Auto Repair Scam:
Why Traditional Scam Prevention Tips Will Cost You a Fortune
The advice is all the same for auto repair scam prevention. You'll be told to find
an ASE certified shop. Ask around. Check out several different repair facilities
first. Are they clean and neat? Do they provide written estimates? Check with the
BBB. Is it AAA certified? Some will even advise to "ask for the parts back."
Traditional tips and suggestions merely put a band-aid over an infected, gaping
sore. Strong antibiotics are required to address the root source of the problems
in the repair industry. To provide repair customers with the above advice is like
sending a soldier into combat dressed in a pink tutu. We have to stop scratching
at the surface.
There has not been any "new" advice in decades. More importantly, no one has answered
why car repair scams have reached an estimated 40 billion dollars per year . Moreover,
why is there still no solution to stop car repair scams?
The first hurdle to conquer is the perception of the frequency of auto repair scams.
Many folks just don't believe that car repair fraud is all that bad. Some even argue
that the vast majority of repair shops do an honest day's work, and that a few bad
apples are making the rest look like crooks.
This is an interesting argument, and raises a number of questions.
- If it is "only a few bad apples," where are they hiding the 40 billion?
- If most repair shops are honest, why does every state warn against
car repair scams ?
- Why are auto repair shops at the top of consumer complaint lists every single year,
in every state?
This is even expanding across the continents. For example, just this week Australia
listed car repair scams at number 4 on their top 10 consumer complaint list.
The perception of frequency gets distorted because there are a number of levels
to repair scams. There are the blatant rip-offs covered in the news. For a great
video visit "Repair Scams Caught on Video" @ www.repairtrust.com
. Then there are the common scams such as exorbitant prices and estimates, and
aggressive scare tactics to get service customers to perform services. These occur
every day.
The repair scams uncovered by RepairTrust not only found the tactics listed above
and more, but a powerful undercurrent of scamming at the foundation of the automotive
service industry. In reality, most car repair scams go unnoticed by the service
consumer. Service customers just have no idea that they were ripped-off. This under-the-radar
scamming occurs in dealerships, local shops, and franchises. Affiliation with ASE,
AAA, BBB, NADA makes no difference.
An ASE patch on a technician's arm, or an AAA or BBB sticker on the door of a service
center means absolutely nothing in terms of a scam-free facility. Word of mouth
recommendations can be just as devastating, as even shops that "seem" honest aren't.
Check out " Car Repair Prices : There Are
No Honest Mechanics" for further discussion on this. Also, for NEW and FREE scam
prevention tips visit the Car Repair
Scam Articles @ RepairTrust.
To learn more about stopping car repair scams Click
Here
Traditional tips are ineffective in today's service industry. Service facilities
have found new and ingenious ways of ripping people off. In truth, many of the old
tips and suggestions have actually become weapons allowing service centers to indulge
in car repair scams more than ever.
The car repair playing field must be leveled. Service customers need solid answers,
and they need to be equipped with information, understanding, tools, and an insider's
view of the who, what, when, where, why, and how of price-gouging. Navigating the
dim underworld of today's service centers with outdated information will cost a
fortune.
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-Theodore P. Olson ©
www.repairtrust.com
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