The mechanic rip-off rort

[buggerlugs]

Originally Posted by Loud_Noises

You'd love working for my old man, he puts on BBQ's when he has tradies in to do work

And I bet he get's looked after and the job is done well. Simple things like a BBQ or a cold beer at the end of the day are appreciated in more ways than one.......

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Loud_Noises

Interesting double standard isn't it Damo.

Even down to things like women won't come into the workshop by themselves in fear we're going to rip them off, they'll bring Dad or husband with them to do the talking.

[LTDHO]

I can't do it personally. When ever I charge for work that I have done, it is as cheap as I can do it. No one works for free. Those that see that will often throw some JD's my way.

When I need the services of a professional, I know what I will pay. Recently I took a car to a workshop. They tried to rip me and I polite told them I wasn't going to pay. Shame as it could have ended up being $1000s for them but they lost the deal (and future endorsements) because they wanted to rip me on the first job.

[Qwerty321]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Even down to things like women won't come into the workshop by themselves in fear we're going to rip them off, they'll bring Dad or husband with them to do the talking.

Okay I can tell you why people aren't the most pleasant when the repair takes longer than scheduled for cars. A lot of people depend on their cars to get places. For example when my first car was in the shops for nearly two weeks instead of 4 days I was a tad annoyed. But only cause I had to make a 1 hour each way walk to school in the rainy cold peak winter because of it. Now ofcourse I wasn't going to blame my mechanic for it, but that's cause I was mechanically knowledgeable enough to understand when my mechanic explained the delays that they were justified reasons.

For the average person (say my parents) this wouldn't be the case, they'd be annoyed and only be able to blame the mechanic for "not doing what he's payed for". In the eyes of the average the mechanics quote is what he's payed to completely fix and get the car on the road by the date stated. I know a lot of people who live in the south and say work in Henderson (North end of Auckland). For them no car means they can't make it to work without spending a good 3 hours catching 7 different busses. So when their car breaks they take off work while its being fixed, and explaining to your boss you need more time off work cause your car is broken is never a convo that ends well.

An oven or whatever isn't as depended on as a car. Hence why they get more leeway than a car mechanic. Not disputing what your saying or saying mechanics deserve to deal with that. I'm just explaining from a different perspective why it happens.

P.S. for the dad or husband thing, thats not cause they think they'll get ripped. Its cause they don't understand what your saying about the car and need a good " translator". That's the main reason but getting ripped off makes it two birds with one stone.

[Highway star]

Doesn't anyone ask for a quote anymore? Or at least ask for labour charges and mark up on parts or materials. Would you send your 351 Cleveland in and say, here rebuild this and send me the bill?
I don't do any work in the building game unless I quote it first , that way we both know from the start that's the price.
If there's a glitch along the way then both parties have to agree first on what the extra cost is before it proceeds.
Mechanical repairs should be no different.

[Pis-ton broke]

Originally Posted by olfella

If you think someone is ripping you off, regardless of what it is - get a second opinion!! Same with a doctor, mechanic, painter, electrician, plumber - the list goes on. We all can dig up horror stories we have experienced and I hope we all learn from them. Writing an article that has not been well researched does no one any good except her - she gets paid to write crap.

hi olfella, your post in responds in mine i think, well at the age of 17 i was taught to respected my elders, and also to have some faith that the PROFESSIONAL mechanic would DO THE RIGHT THING. at that time i started learning that lots of people don,t do the right thing. and who was i to question the mechanic, at 17 you don,t know anything. such and easy target. easy money. i would like to say that the other mechanic that helped me was was my hero at that time , ive never forgot him, tony leea (sp) at badgerys crk nsw, top bloke.

the trade seems to lack =proffessional work ethics

[olfella]

Originally Posted by Pis-ton broke

hi olfella, your post in responds in mine i think, well at the age of 17 i was taught to respected my elders, and also to have some faith that the PROFESSIONAL mechanic would DO THE RIGHT THING. at that time i started learning that lots of people don,t do the right thing. and who was i to question the mechanic, at 17 you don,t know anything. such and easy target. easy money. i would like to say that the other mechanic that helped me was was my hero at that time , ive never forgot him, tony leea (sp) at badgerys crk nsw, top bloke.

the trade seems to lack =proffessional work ethics

Unfortunately there are shonks everywhere, and they survive because people allow them to. But it must be remembered that at the end of the day the customer is in control because they are the ones paying.

I suppose I am lucky (or unlucky - depends on which side you are on) in that I belong to a licensed trade. And like a doctor or lawyer, if I do the wrong thing and get reported then I lose my licence. But even in saying that, the customer still dictates what I do and how I charge. They ask for quotes and if I am over what they want to pay them I dont get the job. If it does not meet their expectations, they query me and I have to be able to justify the complaint.

Even with mechanics, the same process applies. Like what you did at age 17, shop around. When you find a good one stick with them. The shonk down the road then starts to wonder when people drive past him and go to the more reputable shop.

To say the 'trade seems to lack professional work ethics' I think is wrong. Those reputable work shops do have quality process in place and it is wrong to tar them all with the same brush. They should have a complaint process. AND you should be able to report them to the body (like NRMA, RACV, AAMIE) they belong to and if that body gets enough complaints, then they are tossed out.

I have never forgot a lesson I learnt in early life when I was strapping for race horses. I was told there was a con man born every minute - and there were two suckers born for him to feed off. Dont be a sucker!

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Qwerty321

Okay I can tell you why people aren't the most pleasant when the repair takes longer than scheduled for cars. A lot of people depend on their cars to get places. For example when my first car was in the shops for nearly two weeks instead of 4 days I was a tad annoyed. But only cause I had to make a 1 hour each way walk to school in the rainy cold peak winter because of it. Now ofcourse I wasn't going to blame my mechanic for it, but that's cause I was mechanically knowledgeable enough to understand when my mechanic explained the delays that they were justified reasons.

For the average person (say my parents) this wouldn't be the case, they'd be annoyed and only be able to blame the mechanic for "not doing what he's payed for". In the eyes of the average the mechanics quote is what he's payed to completely fix and get the car on the road by the date stated. I know a lot of people who live in the south and say work in Henderson (North end of Auckland). For them no car means they can't make it to work without spending a good 3 hours catching 7 different busses. So when their car breaks they take off work while its being fixed, and explaining to your boss you need more time off work cause your car is broken is never a convo that ends well.

An oven or whatever isn't as depended on as a car. Hence why they get more leeway than a car mechanic. Not disputing what your saying or saying mechanics deserve to deal with that. I'm just explaining from a different perspective why it happens.

P.S. for the dad or husband thing, thats not cause they think they'll get ripped. Its cause they don't understand what your saying about the car and need a good " translator". That's the main reason but getting ripped off makes it two birds with one stone.

I can understand that but what I do is if I come across an unexpected problem is I'm on the phone to the customer right away and I inform them of whats going on.

If its critical enough to cause a problem where the car won't be moving, I'll offer one of my own personal cars for them to borrow to get around or I'll pick them up/drop them off at work or their running around for them for as long as its required.

I've driven 200+ KM at the drop of the hat for my customers, I even just do it normally, people have a bit of an issue organising transport from home to my workshop, they drive here, I jump in, they drive to where they're going then I'll drive their car from there back to my workshop.

Then when its done I'll pick them up again.

[Brodes]

A few years ago I booked my car in for a service to have a phone call noting that my tranny needed a service, I told him to take a look at the tranny service sticker on my windscreen which shows it was done ~3000kms ago.

[ronwest]

Some years ago I had a Verada that went into 'limp home" mode.

$3000 later (recon auto + electronics) and we're off to Sydney. At Glen Innes (4 hours from home) exactly the same symptoms. Guy in Tamworth waited for us after hours, had a look, cleaned the TPS and away we went - no charge.

Was I ripped off for the $3000? Probably, but as the Tamworth guy demonstrated there's good'uns out there as well.

As a by the by, I had a flu shot last week.

Absolutely maximum 3 minutes of doctors time. $93.00!! ($70 consultation fee and $23 for the vaccine).

Should have gone back to Tamworth, lol.

[falconhell74]

How about I take this to the other end of the scale and talk about lying customers.

I worked for lube mobile at the time , was call out to a no start .

I got there and spoke to the customer asking exactly what had happened .

I was informed that " I drove it home yesterday after work and then this morning it just wouldn't start" .

So I opened the front door to crank it over and noticed a new points box on the drivers floor.

I cranked it over and it didn't even attempt to kick over.

Removed the dizzy cap and checked the points gap , low and behold bran new set of points , turned over by hand and the points didn't even come close to touching.

So I reset the point gap and away she went.

When giving the customer the bill I asked if he tried changing the points and he flat out denied it.

It could have cost him a little bit more if I wasn't on the ball as it would have taken longer to find , all because he was too embarrassed to admit he tried to change them .

[Sabantien]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Even down to things like women won't come into the workshop by themselves in fear we're going to rip them off, they'll bring Dad or husband with them to do the talking.

To be honest, this doesn't surprise me.
A friend took her car in for a service and was given a big bill, all the things that needed replacing, etc. All the things they replaced in the service 6 months earlier.

Another friend recently had her car not start. $500 for a Magna starter motor.

I have no doubt mechanics try to take advantage of women, and they're better off having a man with them to do the talking.


I don't think I have been ripped off too badly, mechanic I have been to a couple times has always been reasonably priced and would show me the old parts. In the case of the suspension that needed replacing for a roadworthy, he did the check while we watched and pointed out the problem.

Same with an exhaust guy, I stood there chatting to him while he replaced the exhaust and cat, although my nephew took the same car back not too long after and was told the cat needed replacing, so I'm not convinced he wasn't ripped off.

Ford, well, the price was at the very top of the capped price, and the quote for bushes was insane, but the only thing they suggested needed fixing was the wipers. The wipers I had replaced a month earlier. I told them no.

[frankie86]

I knew a dealership back in the day that had a lady that worked for valvoline and would try upsell on car fuel injector cleaner to dedicated lpg falcons...true

[Qwerty321]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I can understand that but what I do is if I come across an unexpected problem is I'm on the phone to the customer right away and I inform them of whats going on.

If its critical enough to cause a problem where the car won't be moving, I'll offer one of my own personal cars for them to borrow to get around or I'll pick them up/drop them off at work or their running around for them for as long as its required.

I've driven 200+ KM at the drop of the hat for my customers, I even just do it normally, people have a bit of an issue organising transport from home to my workshop, they drive here, I jump in, they drive to where they're going then I'll drive their car from there back to my workshop.

Then when its done I'll pick them up again.

Well in that case, this world really needs more mechanics like you. Sad reality is that you are an exceptional rarity, I can't say I've ever heard or experienced a mechanic going that far out of their way for their customers. Shows you have a passion and aren't just in the business for money. Not the case with a tonne of other mechanics, particularly those in the big cities.

[olfella]

Originally Posted by Qwerty321

Well in that case, this world really needs more mechanics like you. Sad reality is that you are an exceptional rarity, I can't say I've ever heard or experienced a mechanic going that far out of their way for their customers. Shows you have a passion and aren't just in the business for money. Not the case with a tonne of other mechanics, particularly those in the big cities.

That is a demonstration of good customer service and a really good reason to go past other traders just to be part of it.

[ea90gl]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I own an automotive repair business, I've never ripped anyone off or sold them something they didnt need, also if I cant fix it then there is no charge for our time, but people seem to come in distrustworthy of us right off the bat due to people giving my trade a bad name.

The way my pricing works is off margins (and I move it downwards to help people in lots of cases) so if my supplier can move on my price, the customer pays less, I don't pocket the difference.

If the part is expensive for me to buy unfortunately it will be for you too.

Amen brother, I am currently self employed (electrical and air conditioning trade) and operate the same way that you have described.

Word of mouth is king and with so much competition out there no business these days can afford to rip any one off and be shifty in their operations. You may get your money on the day but many fail to think of the big picture (referrals etc). In the day of the internet forums and social media etc you are bound to be found out as a contractor who has been a rip off so it will actually hurt you in the long run being a con.

What really grinds my gears are these pathetic news articles that basically drive home the fact every mechanic/tradesman is out to rip people off. Some of you may of recently gone over a recent news article that states both plumbers and electricians charge more and make more money than lawyers without going into any sort of detail whatsoever and basically making it sound as if we charge like a wounded bull and are raking it in. I can tell you from now this is complete BS but however to the average Joe who reads these articles it paints a different picture in their own minds (generally against the hard working guy who is trying to support both himself and his family).

Yes of course there are plenty of sharks out there who should be dealt with but not everyone of us is like that and to paint all of us with the same brush is not exactly fair at all.

Although I am by no means a qualified mechanic, I have performed many repairs (both small and large) as well as countless services on my own vehicles over time and I most definitely understand the modern vehicle is quite complex and once you start repairing one thing you might as well fork out the extra to repair this and that. A classic example of this would be needing to change a timing chain cover - since you are removing that old crusty radiator, water pump etc that looks like it expected to fail any day soon why not also replace these at the same time to avoid further labour down the track? To many this might seem like the mechanic is trying to rort you for extra even though it makes perfect viable sense to also change these items while you are doing the repair for the first item.

Some customers do accept additional work and associated costs (in order to make my work compliant and so I can keep my electrical licence) once explained to them in a way they can understand which is great but I still come across many that simply feel they are being ripped off and choose to not proceed with the extra works which is fine by me. At the end of the day I am not a shonky tradesman and take pride in my work so if they are not willing to have works performed to current Australian Standards and in order for everything to be legal and safe then so be it. They can go find another dodgy contractor who is willing to perform illegal work which will ultimately create an unsafe/illegal situation which the insurance companies will end up laughing at in the event of a serious situation.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Qwerty321

Well in that case, this world really needs more mechanics like you. Sad reality is that you are an exceptional rarity, I can't say I've ever heard or experienced a mechanic going that far out of their way for their customers. Shows you have a passion and aren't just in the business for money. Not the case with a tonne of other mechanics, particularly those in the big cities.

I'm an auto electrician but I operate in a small country town with people who talk, you burn one person and you're rooted, its pretty often we get identified outside of work as well if we're down the street in town, you always come across customers and its nice to have a friendly chat rather than someone abusing you in front of your family in public.

[ea90gl]

Originally Posted by falconhell74

How about I take this to the other end of the scale and talk about lying customers.

I worked for lube mobile at the time , was call out to a no start .

I got there and spoke to the customer asking exactly what had happened .

I was informed that " I drove it home yesterday after work and then this morning it just wouldn't start" .

So I opened the front door to crank it over and noticed a new points box on the drivers floor.

I cranked it over and it didn't even attempt to kick over.

Removed the dizzy cap and checked the points gap , low and behold bran new set of points , turned over by hand and the points didn't even come close to touching.

So I reset the point gap and away she went.

When giving the customer the bill I asked if he tried changing the points and he flat out denied it.

It could have cost him a little bit more if I wasn't on the ball as it would have taken longer to find , all because he was too embarrassed to admit he tried to change them .

Yes don't get me started on this, there has been numerous times where I have been asked to rectify an issue where apparently "some other qualified electrician has performed some work and things have not been working since". The customer has also apparently not been able to get in touch with the other electrician or the other electrician has "refused to rectify the fault".

Upon further inspection/investigations it becomes quite clear that any qualified sparky would not in their right mind stuff up so bad no matter how shonky they are. It is quite clear that the home owner has given the works a shot themselves but of course will not admit this at all. Some people think we were only born yesterday and believe everything they have to say to us.

[ea90gl]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I'm an auto electrician but I operate in a small country town with people who talk, you burn one person and you're rooted, its pretty often we get identified outside of work as well if we're down the street in town, you always come across customers and its nice to have a friendly chat rather than someone abusing you in front of your family in public.

Good for you mate, you obviously have your head screwed on and all the best to you. I'm sure your business has been and will continue to be successful

[Road Games]

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by DAZZLR

image

image

This is an issue that can trip you up, sometimes you get these cars roll through and you have to be careful about touching anything on them, sometimes its better not to touch it at all because when someone goes wrong down the track as they do you assume all responsibility for it because 'ever since you worked on my car' because we were the last person to touch it so you end up responsible for the whole car even though its an oily piece of crap on its last legs.

[Road Games]

I did a service on a toyota in the complex where we live.. she came over a week later saying her brake lights no longer worked and i should fix them free of charge as i obviously broke them ?

So i removed the panelling and then the rusted old bulbs and showed her that it couldn't have been my fault they blew, as they were nearly as old as her !!

[josh1990]

Originally Posted by Pis-ton broke

ok, thanks for that, i will call him tonight. maybe the saving grace is that he has a crusier too, but i will see what he says.

He should know better, hope for his sake his area manager doesn't catch on to it. The discount can be used by immediate family members only. he would have had to sign a declaration (or several, depending how long he's been there) saying he understands this so if he gets busted he's done, no if buts or maybes. They've only just recently done the last lot of declarations too, probably 2 months ago. As a manager he could offer you a one off trade discount or a even a trade card (depending on your occupation) without risk to his job.

[josh1990]

Originally Posted by mike_nofx

A Bigger concern I'd have is using Supercheap Auto suspension in a Landcruiser!

You realise SCA don't actually make any suspension parts right? It's all branded stuff (superpro, nolathane, KYB, Robinson's etc etc) that you will find at most other stores. Following your methodology everywhere sells crap suspension and we're all buggered?

[Top_Ghia]

Originally Posted by josh1990

He should know better, hope for his sake his area manager doesn't catch on to it. The discount can be used by immediate family members only. he would have had to sign a declaration (or several, depending how long he's been there) saying he understands this so if he gets busted he's done, no if buts or maybes. They've only just recently done the last lot of declarations too, probably 2 months ago. As a manager he could offer you a one off trade discount or a even a trade card (depending on your occupation) without risk to his job.

Supercheap are so tight. I worked for Repco for many years and bought a lot of things on my staff account. Yes there were guidelines but GI Joe never kicked the door in because I sold some cheap pads to a mate.
And that reminds me, Supercheap just came around to our workshop offering all the mechanics "Trade Cards" with an impressive 10% retail. Yeah flipping hah! Trade customers want 20-40% off. Greek trade customers want 60% off. Chinese customers want cheapa cheapa.

[Road Games]

Originally Posted by Top_Ghia

Supercheap are so tight. I worked for Repco for many years and bought a lot of things on my staff account. Yes there were guidelines but GI Joe never kicked the door in because I sold some cheap pads to a mate.
And that reminds me, Supercheap just came around to our workshop offering all the mechanics "Trade Cards" with an impressive 10% retail. Yeah flipping hah! Trade customers want 20-40% off. Greek trade customers want 60% off. Chinese customers want you do eet for speshul price $20 dorra.

Fixed

[ronwest]

Originally Posted by DAZZLR

I did a service on a toyota in the complex where we live.. she came over a week later saying her brake lights no longer worked and i should fix them free of charge as i obviously broke them ?

I sold a car to a fella on the forums. Nice guy.... I think you know him?

Anyhoo, our neighbour 2 doors down wanted that car right or wrong.

There's no way I'd sell it that close to home, at any price. You can bet that I would have been fixing whatever problems arose for the life of the car.
Or, there would have been a falling out with the neighbour.

Whichever way was drama that I don't need.

[LTDHO]

Originally Posted by DAZZLR

I did a service on a toyota in the complex where we live.. she came over a week later saying her brake lights no longer worked and i should fix them free of charge as i obviously broke them ?

So i removed the panelling and then the rusted old bulbs and showed her that it couldn't have been my fault they blew, as they were nearly as old as her !!

I hate that.

Oh you did an oil change and now the stereo plays up!
Or, you changed the wiper blades and now a headlight has blown

You fix for free!

Ya kiddin' right?

[phat_stak_tipa]

As a known car guy at work i get asked for advice heaps, this story is a cracker, a workmate who has some idea about cars had been getting his car serviced for years at his local AUTO MASTERS, well he comes in one morning and says the water pump has **** itself in his VZ commo, it was leaking but he managed to get it back to the workshop, anyway he gets a call after they have diagnosed that yes its the water pump, NOW the fun bit.....

He was quoted 5k to sort it, supposedly it had done the head gaskets and would need the timing chain done too and on and on this quote went, i asked my mate did the car overheat? Nup! I said mate they are taking the ****, a second hand donk is cheaper than that fitted, but anyway take it across the road to ultratune and see what happens, so he did and it cost $200 to fix the water pump, that was it, now imagine some poor person that has no idea, and just coughs it up, unbelievable!

[Pis-ton broke]

Originally Posted by josh1990

You realise SCA don't actually make any suspension parts right? It's all branded stuff (superpro, nolathane, KYB, Robinson's etc etc) that you will find at most other stores. Following your methodology everywhere sells crap suspension and we're all buggered?

supercheap are agents for a well known shock brand, i just tow a horsefloat and need a car that is good on dirt roads, no heavy duty offroading. so no high spec gear required i think. interestingly i thought, ome stocks where only about $110 fronts and rears $120 each, but no rears in country. i just took the car for a pink ticket, gets picket up for 1 number plate light and bull bar parkers, that have never worked (i roll my eyes) and lets go the ome stuffed shocks, rubbers, and worn/loose FLH wheel bearing.

thanks for the safety inspection mr mechanic, could have done better myself.