Is it legal for a company to agree to do service for one price then charge more when the service is rendered.?

Question

I recently had a service preformed on a vehicle that I was quoted 130.00 for the service (labor charge for 1 1/2 hours). I called the next day (around 11:30) to see if service was completed and vehicle was ready. I was advised the Parts I provided (new still in box from auto store) were defective and I would have to pay an additional fee of 130.00 to have this replaced. I was also advised I would have to pay a 45.00 test fee to assure that it was deffinatly the part that was the problem. Since I had to have my vehicle I felt i was at there mercy and no choice but to let them proceed with the repair. I called the auto parts store and they quickly took a new part to replace the alleged defective part to the mechanic and i was lead to believe by the end of the day it would be complete. I called ( around 3:30) and was advised they were working on it yet at 5:30 I was advised they could not fix it till the next day. is this leagal or Are they just greedy

Answer 1

Unfortunately it sounds like you gave them permission to proceed while knowing of the increased charges. Although this type of business practice may seem questionable, it is done everyday in many service industries. Same thing if you were having a roof put on your house and the contractor gave you a price to remove the existing roof and install a new one, but when the old roof is removed the wooden underlayment underneath (that couldn't be seen) is rotten and needs to be replaced, it's called a "change order" which creates a variance in the original contract and once you authorize this change to the original contract you are responsible for the additional costs.

It seems to me that's the bottom line to where you are with this situation. They obtained authorization from you for the extra cost, but if they are negligent with the time to repair and return your car as promised that may be a cause for complaint and negotiation with their management to reduce your bill.

Good luck hope all works out well.

Answer 2

If the part was defective, they can charge for a replacement part. They should have called you for authorization, not waited for you to call them. They DID have your authorization before exceeding the ESTIMATE you were given. Although it may not seem so, you DID have the option to tell them not to continue after the estimate changed. The customer service you describe is poor. The vehicle service and billing are legal, ethical, and standard practice.

Answer 3

Bad repair place for sure. Is this repair shop at a dealer or part of a national chain (i.e. Sears)? If so I would ask for the number of the district supervisor or customer service representative. This kind of thing needs to be reported.

Answer 4

Sounds like BAIT AND SWITCH--I'd be callin the state office that regulates car service centers....and the local district attorney. Also, tell your car fix it place, you're calling the local TV stations and complaining about their service and that they jacked up the price...that'll get their attention....fast---maybe put an ad in the local newspaper......They hate bad publicity.

Answer 5

open your eyes , your being ripped off, fight back