They do good work, BUT negotiate the price up front. They did some work for me… The owner told me that he thought it would take 4 hours and his hourly rate was $85. I waited while they did the work. The work took 3 hours, but they charged me for 4 hours anyway. My car was in his shop for a total of 3.5 hours, but I watched the tech take several breaks to chat on his cell phone and also stopped to eat lunch. When I questioned it the owner started a screaming match with me. Complaining about his overhead, etc.

He stated that he told me four hours, so that was what I owed. I asked him if it took 6 hours, would he charge for four, and he said "no I would then charge you for six". So what is the difference?

I sent him a letter the next day:

Neal,

Why did you ignore your own policy yesterday? You have a sign on your wall that clearly states your hourly rate of $85.00 an hour. I agreed to pay that hourly rate. The job took 3 hours and yet you charged me for 4 hours. If your employee ran into issues installing my parts and the job took 6, I would have paid for 6 hours because I agreed to an hourly rate not knowing how long the job would take.

I am in the service business as well (and have been for almost 17 years). If I tell a client I think it will take 4 hours to complete a job and it takes 3, I bill them for 3. If I tell a client it will be $400.00 to fix their computer network, I charge them $400 regardless of how long it takes. That is how you perform ethical business with good customer service.

You kept referring to dealerships and how they have fixed pricing for a job. I don't pay for their employees to eat lunch, chat on their cell phone, or have extended conversations with others (which is exactly what happened yesterday). I pay for a job to be completed.

This should have been a Firm Fixed Price, or True Time and Materials. If your employee would have worked on the job non-stop, it would have been 3 hours (excluding that time that I paid for him to take a lunch break and to make personal calls on his cell phone). The car was pulled in at 10:00 am and was done at 1:30. If you take out 30 mins for the lunch break and phone calls, that is 3 hours. Why should I have to pay for his lunch and personal use phone time? As his employer, you were not willing to pay for that and I do not feel it is fair practice to have those charges and then some passed on to me.

 

he told you 4 hours so you pay 4 hours

thats kinda the benifit of having alot of experience. If something normally takes 4 hours and it takes him 3 because hes fast and has alot of experience then you still pay him 4.

just like every mechanic ive ever talked to.

Ive made my own labor quotes for the past 3 years and if i got paid on time it actually took me to do the job then i would be broke. I do work twice as fast as normal installers and ill be damned if im making less because of it.

 

I guess things work different in my line of work. I do Firm Fixed Price or True T&M. I charge for the hours worked, not how long it "should" take.

Why have an hourly rate posted if your not going to live by it.

 

You agreed to pay for 4 hours so what's the big deal? I would just be happy you got your car back 30 minutes early.

 

He quoted you for 4.. in their books they have have "how long it should take".. if his mechanic is good. he finished early. All auto mechanics do it this way. however.. what he said about 6 hours though.. I've never seen that happen.

The guy would quote me for 4 hours.. the book says 4 hours.. and if the job took 6 hours due to rusty bolts..etc..etc.. he would still only charge me for 4 hours..

I've been quoted for just a few hours.. and it taking all day.. and I still pay the price that I got quoted. It's not like he changed the number after he was done

 

This wasn't a repair shop, it was an Upholstery shop. Also he didn't say it would be x to do the job. He said his hour rate was $85.00 and he thought it would take 4 hours. It took 3.

 

^ Im with this guy

 

So what if I wasn't there? Would he have charged me for 5-6 hours?

 

no. If it was going to cost more then he should call you and tell you that the job was bigger then he realized and if you argued with it then he would either have to still do it for 4 or put the car back together waisting his time even more.


do you not understand that this is the way most shops work?

 

In the automotive industry, you pay what was agreed when the estimate was given. And even then when an estimate is given and work begins, the price can still go up. That is why it is called an ESTIMATE.

There are set standard labor times, that are made from national averages which is pretty much what shops go by; book time. But book time i just a guideline, and is never followed completely.

Once work starts, the price can go up or down. For example internal parts that may or may not need to be replaced, whether or not they shop lets you know if was actually broken or not is the integrity of the shop.

The price can also go up because the work is becoming more and more difficult due to things that the shop has no control over. It isn't the shops fault everything inside an engine bay is rusted to shit, and every bolt is seized. They may work with it a bit, but if its excessive they will and should be able to charge you more for the work. So if the book says 4, and it looks like it will take 6; you have no reason to be pissed at the shop, keep in mind its your car, NOT theirs.

Also as stated before, techs with more experience will obviously work faster and more efficiently to get a job finished. Just because it takes an experienced technician half the time it takes a newer tech to finish a job, you think he's going to take half the pay? You must be smoking boats loads of shit to think you're going to take that money from a mechanic.

I don't think that you have any reason to be upset with this shop, estimates and book time are usually a minimum of what you should and will be charged for a job. It's just the way the auto industry is, don't like it? Fix it yourself, lol. Just my .02