It's no secret that online reviews disproportionately impact small business owners. So what is one to do when an online reviewer leaves a negative review because they have unrealistic expectations? An auto tech who runs his own business says a customer’s negative reviews left him frustrated. Kody (@innoutonmainauto), who operates Inn-N-Out Automotive in Waupun, Wisconsin, posted a TikTok complaining about a client whose vehicle he agreed to diagnose. But after the car was in his possession for 48 hours, the owner wanted her ride back and refused to pay the price Kody quoted her. The mechanic says that despite having years of experience, he still hasn’t learned a vital lesson: being "too nice" to customers can ultimately backfire. He says the woman was having difficulty starting her car. He went to where she was parked and attempted to crank the ignition, but couldn’t figure out the problem. So he got it towed to his shop to further assess it. After inspecting further, he found two issues: “It had no spark and no fuel.” Kody says he kept the customer abreast of the situation the entire time. But two days later, while he was at a scrapyard in 0-degree weather, she called him to say she didn't want to be given “the runaround.” Kody assured her he was still diagnosing the vehicle. Initially, she was fine with Kody keeping the car. Then she called back five minutes later to say she wanted her car towed to another shop. Kody says he agreed. ‘Send The Police Over Here’ But before Kody would let her take the car, she needed to pay for the tow job and time spent diagnosing the problem, which he says amounted to $305. He says she'd assumed the total fees would be $250 and threatened to call the cops. Kody says he replied that she was welcome to do so. The matter only escalated from there. He claims she had someone else call to threaten him. Then Kody claims the policy tried to "bully" him into return her car even though she hadn't paid. This prompted Kody to call his lawyer. Finally, after 45 minutes, the authorities left his shop and the woman agreed to pay. Then he returned her keys, and she went on her merry way. The next day, Kody says that he noticed a negative Google review for his shop. The review claims he kept a car in his shop, didn’t do any work, but still ended up charging for his time. Then he got another Google review from a different account that more or less said the same thing. He responded to the second to review, writing that it met with the “definition of slander and defamation.” More negative reviews came pouring in, which he speculates came from the customer’s friends and family members. None of these, Kody says, were rooted in truth. Due to the onslaught of unfavorable reviews, he says that he was forced to take down five years of Google reviews. Over that five-year period, Kody said he'd managed to secure a 4.7 out of 5-star rating for his shop. Was The Mechanic In The Right? Folks who replied to Kody’s post had varying opinions on how he should’ve handled the situation. Some thought that he should’ve had her agree to the total price in writing before agreeing to diagnose her car. One person argued that it would’ve cost him a lot less headache if he just agreed to take $250. “I ran/owned a dealership and full‑service shop for over 35 years … one thing never changes: customer relations and management have to come first, long before just ‘being a mechanic,'" they wrote. "If it were me, I’d have taken the $250 she offered—honestly, even $200—and ended the situation without all this stress. Now you’re spending time and money on a lawyer, which could’ve been avoided with better handling from the start." Another echoed this, writing, “So she was already willing to pay $250 and you couldn’t budge down a few dollars to cool down the tensed situation?” Others said they understood Kody’s viewpoint. “You know what bro," wrote one. "I always see your videos and every time I see your videos you seem like very honest person. That lady doesn’t understand that your time is valuable and they have to pay you for your time for doing things. Don’t listen to those people. They’re never happy in life and if they take it somewhere else that mechanic might not do a good job as you would’ve done it if she would’ve left it at your shop.” Someone else said that Kody should have just left the reviews up along with his responses. “Why remove all your reviews? That’s nuts. Bad reviews can be your best reviews. People read those and your response. A respectful but truthful response, will be a very good indicator to prospective customers of what type of business you are,” they wrote. As of this writing, Inn-N-Out Automotive’s Google reviews page is up. It has 134 reviews and a 4.6 out of 5-star rating. How Long Should A Car Be At A Shop? Depending on the type of repair or service being conducted on a vehicle, a car can be in a shop for a few hours, a few days, or much longer. CoPilot Search says that in even severe circumstances, “a vehicle should be repaired within 15-20 days.” However, if insurance gets involved, that can take longer. Still, it reports this shouldn’t take more than “30 days for insurance and warranty requirements.” And in the event that it takes longer than that, CoPilot writes that this can qualify the car as “a lemon under the lemon law which exists in some capacity in all 50 states.” Additionally, if you’re unwilling to foot the quoted bill for a repair, or a diagnostic in Kody’s case, then auto techs may be able to hold onto a car under mechanic’s lien laws. Mechanics may also be able to charge storage fees for cars that they keep in their shop. Motor1 has reached out to Kody via email for further comment. We will update this story if he responds. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team