Mechanic Undercover - Women are Target for Car Repair Scams

Women are typically overcharged for necessary repairs and forced into unnecessary repairs at an alarmingly high rate as compared to their male counterparts.
In other words: Yes, women are more likely to be taken advantage of at the mechanic.

[islandprincess]

Just like how restaurants have inspections and get a letter grade rating, auto repair shops should have undercover people doing this and if they try to scam the person with unnecessary repairs they should be heavily fined and exposed for doing this so everyone can avoid them. This would put the bad dishonest shops out of business and make all shops honest. Then it would be safe for everyone to take their car in without getting scammed.

[damachine]

I was an 18-year-old kid that didn't know anything and I brought in my car to have it serviced and they told me that my cruise control wasn't working so they replaced a $2 fuse and it started working again. They could have told me anything and charged me much more. They didn't even charge me the $2 because they said it was only $2. Best mechanics ever!

[bobobobobobo]

I swear to god, mechanics need be audited yearly.

[Dinglederry]

There should be stiff penalties for doing this. Shops, including dealers, need to be audited like this continuously to keep them honest.

[interstategar]

Message to the TV station: Do some investigating and list the auto repair shops that ARE honest and list them. You will be a hero and the public will have a win, and the honest one will get more business.

[GR-ukou]

That’s not a few bad apples, they all tried to scam you.

[AuroraClair]

Disgusting attitude from the mechanic when he was confronted. He didn't have even the decency to look at her while she was speaking to him and instead kept his eyes glued to the monitor. And the lame excuse he came up with was pathetic 😂... I really hope he lost his job there and consideres his actions in the future and how he choses to treat women.. cause you know what Billy, you never know 🙃

[localtavernsluteplayer]

you know that moment growing up when you realize your parents aren't geniuses?
I had that moment when I heard my mom tell a mechanic that she doesn't know anything about cars to his face

[JanecShannon]

I like how "we dropped the air filter on the floor" was apparently a good excuse for charging you for their own supposed mistake. Even if they had dropped it on the appropriate response is "we ruined your air filter so we'll replace it" 😒

[diablov]

She aint helping just the ladies, she's helping the bros who aren't well versed with their wheels too!

[SurvivorBri]

This was a great story. Busted! I hope Mickey was fired. I almost got taken one time for a fuel pump. The mechanic tried to sell me on the parts and labor for over $1, 500. I immediately thought it was BS. Found someone else who did the job for $600. He was very thorough and honest. Sadly there are so many scammers and con artists out there.

[BrokenStitches]

My sister and I (a woman) went to the auto repair part of Walmart the other day to have a flat tire repair (my dads car, sent us on a very specific mission). I was so scared they would try to trick us, but low and behold the guys there were so nice and informative. We ended up having to change the tire because the old one was really bad (my dad had already had a feeling it would be the case, but was hoping it would just need to be repaired) they didn't have our tires in stock, so they replaced the bad one with our spare and didn't even charge us anything! They were so kind and patient, honestly best-case scenario and I'm so thankful to them.
However, my good friend (who is also a female) has had the WORST experiences with not 1, but 2 different shops. Lying, up charging, and the worst part, her car STILL won't work.
I guess my point is that there are good mechanics and there are bad ones, and it never hurts to just say no to a repair and get a second opinion.

[bertgrau]

This is why I do my own maintenance and repairs.
I don't trust anyone. Sometimes I don't trust myself either.

[gogli]

The girl mechanic dressed in skirt, should have confronted the shop owners then and there asking about everything. They would have got the shock of their life.

[balzak]

The worst part with most "professionals" is when they get offended once they see you know your stuff. Some even get angry or even violent...

[Cindelle]

This happened to me many years ago took my car to get an oil change the guy wanted to charge me $185.00!! I told him I'd be back....my husband went inside the shop instead with the same car a few hours later and they told him it would be $39.00...these guys are unbelievable at times.

[tcullen]

Went with the girlfriend to the quick change oil service. She dropped me off outside before going in. I noticed a lot more activity around her car than I have ever had while getting an oil change. They had new air filter and new cabin air filters ready to install and had told her they needed to be replaced. Funny thing is I had just replaced them. So yes, women do get taken advantage of by many shops.

[theundone]

This is why, as a single mom, I taught my daughter how cars work. She has only had one shop try to sell her something she didn’t need, and she caught onto it and got a second opinion.

[DreamBelief]

I'm so grateful for my husband's friend being a hobby mechanic. When something seems suspicious we check with him. He's saved us so much

[adddyrose]

i am a 29 year old woman and i ALWAYS research what could possibly be wrong with my car before i bring it in. saved myself quite a bit of many doing so. always helps to not be totally clueless about cars.