Tire/auto shop thinks I’m trying to scam the system to get in front of other customers.

Having been on the employee side of the desk, I can tell you that - at least for the chain I worked for - the system doesn’t block out appointment times when walk-in tickets are created. So, if a bunch of walk-ins are waiting and have been for a while, the service writer could perceive you making an appointment and going right in as trying to skip the line. Could this have been handled differently? Absolutely. But, I also see both sides. You as the customer are allowed to make an appointment that shouldn’t exist because the shop is filled with customers. And the employee has to choose between honoring your appointment (even if his walk-ins had been waiting long-before you made the appointment) which would piss off the waiters, or hoping you’ll understand that they’re busy and having you wait a little bit.

At the end of the day, if the techs are busy with cars that walked in, you can’t really do much about it. Sometimes things come up that cause jobs to take longer than they should. A tech isn’t gonna get off a car he’s on when the customer is waiting just because you have an appointment.

/r/TalesFromTheCustomer Thread