Car Repair Ripoffs on the Early Show

[xrac]

Did any of you catch this? It was aired on 4-14-2010.

 

http://www.cbs.com/daytime/the_early_show/video/?pid=Vix6cQ7vYM0ZWfHQ8IND_q1DVK8QjZuu&vs=Default&play=true

[lvroth]

Did any of you catch this? It was aired on 4-14-2010.

 

The Early Show Video - Car Repair Rip-Offs - CBS.com

 

 

I just watched this video. Every day we work on overcoming an image given to us by unethical repair facilities and/or bad reporting by the media. Yes, there are repair shops that will and do take advantage of their customers, however I have to ask myself, was this reporting being done in a consequential manner? In others words, the end justifies the means. Did the reporter have a particular outcome in mind for his reporting?

We make sure that our recommendations meet 3 criteria; good for the customer, good for the car, and good for the company. Run your business with integrity and don't get caught up with the naysayers!

[xrac]

I just watched this video. Every day we work on overcoming an image given to us by unethical repair facilities and/or bad reporting by the media. Yes, there are repair shops that will and do take advantage of their customers, however I have to ask myself, was this reporting being done in a consequential manner? In others words, the end justifies the means. Did the reporter have a particular outcome in mind for his reporting?

We make sure that our recommendations meet 3 criteria; good for the customer, good for the car, and good for the company. Run your business with integrity and don't get caught up with the naysayers!

 

If AutoMD estimates the repair to cost $180 and I quote them $220 does that make me somehow and unscrupulous businessmen? I don't think so but that is what they are insinuating. If only one estimate was less than AutoMd's estimate maybe AutoMD was too low. Who says AutoMD estimate is correct. They certainly don't know my pricing structure or overhead costs.

 

By the way, Ivroth it is good to hear from you!

[ROBK]

If AutoMD estimates the repair to cost $180 and I quote them $220 does that make me somehow and unscrupulous businessmen? I don't think so but that is what they are insinuating. If only one estimate was less than AutoMd's estimate maybe AutoMD was too low. Who says AutoMD estimate is correct. They certainly don't know my pricing structure or overhead costs.

 

By the way, Ivroth it is good to hear from you!

 

Out of curiosity I just played around with the automd site. According to them if a consumer does a front disk brake job themselves the parts should cost $27.65... If done at a repair shop the parts cost should be $32.63

[Joe Marconi]

Out of curiosity I just played around with the automd site. According to them if a consumer does a front disk brake job themselves the parts should cost $27.65... If done at a repair shop the parts cost should be $32.63

 

Is it me or does AutoMD have an agenda I am not aware of? How can the price of job, any job, be the same where ever you go. AND, "why" does it have to be the same??? Do you get the same price for a steak dinner at every resturant around the country. Are there not different levels of service, parts and economic standards of living?

 

Who sets these prices? I seem to remember that we live in the USA... the land of the free, the land of free enterpirse!! We all do remember this once great country, right?

 

I think we should voice our opinions on AutoMD and tell them how we feel.

 

I have said this a million times...we are the hardest working people in any industry and we deserve to make a decent income. I am not going to be dictated by some online service that tells me what I should charge or how much I can make on a job. NEVER!

 

Sorry, this really upsets me....

[ROBK]

Is it me or does AutoMD have an agenda I am not aware of? How can the price of job, any job, be the same where ever you go. AND, "why" does it have to be the same??? Do you get the same price for a steak dinner at every resturant around the country. Are there not different levels of service, parts and economic standards of living?

 

Who sets these prices? I seem to remember that we live in the USA... the land of the free, the land of free enterpirse!! We all do remember this once great country, right?

 

I think we should voice our opinions on AutoMD and tell them how we feel.

 

I have said this a million times...we are the hardest working people in any industry and we deserve to make a decent income. I am not going to be dictated by some online service that tells me what I should charge or how much I can make on a job. NEVER!

 

Sorry, this really upsets me....

 

 

I find it disturbing as well. Kind of the same way I feel about the parts stores offering free "diagnostics". I spent a good few minutes on the automd site looking up stuff at random. I found many of the quotes were not to far off but many of them were... especially in the parts category. Across the board even on the prices that weren't to far off they were all skewed on the low side and that would be using cheap parts. A shop installing quality branded parts is going to be paying as much or more for the stuff as that website is saying is the retail price to the customer.

[xrac]

It seems that AutoMD could care less about the repair shops:

 

Beware your 'armed' customers

 

Customers doing research on their vehicles and problems really isn’t that big of a surprise. People do research for all sorts of purchases, and many drivers prepare themselves for what their vehicle repairs might consist of and how much it might cost.

 

An educated consumer can be a great customer — if they’re armed with the right information. AutoMD.com is helping customers be more prepared for their trips to the shop, which means you need to be ready for what knowledge they’re armed with.

 

The Web site just released its Consumer Guide to Fair Auto Repair, which it claims gives vehicle owners a “fair shake” in auto repair. The guide tells consumers to follow four steps to make sure they are treated fairly.

 

• Diagnose the problem with online diagnostics question-tree tools and how-to guides to determine the issue and find the right questions to ask.

• Tell the shop that you are using an online source to get “industry standard auto repair labor hours and labor rates as well as true part costs.”

• Compare auto repair shops and use an online shop finder to locate other places to call and get several quotes over the phone.

• Negotiate. The guide wraps up its four steps by telling consumers that once they have a an online fair price estimate and quotes from other shops, they should ask for a lower price.

 

Beware your 'armed' customers - AutoPro Workshop Blog post - Where Professionals Gather for Better Business

[lvroth]

It seems that AutoMD could care less about the repair shops:

 

 

 

Beware your 'armed' customers - AutoPro Workshop Blog post - Where Professionals Gather for Better Business

 

 

Who are these people from AutoMD and what are their qualifications? Negotiate a price? Every shop has different operating expenses which in turn will affect how a job is priced out. What would a customer think if we lowered our price because they said they could get it done cheaper at another facility. I think THAT would make us look like we were trying to take advantage of them.

I'm with Joe, this burns me up!

 

Vickie Roth

Roth's Auto Repair, Inc.

[Joe Marconi]

Who are these people from AutoMD and what are their qualifications? Negotiate a price? Every shop has different operating expenses which in turn will affect how a job is priced out. What would a customer think if we lowered our price because they said they could get it done cheaper at another facility. I think THAT would make us look like we were trying to take advantage of them.

I'm with Joe, this burns me up!

 

Vickie Roth

Roth's Auto Repair, Inc.

 

Vickie, this does burn me up! Negotiate a price??? How about negotiating a price the next time you go to the Movies, tell the girl at the window, "Hey, Robin Hood at Lowes Theatre is only 11 bucks, can you match it”? I mean, PLEASE, this is ridiculous and we as professionals must not stand for this.

[Gonzo]

Vickie, this does burn me up! Negotiate a price??? How about negotiating a price the next time you go to the Movies, tell the girl at the window, "Hey, Robin Hood at Lowes Theatre is only 11 bucks, can you match it”? I mean, PLEASE, this is ridiculous and we as professionals must not stand for this.

As soon as that type of customer stops treating me as a professional... I stop treating them like a customer.

I'm posting a new story today with similar topic, a light hearted look at it of course.

 

Oh, and I don't negotiate... negotiations is a compromise of two different parties.... the original negotiation was that I would fix your car for "X" amount of dollars... enough said .... negotiations are over.

[Joe Marconi]

As soon as that type of customer stops treating me as a professional... I stop treating them like a customer.

I'm posting a new story today with similar topic, a light hearted look at it of course.

 

Oh, and I don't negotiate... negotiations is a compromise of two different parties.... the original negotiation was that I would fix your car for "X" amount of dollars... enough said .... negotiations are over.

 

As usual Gonzo, WELL SAID!

[DewayneP]

Wow is all I can say. They are only accounting for an 18% markup on their parts supplier's prices. That's crazy. What happens when that cheap part craps out and I have to remove it for the customer, they have to pack it up and ship it back (paying for shipping), then we both have to wait for the replacement to come in? The whole show segment and autoMD website are created to make shops look bad, that's all there is to it. It also looks like a front for the AutoMD website's parts supplier. Why don't they give you different supplier choices and their prices? How about a dealer price listed for the OEM part for comparison? I noticed on the show how they glossed over the good shops and only pointed out the "bad" ones. Like Gonzo said in his latest writeup, do we ask for a better price at any other retail establishment? Nope. There is price-matching that is done at retail establishments but that requires the customer to do some legwork first and not just on the internet and it also has to be for the "same exact product and must be in-stock ". I think, as a shop owner, you have to do what is right for the customer and your shop. If you are fair in your pricing and provide quality work then the "shop around" customer isn't the customer you want as they will always be "shopping around".