Tens of thousands of mechanic reviews have given Mechanic Advisor a glimpse into the best and worst of the auto repair industry, as well as the customer experiences along that spectrum. While some situations that create the worst experiences are unexpected, and oftentimes not preventable, there are some basic concepts that can help mitigate the chances of a terrible experience. Here are five:
1) Ask Questions - This is probably one of the biggest problems of the average auto repair consumer. For some reason, people tend to shy away from asking questions, and instead try to get on with their day as quickly as possible. Asking the mechanic multiple questions until you're satisfied with the answer will make you a more informed consumer, and allow you to understand the process of auto repair much better. It's unlikely that if you were to visit the doctor and he told you that you were sick that you wouldn't ask any follow-up questions, right? Apply these same principles to auto repair.
2) Get everything in writing - A common source of poor customer experience is poor communication based either on price or on the labor performed. The best way to ensure that this doesn't happen to you is to get a full written estimate for any work before you consent to having it performed. The estimate should be on the shop's letterhead, and clearly outline the work that is to be performed as well as the agreed upon price. This is important as it will help settle any disputes about what work and price was agreed upon and provide some level of recourse if you do have to dispute charges.
3) Check reviews - A common refrain from unsatisfied customers is that they should have read the reviews before doing business with a particular shop. This is usually when a shop has a questionable reputation and there are multiple negative reviews online already. Before doing business with someone who hasn't been recommended to you personally, make sure to check Mechanic Advisor, Yelp, and other sites such as Angie's List to get an idea of what other customers have to say.
4) Don't pay up front - Sometimes, reviewers will have issues with payment, although this tends to be an uncommon situation. However, unless the repair is running well into the thousands of dollars, the overwhelming majority of repair shops will not expect you to pay for a repair up front, and will allow you to make payment when you're ready to pick up your vehicle. Paying up front has the potential to lead to billing issues, or problems when it comes time to pick up your vehicle.
5) Heed warning signs - The one thing that many people fail to do when going in for vehicle repairs and services is to pay attention to warning signs that may indicate things to come. Rudeness from employees, evasiveness, fear-mongering, and a myriad of other red flags are frequently present with disreputable shops, so before trusting someone implicitly with your vehicle, it's important that you're not ignoring these signs.
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