Yesterday, I went to my local mechanic to have my oil changed and my tires rotated.  It took me 20 years to find this shop, and they hit a home run every time.  But yesterday was quite entertaining, and I could not help but think, "We are not alone" after what I witnessed.  A gentleman around my age came into the shop and explained his problem.  Now, I am not a mechanic, and I would not even play one on TV, but I know my limitations when diagnosing my vehicle's problem. This gentleman sounded like he was making stuff up.  Listening to him mimic the sounds he was hearing and how the vehicle was performing made no sense to the young man behind the counter, so he went to get the boss.  The boss/owner is a master mechanic and has been in that shop his entire life, and the customer again went through his story. 

The owner said they would run a diagnostic test to establish any issues.  The customer was adamant that he knew the problem and that the diagnostic test was unnecessary and was a waste of time and money.  The owner tried to delicately explain to the customer that what he was describing was not making sense, and they did not know what needed to be done to address his issue(s).  The owner eventually asked the customer what he would like them to do to address his problems/concerns.  The owner explained they would do X at his request but clarified that he was making NO guarantees that what they would do would fix his issue/concern. 

As I picked up my truck, the customer was back as well, ranting about their work. This was a waste of time, as the vehicle was still making noises and performing poorly.  The owner was standing there trying to explain that he made no guarantees that his diagnosis was correct but insisted X be done to fix the problem.  The shop did X, but it did not fix the problem, and the customer was unhappy. 

All of this over a $110 diagnostic test!

It reminds me of people "self-diagnosing" illnesses and trying to tell the Doctor what the problem is and what the Doctor needs to do to remedy the situation. 

I used to experience this monthly with companies contacting me about helping them with their safety.  I would suggest a "diagnostic test" to assess their problems, and they would not be happy.  They were confident they knew the problem, which 99.99% of the time would make no sense, and just wanted me to do X. 

We are not alone!