Fixed Ops Journal - August 2022 - F19

OVERHEARD IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Sound bites from fi xed ops conversations
" Traditionally, [fi xed ops
departments have] been tucked
away in the back of the dealership
and no one wanted to go back in the
dank, dark corners. And now it's at
the forefront of the operation. The
opportunities that are there have
presented themselves with supply
chain issues for the dealer's
vehicles. We look to what we know
best and what we've always done.
The concept of absorption always
existed in fi xed ops, and I think now
it's just a heightened awareness, a
push to really invest in [fi xed ops]. "
John Riffe, fi xed ops installer,
DealerBuilt, on " Fixed Ops Roundtable "
podcast, July 25
" Our leadership team is majority
female, and a majority of our leaders
on the exec team are female -
because we simply look at
performance and value and
they've risen to the top
wonderfully well. "
Art Shaw, CEO, RepairPal, on " What
the Fixed Ops?! " podcast, July 29
Dealerships' views of mentorships
have " changed not just over the last
decade, but probably over the last
couple. And it's fueled by
technology. Thirty years ago, when
almost every engine operated
similarly, you could work on this,
you could work on that, it was no
big deal. Very little special tools.
LEGAL LANE
Customer sues after bench in
waiting area allegedly overturns
A service customer who was seriously hurt
when a waiting area bench allegedly " fl ipped
like a seesaw " is suing a Carson, Calif., dealership
for negligence, claiming the accident
shattered her kneecap and caused " lifechanging
and debilitating injuries. "
Robin Ryan's suit accuses Kia of Carson of
failing to properly secure the bench despite
years of complaints by other service customers.
" For years prior to the incident, customers
and dealership employees complained and/
or reported that the bench was unstable, wobbly
and/or prone to tipping, " according to the
suit fi led June 21 in Los Angeles County Superior
Court.
Th e suit names Trophy Automotive Dealer
Group, based in Los Angeles, and the store's
general manager as codefendants.
If Kia of Carson had done " basic due diligence
or even a cursory inspection, " it would
have discovered the danger and warned customers
or fi xed the problem, the suit asserted.
Th e dealership, dealer group and GM had
not fi led an answer, according to the court
website. Calls to the dealership and GM for
comment have not been returned.
Ex-service adviser's disability
discrimination suit dismissed
A former service adviser with narcolepsy
has settled a federal court suit that accused a
Fayetteville, Ark., dealership of disability discrimination
and violating her family medical
leave rights.
Th e confi dential settlement was fi led July 12
and the case was dismissed the same day,
court records show.
Tambra Robinson went to work at Lewis
Chrysler-Dodge in 2019, a few months after
her diagnosis, according to the suit.
Narcolepsy " caused her to struggle to talk to
people and forget information if she did not
write it down, " according to the suit. It said
" sleep attacks " caused her to fall asleep on the
job. Th e dealership let her take naps, arrive
late if she had narcolepsy symptoms during
her commute and to take time off without prior
notice.
When her symptoms worsened, she asked
for one month off under the Family and Medical
Leave Act, it said.
She sent a group text to her supervisor and
coworkers saying, " It has been great working
with most of you... I have fl ipped my lid. Lost
my mind... So [I don't know] what the future
holds but I'm not doing anyone any good
there. " Th e dealership asserted the text was a
voluntary resignation and terminated her in
April 2021.
Th e settlement followed a June 16 decision
in which U.S. District Judge P.K. Holmes III dismissed
the disabilities claim and said Robinson
didn't show she suff ered an " adverse employment
action " because it was reasonable to
regard her text as a resignation, he said.
Th e dealership presented a legitimate, nondiscriminatory
reason
to
fi
re Robinson,
Holmes said, and she failed to show that reason
was a pretext for discrimination.
Holmes did allow Robinson to pursue her
claim under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
- Eric Freedman
foj@autonews.com
AUGUST 2022 PAGE 19
Now every brand is very brand
centric. So the way a Mercedes
operates is very specifi c to that
brand. You can't jump from shop to
shop to shop and be successful
anymore. It's important to fi nd
someone who is passionate
about the brand and then
grow them and help them
along through the journey of a
beginning technician to an
apprenticeship tech to a
journeyman to ultimately a master
tech or diagnostic tech. It takes
awhile, but it's critical to have a
process that aids them along that
journey. "
Randy Clements, general manager, Euro
Motorcars Devon, on " Beyond the Wrench "
podcast, July 20

Fixed Ops Journal - August 2022

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