Darned Dishonest auto service centers

Brake shoes $39.99
Wheel Cylinder 2 @ $26.99/ea
Combination Kit $18.99
Rear drum brake labor $99.00
flush fluid $20.99
Flush labor $49.00
New Drums $ 2@$51.29 ea They wanted a grand total of $356.67, for a rear brake job, that really is fine, and if the cylyder was leaking, it would just need a cylinder. (which I couyld tell, have not been cleaned or adjusted) My cost if I bought the parts at local Auto store

Set of Heavy duty shoes $21.99
Wheel cylinder (1) $14.99
Turn drums ( they are thick and look like they never ben turned yet) $10/ea
Labor- Nothing but a smile, she could use a break. Why do these prick service station take such advantage of some one that just told them " I've been saving for months for these tires" and try to screw her like that. Wonder how many people a day get shafted like this.

ok,,nuff of my rant , Honest shops deal with these headaches eveyday . Just part of doing business

Bryan

"Cause he was always slipping it to someone !

I watched as they installed a master cylinder and tested... still no brakes... then wheel cylinders and I think pads and shoes. I felt sorry for the kid and I regret that I didn't say something to the manager or the mechanic, but I didn't really think it through at the time. He didn't need the master cylinder and they didn't remove it.

It is unfortunate that there is such a steep hill to climb to break out of poverty once you are stuck there.

In December my aunt's 2004 Chevy Malabou started knocking with 45,000 miles. Dealer 20 miles away told her that GM would cover the repair but not the $200 towing bill. I hauled the car to the dealer on a trailor. They wanted a maintance record for the car. Aunt always went to a Valvaline Lube joint just up from her house. When she bought the car new dealer said the warentey would be good as long as she had a record of the oil changes and all. Asked the guy at the jiffy lube joint if they kept a record on the computer. Went to the Lube joint to get a print out of the records. The manager turned white as a gost. He asked her if she had paid cash, she said most of the time. He had only been there two weeks because the company had fired every one there because they were pocketing cash and not recording anything. She only had two oil changes in the computer when she had written a check. She was out of pocket a new engine in a 2 year old car because of the nice boys who tried to get her to buy a $13 air filter every time she got her oil changed (she was smart enough to leave there and get a $5 fram from wal-mart.)

There are good people in this world but by God they are getting harder to find.

Dave

Dave

Seriously though, it's good to be wary when dealing with these places for auto services, and even better to have some up front knowledge about a shop you will consider using. I also find that if you come in prepared, describe in detail what you want done, talk the talk, be a nerd or act like a real knob about it, at some point it will register that you do have some mechanical knowledge and it is not going to work if they try it.

Just convince em you know something, and they usually don't try the shenanigans on you. Some are persistent though, pays off for em when you cave in. So, I think you do have to ward them off and be a little convincing about your knowledge of mechanics soon afer you walk in door, or they'll think you may go for the bate. Shops around here don't seem to pull that, but who is to say it does not happen.

Similar process is used when at the auto dealer, the sales drones come out immediately and start to drift over your way like day of the dead walking,(the old horror movie), so you have to somehow ward them off. Not all do this, and it means nothing, but a few will always come out to the lot in this manner, I always humor em politley, and be friendly, then be on my way, but I do get a kick out of the approach and all, nothing personal, just the way I see it.

KEH

1991 DC Area Auto Repair shop. I normally changed tires, oil, wiper blades, bulbs and such. They had a real mechanic, but I was the lackey.

Anyhow, a one morning I heard a customer yelling at the service writer. I went in to get the next job clip board and the customer began yelling at me. Not sure why or what it was even about. The service writer handed me the clip board and asked me to take care of it. It was a clutch slave cylinder on a 280Z if I remember correctly. Took about 15 minutes, bled it out and pulled the car back around and turned in the clip board. A few hours later the customer came back in cussing. He took one more turn at me and a few other employees, paid his bill and left. Later the service writer told me we were having a meeting after work. I walked in to the stockroom and was met with a pile of pizzas and a keg of beer. Turns out the service writer had billed the guy for the parts (slave cylinder -$20) and shop supplies (1 bottle of brake fluid and one rag - $120). We partied late in the evening on the rude customers money. Not terribly proud of it, but it felt right at the time!!!

Aaron

It was the only dishonest thing I ever saw at that station. They did alot of freebie work and state inspections that were on the level. We had a large number of return customers and a good name in the area. This particular customer never kicked the door open again!!!

Aaron

Clint

I find having a friend in the hvac trades, is better to have do work like this, make it side job away from his regular gig., seems a qualified person on the side won't pull these stunts usually, because it's good extra dough, but other people love taking your $$, really have to be careful unless you know them well. Paving contractors - the dishonest ones, same thing, got some left over material from a big job nearby, similar theory. We all got to make a buck, but hammering people is really low down.

when I told the guy I ordered it for back up - because if I would have called him -- he would tell me I would need a new furnace --- he charged me twice the normal price -- instead of 19 dollars -- it went to 40 dollars just cause I told him he was dishonest ... (( He wanted to Prove he was dishonest ))

Some of the heating guys around here you have to be careful with, the will try the same thing, the story my friend told me, was the same as what you describe, does not make sense, I think being honest and up front, will get you lots of repeat business, vs. hammering someone one time to grab the bait and get whatever they are pushing, like a new furnace when you don't need one. Boy does he have a disliking for the heating outfits now. All of these services, you really need to establish a relationship with, get to know em or have a friend do side work if you know someone in the business, or tell em right up front, don't eff with me, heres what I need, the darned things are not that complicated, even with the newer controls. I know they get calls where the customer has not done regular scheduled maintenance and there is a foot of soot inside, they don't want to deal with it, hence you'll need a new furnace !

Rod

Also, in my mind there's a lot to be said about the remarks of no good deed going unpunished. I've done some jobs for some people and tried to cut them a deal, TOLD them what they were getting, and they still haggled and screwed around. In this market, their pool of suckers declines all the time with every one they screw. IF and when they come back, there'll be no deals here. Mabey not the case you're dealing with as you know her.... but people tend to get cynical after a while on both sides.
For the job done right, guarnteed, I don't think that price was too far out of line....

Rod

y'know...anytime i go into a new "repair" type shop, i tell the guy i'm dealing with right off the bat that if he does me right, he can count on my return business and that i'll spread the word about his work, but if he doesn't, not only can he can count on me to spread the "bad" word as far and wide as possible, he'll have to "deal" with a p*ssed off me. in the rural area i live in, your good name means alot and this especially applies to businesses. if i was you and the young lady, i'd start tellin' everyone i know about this experience, and hope fully the people you tell will tell their friends...and on and on and maybe someday that business will get changed over to a decent owner.

here's another trick i used to use when my mom was still alive and living too far away for me to fix her car. i'd call and make the appointment at the shop she was taking her car to. i'd tell them EXACTLY what i wanted done or checked out and when they called her to tell her what she needed, she'd call me first so i could call and talk to them about it. it's a sad but true situation still, that some places are more reluctant to "screw" a man over, than a woman, like they did your friend. maybe next time she can get you or another man to set up her appointments.

-mike