What's your Occupation
In your field of expertise, most would find it hard to take advantage of you without your consent. However, beyond that, assuming you are not in the car business, how knowledgeable would you be buying a vehicle? My Occupation is cars and you can rest assured that for every vehicle I have purchased I received fair value. But like you, outside of this occupation, I have no similar qualifications and can therefore be taken for a ride myself (I'll let you decide if a pun was intended).
For example, I own a house and my worse fear is having to call an electrician, plumber, furnace or air-conditioner technician since I don't have any family members or close friends in the business.
A plumbing problem a few years back prompted me to search the yellow pages where I chose a plumbing company with a full page ad with bold text: "FREE service call". I figured such a large company with a full page ad would lesson my fear about dishonesty.
Showing up was the nicest, most polite, talkative and humorous technician you would ever want to meet, stared at the plumbing problem for the longest time, opened his service book, and recommended service plan "C" at $325 indicating that the current problem will be fixed and my other bathrooms will be serviced and checked. This service plan also came with a two year warranty on labor, not parts. I said thanks for your free service call, but no thanks.
I knew the problem was with the pump and may have needed to be replaced, but when I could shop Home Depot and purchase one for under $50, would a cost to me of $325 be a good value? At the same time, I did not need my other toilets serviced since they have been working well for years. That evening I surfed the internet for solutions and found a simple adjustment to the pump that took 30 seconds to fix and it's been in good working order ever since.
What has this plumbing story got to do with buying a car? Everything.
1. When you buy a new or used car, the dealership will offer you many aftermarket products that may be a waste of money
2. When you arrive at a dealership with your vehicle for regular maintenance, keep in mind that most service advisers work on a bonus system and may recommend service that's not really needed
SUMMARY: I did not let the plumber play with my emotions to make quick decisions, but took the time to study my options. Every transaction, no matter how large or small, is a statement of what you are willing to pay for a service, a product, your time. Perhaps you want these services or are willing to pay more for convenience. The same applies when buying a car. Find the time to study this website and make notes---if something doesn't make sense, post it in the website forum for an answer
No offense, repair guys, but we don't always trust your fuzzy math
THE #1 CAR-REPAIR RIP-OFF: engine work.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) says that auto shops - one of the 10 most complained-about industries last year - routinely charge customers for replacing engine parts they never even touched!
BEAT THE SWINDLE: Tell your mechanic that you want to see any parts they remove and replace. "That way, they have to come clean about exactly what they did under your hood.
THE #1 PLUMBING RIP-OFF: leaky pipes or faucets.
Many plumbers will stick you with a higher bill claiming that the original estimate was for "labor only" and didn't include travel and parts.
BEAT THE SWINDLE: Ask for all costs in writing up front. Also, buy any new parts yourself. "Some plumbers will charge you $100 just for a trip to Home Depot.
THE #1 ELECTRICIAN RIP-OFF: rewiring when you've got a short.
Many customers complain that electricians replace only a few faulty wires properly, and the problem returns days later.
BEAT THE SWINDLE: "Always ask for a warranty on the work," The BBB says any reputable electrician should offer at least a 30-day guarantee
Surfing for car Info ?
Eliminate
sites that entice you with answers you can only obtain from products such as books - CD'S or having to become a member or sign up.Be Aware reading 3rd party info such as articles by freelance writers, in most cases the information has been obtained by study, and may not be 100% reliable.
Q & A forums most answers are provided by people whom are not in the auto industry,while most answers are excellent " be cautious " before you
make a hasty decision on an answer provided to a question.
