IS THIS COMMON PRACTICE?

[MIKE1010]

I myself have done the bill one given out two. It can happen. Should it, no. I can give you reasons why it can but they are just excuses. Fix the reason. Billing parts on the wrong line don't get me started. Most of the time for me its because the advisors don't add the line on the ro and they tell me just bill it and they will move it. Or the tech tells me to bill it on a certain line and its wrong. Then the advisor fails to move it or if they do move it and the price changes because I menu price it.I think it is illegal to charge back an employee for a mistake. At least in California it is

[Zep33]

Yup, he's a complete douchebag

[Denise Trimble]

To answer your question: NO! Sounds like the PM is " overcompensating" for something
In all fairness, either scenario, ask the office to split the expense between Parts AND Service! The Parts and Service Advisors BOTH are at fault.

[FixedManager]

* Should the employee be written up; Yes.
* Should the incident be used as training for all; Yes.
* Should several other employees downstream have caught this issue; Yes.
* Should the Parts Manager have handled this in another manner is unquestionably a yes.

If this was done at the direction of anyone in management/ownership the Parts Manager should've stood them up. Unless this is covered this in a signed document or an employee manual this could be an issue with the State Labor Board and attorneys. In my eyes the Parts Manager failed in these situations.

[gmparts220]

1. The advisor should've caught it

2. Contact the customer to pay for it. "Miss Rosenbaum, we made a mistake and only charged you for 1 rotor, however both of us know we replaced 2 rotors. Good news, don't worry about coming back up to the dealership, you can give me your CC over the phone."

If they're a good customer, honest person, they'll have no problem paying for a part they received. They also approved that dollar amount to repair their car and probably noticed their bill was cheaper when they went to pay. Have the parts counter guy make the call, that's punishment enough!

[MSInventory]

Thanks for all the input! I did not think I was alone in my thinking on this.
I don't think it's in their handbook. I feel pretty sure it's just the parts mgr's idea and not the higher ups. Private company, not corporate.
If a shipping clerk screws up a shipment, the freight charges to re-do the order are deducted from their paycheck.

I personally know someone who left this store and went elsewhere because the few mistakes made were too costly for him. Sad.

[OilleakEarl]

If you're a manager with any experience at all, you should have the knowledge of the myriad of ways to make up for a mistake made by a counterman. You talk to him or her and make sure they understand not to make the same mistake again but that you've got their back. You NEVER charge them for an honest mistake. You make sure they learn from it and move on.