Aspiring mechanics can learn a lot about customer service from Rodney Dangerfield’s March 1985 TV special “Exposed.”
The show features a sketch in which Dangerfield teaches a class on “How to Be an Auto Mechanic.” The students include NFL greats Bubba Smith and Dick Butkus and actress Morgan Fairchild.
Dangerfield’s first piece of advice: “Never put it in writing.”
He also urges the class to tell customers, “I’m all alone here” – regardless of how many other employees are working in the shop.
Perhaps most importantly, Dangerfield dispels the mystery of the men’s room.
“Remember, the men’s room is always locked,” Dangerfield says. “ … We want to confuse people, that’s why. We keep the cash register open, the safe is open, but the men’s room is locked.”
Obviously, we’re joking when we say that aspiring mechanics can learn a lot from this skit. The profession has come a long way since the 1980s. Still, it’s interesting to look back at some of the perceptions – right or wrong – that the public had about automotive service back then.
To view the skit, click here or watch below.
