So I had read a few reviews on this company that they are price gougers, but I don't like to trust google reviews so I've gone to this place twice. The First time I gave them a specific budget and said I can't pay more than this and can't approve costs higher than this. They said they really thought they could do the price. As the day went on they found additional problems with the car and said oh we need to charge you $300-400 more than what I had given them as a budget. I understood that they needed to pay the price but I asked them if they were able to get the work we initially spoke on, just my breaks and rotors and a sensor at the price quoted. They said that they couldn't promise the car would work if we just did that work. Remembering that I had read about price gouging, I told them I would prefer to take the car to another shop and get another quote on all the work. The attendant became upset and told me fine to come get my car. To which they sent an uber, after I asked about it, and halfway on the way they told called me and said. "Don't worry about it, we are going to do with work at the OG price quoted." I said "please don't discount things I'm happy to pay the full price if I don't find a better offer. I just don't have the budget today." They said "oh no just leave it with us overnight and we'll do the og price." When I went to pick up the car, Chad, said "don't believe every review you read." But they did the work at the OG price which made me feel like I dodged a bit of a bullet and they might actually have been trying to. But I let it go because I was soooo grateful for the work and Toby reached out to me later and was so kind and respectful and even sent a gift card for me, totally unnecessary. Well come to the second time I came to the show the car is because I've been trying to get the tail light of my 2014 Nissan Altima out. I've removed all the bolts according to the manual and the university of YouTube and it wouldn't come out. Chad was kind enough to come out and look at my car which I was grateful for, he seemed super confident he could just get it out. And of course, he struggled and couldn't get it out. Now I can replace the blub and do everything else myself. All I needed was the light pulled out. Price quoted, $150. $150 to get the light pulled out. That's just too crazy. I called a few other shops and no one has quoted this price. I wanted to give them a second chance cause I had used them many times in the past 10 years. But always at the Sandy Location. I am bummed that I feel I need to find a new mechanic in my area, but I also think there may be a bit of truth to the reviews that claim they are overcharging.
We're very sorry and sad that you feel you need to find another mechanic because we want to be your mechanic. First of all, we don't get to decide what's broken on your vehicle nor how much it will cost to fix it correctly, this fact can make it pretty hard to make a repair fit into any predetermined budget. We can do any job for the same price as anyone else in our industry as long as we do the job the same way they're doing it, but that doesn't mean they're doing it the right way! As far as the estimate for $150 to remove the light, we have the practice of estimating the worst case scenario "up front" rather than under estimating a job, which is the common practice in our industry, invariably leading to the unwelcomed phone call asking for more money, just like your unhappy experience you pointed out above. Sometimes it just isn't possible to know all the facts until you get involved with a repair which can lead to that dreaded phone call. On the other hand, if we suspect up front that something could be difficult or time consuming we'll estimate the "worst case scenario" and then reduce the price if the job turns out to be easier than expected. It seems all of this may not have been explained to you and we'd love the chance to prove to you that we really do put our clients first. Obviously we're not perfect, but when we miss the mark we'll do whatever it takes to make it right. If you have any questions please call me at 801-694-7936, thank you! - Richard (Owner)
- Steve's Automotive Specialists