OUT OF BODY (AND MECHANICAL) EXPERIENCES
The Blind Eye Doctor by THOMAS GRECO, PUBLISHER You know, it’s interesting. For decades, I have been hearing everyone talk about “educating the consumer.” Something happened to me a couple of weeks ago that made me think of two questions regarding this idea. 1. What if the consumer is too dumb to understand? 2. What if the customer just doesn’t care? Unfortunately, I think we all know the answer to those questions. I had my routine eye examination a few weeks ago. This was only my second appointment with my new doctor, so we didn’t really know each other (despite his office being across the street from mine). My first impression of this guy was not that favorable. He was very businesslike and did not seem to like small talk. He barely acknowledged me when I told him how much I had admired his office, an iconic building in our town. This time, my doctor took a look at my information and all of a sudden found an unexpected interest in me. He asked what kind of publishing I did. I told him that we
10 | New Jersey Automotive | March 2022
specialize in automotive repair trade publications. “What does that entail?’ “We write about all kinds of things pertaining to body shops – things like legislative issues, news, profiles, etc.” “What kind of issues do those people face?” “Well, I’ll give you an example. For instance, how much do you think a collision repairer’s hourly rate is?” He sat back and thought about it for a minute. “I’d say $40 an hour.” I was taken aback. Here is an educated professional. A doctor for God’s sake. And that was the best number he could come up with? “Forty dollars an hour?” I asked incredulously. “These shops repair your second largest investment. If they don’t do their job correctly, it could cost you or your loved ones their lives. To even go into business, these shops have to spend close to $1 million and have to be trained and certified continuously. Do you really think $40 an hour is continued on pg. 42
