Exactly my feelings too. It seems like more and more idiots are pissing their pants AFTER they complete a transaction. Most likely after they have a “Yeah I just brought my car to XXXX and paid $1230 for brakes on my Camery”… “DUDE, you got fucked” and the owner cries about not “knowing” better when they were signing the RO.
15 minutes on a phone calling, NAPA, Advance, other OEM dealers, etc and you have a damn good idea of what the parts “should probably cost”.
People need to read the damn disclosures that NYS makes registered repair shops attach to invoices and understand them. They are there to protect the consumer and the business.
But yeah, the one thing that burns my britches is jacking a price after an initial quote, WITHOUT evidence to the consumer as to why it just got more expensive. Bolts seize, rust, strip, break off, all the time. Shit happens, and repairs take longer or more parts are needed once you dig into them. BUT, that’s what the DMV repair laws are set forth for. The consumer must be contacted and OK the additional work prior to laying a finger on the car past the original RO they signed. IE, you come in for pads & rotors and get billed for brakes and a master cylinder. You never OK’d the master cylinder, legally you are not obligated to pay for it, tell them to prove the old was bad and accept it, reinstall the old and drive off, or call DMV report the shop and drive off with new parts for free.