What is the Real Cost of a Comeback?

Here at BCA, we talk a lot of the benefits of using OE quality parts, and one of the primary benefits is to reduce comebacks. We are frequently asked what the cost of a comeback for a wheel hub installation is, so we put together this Cost of a Comeback scenario to help quantify the advantage of using premium, OE quality aftermarket parts.

Comeback Scenario
Barry’s Auto Repair is a two bay shop that bills out at a $100 door rate. Barry has a customer vehicle on the rack in bay #2 that he estimates will pay him $500 of service labor. As he starts work in bay #2, Barry is interrupted by a customer comeback.

The previous week, Barry had installed an economy wheel hub on a customer’s vehicle, and now the customer has come back complaining of noise and vibration from the new wheel hub. The economy wheel hub he installed has failed. The customer is very unhappy and Barry is now on the hook for replacing it, again, which will take 2 more hours of labor.

Positive Outcome
Barry is out $200 for the comeback labor, plus he has had to delay working on the vehicle in bay #2. In this outcome, both customers have been inconvenienced, but eventually end up satisfied

Cost of Comeback = $200+

Negative Outcome
Barry is out $200 for the comeback labor, plus he has lost the $500 time sensitive job for the vehicle in bay #2. In this outcome, one customer leaves satisfied, only after having to comeback, and one customer leaves unhappy, and goes to a different shop.

Cost of Comeback = $700+

Additional Costs of Comebacks

• Unhappy Customers
• Loss of Repeat & Referral Business
• Negative Word of Mouth
• Negative Online Reviews
• Negative Social Media Attention