What started as a $5,300 estimate on 8/21 climbed to $6,750 by 8/25 (via email, no call), then…read moreanother $800 on 9/8. I'd told them from day one I needed the car back by a specific date for a family flight out of San Antonio -- that date came and went, so I had to Uber to the airport in SA, then Uber back to Austin four days later when the car still wasn't ready.
I was the one chasing updates throughout, getting replies like "Almost ready" with no real timeline. The missed "readiness" date, I later learned, came down to my main point of contact there mixing up the days of the week- Thursday for Wednesday. By the end, I just wanted my car back and this whole thing behind me, so I paid $7,300 total after negotiating the last charge down to 50/50 in person.
At pickup, I was told their card system was down and asked if I had Zelle. I didn't, andasked if I could drive my own repaired car home (not wanting to uber again), write a check, and bring it right back -- I had no other way to get a check otherwise. They declined, since holding onto my car until they were paid was clearly their leverage. Instead, the manager followed me home, a few blocks away, to collect the check in person.
I didn't pursue this further, even though my dad and brother are both trial attorneys and it would have cost me nothing. I did have the original estimate in writing -- around $5,300 with a 7-day turnaround -- but it was never a signed agreement, and none of it held anyway. Get a signed agreement, not just a preliminary estimate, before you commit.
Sadly, I fell for the classic bait-and-switch.
