Charging for work not required or quoted

rafhelp

Went to local garage.

Car wasnt starting...

i said please check it out and it doesnt start.

I said please check itout and let me know what it could be. I also said someone advised it MIGHT be the alternator.,

He said ok, if it is il charge £25 to fix it..change it...

Then later i spoke to few people they all said how can it be the alternator if the car doesnt start? as the alternator only charges the battery. The battery was not totally dead as the other electrics like the mirrors and radio did still work.

I rang him and stated this...he said no worries you can test the alternator for free....I then had to drag the alternator around walking for 10 mins (and its like they didnt give me a bag..had to ak for one)

the alternator was NOT broken.

So went back next day and he said he cant fix it for some reason and the car had been moved outside with both windows down. ok no one gonna nick it as it doesnt start. fair enough.

But then I was charged £15...

The job was not done..the alternator was only taken out and put back in, but any decent mechanic should have known the issue was NOT the alternator. Also he did not replace it which was what the quote was for. So car not fixed, still not starting and the alternator has not been replaced.

These guys are scam artists....last time i was quoted £50 for a job..which he said was a big job and would take time....then after reading about it online I fixed it for £10 in 20 minutes...

They are cheap but still wheres the honesty and professionalism....where is the regulation.

Should I pay this?

debtdebt

You expect the mechanic to remove and refit an alternator for nothing?

angrycrow

£15 to remove, test and then refit the alternator, absolute bargain. As for the rest I fear I need someone to translate

Le_Kirk

rafhelp wrote: »

These guys are scam artists....last time i was quoted £50 for a job..which he said was a big job ...........

.... and yet you went back knowing they were "scam artists" Does not compute!

EdGasket

Why go there if you don't like them?

rafhelp

debtdebt wrote: »

You expect the mechanic to remove and refit an alternator for nothing?

No I expect any decent mechanic to KNOW that a non starting car is not going to have anything to do with an alternator especially if we already told him it wont start with jump leads.

debtdebt

Sorry but a non starting car could well be down to a broken alternator. The faulty alternator fails to charge the car whilst it's running. The car is then left with no charge and the next time the driver tries to start it, it doesn't start due to a flat battery.

Do you understand my reasoning?

jobdone1

Sounds like your making a lot of noise for £15. They had it out to test which is resonable to suggest it's that at fault. Lucky you was not charge an hours labour at £45. O and storage

Ebe_Scrooge

debtdebt wrote: »

Sorry but a non starting car could well be down to a broken alternator. The faulty alternator fails to charge the car whilst it's running. The car is then left with no charge and the next time the driver tries to start it, it doesn't start due to a flat battery.

Do you understand my reasoning?

I have to agree with this. And as to the OP's point that "I expect any decent mechanic to KNOW that a non starting car is not going to have anything to do with an alternator especially if we already told him it wont start with jump leads. " ... No, this is not true. If the alternator is failing to charge the battery, and as a result the battery is totally drained ( and possibly damaged in the process ), then jump-leads won't start it - especially if the jump-leads are on the thin side. Jump-leads are great for a battery that's been - let's say - three quarters flattened. But if it's totally shot then you've got no chance. And alternators wear out - fact of life. It's the most logical first step to take it off and test it.

As to the OP's original question ... "last time i was quoted £50 for a job..which he said was a big job and would take time....then after reading about it online I fixed it for £10 in 20 minutes..." OK, fix this one yourself then. TBH, 50 quid is not a big job - that's barely a couple of hour's labour for a decent mechanic, let alone parts.

"They are cheap but still wheres (sic) the honesty and professionalism....where is the regulation." There ain't none, sorry. That's why, when you find a mechanic you trust, and who does a fair job for a fair price ... you buy him a pint every time you see him in the local

"Should I pay this?" Yes.

rafhelp

debtdebt wrote: »

Sorry but a non starting car could well be down to a broken alternator. The faulty alternator fails to charge the car whilst it's running. The car is then left with no charge and the next time the driver tries to start it, it doesn't start due to a flat battery.

Do you understand my reasoning?

yes
but if that was true then it can be ruled out simply by hooking the battery up to another car using jump leads.

Ebe_Scrooge

rafhelp wrote: »

yes
but if that was true then it can be ruled out simply by hooking the battery up to another car using jump leads.

Wrong. If the battery is totally shot, due to not being charged by the alternator, then no amount of jump-starting is going to help. As per my previous post, jump leads are great for a "low" battery. But if the battery has been completely discharged then jump-leads will ( in most circumstances ) not help. And most car batteries do not like being totally discharged ( which is why you get these "leisure" batteries for caravans etc., which can cope with total discharge ).