You Must Read My Response To Being Accused Of Overcharging

[Joe Marconi]

The son of a long time customer asked to speak to me. The mother brought her Lexus in for a check engine light issue. The car needed an O2 sensor.

 

The sons issue was over the diagnostic charges. He claimed that even the dealers dont charge for diagnostic testing. I let him speak, without interrupting him, until he was finished.

 

When he was finished I asked him why call me now after all the years the mother has been a customer? He told me that nothing seemed out of line before and as a matter of fact, we saved the mother a lot of money over the years because my services and oil changes are lower than the dealer.

 

So, I asked him: How is it, when I charged less money, you never called me to let me know that? He laughed, but I said, "I'm serious." He laughed again and he did not have much to say after that. I ended with, "The policy at the dealer or another shop has no bearing on my policy, but please keep checking my charges and I do expect a call the next time I UNDERCHARGE you."

 

The conversation ended on a happy note, thankfully!

[phynny]

Haha that's an awesome story. I have never known of any dealer that did not charge diagnostic fees.

[xrac]

Haha that's an awesome story. I have never known of any dealer that did not charge diagnostic fees.

Me neither.

[Aftercrashman]

The use of such statements from the un-knowledgeable is a difficult one to deal with as we are all consumers and we all make purchases throughout our days weather a clothing purchase at a local store or a meal out, so the feeling of getting a deal or a good bank for the buck is in the eyes of that consumer.

 

Now should you have cost shifted by inflating one area higher or charge for something not needed "The impeded hoadie valve removal of built up carbon" perhaps would have been easier for them to understand then a professional working on my car utilizing the most updated modern equipment available to get the diagnosis right we need to be paid for this service needed and necessary, fairly honestly and ethically.

 

A local shop here offers the free use of any and all of their scan tools and folks actually pull in and play with them and I guess it works for selling work, and then the big independent tire store offers free diagnostics now they need to educate the staff on just how to use the darn stuff as not every car needs a forward O2 and Cat.

 

Oh well a lingering topic for most shops, but nonetheless a worthy one to start the day with!

[IntegrityAutoCare]

It is indeed a difficult issue. The problem, obviously, is the general public's (aka...consumer/customer's) lack of understanding about how the industry really works these days. The best way I have found to combat this misunderstanding is to explain it in as simple terms as possible to any customers who want to know and I also have found it most beneficial to not separate the diagnostic line item on my invoices. Instead I simply include the diagnostics as part of the repair.

 

For instance, under the labor charges section of my invoice it may say something like:

 

DIAGNOSE AND REPAIR EMISSION SYSTEM MALFUNCTION (CHECK ENGINE LIGHT) -- $150.00

scan vehicle for diagnostic codes

replace oxygen sensor - bank 1 sensor 2 (post catalytic converter)

 

 

This way the customer can see that the labor charge is for the whole repair and will be less likely to question it than if I phrase it as a separate $100 "DIAGNOSTIC FEE" line item. It also helps to use big technical terms like "catalytic converter" that the customer really doesn't understand. It helps drive home the point that YOU are the expert and they probably could not have figured this problem out and repaired it themselves. This eases peoples minds about paying YOU to do it.

 

I hope this helps someone else. It has been very beneficial to me to do it this way.

[GENUINE]

Helped me. I like that strategy and I agree completely with the logic. I will begin using it today!

[Jeff]

I tend to believe this DOES NOT enforce the value in our technical skills. Me personally I break it out. If the customer balks I explain it this way. The doctor charges you for an office visit. He "TEST and DIAGNOSIS" your issue. Then he writes the prescription (the repair), which cost additional. Just my $2.98 (2 cents with inflation).

[GENUINE]

For years the value of our profession has been under attack and undermined from the inside out and the top down! You know the mass marketers have push the freebies for years now. (thanks AutoZone....EVERYTHINGS free there! Diagnosis, battery install, whatever...may be wrong but who cares it was FREE and they sold a part!)

 

I guess that strategy depends on the neighborhood. In my neighborhood, doctor visits (ER visit for a runny nose) are.....not paid for by the patient, typically, so it does not always register. I have actually tried that comparison in the past and realized it was absolutely no help.

 

Customer still just don't understand the concept of diagnosing todays cars and the complexity that can sometimes be involved and the need to recoup for that time as well as having no parts associated with that diag time to help with profit margins.

 

I think explaining it to them simply but phrasing it "together" on the invoice is a good idea. One less thing for them to nit-pick l after the fact when their brother in law looks at it and says "they charged you how much just to look at it?"

 

All depends on what buttons work for each customer base.

[Gonzo]

I hear this complaint a lot. Being mainly an electrical repair shop it's hard to give an estimate on chasing a wire short or a draw based on, "My brother in-law is a mechanic." type response. I get at least one person a week who doesn't like the cost of diagnostics. I tell them about the same thing Joe told this last guy.

The big difference is the dealership DOES charge for a diagnostic fee, although some of them will hide the cost and not mention it at the beginning. But, you know... they'll get it.