[Closed] Overcharged in hindsight - any refund options

What is the part listed at at the supplier the place your garage got it from? And did it definitely take under half an hour - perhaps it went into the second half hour?

A friendly phone call checking up may get you somewhere. Depends on your relationship with the garage.

Suck it up honey !
They’ll say their part is better quality which is debatable.

Supply and demand...

...you buy it for £35 fit yourself! Or take to local mechanic who may charge £40/£50 to fit but will shrug shoulders when the eBay part fails!!!

I'll call them in the morning and a couple of other local garages for comparison.

Definitely 0.5h as this is on their invoice. The cost of part is £108.53.

Its annoying but hey ho

Did they do it the same day? Can you get that same part delivered the same day for £35-65?

Can't do anything now they gave a price and it was paid...

£35-65 to have one of eBay in a few days, probably cost more to get one with them within a few hours from euros or similar.

So would you rather the car be fixed and back on the road or would you rather be sat around waiting for a delivery from eBay.

Googling the part number it comes up at £35-65 from eBay. So they have charged about £80-£110 labour for 0.5h work.

Definitely 0.5h as this is on their invoice. The cost of part is £108.53.

It's only the part cost which is in question then. The labour is correct. I suppose it's the premium you pay for not having the luxury of time to get quotes.

That sounds a reasonable price for the work to me.

Is it the same part? Or is the one fitted a manufacturers part and the ebay one a generic?

ECP part cost is £50 but I appreciate the speed maybe their justification for the cost.

I'll call them and try my luck. Cheers all

Google puts the range of cost for that part between £30 and £110.

ECP exhaust parts are (in my experience) 25% to 50% the price of OEM parts, and last a proportionate time. Still worth considering; if you don't think the car is going to last more than 3 years, you don't need an exhaust that will last 8 years. I would say you've paid the going rate for what you've got.

Yes, you can get it from ebay for £35+
But is it here now?
No.
What happens if it falls apart in 2 weeks?
Should the garage get it fixed same day for you, by ringing round their suppliers to make sure they can get one, or, wait a few days to see if the one on ebay turns up? That'll save you £60. But no car for a few days.
Or go to an exhaust specialist who may well be cheaper.

The part fitted is a Klarius HA320D. Assuming part was £50 then £50 seems reasonable for 0.5h labour

Did you expect to pay "cost" price for the part from the garage? They do have overheads to pay for to keep garage running so someone can drop in and get a quick fix to get them back on the road.

as said there are parts and there are parts, garage I use will not fit generic parts due to the quality/failure of them.

What line of work are you in OP?

I work in product design at a manufacturing company in Sheffield.

Wow....
Business applies markup to make a profit shocker.

I always check with my mate who has a trade account with ECP how much he can get a part for before I buy it. Quite often , with ECP's weekly 50% discounts, a walk in muggle can buy parts cheaper than the garage can . But then you don't have credit facilities , delivery within an hour etc to pay for .

how would you feel about another company selling inferior copies of something you've spend hrs designing?

They gave you a price, it was accepted. Job done, it was paid for, why would you think you had any comeback? Could have shopped around first no?

But if it needs justification, if theyve picked up a part for £50, why cant they charge £100 for it and £100 an hour labour? Doubling up on a part is hardly unreasonable, try running a business.

Would it be easier if they broke the invoice down a bit further? Mechanic costs, (nic, pension etc also) tool costs, consumables cost, vat, business rates, rent, so on so forth? Not to mention making a profit...

So the car was fixed, drive in/drive out, the same day it broke for just £150? What's the problem again?

Cheers Nick, spot on with the first paragraph and I think I'll request a copy of their trading accounts to understand the costs of running the garage... Labour at £100h could be worth a career change!

I'm struggling to get outraged here.

Perhaps you should have carried one in stock if it was so perrelously close to ending it's useful life . Then you could have shown up with the 35 quid item off eBay and asked them to fit it....where upon they find that 35 quid off eBay gets you something that looks similar but the hanger is in a slightly different place so the rubbers. A mare to get on and that the over all length is about 1/4 inch too short( real issues I've had with cheap eBay exhausts)

So you would be quite happy to have SWMBO drive around - illegally - with no back box on. Then P.C. Plod pulls her over. Fine and points on licence, which you have to declare to your insurance company. Don't suppose they will be too pleased at insuring an unroadworthy car.

Think you have come out of this OK. If there is a lesson to be learned it is to keep an eye on the condition of your vehicle.

No outrage Roland, just the annoying feeling one gets after buying something only to see it cheaper elsewhere. A true first world problem.

And Sarah Wok, slightly annoyingly the car had a rattle that I was convinced was from something on the front left but evidently was the failing exhaust that both I and the same garage failed to diagnose during its annual service in February.

I fitted a Klarius exhaust from ECP to the freelander. Within 2 years the hanger bracket weld had rusted through causing a leak.

Labour at £100h could be worth a career change!

Yeah I’m not sure you grasp how it works.

They gave you a price, it was accepted. Job done, it was paid for, why would you think you had any comeback? Could have shopped around first no?

Exactly.

It’s cheaper than a large bicycle repair!

So quick question. What about the other parts needed to fit the back box? Like paste, new hangers brackets etc? These would be included under the parts line of the invoice. But I’m really struggling to see what the garage has done wrong here. If the bougt the box from a local motor factors it would be delivered same day, which they pay for. They then fit at a 0.5hr rate. Completely reasonable. Now you are complaining that they didn’t pick the time exhaust up at service?? When you mention it’s a slight ‘rattle’ from the front? If the back box isn’t blowing and the exhaust isn’t leaking they won’t pick that up as part of a service.

This whole post is a prime example of how a little knowledge can be dangerous.

OP, I think your garage has done a sterling job of getting your car back on the road for only £150. Even if they made £100 on your job, they have to pay a technician his wages, pension etc. They have to pay rates and insurance not to mention tax. Plus also, drop in jobs like back box replacement puts pressure on their prebooked service work. They are the ones being completely reasonable! Calling them up and chancing your arm for a couple of quid discount is going to lose you good grace for when the inevitable happens and the car breaks down the morning of your holiday....

The part didn't order itself in no time either.

More than one person needs paid from that £100 labour to keep you on the road.

how would you feel about another company selling inferior copies of something you’ve spend hrs designing?

Annoyed at myself for not protecting my IP, or accepting that it's the way of things?

My suspicion of overcharge has proven unfounded as another local garage was at £133 so the extra £17 isn't worth moaning about!

Thanks all 🙂