Why are car mechanics allowed to charge an entirely arbitrary, and self policed hourly rate for labor and parts when nearly no other industry is allowed to do that?
Im afraid to ask this on a mechanic sub. I am not at all burned by this, but i need someone to explain how this makes sense at all.
(These examples are pretty uniquely US issues, so.. hear me out)
If a person went into the hospital for a planned hysterectomy or something and the surgery took longer than anticipated, there would be no increase in revenue to the surgeon.
If a server took longer to deliver your food, they would not make more money because they dawdled.
The complaint:
Im really struggling to understand how it is remotely sensible to charge an hourly rate (labor) on a service that people have no idea how the thing works, how long it should take, how expensive the part is, and what all is required.. like, how is that not a scam?
And then, “whoops, my quote was off. It took an additional 2 hours, so thats $300 more dollars to me for you to get your car back” is an absolutely insane business model.
IDK how many of you have seen Parks and Rec, but this is Mona- Lisa behavior..you can see it here.. https://www.tiktok.com/@nbc/video/7264973345408486698?is\_from\_webapp=1&sender\_device=pc
Even in construction contractor quotes for past (and present) properties, there is a confident, transparent and knowledgable conversation about who all is picking up the check if this goes over. And what we as owners will cover, and what they will cover… and it always goes over. So..
it’s not some vague explanation for “6 hours of additional labor that you weren’t here for. You have no knowledge about how this machine works.. and there’s no way we could possibly know (read a manual), communicate anything (with a phone), or confirm that thats what was required, so youve shown up and we presented you with a ransom to get your car back…”
It’s a really odd standard. Help me understand it, please.
P.s. The only industry that i can think of that can charge like that are lawyers.. and lawyers dont always have a great image when it comes to not being seen as a shyster when they charge you for an hour of time for replying to a “yes or no” email…