Motorcycle Mechanic
I have been doing this job for more than ... roughly ah, I think about 15 years like that. Before this I was doing the same thing lor. But I was at another place, under one boss. I do all this myself, nobody help one. If you take someone ah, have to teach everything. Nowadays not like last time. Last time, when my time I learn, my teacher throw spanner at me if I do wrong ah. Spanner. Throw at me. [laughs] Nowadays how to do that? If you do, MOM (Ministry of Manpower), the police and the whole Singapore come and find you. Die liao. If you lucky, that guy will beat you up back. [laughs] If I employ a China worker, I need 13 Singaporean workers then I can get one China man. I need 14 people for what? I’m Snow White is it? [laughs] If Malaysia, need to have three Singaporean worker. Singaporean? Worse ah. You come and ask your boyfriend to work for me. You think they want? I cannot pay them anyhow. Work so long, earn so little. I might as well do myself.
Every day I come to work at 9 o’clock, go back also 9 o’clock lor. Sometimes I end early but not so early lah, maybe 20 minutes early only. Sunday I half day. You see ah, once got family, you must think what to eat! Haha! Must be responsible. Survive lah. That’s why ah, work, work, work every time, until Sunday also I still open shop. Until I go for holiday only one time a year. Where got leave, xiao mei (Mandarin: little girl)? I ownself work leh. Next month lor I go holiday! [grins] Um, for 10 days. Every year I go on a holiday for 10 days.
Sometimes this job is troublesome lah, like for example you do one bike – he already go to other people, do this do that, do until wah, then come to me. Piang, headache! Have to do, but cannot say you earn money because you spend a lot of time fixing. Then you cannot charge high prices also. If people understand, okay lah. But if they don’t ah, “Wah, Ah Teck, so expensive?!” Then how? Actually, when they go to other place, they spend a lot of money one. No, I don’t think I charge my customers a lot. I charge for labour, I never charge extra-extra profit from spare part or what. I charge for my labour because my labour ah, a little bit higher. Because I’m one person who is doing everything. Every day people come – accident lah, repair lah, piston jam lah. Sure got thing to do every day and not one bike, two bike – you see here lor how many bike? [points at line of bikes awaiting repairs] You ownself know how busy already lor.
I charge high for labour also because I really do properly one leh. I don’t anyhow do. Some people fix already then, “Okay, you can go. Bye bye.” Me, I fix, you go ride then see how, okay or not. If okay, come back and pay me. If not okay, come back I do for you but I never charge for that second time. That’s why you see I spend a lot of time fixing one bike. I make sure I do properly not cin cai (Hokkien: haphazard) one hor. So if people come tell me, “Eh, Ah Teck, I need fast”, I reject them then tell them you go other shop, then I recommend other place.
All my customers I tell them – I charge labour a bit high. Okay. Then the spare parts, you choose. You want original, or not original. If original, more expensive. But I don’t take money for spare part. My customer all tell me, “Wah, got people say you charge expensive ah? I ever kena (Malay: to be on the receiving end of something unpleasant) before more expensive!” Got this one time, this two very young girls like you like that, ride Honda and come to my shop to repair bike. They wanted to change the signal light to the good one. I give them the price: $75 for the original one. They were shock. I thought,“Wah, jialat (Hokkien: to be in a dire situation).”That brand is expensive so of course it is $75 not like $30 plus. Sekali (Malay: once) one of the girl say, “Wah Ah Teck! So cheap! We go to that shop ah, kena $100!” That shop at the end there charge people crazy price. Every time customers come to my shop and ask me for the price, they get a shock. Very cheap, that shop very expensive. [laughs] I don’t care one. Really, I don’t. Sometimes some customer want to tell me about that shop – their new spare parts or the pricing. I tell them: “You don’t tell me about that shop. I don’t want to know.” He is smart enough to profit from his customers, I’m just here to do my job until it’s finish then okay already. But we never talk. They walk pass my shop, they look at the sky. Never bother saying hello or wave. So I do my job, and they should trust me that I am here to do my job.
You know those people go Malaysia do one? That one worse. Singaporeans think, “Wah, so cheap! How come you so expensive?” But they never think one. Really, all these people, mouth move but brain never work. Because the parts are actually different. Ah, you see? They don’t know real or not, same or different. They only know: price is cheap. Okay, let’s go! But quality wise, lao ya (Mandarin: lousy) one! Okay lah, Malaysia also has good ones. But you think again, if they give the good one, they charge very expensive leh! More expensive than Singapore! You don’t count the exchange rate now, you use the normal times two. You count, count then convert to dollars, Singapore cheaper! Like the mee rebus, Singapore about $2.50 like that. There how much? About 5 or 6 ringgit like that. See? Don’t talk about exchange rate lah, where got cheap? Only Singaporean say cheap, haha! Everything in Malaysia also you all think cheap. Ringgit fall, you all buy everything in Malaysia. Never think good or not, or whether Singapore sell cheaper or not. Just buy, buy, buy. Kiasu (Hokkien: afraid of losing) mah! So if you want original part in Malaysia? Can, but confirm they charge higher.
That’s why if you properly think, Johor motor shops are opened for 24 hours. Why? Not for their local people leh. All for Singaporeans one! You think Malaysian want to pay that kind of price ah? Crazy! Ever got this one Malaysian pizza rider accident in Singapore, come to my shop to repair his bike. I ask him, “Eh, why you come my shop? Go repair Malaysia lah, cheap what?” You know what he say? “Ah Teck lu gila (Malay: you’re crazy). All JB (Johor Bahru) workshop open for Singaporean, because they know Singaporean very rich so they charge a lot! I’m a Malaysian and if I go there, I mati (Malay: die)! Expensive. Better come here do with you.” Maybe same price as there but here labour and spare part got quality mah? Believe it or not, Malaysia guy come and told me this.
My hands ah, no price one. So cannot say that I earn a lot. But seriously, I don’t earn a lot. I only charge labour. If I do like this, can survive lah, won’t die. Better than working for somebody. You work for yourself, you work more, you get more money. Office or what, you work, work like crazy also, you get the same pay. This one – the more bike you do, the more money you get. Office? You look at papers until you blind, get more money meh? That’s why sometimes Sunday I also work, then can cover lah.
But aiyah, Chinese say: you die, you cannot take your money with you. So okay lor, relax a bit when I go on holiday. Don’t think about money. Lose also never mind, my mind and body must relax a bit. Tell you, if I really want, I can open 24 hours. Sure got people come. I open my handphone ah, people straight away call, “Ah Teck! My bike ah.” But for what? No point. Work, work, work until I die then cannot be happy. How? That’s why you want to ask me if I earn money or no earn money, I don’t know. I just open the shop, charge them, they pay me today, tomorrow or next year. Sometimes I don’t know how much I charge them, how much they owe me or who owes me. They pay, I take lor.
Record? No I don’t write anything down, I don’t do like all the big, big companies who do the finance or account thing. You ask me how much, I don’t know. How to know? So much to think about! I don’t want to know. I earn, then I earn lor. I lose, then I lose lor. Business mah? They want to pay they call me. I just work only, I don’t know if I lose or earn or what. That’s why my wife ask me, “Why your bank suddenly so much?” Then later, “Why your bank suddenly so little?” I tell her: “Eh, think so much for what? At least I pay bill, you all got makan, can support you all, okay mah?” Do until so big also for what, now I 50 already. Retire? I don’t know. How to retire, cannot retire one! This is Singapore you know, you retire, you eat grass. Very hard lah.
If you work under someone, at least you can get an MC (medical certificate) if you are sick. I sick, I still have to work leh! You work for people it’s different, “Towkay! (Hokkien: boss) I sick.” Then okay bye bye. But not me. I have to be responsible. People want to collect their bikes as soon as possible. I cannot happy, happy delay. I also got utilities to pay for – the rental plus my stocks. Every month I fork out over $5,000. So, that’s why Sunday I have to work. Haha. Last time only $2,000 or so. Unless your family rich then you get a good back-up from them. If not, mati.
But good thing lah because government don’t disturb. They tell me: you cannot put your bikes here. Okay I follow. You cannot do this, I follow. Just follow lor, play safe. I can do my work peacefully, can already. But not all are nice. The old uncle types, they okay. Tell me to do, I follow. But the young ones ah, jialat. Never say, straightaway saman (Malay: to be issued a ticket or warrant) me. How I know if I cannot do it? Warn first lah, at least. This one straightaway kena. Like that, I no rice already. But even if I follow, sometimes I end up having to pay a lot! Got once MOM come, say I must do certificate. Safety one. I call people do everything already, sekali charged $800! One paper $800 hor? For nothing! Gold or what?
But I think the worst is those young guys who come to repair bike. Wah. Know a bit, act like they know a lot. “Eh, Ah Teck why do like this, why do like that? Why never do like that?” So pro meh? I do this how many years already, of course I know what I am doing. If I purposely do wrong to cheat your money ah, I can do a lot of things to cheat your money. Overcharge your spare parts, purposely do until like spoil then you come again then I charge you every time you come. Like that, you want or not? You know ah, sometimes people accident until very rabak (Malay: bad). But I don’t tell them, “Oh, you must repair everything!” I only show okay this one need to repair, that one need to repair. I show all that is wrong with the bike lah, then they decide lor. I tell them how much, then see lor what they say.
There are even a few, after I repair for them already, then never pay. Got this one Malay guy, even put the IC (identity card) here, take bike then disappear. Don’t know go where already. [chuckles] IC also don’t want already. Aiyah, so troublesome report for what? Don’t want lah. Forget it. This kind of thing will happen. I think it was $500 to $600. I don’t want to find him lah.
Ever I do one bike hor, was my customer’s father. Then you all Malay ah, you believe when you pass away, must pay all your hutang (Malay: debt). If I say I don’t accept then how ah? Because his father pass away, then one year later come find me. “Eh, Ah Teck. How much my father owe you?” He hutang me $100 plus only ah, the father never pay. Never come, then one year later, the son come and see me. One Malay guy already told me this one you know – that Malays when die, must pay back. If not, later he inside, ah, he suffer. Then how? I wanted to say, “Call your father come see me.” Haha! If I don’t accept, the father susah (Malay: difficult) already. I don’t want to be so bad. So I say never mind lah, how much you want to give, you give. Serious, you know, the son come tell me the father pass away. I really stop for one minute and think: if I don’t accept how ah? Haha! But I very happy, when my loyal customer come back and very close to me. I appreciate. Sometimes ah, I do extra for them, I never charge. If you go agent or big workshop company one, they will count part by part, count everything and charge you. Some of them very nice, like this Malay family who dabao (Mandarin: pack) food for me every Hari Raya! Very nice, I tell you.
That’s why when you have your own business, it’s good, but not say sure earn one, you know. Not guarantee. Sometimes you will lose also. That’s why must give and take lor. Only Singapore government can earn 100 per cent ah! [laughs]
But you all should give it a try. Young, haven’t marry, no children, no house, zero responsibilities – go out and try! You got nothing to lose what. But if my daughter wants to do this, I would tell her to think twice. Singaporeans need good income, stable income.
Singapore, 2016