automotive mechanic

service advisor

sales representative

lot attendant

car sales executive

Gee Automotive Companies

Ford of Kirkland is the number one new car dealership in WA. I had worked with the general manager at three different dealerships before coming to FOK. There is no other business, I know of, where someone with very little education can make so much money. I found this to be a double-edged sword. 
A typical day consisted of following up with clients who had already been in to see and drive cars. Calling prospects to provide information and set appointments. Meeting appointments to close deals or deliver cars. Product training, if needed or required. Making sure that outgoing sold cars were at their best appearance and performance-wise. 
I learned a great deal in my time selling automobiles. I learned the importance of time management. I learned and mastered sales techniques, in person or over the phone and via email.
The most important thing I learned is that only you can control your attitude. Any personal problems of troubles are left at the door. Having a positive attitude is crucial to success in everything!
Management was there to assist you in all aspects of the job. They would even help close deals if needed. At every dealership, I have worked at, it was swim or sink. Teamwork was available and expected but it came at a cost. It was good to be self-sufficient and willing to help. You have to remember that auto sales is a zero-sum game. Everything you get comes at someone else's loss. The most difficult part of auto sales is staying productive and the best part is the monetary compensation. Followed closely by having the opportunity to help someone get the one thing that is going to help them greatly in their lives. You helped provide their transportation needs.

As a mechanic all the work would go to the employees with kids.  Manager would say "I didn't need the money."   The parts and service manager wouldn't communicate at all.  One  year they "forgot" my Christmas bonus.  Service manager would look at used cars on craigs list all day long.  They also used to like to make parts people switch from one location to another to cover a shift then wouldn't pay them bonus they would normally get.   They would offer coupons for service and make us take a pay cut if customer used a coupon.  Heater didn't work good in my area of shop, and they wouldn't fix it. It would come on for a min then shut off and cool down.  Compared to other deal-ships in the area these are old and run down and out dated.   Any used cars they sell,  the won't put in any work, and expect the mechanics to fix it all for free.   A lot of times they would bring in some off brand car for me to work on, expecting me to buy tools to fix it.  As an Acura mechanic I don't have the special wrenches to remove a Ford Fan,  and don't really feel like spending $35 on a tool I may only use once or twice in my life.  Their pay was below average..   They cut out perks like lunch on Fridays and sick days.   I ended up getting pretty frustrated being told every day that I didn't need work because I didn't have kids, and they forgetting the Christmas bonus was worst feeling ever.  When it was busy I would often work 10 or 11 hour days.. But the pay would only be 8 because all the good jobs went to they guy with kids and I was stuck doing warranted work which often doesn't pay well.. Some warranty jobs would pay .1 hours.. or 6 mins of pay..   Took longer then that to brush the snow and ice off the car.

Working for Gee was one of the most fun jobs that I have ever had. Great coaches, approachable managers/leaders and plenty of opportunity to grow. I love how my sales managers led by example. Showing us the way on the floor, and leading the team by living a life of great work ethic. 

The culture at Gee was phenomenal. As a minority, I was embraced from the very beginning by mostly everybody. One time Gee was sponsoring a blood drive and ticket drawing for employees that gave blood; however, due to being an individual that cannot donate blood due to archaic federal laws, Team Leaders realized my frustration and made the drawing open to anyone who was willing to donate $10.00. Three employees donated $10.00 each on my behalf, because they wanted me to feel included. All this to say, Gee work cultural was quickly becoming radically inclusive. For this, I was forever grateful.

The pay on the other hand was a challenge. I was a decent sales consultant, but I wasn't the best. I did better than most, but was never at the very top. I did work my tail off though... I just eventually burned out from putting in so much time with promises of reward. That my hardwork would payoff. It would have paid off if I didn't burn myself out, but not working your days off at the beginning of a month could have a deep impact financially.

I think I was in the wrong seat at Gee. I don't think the best use of my gifts, talents and skills was as a Sales Consultant. I would consider returning to Gee in another role.

If you like doing maintenance, the job is fine. The people you work alongside are good enough, if a mixed bag, but you'll generally find someone you enjoy working around.

On the other hand, a lot of what management tells you is hazy at best, untrustworthy at worst. Sometimes you get completely opposite instructions from two different managers on the same day, sometimes they backtrack within a week, and sometimes they ask you to do stuff without knowing how much work or time is actually required. Which makes sense when you learn a lot of them don't come from a service background, despite running the service department.

As for possibility to advance, you get strung along with promises. Good luck getting them to happen, because the timeframe for when your opportunity arrives will keep getting pushed further and further back. On top of that, if you're new but you make a mistake they deem big enough, you're out in one strike. No suspension of duties, no working under supervision to make sure you learn and get better, just a meeting where they tell you to pack your things. All it takes is one loose drain plug. Not ideal for a place that tries to tell you they plan on helping you learn, and promising a path forward.

The majority of my work for this company was online and in the comfort of my own home. I visited the dealership typically four times a month to take photos, discuss ideas, and plan out promotions/contests. Management and overall workplace culture was very impressive. I always felt very comfortable around all employees, making it a comfortable workplace. The biggest challenge I faced during my time here was making sure the content was accurate with everything disclaimed. Designing and creating was enjoyable, but when it comes to building ads for a car dealership, one must ensure that every number, word, or phrase is 100% accurate and in the right place. If not, the consequences could result in a massive loss. However, the majority of this job was extremely enjoyable, mostly due to the fact that I could be free to use my creativity, allowing me to innovate the way car dealerships market and engage their consumers. With that being said, the most enjoyable part of my time here was creating custom vehicle banners. Overall, amazing experience and highly recommended place to work

Answer a multi-phone system, direct all calls to proper department.  Take messages if needed and give to proper person.  Take in all types of payment form (cash ,checks, credit cards).  Greet all customers that came in to the dealership, help them if they had questions or any other needs. Order office supplies, help order other department managers with their special orders if needed. If there were to be a staff or managers meetings I would arrange their meeting room order their lunches to be ready before their meetings so that everything would go without any problems run smooth.  After management approved their invoices I would code them to the proper chat of accounts and enter the data for payment.  At the end of the day I  would collect all monies, checks, credit card payments made during the day and get them for daily bank deposit, collect all out going mail from all departments and or other paper work to go to our mother office for proper distribution.  I learned that a dealership runs differently than a business office.   The most enjoyable part of this job is the customers, you had more time to chat with them on a one on one basis.

Would come in and check online email to see what inquiries had come in for what cars were showing on website. I learned quite a bit about the car sales process in a big dealership vs a small dealership. I personally liked my management and felt that they cared about the employees and helped when/where they could. My coworkers were absolutely awesome!! Am still friends with most of them. Hardest part of the job was finding out if the car was even on the lot or sellable.Also going above and beyond to earn a customer's trust only to have them go to another dealership that was a few dollars cheaper(sad panda). The most enjoyable part of the job was the look of pure joy on a new car owner's face when you handed them the keys to their new car! It was like watching a kid on Christmas opening their dream gift! Only it cost you nothing.

Each day consisted of a minimum of 12 hour shift of work.You work on a team of technicians to finish the workload that comes through the day, which can be anywhere from 12 vehicles to 20 vehicles depending on the schedule. Generally in the morning, you will go out with the clients to replicate or address the issue they have. Throughout the day, you are bringing in vehicles in a generally, very small shop for the amount of workflow it has. You perform inspections and address them using the computer, and perform most paperwork digitally. After repairs are performed, you test drive the vehicle to make sure everything is correct. The hardest part of the job is working on cars that will not duplicate the issue, resulting in no pay and time being wasted. Most enjoyable part of the job is the satisfaction of repairing a difficult issue.

Over all this was good job. I enjoyed seeing customers come in and ask for me knowing they look forward coming in because I am there. My typical day would start about 7:15am with me opening the store making coffee for customers and sales staff. Our first customer would come in about 7:30am to 7:45am. I would greet the customer usually at there car to break the ice and start a conversation with them. I then would ask them what concerns they are having with there vehicle. We would perform a walk around and then head inside to write the repair order. I would then dispatch the work to the correct tech depending on the concern and the techs abilities. I would work till 6:00pm most the time. The hardest part of my job was not having enough people in the store to get the work done in a timely manner. People would double book knowing we were full in the shop and short handed on the counter it frustrated customers and co-workers.

The atmosphere was enjoyable but management was not the best. They don’t treat employees fairly and it is obvious when management prefers someone over the other. They don’t handle conflict very well and don’t listen to you when you have any negative complaints. It is very difficult to try and flourish in an environment like such, especially when they change your duties and pile more than what you initially agreed to at the start of your job. It doesn’t seem like management knows how to run certain positions,  several employees would often note the same thing and express their dissatisfaction with the way their managers would handle situations. It seems like they lack proper training for such positions. Everything would be much better if management wouldn’t their their personal feelings and ego get in the way of a professional setting and position. That is a skill that must be learned in order for business settings to flourish. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Automotive mechanic 137 salaries reported	$32.40 per hour
Service advisor 65 salaries reported	$88,523 per year
Sales representative 9 salaries reported	$112,000 per year
Lot attendant 138 salaries reported	$18.16 per hour
Car sales executive 219 salaries reported	$87,687 per year

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