Rework and warranty
Comebacks, workmanship warranty and root cause
When a car comes back after delivery, open a linked rework job card in one click. The workmanship warranty is checked by days and km, and the work is free within it. The root cause is asked before the car leaves.
PlansEvery plan
The problem it solves
- A car comes back with the same noise, and the advisor bills the customer again by mistake, or gives free work that was not owed.
- Nobody knows whether a comeback was a wrong diagnosis, poor work or a faulty part.
- The same technician's jobs keep coming back, and it only shows up in complaints.
- Free rework costs money, but it never appears against the original job.
How it works
- 01
Open the delivered job card and click Came Back, then confirm. A rework job card opens, linked to the first one; check the car in as usual.
- 02
The warranty is checked at once. Within its days and km, the box says "within warranty, free to the customer"; otherwise "outside warranty, billed as usual".
- 03
Within warranty, the rework lines are marked Free (warranty). If the problem is not the shop's fault, a workshop manager clicks Bill Anyway and writes why.
- 04
Do the work. Before delivery, choose the Root Cause on the Rework tab: Wrong Diagnosis, Workmanship, Faulty Part, Customer Use or Other.
- 05
Read the Comebacks report by root cause and warranty, and the Send-backs report per technician.
Everything it does
The warranty
- Workmanship warranty per branch: 30 days and 1,000 km to start with (km or miles, as the car is measured)
- A service can carry its own warranty days and km; the longest of the services on the first job card is used
- Within warranty: the date is within the days from delivery, and the odometer at check-in is within the km from the delivery reading
- Free (warranty) lines are approved but not billed; Bill Anyway (workshop managers, with a reason) charges them
- Rework cost on the original job card: what the free rework would have been billed
Root cause and records
- Root cause is needed before a rework is delivered
- Choices: Wrong Diagnosis, Workmanship, Faulty Part, Customer Use, Other
- Comebacks report: reworks by root cause and warranty state, as a pivot, list or graph
- Send-backs report: work sent back from quality check, with the technician, the task reopened, the reason, who sent it back and when
- Photos of a delivered job card are never deleted before its warranty ends, and a rework keeps them
Before delivery: send back
- Quality check can send a job card back with Send Back: choose the task to redo and write what is wrong
- The task is reopened for its technician and the job card returns to In Progress
With other features
- Growth: Book Comeback on a delivered job card makes an appointment; on arrival a rework job card opens within warranty
- Scale: a supplier warranty claim for a failed part starts from the rework job card
- Enterprise: the comeback rate on each branch's scorecard
Who uses it
Where you use it
- Web: Came Back, Bill Anyway, Send Back and the Rework tab on the job card; Garage > Reports > Jobs and Parts > Comebacks and Send-backs
- The SmartMy Garage app: Came back, Bill anyway for managers, Send back (built and in testing, not in the app stores yet)
- Customer job page: rework lines show "free (warranty)"
What you control
Settings
- Workmanship Warranty: 30 days and 1,000 km per branch
- Warranty days and km per service, longer or shorter than the branch's
Messages and alerts
- Rework Opened: to the customer when a rework job card is opened; WhatsApp, else SMS, else email; in-app with a login
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Is a comeback always free?
Only within the workmanship warranty, by days and km. Outside it the work is billed as usual. Within it, a workshop manager can still bill with a reason.
Can different services have different warranties?
Yes. Set warranty days and km on the service. The longest warranty of the services on the first job card applies.
Why must we fill in a root cause?
So you can see why work comes back: diagnosis, workmanship, a faulty part or the customer's use. A rework cannot be delivered without it.
Can I see comebacks per technician?
Yes. Send-backs are listed per technician, and the Comebacks report can be grouped by the job's technician and root cause.
Related
Related features.
Send back from quality check, and more work on the same job cardEvery plan
When quality check finds a fault, send the job card back with the task to redo and what is wrong. The task reopens for its technician and the send-back is counted. When more work comes up, it goes on the same job card and the car goes back to work.
Supplier warranty claims for failed partsFrom Scale
When a part you fitted fails within the supplier's warranty, claim it back from the rework job card. The supplier, the original purchase and the part's value are found from its serial number or purchase date. Send the part back, then record a credit note, a replacement or a rejection.
Delivery with reading, photos, belongings returned and signatureEvery plan
Hand every car back the same way. Take the odometer and fuel at the gate and the photos your branch asks for. Return the belongings noted at check-in, add remarks and take the customer's signature. It all stays on the job card.
Tasks per mechanic with Start, Pause and Done timersEvery plan
Each approved service becomes a task for a technician, planned from its standard hours. Technicians press Start, Pause and Done on the web or their phone, one timer at a time. You see each person's tasks, the workload and the hours worked against the hours planned.
Head office scorecards across branchesEnterprise only
Head office sees one scorecard per branch and month. It shows job cards, revenue split into labour and parts, average repair order, labour efficiency, comeback rate and approval rate. Compare branches for any dates with a group total, follow the trends, and give head office staff a role that only reads.
Want to see it on your own job cards? Book a demo and we walk you through it with your workshop's work.