time for a guru list

tditom

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 5, 2001
Location
Jackson, MI
TDI
formerly: 2001 Golf GL, '97 Passat (RIP) '98 NB, '05 B5 sedan
Well its happened again. A shop or person on the "trusted mechanics list" did a job that makes them unworthy of the club's trust. We need a list of undisputed gurus.

I know this is a touchy subject, and somewhat subjective, but can we come up with criteria for those worthy of the title?

suggestions for consideration:
  • Years on the club
  • endorsed by x members with at least z years on the club
  • moderator approval
What are your thoughts?
 

TDIMeister

Phd of TDIClub Enthusiast, Moderator at Large
Joined
May 1, 1999
Location
Canada
TDI
TDI
What helps everyone is identifying bad work done so that people won't need to make the same mistake. We have a culture here at TDIClub of being rabid fan-boys of our favourite gurus and vendors but we keep our mouths shut of important feedback if something goes less than well. This withholding does not serve the community. So that said, if that "guru" has not made good with you, who is it?

Every member already has a join date; not that newbies don't have anything good to contribute, but if it's an important thing for your decision making, one might be more inclined to trust a decade-long member than someone who signed-up last month.

I've suggested member ratings and post ratings as well (e.g. the membership at-large can give recognition of useful -- or not -- posts which accumulate in the members' records). That would cover you second bullet point.

Moderators should never endorse or approve gurus or vendors.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I would also think the user-contribution 'star' ratings of members would be a good thing.

But really, it can all be subjective anyways. One user here has had good experiences with the VW dealer Autobarn in Mt. Prospect, IL. Yet hardly a month goes by where I don't get some crap-bag of nonsense backwash laid on me from that dealership.... and they are several hundred miles away from me! So my opinion would be they should be avoided like poison, but that is just my opinion.

There are also certain things that certain people cannot or WILL not do, and that can sometimes render a different opinion on that person/shop that does not necessarily reflect their work ethics, etc. For instance, Paramedick cannot do the same things in his garage on the weekends as I can in our shop during the week, but that does not mean he is not very good at doing the things he does. So would he deserve a 'lower' rating than me? I'd say this could be a touchy subject. In some instances, it would be best to talk up the person/shop you have used, or have had good experiences with (be 'vocal' on the intarwebs) and as 'meister said, make it known when the opposite is true just the same.

We have a great community here, communication is our strong point.
 

tditom

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 5, 2001
Location
Jackson, MI
TDI
formerly: 2001 Golf GL, '97 Passat (RIP) '98 NB, '05 B5 sedan
I would also think the user-contribution 'star' ratings of members would be a good thing.

But really, it can all be subjective anyways. One user here has had good experiences with the VW dealer Autobarn in Mt. Prospect, IL. Yet hardly a month goes by where I don't get some crap-bag of nonsense backwash laid on me from that dealership.... and they are several hundred miles away from me! So my opinion would be they should be avoided like poison, but that is just my opinion.

There are also certain things that certain people cannot or WILL not do, and that can sometimes render a different opinion on that person/shop that does not necessarily reflect their work ethics, etc. For instance, Paramedick cannot do the same things in his garage on the weekends as I can in our shop during the week, but that does not mean he is not very good at doing the things he does. So would he deserve a 'lower' rating than me? I'd say this could be a touchy subject. In some instances, it would be best to talk up the person/shop you have used, or have had good experiences with (be 'vocal' on the intarwebs) and as 'meister said, make it known when the opposite is true just the same.

We have a great community here, communication is our strong point.
I really think one place to start is the "trusted" mechanics list. It is not policed. A shop that has any substantiated report of substandard work should be given a chance to tell their side of the story, and if their side doesn't add up they should be yanked from the list.

Re. some proven trusted mechanics who don't do certain jobs (i.e. BSM)- As long as they are honest about what they can and cannot do, and do a good job on the things they take on over a sustained period of time, then they belong on a guru list, IMO. I know jasontdi doesn't do BSM jobs, but I personally would consider him a guru from the shear volume of work he has done on members' cars. Not sure if Bruce (Paramedick) does BSM, but again, I personally know he does outstanding work, and have never heard a bad word about him from anyone else- a guru in my book.

Re. open communication about good and bad experiences- A couple of years ago I participated in a thread where a new member had purchased a car from a self proclaimed guru that had done some major work on the engine. He overlooked a part of the procedure, but didn't live up to his responsibility of standing behind the work when the engine failed. The discussion got ugly. I tried to involve a couple of moderators because it was clear the guy was not going to take responsibility. They made it abundantly clear that they (and I) should stay out of it. I interpreted this to mean that communicating a bad experience was something to be avoided, when it came to certain shops on the board. Not conducive to open communication, to say the least.
 

Concat

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2009
Location
Edmonton, AB
TDI
2005 Jetta GLS TDi
I think that would be a cool feature.

A page here at tdiclub for rating and reviewing vendors/gurus/repair shops/products. Would take some effort no doubt, but it would be super helpful.

There's not even a guru near me and finding info on local shops is daunting. Usually only find one or two posts and that's not much to go on.
 

TDIMeister

Phd of TDIClub Enthusiast, Moderator at Large
Joined
May 1, 1999
Location
Canada
TDI
TDI
Absolutely correct. To err is human. But a paid-for service gone wrong that is not made right is to be brought out to light. A good company does not have a perfect record. Most people will look past the odd blemish when accompanied by dozens or hundreds of testimonials of praise. The problem as I see it is that we always see the fan-boy posts but very rarely the complaints; it's not that the complaints don't exist, but they pop up in the forums in the form of making the responsible parties anonymous, like under witness protection. I am just submitting that it is not helping the affected person and anyone else down the line.
 

tditom

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 5, 2001
Location
Jackson, MI
TDI
formerly: 2001 Golf GL, '97 Passat (RIP) '98 NB, '05 B5 sedan
If I may, anyone can make an error. If they stand behind it and make it right how can they be taken to task?
I absolutely agree. Stay in business long enough and you are sure to have an opportunity to make good on a mistake. If and how you take care of it is key to growing your business...
 
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