Repair shop ripping me off

[Dirty Worm]

I took my 17ft boat with Johnson o/b to a new shop today to check out a hard to shift throttle/shift assembly, having trouble shifting in and out of neutral.
The shop says I need new shift and throttle cables. I auth the work to be done. A few minutes later they called me back and said my steering cable needs to be replaced and they would not fix my throttle/shift problem if I did not have the steering cable and helm replaced too. I did not ask them to look at my steering cable.
I told them not to do any work if they refused to fix only what I brought it in for. They called me back again and said they were charging me a 1 hour diagnosis fee.
I do not want to pay them anything since they took it upon themselves to refuse the repair I authorized.
Do I have any recourse against this repair shop. Im thinking about just hooking up and telling them I'm not paying. Can they do anything about that?
This place seems like scamsville!

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: Repair shop ripping me off

Pay for it with your credit card and then dispute it....

 

[Dirty Worm]

Re: Repair shop ripping me off

Good idea, I thought about stopping payment on a check.
How likely is a credit card company to side with me? I've never disputed anything.

 

[artburr]

Re: Repair shop ripping me off

Good idea, I thought about stopping payment on a check.
How likely is a credit card company to side with me? I've never disputed anything.

Use the credit card and dispute it. The burden will then be on them. They won't be paid until both parties are satisfied though it may require abitration. Methinks that, if you dispute it, it will probably be the end of it. I will be doing the same thing on a car repair shortly.

 

[Summer Fun]

Re: Repair shop ripping me off

my steering cable needs to be replaced

Maybe it does .Why not have them show you the bad cable??.And by working on the shift throttle/shift assembly. They notice the bad cable.

 

[Dirty Worm]

Re: Repair shop ripping me off

I know the cable will need to be replaced pretty soon. My problem is I recently had major surgery and don't have enough money to do all repairs at once. Need to fix things little by little. I certainly would not give this shop any money for trying to force me to spend money there.

 

[ob]

Re: Repair shop ripping me off

Were you having any previous problems with respect to steering before you brought the rig in?Why not just humor them and have them show you specifically why the steering cable needs replacing and not just lubricating.I mean,a steering cable that needs replacement will surely have some freedom of movement issues.Also ,so readers can get a better feel for what we're discussing ,it would help shine some light on the topic if we knew what year model and horsepower engine is in question.

 

[Summer Fun]

Re: Repair shop ripping me off

I know the cable will need to be replaced pretty soon

Oh now the truth comes out. You want them to repair a unsafe boat .[Good for them .For not doing the repairs] I can see it now. Well i was going along and i tried to steer it and nothing. Its was at the shop for repairs .Why didn't they see that bad steering cable and tell me about . I'm sueing them .,

 

[Dirty Worm]

Re: Repair shop ripping me off

The shop notified me of what they considered an unsafe problem, they covered themselves legally. They could have written that on the invoice.
The cable has no play and does not bind, the only problem they can show me is a few very small cracks in the plastic sleeve near the engine. If they refuse to fix it thats fine by me. I don't see why I should have to pay for it.
They will never see a dime from me or my friends and I will let the folks at Boat US who recommended them to me not to refer anyone else to them.

 

[1730V]

Re: Repair shop ripping me off

Engine control cables do wear out. They stretch and become non-responsive.

Steering cables become the same way. You DO NOT want a steering cable to let go-it is catastophic, when they do.

I think the dealer is steering (pun intended) straight.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Repair shop ripping me off

The shop notified me of what they considered an unsafe problem, they covered themselves legally.

Not by just telling you they didn't.
When they refused to fix the boat of one problem and leaving a could be life ending problem go un fixed, they did.

If I had a bad steering cable with just the very slightest hint of being bad, it's replaced.
I value the lives of the family and I way too much to worry about a steering cable, sorry.

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: Repair shop ripping me off

I took my 17ft boat with Johnson o/b to a new shop today to check out a hard to shift throttle/shift assembly, having trouble shifting in and out of neutral.
The shop says I need new shift and throttle cables.

This is what they are charging you for. They spent their time to diagnose the problem and give you a price for the repair. They did do what you asked them to do. They also observed another problem that is a safety related problem and brought that to your attention.

As an X shop owner I have also had to refuse to do repairs because of liability issues concerning safety. Kudos to the shop for looking out for your safety even if it may be based on a liability situation.

You obviously didn't know what the problem was before you took it into the shop, now you have a diagnosis. Even without repairs a 1 hour minimum is standard procedure for most any shop. IMHO, it sounds like the shop is acting in a "Professional" manner and you absolutely owe them payment for their time and efforts. Complaining and telling others is really your only recourse. Stopping payment on a check for services rendered could be considered intent to fraud, and I don't think you will win with the credit card company either.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Repair shop ripping me off

In all acutality, they were probably trying to save you money in the long run. By the time it takes to pull the throttle/shifting cables out, the steering cable would be easier to do at the same time. Example, say that they did the job and you took the boat out. Throttle/shifter is now working excellent and now you have trouble with the steering. So now you take it back to have it replaced. Now the shop has to undo the things they did when the put in the cables from before. Now it is going to cost more for labor.

I know as a service tech, I hate it when someone doesn't want to foot the bill for work performed rather it was for troubleshooting or repair. Time is money, and if my time is spent on something that is not going to pay, you just wasted my time on something that would have paid rather it be for more money or less.

My wifes car had problems one time. Shop said it was the timing belt, $550 to change. While they were changing it, they said the water pump showed signs of leaking. They said if they did the water pump at the same time it would save me an additonal $500 because they wouldn't have to go back in later to undo all the stuff they did to change the belt. I could have claimed that the car never overheated or used any fluids, but they did show me where it had been leaking. Being in the field of repairing stuff, I understood what was involved in that job. So I had them change the pump for the additonal cost of the water pump.

I say its a good idea to pay them for their time because you may need them down the road for other repairs. Its your call of course, but there also could be a small claims case in the future against you for non-payment.

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: Repair shop ripping me off

Not by just telling you they didn't.
When they refused to fix the boat of one problem and leaving a could be life ending problem go un fixed, they did.

I don't think that's right. If that were the case, Wal-Mart would only sell tires in sets of 4. If you want one tire, and the other 3 are bad, that's what you can buy.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Repair shop ripping me off

I don't think that's right. If that were the case, Wal-Mart would only sell tires in sets of 4. If you want one tire, and the other 3 are bad, that's what you can buy.

BB, not at my local wal-marts you don't unless you walk in and buy 1.

The boat repair shop was smart by not fixing the shift problem with a much more dangerous problem looking at them dead in the face.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Repair shop ripping me off

The shop notified me of what they considered an unsafe problem, they covered themselves legally. They could have written that on the invoice.

Although it seems to be the unpopular opinion....I have to agree with Dirty Worm here. It is standard procedure in the repair industry to note problems like this on the invoice and to note that the customer refused the service. Their butt is covered. They should not be refusing to do the other repair because you didn't want to fix the steering at this time.

 

[ricksrster]

Re: Repair shop ripping me off

There is an alternative. On simple repair jobs such as cables, lower unit grease, impellers, etc, you get a service manual and use the iboats forum for things you don't understand. You will save a ton of money and become more aware of how things operate and what is safe and what is not.

 

[PierBridge]

Re: Repair shop ripping me off

You owe them 1 hour PERIOD......you are RIPPING them off actually if you don't pay!

 

[Mike722]

Re: Repair shop ripping me off

I would say that all repair shops have to wrestle with this question. The law is not cut and dry. If you refuse service customers get mad, if you only fix what the customer wants, you maybe right, but spent thousands in the courts and settlements to proving it.

Places like Wal-mart can afford the lawyers, smaller places can not. I would say that this places wants to be on the safe side and refuse service or they have been thru the court system before.

As for paying, if you signed a repair order, you probably already agreed to the minimum shop charge of 1 hour and that piece of paper is all they need to put a repair lean on the boat and start charging you for storage after so many days. If you take the boat without them releasing it you are stealing. This is also not cut and dry with the law but who whats to find out.

I would pay the charge or work out some kind of payment plan with the shop.

I have also had places refuse to do just what I asked for and I have had to refuse service to my customers as well.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Repair shop ripping me off

I am in the courier business and you would not believe the stuff I have had to refuse to carry.
Just not worth it and the same goes for repair shops, of any kind.