Disclaimer - this happened two years ago. Someone just reminded me about it so I thought I would write a review for everyone to be aware of.
I had been driving around with a nail in my tire for a while and I finally decided to go take it in to get fixed. My husband was very insistent about me asking for a patch, not a plug. I got recommendations from people I knew and then I called around and got estimates. I decided on Herman's in Cedarburg because it was the most convenient and I'd gotten some great recommendations about them, even though they weren't the cheapest. So I called and made an appointment and specified that I wanted a patch, and the lady said it would be $25.
I got there was surprised by how quick it was. The mechanic was very friendly and I was happy with the experience. I got home and my husband said 'Wow, that was fast. They took off your tire and patched it and everything?'. I said no, he didn't take the tire off, he just had me roll forward until he found the nail and then he fixed it. By the stunned-turned-angry look on his face, I knew something was wrong. Suffice it to say, they didn't patch it, they plugged it. I had specified that I wanted it patched when I went in and he said okay, but obviously he figured I wouldn't know the difference. (And he was right). My husband could have plugged it himself at home for about fifty cents, but he wanted it patched since it's better quality.
So I called to complain and the lady tried to feed me a line of BS saying that you can't patch a tire in the tread, a plug is standard and $25 is the going rate, blah blah blah, and a whole bunch of other lies. Finally I got the owner on the phone and he acted like it was a huge mistake, said they guy definitely should have done a patch, and told me to bring it in Monday so they could fix it. What a pain! Maybe it was an honest mistake, but I highly doubt it. I'm sure the guy knew the difference between a plug and a patch, he just figured I'd be gullible and he could rip me off.
So in summary - buyer beware, and make sure you're knowledgeable about what you want the mechanic to do. He easily could have gotten away with it if my husband hadn't caught on. read more