Jane found herself stranded on Interstate 5 on her way to San Diego when her car suddenly gave up on her. In a bit of panic, she called a local mechanic for assistance.
The mechanic, a friendly woman, arrived promptly and greeted Jane, saying, “Hello there, what seems to be the trouble?”
Jane explained, “I was cruising along, and all of a sudden, my car lost power and just stopped.”
The mechanic nodded and said, “Let me take a look for you, ma’am.”
She lifted the hood, inspected the engine briefly, and then gave something a solid whack with a wrench.
“Give it a try now,” the mechanic suggested.
To Jane’s surprise, the car roared back to life when she turned the key.
“Incredible!” Jane exclaimed. “You’ve barely been here for 30 seconds, and you’ve already fixed it. I appreciate your help. Thank you.”
“All part of the service, ma’am!” the mechanic replied, adding, “That’ll be $250.”
Jane was taken aback. “How much?” she exclaimed. “Why is it $250 when all you did was hit something with a wrench?”
The mechanic calmly responded, “Well, ma’am, I can provide you with an itemized bill if you’d like.”
“Yes, please do,” Jane insisted. “I’m curious to see what I’m paying for.”
So, the mechanic pulled out her tablet, tapped away for a moment, printed out a bill in her truck, and handed it to Jane. The bill read: