HELP!!!!! What should/can i do?

[limeyangler]

Hi all,

 

So here's the deal.

 

Took my Husqvarna snowblower to a small engine mechanic business. Wanted them to change the belts and give it a tune up/service etc. I was told it would be $200.

 

When i got home i realized that i had forgotten to ask him to check the electric ignition on it. It would just make a whirring sound but not turn the engine over.

 

The next day he called and told me something to do with the flywheel/starter motor bracket…yadayadayadayada…….."i have a used part i can put in " yadayadayadayada.

 

I ask how much this will cost me now all in with the original work included. he tells me $400. I told him, "no thanks Tom, just do the original work then as i can hand crank it still".

 

I get off the phone and the wife says i should just get it done, end of problem. I call Tom right back within 2 minutes and say, "hey Tom, on second thoughts can you go ahead and do what we just discussed", he says yeah and we confirm it is all in $400 and he tells me it will be ready by Tuesday. I say i will collect it on Wednesday and the EXACT last words out of my mouth are, "so i'll see you Wednesday with $400." he replied "YUP".

 

 

So i get home at 8pm and my wife tells me "Tom left a message saying he short changed himself on the cost of the repairs, he says the snowblower is fixed but the total is …..$596.90!!!!!!! "

 

 

What are my options here?

 

I am pretty sure there is something about a mechanic not being able to go over 10% of an agreed quote/estimate. Even if that does not apply, surely he can't go ahead and charge what he likes without at least discussing it with me first?!

 

 

 

 

THOUGHTS PLEASE!

 

 

[BillM]

I'd go there with the $400 and not a cent more. Not your fault he under estimated the work.

[ChasinTails]

yup give him 400 and walk out not your fault its his so it should be his problem not yours

[limeyangler]

Yeah…thats what i was thinking of doing, i don't want to answer his call so he has a chance to do anything to the snowblower, just show up and say $400 and say thats what we agreed….give me my snowblower. What happens if he refuses to give me my snowblower…..what are my rights?

 

 

I'd go there with the $400 and not a cent more. Not your fault he under estimated the work.

 

 

yup give him 400 and walk out not your fault its his so it should be his problem not yours

[porkpie]

Do you have a written estimate?

[Terry]

your word against his

 

he's going to claim he said 200 for the on and 400 for the other

 

good luck

 

take your video camera and record, he might admit he made a mistake

[Rattletrap2]

That really sucks! In my opinion, a deal is a deal. If he got into the work and found other issues, he should have contacted you to get approval to proceed. If he just under estimated his labour, it is on him. You win some, you lose some.

Depending on the make and age of your machine, that price of $596 could have pushed things past the point of you even wanting to proceed with any repairs versus replacement of the entire unit.

 

Seems like a poor way of conducting business.

[limeyangler]

Do you have a written estimate?

A verbal one on the phone for $400

 

your word against his

 

he's going to claim he said 200 for the on and 400 for the other

 

good luck

 

take your video camera and record, he might admit he made a mistake

 

I have a recorded phone message from him saying he has "short changed myself and the total is actually $596.96"

[limeyangler]

That really sucks! In my opinion, a deal is a deal. If he got into the work and found other issues, he should have contacted you to get approval to proceed. If he just under estimated his labour, it is on him. You win some, you lose some.

Depending on the make and age of your machine, that price of $596 could have pushed things past the point of you even wanting to proceed with any repairs versus replacement of the entire unit.

 

Seems like a poor way of conducting business.

 

You have summed up exactly my thoughts!

[Rattletrap2]

Simon,

I've serviced mechanical equipment for over 30 years. It was never my own business, but I treated it as such. If I screwed up on an estimate, I paid with my time. Just the way it is.

If I thought there could be hidden issues, I would level with you first and explain exactly what my plan was to fix it. I would always let you know about anything unexpected up front and make sure you were still okay to proceed. Communication is key in these situations. Adding almost 50% to an estimate is not!

 

Good luck!

Edited November 20, 2013 by Rattletrap2

[Blue Lk]

Small town here Simon,nobody stays in business by "ripping off'' the locals.

I would talk to "Tom" & try to reach a mutual satisfactory agreement.

Imho

[danc]

Geez. That's not good business. I bought a one year old Ariens 28 inch last winter with less than an hour on it for $800.00.

[crappieperchhunter]

Simon I had a similar situation here with my roto tiller a number of years ago. I paid the guy and just went somewhere else from then on. Trouble is I have had issues with the last 2 people to have there hands on my tiller. I ended up after 15 years going back to the original guy because he at least did an excellent job with my tiller and was always excellent except for the one incident that drove me away. Everything has been great since I came back to him. I can't tell you what to do...but in my case if I had just given my first guy one mulligan I could have saved years of grief.

[Terry]

you might have to go to small claim court

but if you have the message, you should win

 

tell him you can't pay that much when you were quoted 400

so you will not be picking it up till the court settles the case, however you will be renting a blower till he releases your blower at 400 bucks

and the rental fee and other costs will be added to the 196.90 in the court case,

as advised by council

Edited November 20, 2013 by Terry

[Big Cliff]

Ok I am a small engine mechanic and I am certified on Husqvarna so I have worked on plenty of them.

 

Now to be honest with you I would have to know a whole lot more before I could tell you what is a fair price or not.

What is the model and serial number

Which belt did he have to change the auger belt or the drive belt

Were there any other issues (broken shear pins worn bushings trouble shifting gears)

I assume he included an oil change and checked the fuel system, greased the auger...

As for the starter issue;

It is unusual for a flywheel to go on any of them, (but without being there and seeing it myself .....) the symptom you described is usually associated with the starter. Typically a rebuilt starter is about $100.00 and can be changed out in about 1/2 an hour, a new starter about $200.00.

Oh, and what is his posted hourly shop rate.

 

At this point I would go to him with the $596.00 in hand, (if you don't pay he has the right to hold on to the snow blower) (after you get it back you could take him to small claims court and try to recover the difference) Get a detailed invoice from him showing what parts had to be replaced and any other work done.

 

Tell him you are really disapointed that he didn't call you when he realized that he was going to be over his estimate by nearly $200.00 and ask him if he can do anything to make this right with you. (If he didn't include taxes in his estimates that could account for about $60.00 above what you were expecting to pay) Also ask him for the used/broken parts because a friend of yours is a licensed, certified Husqvarna mechanic and would like to have a look at them.

 

Let me know how you make out.

[DanD]

All we're seeing/hearing here is the bottom line, the price tag. Go in and talk to the guy and find out why and where these extra charges came from.

Take a minute and do the math; by the time you take all the tax off, it's something like $125.00 difference.

 

Like I said go in and have a talk; listen to what he has to say and let him know how you feel. If you both keep an open mind, I bet you two will come to a mutual agreement on the bill.

Yes he should have called you; but maybe he was into this job up to his ass and the only thing to do was finish the repairs or junk the whole thing. Nobody would have been happy if that were the case.

Just because he didn't call, don't you do the same thing by not talking to him.

 

Dan.

 

Sorry I had to add this; My Dad always would tell me this when he knew I was pissed at someone. “Danny you’ll catch more flies with a little bit of sugar, then you would with a whole gallon of vinegar”

Edited November 20, 2013 by DanD

[Rizzo]

that sucks but I would imagine you can work something out. Maybe split the difference if you feel the work was legit but he just didn't call you?

[aplumma]

An open line of honest communication is your best friend. I would go by the shop and talk to him and see what services you got for the 196.00. He might have been in the project and found an issue and made the decision because you were such a nice guy to keep working instead of pulling out of the job and waiting for your approval. I have people ask me what the price of a job is going to be and most times I will give a rough estimate which is my best guess as to what the price is going to be from the state of the project that I can see before it is disassembled and examined. A broken bolt can account for an hour to free up or worse rethreading/heli coil the item. Did he do something wrong yes he didn't notify you of the over run did you do something wrong yes you do not have a written estimate. Legally a verbal contract is not enforceable while a written contract can not be amended by an oral agreement. I think that you will find that a repairman who wants to continue doing business with you will be flexible on the costs and a good customer will want to pay the repairman a fair wage for the work he did.

 

Best of luck and keep the sugar closer than the vinegar.

 

Art

[lew]

If we're given a quote to do a job from anyone and they find out the price is gonna be 30% more than the estimate, I think it's only fair that they call to give the up-dated price before going ahead with the job.

[BassMan11]

If we're given a quote to do a job from anyone and they find out the price is gonna be 30% more than the estimate, I think it's only fair that they call to give the up-dated price before going ahead with the job.

Just what I was writing Lew. Imagine that was done with a car repair estimate? "Sorry did I say $1500? It will actually be $2500. Cash or credit?"

[Richie Razor]

Seriously, small claims for $200? A verbal quote is one thing, but if he messes up and re quotes you a higher price because of a mistake, I'm sure there could be some common ground to be found to acknowledge his mistake. After all he can refuse the work, doesn't matter the reason... What's really matters is how bad do you need that piece of equipment up and running?

[BillM]

A court case is silly. If he won't bite on the $400, split the difference with him and be done with it.

[Whopper]

Stop along the way and pick up Uncle Guido and his violin case and make him a offer he can't refuse

[Squid]

I totally agree with Art's assessment of the situation. its not worth the 200 dollars to go to court. If you are not working and have the time then maybe but if you have a full time job ( no time) then to me it is better to discuss it with the mechanic and see what he says before jumping to conclusions.

[fisherman7]

Like the many others have said, talk to him first and see what his side of the story is. Then offer to split the difference if his side seems reasonable. Seems a fair way to do it.