Good Mechanic -- But Serious Concerns About Pricing and Billing
We were stranded in Winnemucca, Nevada, while traveling from Illinois to California when the transmission in our 2003 Chevy Express failed. We were more than 1,700 miles from home and had no choice but to rely on a local mechanic.
We were referred to Brian and, based on our experience with the actual repair, we believe he is a good mechanic. The fabrication and installation of the new transmission lines were very well done, and the rebuilt transmission itself has performed well. Our concern is not the quality of the mechanical work.
Our concern is the delay in ordering the transmission (leading us to add more hotel cost), pricing, billing, and lack of transparency we experienced.
Brian charged us $4,738 for the transmission and specifically told my husband that he was giving it to us "at my cost." After returning home, we contacted the supplier and obtained documentation showing that the transmission had been purchased through O'Reilly Auto Parts for $2,339, plus a $350 core charge. That is a substantial difference from what we understood "my cost" to mean.
We also discovered a discrepancy on the final invoice. An additional $52.70 was added to what we were told we owed, without any explanation. We also have concerns about how sales tax was applied to the invoice and are reviewing those charges.
We understand that a business needs to make a profit. That is not our complaint. Our concern is being told that a part was being provided "at my cost" when the documentation we later obtained does not support that statement.
We were stranded far from home, in a very vulnerable situation, and we trusted that we were being treated fairly. It was extremely disappointing to return home and discover these discrepancies.
In summary: We believe Brian does good mechanical work. Our concern is with the business side--pricing, billing, delay in ordering the transmission, and transparency. Anyone considering using this business should get a detailed written estimate, ask about parts costs and markups, and carefully review every charge on the final invoice before paying. read more