On Thu, 10 Nov 1994 TVRVixen@aol.com wrote:
> Paul Amaranth <amaranth@vela.acs.oakland.edu> complains about the service he
> got getting his wheel repaired. He says he got an estimate of $75 for the
> repair ( I assume over the phone without actually seeing the wheel) and they
> charged him $10 more than that. Oh my god!!!! It is interesting that at the
> end of his note he exaggerates how much he spent on the repair by $15,
> telling us he spent "nearly $100" when he really spent $85.
>
It is probably all a case of missed communications. If they quoted a
fixed price of $75 for straightening a wheel, regardless of the damage,
that should be the final price. I doubt that is the case, because
offering to straighten any damaged wheel for a set price would be a
wonderful way to go broke.
If, on the other hand, the price depends on the extent of the damage, and
they made a verbal "estimate" based on Paul's description over the phone,
then he should reasonably expect the price might be higher or (in the best
of all worlds) lower. Even if they saw the wheel first, they might
encounter difficulties that make the repair take longer and raise the
bill (though that should not happen often if they see the wheel).
It is a perfect setup for misunderstandings, and I think there is some
justice in both Paul's complaint and Don's reply. As customers, we have
become accustomed to estimates from service people that are based on
flat rate manuals. We get billed for the flat rate, even if the mechanic
does the work in half the flat rate time, so in general we pay for more
time than the job actually took. I have heard of people getting charged
for 8 hours work by one mechanic, on a car that was only physically in the
shop for 6 hrs. On the other hand, one almost never gets a bill for more
than the estimate, because there was a preposterous amount of wiggle room
in the estimate to begin with.
With that as background, it isn't surprising that customers have come to
expect an estimate that is really an upper limit. Whether Paul is right
to be upset or not depends on how the $75 price was presented. If the
company stressed that this was an estimate, subject to change, then I'm on
their side. If they did not make that clear, then Paul may have a
justified complaint about the price. However, I would myself be more
concerned about whether the wheel was straight (it was) than over the $10
or a chip in the paint.
Ray "Do you want to face the bill like a mensch when the job is done,
or would you like the false sense of security of a rough estimate?" Gibbons
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