Customer Karen gets ANGRY because I won’t do his job!

We have so much going on in the workshop but we show you what’s new, we have a few interesting jobs in for machining, plus we have a Karen customer that get angry because I won’t do his job!

[@paulhebblethwaite7168]

I had one of those 'shitty' little jobs a few months ago which I presented to Lee. A new habitation door lock for my Hymer camper van which required a small 3mm hole prescission drilled into part of the mechanism. Came back the following day. Job done. No charge but I did hand over a donation for a couple of drinks. Thanks again guys.

[@joncooke479]

That's the old school way of doing it and you will be able to go back there

[@paulhebblethwaite7168]

@@joncooke479 In 1966 I had a 250 BSA and on checking the clearences on the tappets one day, dropped the alloy rocker cover which caused a small crack. Rode the bike slowly to Severn Bretherin next to Shappies in Barnstaple where there were numerous engineering/fabrication workshops. Removed the cover on arrival and duly presented it to a chain smoking mechanic who returned same five minuites later repaired. Half ounce of baccy and it was a good'un!. My experience recently was the modern day equivalent. Apart from the 'baccy'. lol

[@johnsharpe4131]

"Don't do blasting, sorry guys had to move to the office because Isaac is blasting out there". Funny had to laugh at that. Another interesting video, Thanks

[@STANLIZ4]

been a good customer for over 20 years, youve been there 25 yrs, cant remember ever seeing him 😂

[@matthewharlowehrscyclespor668]

"Can you just?" Let me fill out a repair order for your project. NOTHING is a "can you just?" job. We will not muck up our solvent tank, washer, media blast cabinet, and vapor blaster for a $100 job that will bring in $30......and an unhappy "Karen". . Be good. Remain safe. Wishing you a Deluxe day!

[@weldybren]

“Can you just” 🤣🤣 I get this weekly.

[@bluemule3891]

Yup people are strange. Here's one from Miami, when I still did free estimates. Guy comes in, has me diagnose his car, he said his Bro owns an auto parts place, and he wanted to use those parts and he would be right back, he never came back, until about 6 months later, same story different problem, same result. Six months later yet again, there he is, I tell him, new policy, 1 hr labor $86.00 charged for diag, if you come back, I apply the 1 hr to your bill. Boy did he get mad, stormed out shouting, yep people are strange. BlueMule

[@fredflintstone8048]

Smart move on your part. I've had that experience many times. People want free engineering and or diagnostics, and then they run off and do it themselves, or get someone to do it armed with the information you've given them. I learned to just given them a price with NO details of what is needed, no engineering information. Your method is even better.

[@blxtothis]

I’m sorry but if I’d have had a rude and arrogant stranger try to put that one on me, I would not have been quite so circumspect in return, credit to you mate!

[@KensSmallEngineRepair]

That's up there with the "You might as well" jobs!

[@broken12367]

I found the easiest way to deal with those type of customers is to give them an absorbent price. They soon bugger off.

[@leecunningham5062]

My machine shop is 3 weeks out for cylinder head work and 6 weeks out for bore and crank work. Wish i lived in England

[@frlfda]

Heck, if you told me you could get to the head I dropped off in 2-3 days without giving you a ring first, I'd be over the moon. When I was doing the work, If I could get to it in a week or so it was normal. Lately, around my neck of the woods, if a normal person drops off a set of heads to be worked over and hasn't made prior arrangements, well, the date starts at two weeks and goes out from there. One key around here seem to follow, ALWAYS be nice when you are leaving the work, which you have done a basic cleaning on so you're not crapping up the guys counter, and simply thank them and leave them your phone number. It's not uncommon for a "nice" customer who isn't being pushy to have their job worked on here and there between other jobs and you get it sooner. Being nice pays off.

[@jrt2924]

Facts. Earlier this year i send My block for decking, boring+hone to oversize I did The good old pretty please and he was able to do it in 2 weeks. (Very very busy shop with large customers) Last block took 2month since they had 1 month break and backed up with work. But they do great work so cant Ask much more.

[@mrdainase]

Idiots like that one come in saying it's just a quick cheap job but soon clam up when asked why they won't do it themselves.

[@stevecmason-rs6vf]

Echo your feelings and sentiments, had my own business for 30 years, so many of those occasions over the years I got quite hard nosed in my approach, much to the punters displeasure! Keep up the vids.

[@dogpaw775]

a song is born 'i'll do anything but i won't do that'. eat yer' heart out Meatloaf.

[@bill8by5]

The "ENTITLED" bunch!! What a sot!!! Keep up the great work Lee!!!

[@craig162]

So you're not going to paint my car ? You painted my wife's car last year. :)

[@johnsavery6926]

The bloke down the pub said

[@EricaMTB]

I've got an 8hp, 3ph electric motor that I need to get rewound. I'll drop it in Monday.

[@djwarren5081]

Every episode is a good episode, but that was a really good episode. Thanks Lee.

[@bondisteve3617]

Thanks.

[@simontheeldergeek523]

Better to maintain the moral high ground.

[@Liam-rc9hz]

It's like while u go the paint in the gun can u sort that for me 😂😂

[@fredflintstone8048]

I got a kick out of the Karen story. What these people don't realize that just the cleanup necessary after glass beading, sandblasting, or some other method for cleaning their few nasty rusty parts doesn't make the job worth it. Cleanup can take more time and effort than the actual job. Yet they push hard, want to argue. Of course when you explain 'why' you won't do the job that just opens the door for them to argue with you even more. I've learned to just politely tell a customer, no, we don't do those kinds of jobs and then ask them if there's anything else I can help them with, and then just ignore them if they keep banging on about the job I won't do.

[@ataxpayer723]

SOLUTION For small jobs": We have a minimum charge of 125 pounds for all small jobs. The current lead time is 10 working days"

[@teltwosheds2972]

😂😂😂 stuff him😂😂

[@patthewoodboy]

the mistake you made was justifying why you wont do it rather than leave it at NO.

[@michaelmason5459]

You sounded a bit like Meat Loaf song then, why not buy a sand blaster just incase someone comes again in next 25 yrs. Brilliant videos.

[@mbpayne223]

Anyway you don’t want to put rusty iron parts in there contaminating the aluminium parts causing them to corrode with iron impregnating into them!

[@ginavampire]

Love your videos ❤

[@kickn5k]

I could've fixed that piston for Ken's Rover. Post to Australia and back would've made it cost prohibitive though.

[@duncansteward4331]

lol are you saying, you dont do, what you dont do, then!

[@scotty6346]

Ces Wise in Bideford for sand blasting!! 👍

[@anthonyworthington6495]

Good one keep em coming boss

[@dodgydruid]

I wished I lived closer as I do have an engineering problem, I have a Soviet deep sea diver watch which the dial is kept to the case by two 1mm thread screws, well someone along the line has yanked down hard on the screws and broken both off and then filed off the remnants. Only thing I have to make holes is a dremel that small and wobbly chuck and shakey hands and I am just not attempting it hehe I might walk it up to Sigma see if one of their chaps will nip a couple holes in it for me.

[@papercloset1568]

Adding a Flake O Meter at the front door might be a good idea...

[@davidcoyle7125]

The latest Karen seems like the sort of customer that you dont need or want no mater what work he requested, after all he is a Karen.

[@fredflintstone8048]

So true. He'd want it done very cheap, and for Lee to take him out to dinner as well. Developing a good 'Karen' barometer is a good skill. You want to be able to spot them and send them on their way as quickly as possible. When they start arguing with you, that's a Karen flag.

[@mattwills87]

Lee you always say you can't do the v8 cranks what about flat-plane v8s? what about the v6 v10 and v12s?

[@fatwalletboy2]

Cant believe some customers.....if thats his attitude when you dont do that work I dread to think what he would be like with jobs you do do.....i smell the customer from hell...... I think you dodged a bullet Lee!

[@dalejones3862]

The is always Karen out and about lol

[@malcolmkempster7858]

Theres nout as strange as folk , and ain't that the truth ?

[@siukcnc]

Daily occurance for us, peoples expectations vs reality. I made the mistake of trying to help one the other day, explaining the process, what they needed to do and various ways to achieve it. This appeared to upset them, clearly their mate who must have a 3d printer based on the 'FreeCad' CAD I was presented, was far more knowledgeable than me, when it came to CNC milling aluminium!

[@ohnomrbill7984]

I see new opportunities in your future..... Barum Engines and Proctology...... "We'll build you an engine and check your.....nevermind." I couldn't help myself. All the best. 👍😎✌

[@tunnel7]

Cheers Lee love your presentations what sort of machine is the block boring machine looks proper old school but does a great job..

[@iansmart4113]

interested how you have all your instruments calibrated including torque wrenches

[@jamesaucutt8284]

Those pistons you were talking about for that V8 and they look like a cheap cast piston material. They have a very dull finish. I don’t know why, but they don’t look like a very high-quality piston like a forged aluminum piston, where they are very shiny and have that high-quality look to them. Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m just not used to that type of color, a doll flat aluminum.

[@michaelevans2975]

What type of Cummins engine are the individual heads off? In my limited experience i didn't know you could get such a set up.

[@driver0070]

There's a song in there somewhere.

[@v4skunk739]

Should have done it and charged a couple of hours labour for cleaning the machine.

[@TheKnightstar13]

Ignore the f****ers, entitled society, hand skills are a rare commodity, keep it up !

[@christophermarshall5765]

Got to love those "karen" customers!! I'm a retired auto engineer. One place I worked at was a European car specialist. One day, a guy came in with a supposedly "high end" Mazda. He wanted the engine reconditioned. He was not happy when the boss told him we didn't do those cars. I said to Kevin those cars have that much bullshit in the engine bay, it is near impossible to find the engine. Kevin laughed.

[@buffalomerkis7603]

You don’t have to do any work you don’t want to. End of conversation

[@theondebray]

The dreaded 'Can you just...' My reply is that my hourly rate is 'just' £xx, it will 'just' take about 3 hours, and it will 'just' have to wait till next week as I 'just' have a number of other customers jobs booked in. 😁😁

[@Thatsaspicymeatball]

Sure Lock Holmes?? You can keep that.

[@minigpracing3068]

You can get a gallon of Evaporust for 20 pounds, stick the parts in a bucket and let it sit for a while. Why would they want you to blast it for twice that much? I can't imagine that you would blast anything for less then 40 pounds because you are going to pay someone at least half that to do the labor.

[@blunkybill]

Barum to Bideford you could almost throw it there. And god knows how much sand in-between 😂

[@paullevesque6203]

Interested to know if there is a big difference in weights of the piston pins? If so, could swapping them quickly make the weights closer?

[@ataxpayer723]

What extra equipment do you need for balancing pistons? Is it worth investing in it, so you don't have to send the work out?

[@richardhartley7094]

14 litre Cummins they are off👍

[@RaggyAl1971]

Any update on the volvo yet?

[@jackdaw3160]

Have you thought about laser welding for the cracked blocks

[@scooped85]

This a real story?

[@who-gives-a-toss_Bear]

11:42 Oh looks like a Kent engine and JP pistons. Is that the Adelaide, Australia. JP pistons? If so do you find them good quality and well made?

[@JDMCARSCIVIC]

Is the facing machine just a milling machine with a special cutter?

[@barrymartin1044]

You keep saying you can't balance a v8 crank. Why is that? Maybe an explanation vid would be good because I just don't understand why that is. Keep up the good work, love your stuff. Inc the second channel.

[@MacBob]

I'm assuming they can't do cross plane v8 cranks but an explanation would be good. I would have thought that they could do flat plane as it's basically the same as a standard 4 cylinder crank

[@barrymartin1044]

@@MacBob that's what I thought too. They have def shown rover V8 builds and they are flat plane but not shown the crank being balanced.

[@fredflintstone8048]

Yes, I would like to hear it too since I've been going to that shop and getting V8 cranks balanced for the last 20 years.😉😉

[@F40pete]

Been explained in the past been a video on the subject

[@colinscutt5104]

@pedropete Are you sure mate ? ive been wondering and asking the same for ages and I'm pretty sure I've seen all the Barum vids

[@KevinWithers]

Why is you can’t balance the V8’s? I’m sure you’ve mentioned it before but I cannot for the life of me remember.

[@Phuc_Yhou]

I bet Mildred got the brunt of George's rant about you're rude and unhelpful attitude when he got back home, how will he ever get them done now? Grrrr 😠

[@craigowen5656]

Had this crap for years with the Karen story , go away after you have been told no sorry can't do it , accept that it's not getting done as its not what we do

[@presshelp4617]

Where's the audio Lee...❤

[@huwzebediahthomas9193]

It's here now. You were too quick. It's a YT bug that has been going on for ages. Log out and log back into YT.

[@presshelp4617]

Sorry..its working for me now..I'm just too eager for my barum fix..😍

[@fredflintstone8048]

Are you the same guy who's one of the first posting on Lee's videos complaining about missing audio? Do we have a learning disability?

[@markpearson5488]

Lee, you can't please all the people all the time, I tried for 30 years,1 breakdown later, I've realised it's OK to say NO, don't let it all get to you ,. Mark

[@slaphead90]

Wouldn't the male version of a "Karen" be a "Kevin"? Apologies to any Kevins out there.

[@craig2801]

Where did the Barum name come from?

[@johnbriggs3916]

The short version is that it is (medieval) Latin for Barnstaple. The long version is that it is short for Barnastapolitum 😉

[@quadtraxxx]

@@LeeLovesRings😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@geodun]

Never tell a customer you don't do something. If they want their car painted tell them you can arrange to have it painted at 'your" painter and quote them enough to pay for "your" painter and your time to organise it. If they want to pay you to organise work for them, take their money.