Q & A Table of Contents
Is My Garage Mechanic Ripping Me Off?
From: Adam, Iowa
Question: I asked a mechanic to give me an estimate on my car's brakes, and even told him it was the driver's side brake that was giving me the problem. He looked at all my brakes told me what was wrong then charged me $36.00 for the estimate. This charge would be taken off if I got my brakes fixed by him. I wasn't satisfied with the price he wanted to charge to repair the problem, so I didn't want him to fix it.
He never told me there would be a charge for the estimate and nowhere did I see a sign, I did pay the $36.00 but i think this was an injustice.
What can I do about this if anything at all? Can he legally do this without first telling me about the charge? I made clear I just wanted an estimate.
Response: I cannot answer your question about whether the mechanic has the legal right to charge you for his estimate. That is probably governed by the law of your state or community. The same is true regarding your question about the legality of charging for an estimate without a sign indicating estimates are not free.
However, you did ask him to spend time to examine your car and to determine what repairs were needed. He most likely gets paid by the hour for his labor, so it is possible that the $36 represents the price of the time he invested in examining your car and preparing the estimate.
He should have told you about the charge before undertaking the estimate. In many communities, it is normal to pay for estimates if you don't have the work done by that particular garage or mechanic -- so whether what he did is fair depends on normal practice in your community. You might ask other mechanics what they do. Another good idea is to check with other people you know who are familiar with local practices.
This is a situation when using objective criteria can help you learn whether the situation you experienced is fair or not. Asking disinterested outside experts can inform you of normal practice in your community. If what the mechanic did is out of the ordinary, then it could make sense to let him know you are disgruntled and ask him whether he would be interested doing business with you in the future.
In this case, normal local practice is the best guide to whether you were treated fairly or were ripped-off.
Good luck,
Steve
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