No complaints about the quality of the work itself, but their standard practice is to perform whatever work the mechanic deems necessary and worthwhile for your machine, without asking for approval. So best practice is to make sure you ask to be called before the work begins, or you could be surprised by your bill.
We got our lawn mower repaired here. It needed a new pull cord, and we just didn't have time to fiddle with it. We asked for a ballpark figure of what it would cost to replace it and were told $65 over the phone. Of course, we understand sometimes you don't know exactly what needs done until you get your hands on it, but we expected the process to be like every other repair we've had done, from automotive to computer. You get an estimate when
you drop it off, and if there's more to it, you'll get a call to talk about it.
That isn't how this shop works. When we picked it up, the bill was for $152, with several additional services added on. When I called and spoke to the mechanic, he let me know that the other stuff needed done, and usually people just tell him to do whatever needs done to make it work. For our mower, he felt it was worth it, he said. If the mower was older or in worse shape, he wouldn't have done it. I just think it should be the owner's decision what repairs are worthwhile. We very possibly would have said yes to everything they did if we had been asked, but for all they knew, we would have been perfectly comfortable changing the oil and cleaning the air filter ourselves.
Regardless, it just seems right to ask someone before obligating them to pay more than twice the estimate. This isn't a case of getting an estimate of $65 and getting charged $70 without a call. There are probably a lot of families that couldn't easily absorb an extra $80-plus dollars over what they thought they'd pay. That's why I'm leaving this review. We didn't know we needed to make a special request to approve any extra repairs or services. I hope this helps someone else avoid a surprise. read more
