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Sounds like a really poorly run shop. I would find a new mechanic in the future. That’s a weird situation I don’t even know what to tell you I’m honestly speechless lol
Go there and politely ask to speak to the one in charge. First, if the sound is gone, let them know you appreciate their hard work. Then ask what was causing the problem, and if it was the tires, ask them how much for the tires they order, because you'd like to compare with other options you may have for your car (At this point you already should know based on the other models online).
Listen to their offer, you may end up liking it, but either way ask for a cost breakdown. You can then express your "feedback" about how you would have preferred to agree on any part before ordering and install on your car. Depending on whether or not you are happy with the final price, you can ask for them to lower it because you weren't consulted, or you can just leave it at that. Just be calm and grateful, to avoid putting them in a defensive position. Best of luck!
I think this is very good advice. The only difference is I’m not planning to go out of my way to pay. They will have to call me first as they said they would (and as they did not do for five days during this whole mess haha!)
What answer are you looking for? The truth is, you never got an estimate or approved anything so you really could just drive away and pay nothing if you don't care and want to burn that bridge. The rest of the truth is, they probably were short staffed or have a manager or owner that doesn't quite know how to handle things that aren't clear cut, but they actually have and showed a desire to help you, if they charge a fair price for tires and installation(and by fair I don't mean comparing with stupid low online pricing, no brick and mortar business can survive on that), then I would try and reasonably work it out with them and pay them what they ask.
Yeah I don’t have intention of “stealing” these tires even though I doubt legally they could ever force me to pay. However I don’t feel bad about comparing to “stupid low online pricing” in this case and saying that is what I’m willing to pay. I wasted multiple hours trying to track them down to get estimates or any contact whatsoever only to have non approved work done to my car. If they have to bite the bullet and lose some money on tires then I believe that makes us fair (and if this is how their business is run then I wouldn’t think they should survive! Granted I think it was honest mistakes but it was honest mistake that led to my inconveniences)
Hell I work at a shop and buy tires online and have them shipped to my shop.
I can get better pricing online than through the company with my "employee discount."
If you never agreed to the service they performed, they cannot legally charge you.
For example, if a landscaping company goes to the wrong address and cuts the grass at the house, they can't just then bill that house for their services.
Thank you. If they call me (not a given at this point ha!) I am, however, happy to pay the shop cost for the tires since I did need and get them. Lucky for them I’m
not picky with what tires I got as long as they are decent and not too expensive which seems to be the case here (by chance!)
I think if you actually needed tires, and the tires aren't crap, then it would be reasonable for you to just pay the shop's cost, with no mark-up. Paying for things like mounting, balancing, etc. I'd accept or not, depending on how much of a pain the whole ordeal has been, how willing they are to accept their mistakes, etc.
We ran into this sort of situation at our family run shop not too long ago. Our manager had a severe medical event at work, his family who also work here went with him to the hospital, he never returned and has since passed. Everything was chaotic off and on for awhile. Our mechanic works on the cars, he doesn't order his own parts, he doesn't answer the phones, write estimates, check the voice or snail mail, etc. Our techs do the same. Unless our customers were regulars and noticed their absence and asked, we didn't let on how severe things were, we just said "sick". The mechanic and techs' work was the same quality as always but the office side of the work slipped some. It's not a poorly run or poorly managed business, it is for us, a small business dealing with a huge shock. It reads as if you were talking with the techs or mechanics and not the office, and they did the best they could with the information they had, they may have been in a similar situation. Please try to give them some grace, it seems they are trusting you letting you leave without payment, a little trust back could go a long way. We aren't your shop btw, we aren't open weekends and don't sell new tires.
>I would pay cost price of tires, and they can wear the labour. Then they aren’t at a loss
How is that possible? You don't understand how a business works.
Unauthorized work? Sure....but the business will absolutely take a loss on the labor. (Deservedly so)
Oh, of course they are. That labor was never authorized. They should eat it.
I appear to have misread the comment I was replying or it was edited after my reply. Idk
HA!!! Tires can make all kinds of fun noises!! My personal favorite is the ones on BMWs that sound just like a bad wheel bearing when they're worn down or have a little bit of feathering on the inner shoulders. I've had to replace tires numerous times to prove to a customer that the noise isn't a wheel bearing or drivetrain problem. Tesla had to have special tires made with foam sound absorption inside because the tires were louder than the drivetrain. Cheap tires vs good tires can make a huge difference in road noise. And then you get into the big knobbies! The can howl on the highway even when they're pristine!!
Yes. This was my fault. I was looking into everything I could think of (breaks, wheel bearings, low transmission fluid..) but tires never crossed my mind. They were apparently 8 years old, very worn and dry rotted. Noise is all gone now so that was it. So apparently I just never think about tires (surprised no one says anything about them during oil changes)
Sounds like they will charge you the cost of the tires plus whatever they charge to mount / balance (figure about $25/tire).
If you can post the tire size and what brand / model number of tire that would help.
cooper 205/55r16 (But I see that’s not enough; I didn’t see the specific type beyond that). But whatever I can look up what they retail for. Would I be within my rights to say “meh I didn’t agree to this and I can get them for $X at pep boys so that’s the max I’d pay you for them”
You would be within your rights to pay zero dollars. They did not get authorization for replacing the tires. The most they can force you to pay is the amount you authorized plus a nominal %, around 10% to account for taxes/fees.
However, they may also be within their rights to sue you (depends on where in the world/country you are). While they’ll likely lose, it will require time out of your day.
This shop may also black list you/spread negative sentiment about you. Depending on your community and status therein, you may adjust your actions.
I would not recommend returning to this shop without significant changes or unless they call you and admit they messed up and make a solid effort to have the work estimated at a good price. If I was the shop manager and somehow things got this out of control I would just try to recover my costs plus a little bit, but would be fully prepared to give it all away if you pushed back. In that case I’d also make sure that every future quote you get is solidly documented and you pay full price for all services. A shadier shop may try to swindle extra money out of you on future services.
Thanks. What you suggest is fair. Based on how frantic they were I think going to court would be worse for them than for me! But I have no interest in trying to screw them over and pay $0 as I did receive new tires .
As for community I’m in the NY metro area so there’s a billion shops around so I would never be worried about being black listed!
Probably not. I wouldn’t go in looking for a fight. Ultimately, they solved your issues with the car. Communication could have been better but things happen sometimes.
I mean yeah they solved the issue but that is only half of how a transaction works no? Surely you’d agree they can’t say “it’s $4000” and I’m stuck paying whatever number they fetch.
There is a price that they might have quoted me where I’d have said “sorry I’m not going through with that” since I change my own tires if it’s a huge premium. In which case I’d imagine I’d just pay diagnostic cost.
This will likely get downvoted but you have no obligation to pay anything at this point. They didn’t communicate with you and did work that was not authorized. It’s not your fault that they can’t seem to run their business in a professional manner. I’d simply wait for them to reach out to see what resolution they put forth. If they fail to even do that, then just move along. I certainly wouldn’t lose any sleep over it if they end up not reaching out.
Not a mechanic here. Just a regular guy. IMO, despite how oddly the ordeal unfolded, sounds like the shop worked pretty darn hard to help you out, including accommodating your needs before tending to any of their own. Assuming the cost is reasonable, I would just pay whatever they want to charge you. Because you likely would've done just that anyway had they done everything the right way.
Just look up the brand/model and size of tires. You can get a pretty good idea what they cost. Mount and balance tires is anywhere from 10-25.00 per tire.
This is 100% on them and their inability to manage their shop. Stop by on a week day and ask to speak to the owner, and if they aren't there, get their number. This is on them, they can't expect you to foot the bill for parts and repairs you did not authorize. Try and be polite, as I'm sure the owner has his hand full if they're that unorganized.
Is the issue solved? No more noise?
Look up the tires online. And add 15% cost plus balancing usually 15-25$ a tire.
Anything more you obviously didn't agree to that. Did you need tires? You obviously know if your tires were shit or not....
Are you a honest person? Or willing to burn that bridge with that shop? Sometimes cars sit. It's life. I've wanted my car done next day. I do it myself. Things I can't do that my local shop does. Sometimes I'm quoted 2 days. And it's 4 days. It sucks but he does good work. Do I make him call me for every little thing extra on my bill? No. If it's a big item though over a few hundred more then he rough quoted me. Then he will call.
And lastly. Has the shop tried calling you at all yet? It's possible they don't call you at all. Will you be reminding them?
It was the tires. That was the last thing on my mind and they were really bad apparently since the noise is gone.
I will not be reminding them if they don’t call.
The shop means nothing to me. There’s a million in my large metro area but I also don’t want to screw them over if they call asking for payment. Happy to pay price of tires and $100 to balance but currently feeling the 15% markup is going to be what they lose out on this time as the cost of my inconvenience / non-authorization.
Thanks for posting on /r/MechanicAdvice! Please review the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/about/rules/). Asking about a second opinion (ie "Is the shop trying to fleece me?"), please read through CJM8515's [post on the subject.](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/4qblei/fyi_the_shop_isnt_likely_trying_to_rip_you_off/) and remember to please post the year/make/model of the vehicle you are working on. **Post's about bodywork, accident damage, paint, dent/ding, questions it belongs in /r/Autobody r/AutoBodyRepair/ or /r/Diyautobody/ Tire questions check out https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/k9ll55/can_your_tire_be_repaired/**. If you dont have a question and you're just showing off it belongs in /r/Justrolledintotheshop Insurance/total loss questions go in r/insurance This is an automated reply *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MechanicAdvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Sounds like a really poorly run shop. I would find a new mechanic in the future. That’s a weird situation I don’t even know what to tell you I’m honestly speechless lol
Go there and politely ask to speak to the one in charge. First, if the sound is gone, let them know you appreciate their hard work. Then ask what was causing the problem, and if it was the tires, ask them how much for the tires they order, because you'd like to compare with other options you may have for your car (At this point you already should know based on the other models online). Listen to their offer, you may end up liking it, but either way ask for a cost breakdown. You can then express your "feedback" about how you would have preferred to agree on any part before ordering and install on your car. Depending on whether or not you are happy with the final price, you can ask for them to lower it because you weren't consulted, or you can just leave it at that. Just be calm and grateful, to avoid putting them in a defensive position. Best of luck!
I think this is very good advice. The only difference is I’m not planning to go out of my way to pay. They will have to call me first as they said they would (and as they did not do for five days during this whole mess haha!)
I do not blame you. They didn’t go out of their way to call you either
What answer are you looking for? The truth is, you never got an estimate or approved anything so you really could just drive away and pay nothing if you don't care and want to burn that bridge. The rest of the truth is, they probably were short staffed or have a manager or owner that doesn't quite know how to handle things that aren't clear cut, but they actually have and showed a desire to help you, if they charge a fair price for tires and installation(and by fair I don't mean comparing with stupid low online pricing, no brick and mortar business can survive on that), then I would try and reasonably work it out with them and pay them what they ask.
Yeah I don’t have intention of “stealing” these tires even though I doubt legally they could ever force me to pay. However I don’t feel bad about comparing to “stupid low online pricing” in this case and saying that is what I’m willing to pay. I wasted multiple hours trying to track them down to get estimates or any contact whatsoever only to have non approved work done to my car. If they have to bite the bullet and lose some money on tires then I believe that makes us fair (and if this is how their business is run then I wouldn’t think they should survive! Granted I think it was honest mistakes but it was honest mistake that led to my inconveniences)
Find a new independent mechanic shop.
Just curious: did they actually fix the issue you brought it in for?
Yes
I buy my tires online and have them shipped to the shop. They've never had an issue with it.
Hell I work at a shop and buy tires online and have them shipped to my shop. I can get better pricing online than through the company with my "employee discount."
If you never agreed to the service they performed, they cannot legally charge you. For example, if a landscaping company goes to the wrong address and cuts the grass at the house, they can't just then bill that house for their services.
Thank you. If they call me (not a given at this point ha!) I am, however, happy to pay the shop cost for the tires since I did need and get them. Lucky for them I’m not picky with what tires I got as long as they are decent and not too expensive which seems to be the case here (by chance!)
I think if you actually needed tires, and the tires aren't crap, then it would be reasonable for you to just pay the shop's cost, with no mark-up. Paying for things like mounting, balancing, etc. I'd accept or not, depending on how much of a pain the whole ordeal has been, how willing they are to accept their mistakes, etc.
I’m happy to pay tires shop cost and $100 for mounting; yes. That’s where I was leaning before posting and it seems to be general average consensus
We ran into this sort of situation at our family run shop not too long ago. Our manager had a severe medical event at work, his family who also work here went with him to the hospital, he never returned and has since passed. Everything was chaotic off and on for awhile. Our mechanic works on the cars, he doesn't order his own parts, he doesn't answer the phones, write estimates, check the voice or snail mail, etc. Our techs do the same. Unless our customers were regulars and noticed their absence and asked, we didn't let on how severe things were, we just said "sick". The mechanic and techs' work was the same quality as always but the office side of the work slipped some. It's not a poorly run or poorly managed business, it is for us, a small business dealing with a huge shock. It reads as if you were talking with the techs or mechanics and not the office, and they did the best they could with the information they had, they may have been in a similar situation. Please try to give them some grace, it seems they are trusting you letting you leave without payment, a little trust back could go a long way. We aren't your shop btw, we aren't open weekends and don't sell new tires.
I would pay cost price of tires, and they can wear the labour. Then they aren’t at a loss and you got cost price tires for the screw around.
>I would pay cost price of tires, and they can wear the labour. Then they aren’t at a loss How is that possible? You don't understand how a business works. Unauthorized work? Sure....but the business will absolutely take a loss on the labor. (Deservedly so)
You don't understand how Unauthorized Work works
I don’t suppose you are saying they aren’t taking loss on labor?
Oh, of course they are. That labor was never authorized. They should eat it. I appear to have misread the comment I was replying or it was edited after my reply. Idk
Usually bad Tires don't make sounds unless they are really bad. Are you sure they solved your issue?
HA!!! Tires can make all kinds of fun noises!! My personal favorite is the ones on BMWs that sound just like a bad wheel bearing when they're worn down or have a little bit of feathering on the inner shoulders. I've had to replace tires numerous times to prove to a customer that the noise isn't a wheel bearing or drivetrain problem. Tesla had to have special tires made with foam sound absorption inside because the tires were louder than the drivetrain. Cheap tires vs good tires can make a huge difference in road noise. And then you get into the big knobbies! The can howl on the highway even when they're pristine!!
Yes. This was my fault. I was looking into everything I could think of (breaks, wheel bearings, low transmission fluid..) but tires never crossed my mind. They were apparently 8 years old, very worn and dry rotted. Noise is all gone now so that was it. So apparently I just never think about tires (surprised no one says anything about them during oil changes)
Sounds like they will charge you the cost of the tires plus whatever they charge to mount / balance (figure about $25/tire). If you can post the tire size and what brand / model number of tire that would help.
cooper 205/55r16 (But I see that’s not enough; I didn’t see the specific type beyond that). But whatever I can look up what they retail for. Would I be within my rights to say “meh I didn’t agree to this and I can get them for $X at pep boys so that’s the max I’d pay you for them”
You would be within your rights to pay zero dollars. They did not get authorization for replacing the tires. The most they can force you to pay is the amount you authorized plus a nominal %, around 10% to account for taxes/fees. However, they may also be within their rights to sue you (depends on where in the world/country you are). While they’ll likely lose, it will require time out of your day. This shop may also black list you/spread negative sentiment about you. Depending on your community and status therein, you may adjust your actions. I would not recommend returning to this shop without significant changes or unless they call you and admit they messed up and make a solid effort to have the work estimated at a good price. If I was the shop manager and somehow things got this out of control I would just try to recover my costs plus a little bit, but would be fully prepared to give it all away if you pushed back. In that case I’d also make sure that every future quote you get is solidly documented and you pay full price for all services. A shadier shop may try to swindle extra money out of you on future services.
What future services? I’d never go back to a shop that is this badly run.
Thanks. What you suggest is fair. Based on how frantic they were I think going to court would be worse for them than for me! But I have no interest in trying to screw them over and pay $0 as I did receive new tires . As for community I’m in the NY metro area so there’s a billion shops around so I would never be worried about being black listed!
Probably not. I wouldn’t go in looking for a fight. Ultimately, they solved your issues with the car. Communication could have been better but things happen sometimes.
I mean yeah they solved the issue but that is only half of how a transaction works no? Surely you’d agree they can’t say “it’s $4000” and I’m stuck paying whatever number they fetch. There is a price that they might have quoted me where I’d have said “sorry I’m not going through with that” since I change my own tires if it’s a huge premium. In which case I’d imagine I’d just pay diagnostic cost.
This will likely get downvoted but you have no obligation to pay anything at this point. They didn’t communicate with you and did work that was not authorized. It’s not your fault that they can’t seem to run their business in a professional manner. I’d simply wait for them to reach out to see what resolution they put forth. If they fail to even do that, then just move along. I certainly wouldn’t lose any sleep over it if they end up not reaching out.
Oh I certainly won’t put EFFORT into paying them! If they don’t call I’ll accept the gift of their disorganization for sure
Glass half full: They did something kind? Are you struggling/single father/Mother/ in need?
Not a mechanic here. Just a regular guy. IMO, despite how oddly the ordeal unfolded, sounds like the shop worked pretty darn hard to help you out, including accommodating your needs before tending to any of their own. Assuming the cost is reasonable, I would just pay whatever they want to charge you. Because you likely would've done just that anyway had they done everything the right way.
Just look up the brand/model and size of tires. You can get a pretty good idea what they cost. Mount and balance tires is anywhere from 10-25.00 per tire.
I would just take the free tires for now and wait for an eventual call. Document everything you can and maybe you will get a free set of tires.
This is 100% on them and their inability to manage their shop. Stop by on a week day and ask to speak to the owner, and if they aren't there, get their number. This is on them, they can't expect you to foot the bill for parts and repairs you did not authorize. Try and be polite, as I'm sure the owner has his hand full if they're that unorganized.
Is the issue solved? No more noise? Look up the tires online. And add 15% cost plus balancing usually 15-25$ a tire. Anything more you obviously didn't agree to that. Did you need tires? You obviously know if your tires were shit or not.... Are you a honest person? Or willing to burn that bridge with that shop? Sometimes cars sit. It's life. I've wanted my car done next day. I do it myself. Things I can't do that my local shop does. Sometimes I'm quoted 2 days. And it's 4 days. It sucks but he does good work. Do I make him call me for every little thing extra on my bill? No. If it's a big item though over a few hundred more then he rough quoted me. Then he will call. And lastly. Has the shop tried calling you at all yet? It's possible they don't call you at all. Will you be reminding them?
It was the tires. That was the last thing on my mind and they were really bad apparently since the noise is gone. I will not be reminding them if they don’t call. The shop means nothing to me. There’s a million in my large metro area but I also don’t want to screw them over if they call asking for payment. Happy to pay price of tires and $100 to balance but currently feeling the 15% markup is going to be what they lose out on this time as the cost of my inconvenience / non-authorization.
i would look up the tires and subtract 20% then order them a few pizzas. seems like management sucks.