesn’t quite cut it.

For all intents and purposes, the arms are identical to what we wanted with the exception of two very small holes — one drilled in the body of the arm itself and the other through one of the rivets that retains the upper ball joint. The holes are there to fasten the ABS Sensor harness on this particular model. There were no holes; and therefore, no place to fasten the harness, which is unacceptable. I pulled out my iPhone, snapped a couple of digital pictures and proceeded to elevate our present crisis to the next level.

Our first call confirmed there was no alternative, at least none available through the company were we had purchased the two arms, which were patiently awaiting their fate under the. It was the call to the manufacturer that left me scratching my head.

Their solution was simple, almost elegant — drill four holes, two in each upper control arm, as close to where the original holes are as possible.

As close as possible?

I felt like asking, “Is this your final answer? If it is, we have a problem that goes far beyond the four missing holes.”

I live and work in California. There are more lawyers here than there are people! What kind of an impact will our drilling two holes – regardless of how small they might be or where we place them – have on a critical suspension part if or when that vehicle is ever in an accident? Who will accept the exposure to liability? How do you explain the how or the why?

Do you know?  I sure don’t.

Simple solutions aren’t always easy and easy answers aren’t always adequate. Final answers are, well, final! And, in some ways, some are more final than others.

Will we call and order replacement upper arms from the same company again? Unlikely. Their final answer wasn’t the one we were looking for. It didn’t reflect an understanding of my world or the real-world challenges we face. More than that, it forces a more or less final answer on our part. A simple, almost elegant response, that simply says, “No!” Final is final, which means we aren’t likely to do that again.

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