FREE TAPATALK APP

Bikewer · 10th July 2012, 07:06 AM

Is it a universal tendency?
This morning, the NBC morning show did a segment on air-conditioning repair. They set up a sham house and a "resident", and had a certified AC firm check the outside unit which was working perfectly.
They then sabotaged the unit with a simple broken wire and set up outside cameras.....And called six different repair outfits.

Every single one tried to rip off the customer. The estimated actual cost for the repair (simply fixing the wiring) would have been around 200.00, this for the labor and the house call.

But the lowest estimate given was almost twice that and the highest nearly a thousand, with the repairmen almost all wanting to install parts, one even a part that was not on this particular unit.
All fled without much comment on being confronted by the reporter and the camera crew, and only one company, contacted later, said they were firing the technician. Most "stood by" their man's assessment.
We have seen this sort of thing with the auto-repair folks as well; it's almost legendary especially if the customer is female.
I've handled calls along this line; I broke up a disturbance at a local garage years ago where it turned out the elderly customer had been told he needed a "new carburetor" as his car wasn't running right.
Suspicious, he secretly marked the carb and set up an apointment.
Picking up his car, he found that his carb had merely been cleaned up in the parts-washer and re-installed, and he'd been charged hundreds for a new one.
I wonder how much this sort of thing goes on in the area of computer repair? There are many thousands of users who simply like to get online and chat with friends...And who are clueless as to the operation of the mysterious machine.
They are sitting ducks....

Is this a universal trend? It seems depressingly common; I suspect it just gets into the culture of certain businesses. "Never give a sucker an even break."

Multivac · 10th July 2012, 07:29 AM

Originally Posted by Bikewer

Is it a universal tendency?
This morning, the NBC morning show did a segment on air-conditioning repair. They set up a sham house and a "resident", and had a certified AC firm check the outside unit which was working perfectly.
They then sabotaged the unit with a simple broken wire and set up outside cameras.....And called six different repair outfits.

Every single one tried to rip off the customer. The estimated actual cost for the repair (simply fixing the wiring) would have been around 200.00, this for the labor and the house call.

But the lowest estimate given was almost twice that and the highest nearly a thousand, with the repairmen almost all wanting to install parts, one even a part that was not on this particular unit.
All fled without much comment on being confronted by the reporter and the camera crew, and only one company, contacted later, said they were firing the technician. Most "stood by" their man's assessment.
We have seen this sort of thing with the auto-repair folks as well; it's almost legendary especially if the customer is female.
I've handled calls along this line; I broke up a disturbance at a local garage years ago where it turned out the elderly customer had been told he needed a "new carburetor" as his car wasn't running right.
Suspicious, he secretly marked the carb and set up an apointment.
Picking up his car, he found that his carb had merely been cleaned up in the parts-washer and re-installed, and he'd been charged hundreds for a new one.
I wonder how much this sort of thing goes on in the area of computer repair? There are many thousands of users who simply like to get online and chat with friends...And who are clueless as to the operation of the mysterious machine.
They are sitting ducks....

Is this a universal trend? It seems depressingly common; I suspect it just gets into the culture of certain businesses. "Never give a sucker an even break."

There are similar TV programmes in the UK, where they will induce a fault in a washing machine, or block a drain, install cameras and an actor to pretend to be the home owner, and ask companies to quote for the work and carry outthe repair. In these programmes they generally only callout companies who have already been reported to them as being dodgy, rather than companies that do a proper job for a decent price.

But, to answer your question, it does seem to be a universal trait that a minority will always try to rip people off.

DuvalHMFIC · 10th July 2012, 07:42 AM

I'm a fitness equipment technician, and in addition to running a refurbishing shop, I do repairs at gyms and homes for side money. Maybe the reason I'm not more successful is that I've never thought about lying to a customer before. I've never ripped anyone off. I usually even give them the option of buying the parts themselves, and only paying me to install them-so they know I'm not trying to make money off of the parts.

I suppose I'm in the minority, but I hope not. This is a reason it always pays to know SOMETHING about what you are getting fixed. Be it your AC, washing machine, or car.

Beerina · 10th July 2012, 07:49 AM

I have a buddy who took his car in for an oil change. They said he also needed a new serpentine belt. He declined. When driving down and out of their driveway, the belt snapped in half and fell off.

He went back and said you can replace it or I can call the police for vandalism. They replaced it for cost, no labor.

RenaissanceBiker · 10th July 2012, 07:52 AM

Flip side. I worked as a chimney sweep one summer. I visited a woman's house who had called to have her chimney cleaned. I looked at it and it was perfectly clean and in good working order. I told her that she didn't need a cleaning and charged her $20 for an inspection rather than $65 for a cleaning. She refused to pay because I "hadn't done anything." I told her that I drove halfway across town and inspected her chimney. I said, "You now have the knowledge that your chimney is safe and in good working order." She still stiffed me.

Modified · 10th July 2012, 08:05 AM

Originally Posted by Multivac

But, to answer your question, it does seem to be a universal trait that a minority will always try to rip people off.

In most of the shows where they select repair companies randomly out of the phone book, it seems to be about 2 out of 3, so not a minority.

crimresearch · 10th July 2012, 08:08 AM

Originally Posted by Bikewer

Is it a universal tendency?
This morning, the NBC morning show did a segment on air-conditioning repair. They set up a sham house and a "resident", and had a certified AC firm check the outside unit which was working perfectly.
They then sabotaged the unit with a simple broken wire and set up outside cameras.....And called six different repair outfits.

Every single one tried to rip off the customer. The estimated actual cost for the repair (simply fixing the wiring) would have been around 200.00, this for the labor and the house call.

But the lowest estimate given was almost twice that and the highest nearly a thousand, with the repairmen almost all wanting to install parts, one even a part that was not on this particular unit.
All fled without much comment on being confronted by the reporter and the camera crew, and only one company, contacted later, said they were firing the technician. Most "stood by" their man's assessment.
We have seen this sort of thing with the auto-repair folks as well; it's almost legendary especially if the customer is female.
I've handled calls along this line; I broke up a disturbance at a local garage years ago where it turned out the elderly customer had been told he needed a "new carburetor" as his car wasn't running right.
Suspicious, he secretly marked the carb and set up an apointment.
Picking up his car, he found that his carb had merely been cleaned up in the parts-washer and re-installed, and he'd been charged hundreds for a new one.
I wonder how much this sort of thing goes on in the area of computer repair? There are many thousands of users who simply like to get online and chat with friends...And who are clueless as to the operation of the mysterious machine.
They are sitting ducks....

Is this a universal trend? It seems depressingly common; I suspect it just gets into the culture of certain businesses. "Never give a sucker an even break."

Yep. Studies show it to be a primate tendency, why wouldn't it extend to humans?

Careyp74 · 10th July 2012, 08:11 AM

Originally Posted by RenaissanceBiker

She refused to pay because I "hadn't done anything."

You should have 'cleaned' it after that then. Just because it didn't need a cleaning, doesn't mean it can't be cleaned.

The Central Scrutinizer · 10th July 2012, 08:44 AM

Originally Posted by RenaissanceBiker

Flip side. I worked as a chimney sweep one summer. I visited a woman's house who had called to have her chimney cleaned. I looked at it and it was perfectly clean and in good working order. I told her that she didn't need a cleaning and charged her $20 for an inspection rather than $65 for a cleaning. She refused to pay because I "hadn't done anything." I told her that I drove halfway across town and inspected her chimney. I said, "You now have the knowledge that your chimney is safe and in good working order." She still stiffed me.

She wanted her other "chimney" serviced, if you get my drift.

Sabretooth · 10th July 2012, 09:22 AM

Originally Posted by The Central Scrutinizer

She wanted her other "chimney" serviced, if you get my drift.

Her house had two chimneys?

RenaissanceBiker · 10th July 2012, 10:05 AM

Originally Posted by The Central Scrutinizer

She wanted her other "chimney" serviced, if you get my drift.

Picture the well-tanned old lady in There's Something About Mary. On second thought, nevermind. That's probably what you WERE thinking of.

schplurg · 10th July 2012, 10:35 PM

Originally Posted by crimresearch

Yep. Studies show it to be a primate tendency, why wouldn't it extend to humans?

Recently I watched two small dogs that were given treats. They both landed by one dog and he growled at the other so it could have both. In the wild, if you share, you die.

I think selfishness or greed is simply some kind of survival instinct. Or it was

Doghouse Reilly · 10th July 2012, 11:01 PM

Originally Posted by Beerina

I have a buddy who took his car in for an oil change. They said he also needed a new serpentine belt. He declined. When driving down and out of their driveway, the belt snapped in half and fell off.

He went back and said you can replace it or I can call the police for vandalism. They replaced it for cost, no labor.

Not to imply that you are in any way misrepresenting the story, but I have to wonder if your friend is. This seems rather strange, since by replacing the belt for free they were basically admitting to sabotage. They could have just said, "See, we told you so" and what proof would your friend have had? There is no way the police would have done anything, and anyways the mechanic would have been able to say, "Yeah, we just told him the belt was about to give out, so no surprise there." I am very skeptical of this story. People who are willing to sabotage someone's car wouldn't cave in that easily, and would have a lot to lose by doing so, since by replacing it for free they would be creating evidence of malfeasance.

crimresearch · 10th July 2012, 11:14 PM

Originally Posted by schplurg

Recently I watched two small dogs that were given treats. They both landed by one dog and he growled at the other so it could have both. In the wild, if you share, you die.

I think selfishness or greed is simply some kind of survival instinct. Or it was

Well, the Token Reinforcement study showed that even when the chimpanzees had enough, and could get more, they would beat up the weaker ones and take their tokens...

And one of them insisted that the others start calling him 'The Donald'...

SezMe · 11th July 2012, 01:21 AM

Originally Posted by Modified

In most of the shows where they select repair companies randomly out of the phone book, it seems to be about 2 out of 3, so not a minority.

Dodgy conclusion. One does not know how the shows selected which bits to air and which to leave on the cutting room floor.

commandlinegamer · 11th July 2012, 03:42 AM

I perform computer repairs. I probably don't charge enough, mainly down to a general lack of self-confidence in my ability, though I might claim a reasonable level of success at fixing machines. The location I work in is not terribly affluent, and I try to pitch my costs at a level people will pay, as opposed to going elsewhere.

My MO is to charge an initial fee for basic diagnostics and administration (unless the fault is self-evident). I don't go fishing for every possible problem that might exist, though I do test for things that might prevent me getting to the root of the issue that the customer has complained of.

Dcdrac · 11th July 2012, 04:01 AM

On my way to work I used to pass a Quaker Assembly Room, now long snce demlolsihed, they used to have very thought provoking posters outside on their billboard one said:

there is enough for eveyone's need, but not for everyone's greed

The other was a bomb being dropped on a Mother and child which had the sentence:

The arms trade point of delivery.

Not religious but always admired the Quakers.

Careyp74 · 11th July 2012, 05:05 AM

Originally Posted by Doghouse Reilly

Not to imply that you are in any way misrepresenting the story, but I have to wonder if your friend is. This seems rather strange, since by replacing the belt for free they were basically admitting to sabotage. They could have just said, "See, we told you so" and what proof would your friend have had? There is no way the police would have done anything, and anyways the mechanic would have been able to say, "Yeah, we just told him the belt was about to give out, so no surprise there." I am very skeptical of this story. People who are willing to sabotage someone's car wouldn't cave in that easily, and would have a lot to lose by doing so, since by replacing it for free they would be creating evidence of malfeasance.

You can't say that their actions were admittance of anything. You could say, though, that if they didn't offer to replace it for free, then the cops would be able to determine any wrong doing. A belt that gets old and snaps on its own looks different from one that has been scored, or sanded down. One that has been damaged to the point of only lasting minutes would be really obvious.

I am sure that the price of the belt included a mark up, and on many cars it takes all of 5 minutes to replace it. That is basically how long it took for me to replace mine, since it wasn't technically a serpentine.

Careyp74 · 11th July 2012, 05:06 AM

Originally Posted by Dcdrac

On my way to work I used to pass a Quaker Assembly Room

I always thought that they came pre-assembled. Perhaps they have to glue on the beards and funny hats.

Halfcentaur · 11th July 2012, 05:26 AM

My sister had some kind of engine failure driving to college, and was left at the mercy of a small town mechanic. After my mother sent the money for a new engine, everything seemed okay. A few years later a friend of mine was working on the car when it was back in the state, he was knowledgeable about engines and all that jazz, and he discovered it was the same engine and only a part had been changed after my late mother had paid the bastard for a brand new engine.

Alt+F4 · 11th July 2012, 05:42 AM

Originally Posted by Bikewer

We have seen this sort of thing with the auto-repair folks as well; it's almost legendary especially if the customer is female.

I'm a middle aged woman who knows almost nothing about cars. A few years ago I took my car to garage #1 because it was making "strange noises". Mechanic drives it around the block, comes back and says, "Lady there is nothing wrong with your car, it's just getting a bit older". (Like me, I guess

)

A few weeks ago, the engine warning light came on. I go to garage #2 (I had moved so garage #1 was not convenient anymore). Mechanic looks at my car and says, "Lady, your gas cap is undone, that's why the light is on". He resets the light for me, tells me I look like his aunt and sends me on my merry way.

As Anne Frank once said (or maybe she said it a bunch of times, I don't know), "In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”

Sir Robin Goodfellow · 11th July 2012, 06:46 AM

I've worked in automotive repair for almost twenty years now, and I've never seen anything shady from my employer or co-workers. If anything, we've done thousands of dollars of work for free over the years. No doubt there are some bad shops, but don't paint everyone with the same brush.

crimresearch · 11th July 2012, 06:54 AM

Originally Posted by Sir Robin Goodfellow

I've worked in automotive repair for almost twenty years now, and I've never seen anything shady from my employer or co-workers. If anything, we've done thousands of dollars of work for free over the years. No doubt there are some bad shops, but don't paint everyone with the same brush.

There are good shops. I've managed to find someone trustworthy every place I've lived, but it took some doing.

Yet 'some bad shops' keep winding up in such numbers on these hidden camera exposes, going back to when 60 Minutes was brand new.

crimresearch · 11th July 2012, 06:55 AM

Originally Posted by Careyp74

I always thought that they came pre-assembled. Perhaps they have to glue on the beards and funny hats.

It's actually the dry cleaning room.

TjW · 11th July 2012, 07:35 AM

Once upon a time, I took my truck in for an oil change. I was informed that my fuel injectors needed cleaning. This seemed unlikely, since it was carburetted, not fuel injected.

I eventually started taking my cars to my wife's college roommate's father. His shop was some distance away, but he was honest. Every time I was in there, the place was packed.
I'm of the opinion that a good honest mechanic can charge more than the discount shops and still have all the business he can handle.

Alt+F4 · 11th July 2012, 07:40 AM

Originally Posted by Sabretooth

Her house had two chimneys?

No, it's true. I saw it on the Tyra Banks Show, so it must be true.

The show was titled, "5 Women, 10 Vaginas".

Modified · 11th July 2012, 08:32 AM

Originally Posted by SezMe

Dodgy conclusion. One does not know how the shows selected which bits to air and which to leave on the cutting room floor.

Usually they state the total number of honest and dishonest ones they encountered, though they may only show some of them.

TragicMonkey · 11th July 2012, 08:57 AM

Originally Posted by crimresearch

Well, the Token Reinforcement study showed that even when the chimpanzees had enough, and could get more, they would beat up the weaker ones and take their tokens...

In the similar Tolkien Reinforcement study, several of the chimps got together and forged Rings of Power.

Manopolus · 11th July 2012, 08:58 AM

Originally Posted by Modified

Usually they state the total number of honest and dishonest ones they encountered, though they may only show some of them.

You do realize that the most dishonest industry in existence is not auto repair, etc. It's the entertainment industry. It doesn't matter if it is true -- what matters is if it's what their sponsors want the consumer to hear, and also what consumers themselves want to hear.

Modified · 11th July 2012, 03:08 PM

Originally Posted by Manopolus

You do realize that the most dishonest industry in existence is not auto repair, etc. It's the entertainment industry. It doesn't matter if it is true -- what matters is if it's what their sponsors want the consumer to hear, and also what consumers themselves want to hear.

Certainly most repairmen are honest most of the time. It's not like 2/3 of all repairs are unnecessary. The shows know how to get the occasionally dishonest ones to show it - provide a customer who appears to be clueless along with a problem that is trivial but stops the device from working. That 2/3 of them will go for it in those circumstances is not surprising at all.

10th July 2012, 07:49 AM	#4
Beerina Sarcastic Conqueror of Notions Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: A floating island above the clouds Posts: 23,835	I have a buddy who took his car in for an oil change. They said he also needed a new serpentine belt. He declined. When driving down and out of their driveway, the belt snapped in half and fell off. He went back and said you can replace it or I can call the police for vandalism. They replaced it for cost, no labor.
	__________________ "Great innovations should not be forced [by way of] slender majorities." - Thomas Jefferson The government should nationalize it! Socialized, single-payer video game development and sales *now!* More, cheaper, better games, right? Right?

10th July 2012, 07:52 AM	#5
RenaissanceBiker Eats shoots and leaves. Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: South Carolina Posts: 6,869	Flip side. I worked as a chimney sweep one summer. I visited a woman's house who had called to have her chimney cleaned. I looked at it and it was perfectly clean and in good working order. I told her that she didn't need a cleaning and charged her $20 for an inspection rather than $65 for a cleaning. She refused to pay because I "hadn't done anything." I told her that I drove halfway across town and inspected her chimney. I said, "You now have the knowledge that your chimney is safe and in good working order." She still stiffed me.
	__________________ "Truth does not contradict truth." - St. Augustine "Faith often contradicts faith. Therefore faith is not an indication of truth." - RenaissanceBiker

10th July 2012, 08:08 AM	#7
crimresearch Alumbrado Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 10,618	Originally Posted by Bikewer Is it a universal tendency? This morning, the NBC morning show did a segment on air-conditioning repair. They set up a sham house and a "resident", and had a certified AC firm check the outside unit which was working perfectly. They then sabotaged the unit with a simple broken wire and set up outside cameras.....And called six different repair outfits. Every single one tried to rip off the customer. The estimated actual cost for the repair (simply fixing the wiring) would have been around 200.00, this for the labor and the house call. But the lowest estimate given was almost twice that and the highest nearly a thousand, with the repairmen almost all wanting to install parts, one even a part that was not on this particular unit. All fled without much comment on being confronted by the reporter and the camera crew, and only one company, contacted later, said they were firing the technician. Most "stood by" their man's assessment. We have seen this sort of thing with the auto-repair folks as well; it's almost legendary especially if the customer is female. I've handled calls along this line; I broke up a disturbance at a local garage years ago where it turned out the elderly customer had been told he needed a "new carburetor" as his car wasn't running right. Suspicious, he secretly marked the carb and set up an apointment. Picking up his car, he found that his carb had merely been cleaned up in the parts-washer and re-installed, and he'd been charged hundreds for a new one. I wonder how much this sort of thing goes on in the area of computer repair? There are many thousands of users who simply like to get online and chat with friends...And who are clueless as to the operation of the mysterious machine. They are sitting ducks.... Is this a universal trend? It seems depressingly common; I suspect it just gets into the culture of certain businesses. "Never give a sucker an even break." Yep. Studies show it to be a primate tendency, why wouldn't it extend to humans?
crimresearch Alumbrado Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 10,618

10th July 2012, 08:44 AM	#9
The Central Scrutinizer Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: The White Zone Posts: 42,585	Originally Posted by RenaissanceBiker Flip side. I worked as a chimney sweep one summer. I visited a woman's house who had called to have her chimney cleaned. I looked at it and it was perfectly clean and in good working order. I told her that she didn't need a cleaning and charged her $20 for an inspection rather than $65 for a cleaning. She refused to pay because I "hadn't done anything." I told her that I drove halfway across town and inspected her chimney. I said, "You now have the knowledge that your chimney is safe and in good working order." She still stiffed me. She wanted her other "chimney" serviced, if you get my drift.
	__________________ If I see somebody with a gun on a plane? I'll kill him.

10th July 2012, 09:22 AM	#10
Sabretooth No Ordinary Rabbit Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Wyoming, NY Posts: 6,232	Originally Posted by The Central Scrutinizer She wanted her other "chimney" serviced, if you get my drift. Her house had two chimneys?
	__________________ -------------------------------------- Stop asking me about that stupid fruity cereal...that's the OTHER rabbit!

10th July 2012, 07:06 AM	#1
Bikewer Philosopher Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: St. Louis, Mo. Posts: 9,615	Human greed... Is it a universal tendency? This morning, the NBC morning show did a segment on air-conditioning repair. They set up a sham house and a "resident", and had a certified AC firm check the outside unit which was working perfectly. They then sabotaged the unit with a simple broken wire and set up outside cameras.....And called six different repair outfits. Every single one tried to rip off the customer. The estimated actual cost for the repair (simply fixing the wiring) would have been around 200.00, this for the labor and the house call. But the lowest estimate given was almost twice that and the highest nearly a thousand, with the repairmen almost all wanting to install parts, one even a part that was not on this particular unit. All fled without much comment on being confronted by the reporter and the camera crew, and only one company, contacted later, said they were firing the technician. Most "stood by" their man's assessment. We have seen this sort of thing with the auto-repair folks as well; it's almost legendary especially if the customer is female. I've handled calls along this line; I broke up a disturbance at a local garage years ago where it turned out the elderly customer had been told he needed a "new carburetor" as his car wasn't running right. Suspicious, he secretly marked the carb and set up an apointment. Picking up his car, he found that his carb had merely been cleaned up in the parts-washer and re-installed, and he'd been charged hundreds for a new one. I wonder how much this sort of thing goes on in the area of computer repair? There are many thousands of users who simply like to get online and chat with friends...And who are clueless as to the operation of the mysterious machine. They are sitting ducks.... Is this a universal trend? It seems depressingly common; I suspect it just gets into the culture of certain businesses. "Never give a sucker an even break."

10th July 2012, 07:29 AM	#2
Multivac Master Poster Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 2,003	Originally Posted by Bikewer Is it a universal tendency? This morning, the NBC morning show did a segment on air-conditioning repair. They set up a sham house and a "resident", and had a certified AC firm check the outside unit which was working perfectly. They then sabotaged the unit with a simple broken wire and set up outside cameras.....And called six different repair outfits. Every single one tried to rip off the customer. The estimated actual cost for the repair (simply fixing the wiring) would have been around 200.00, this for the labor and the house call. But the lowest estimate given was almost twice that and the highest nearly a thousand, with the repairmen almost all wanting to install parts, one even a part that was not on this particular unit. All fled without much comment on being confronted by the reporter and the camera crew, and only one company, contacted later, said they were firing the technician. Most "stood by" their man's assessment. We have seen this sort of thing with the auto-repair folks as well; it's almost legendary especially if the customer is female. I've handled calls along this line; I broke up a disturbance at a local garage years ago where it turned out the elderly customer had been told he needed a "new carburetor" as his car wasn't running right. Suspicious, he secretly marked the carb and set up an apointment. Picking up his car, he found that his carb had merely been cleaned up in the parts-washer and re-installed, and he'd been charged hundreds for a new one. I wonder how much this sort of thing goes on in the area of computer repair? There are many thousands of users who simply like to get online and chat with friends...And who are clueless as to the operation of the mysterious machine. They are sitting ducks.... Is this a universal trend? It seems depressingly common; I suspect it just gets into the culture of certain businesses. "Never give a sucker an even break." There are similar TV programmes in the UK, where they will induce a fault in a washing machine, or block a drain, install cameras and an actor to pretend to be the home owner, and ask companies to quote for the work and carry outthe repair. In these programmes they generally only callout companies who have already been reported to them as being dodgy, rather than companies that do a proper job for a decent price. But, to answer your question, it does seem to be a universal trait that a minority will always try to rip people off.
Multivac Master Poster Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 2,003	Last edited by Multivac; 10th July 2012 at 07:31 AM.

10th July 2012, 07:42 AM	#3
DuvalHMFIC Thinker Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 213	I'm a fitness equipment technician, and in addition to running a refurbishing shop, I do repairs at gyms and homes for side money. Maybe the reason I'm not more successful is that I've never thought about lying to a customer before. I've never ripped anyone off. I usually even give them the option of buying the parts themselves, and only paying me to install them-so they know I'm not trying to make money off of the parts. I suppose I'm in the minority, but I hope not. This is a reason it always pays to know SOMETHING about what you are getting fixed. Be it your AC, washing machine, or car.

10th July 2012, 08:05 AM	#6
Modified Illuminator Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: SW Florida Posts: 4,062	Originally Posted by Multivac But, to answer your question, it does seem to be a universal trait that a minority will always try to rip people off. In most of the shows where they select repair companies randomly out of the phone book, it seems to be about 2 out of 3, so not a minority.

10th July 2012, 08:11 AM	#8
Careyp74 Illuminator Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Trevose, PA Posts: 3,407	Originally Posted by RenaissanceBiker She refused to pay because I "hadn't done anything." You should have 'cleaned' it after that then. Just because it didn't need a cleaning, doesn't mean it can't be cleaned.

10th July 2012, 10:05 AM	#11
RenaissanceBiker Eats shoots and leaves. Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: South Carolina Posts: 6,869	Originally Posted by The Central Scrutinizer She wanted her other "chimney" serviced, if you get my drift. Picture the well-tanned old lady in There's Something About Mary. On second thought, nevermind. That's probably what you WERE thinking of.
	__________________ "Truth does not contradict truth." - St. Augustine "Faith often contradicts faith. Therefore faith is not an indication of truth." - RenaissanceBiker

10th July 2012, 10:35 PM	#12
schplurg Muse Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 933	Originally Posted by crimresearch Yep. Studies show it to be a primate tendency, why wouldn't it extend to humans? Recently I watched two small dogs that were given treats. They both landed by one dog and he growled at the other so it could have both. In the wild, if you share, you die. I think selfishness or greed is simply some kind of survival instinct. Or it was
schplurg Muse Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 933

10th July 2012, 11:01 PM	#13
Doghouse Reilly Adrift on an uncharted sea Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 555	Originally Posted by Beerina I have a buddy who took his car in for an oil change. They said he also needed a new serpentine belt. He declined. When driving down and out of their driveway, the belt snapped in half and fell off. He went back and said you can replace it or I can call the police for vandalism. They replaced it for cost, no labor. Not to imply that you are in any way misrepresenting the story, but I have to wonder if your friend is. This seems rather strange, since by replacing the belt for free they were basically admitting to sabotage. They could have just said, "See, we told you so" and what proof would your friend have had? There is no way the police would have done anything, and anyways the mechanic would have been able to say, "Yeah, we just told him the belt was about to give out, so no surprise there." I am very skeptical of this story. People who are willing to sabotage someone's car wouldn't cave in that easily, and would have a lot to lose by doing so, since by replacing it for free they would be creating evidence of malfeasance.
	Last edited by Doghouse Reilly; 10th July 2012 at 11:07 PM.

10th July 2012, 11:14 PM	#14
crimresearch Alumbrado Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 10,618	Originally Posted by schplurg Recently I watched two small dogs that were given treats. They both landed by one dog and he growled at the other so it could have both. In the wild, if you share, you die. I think selfishness or greed is simply some kind of survival instinct. Or it was Well, the Token Reinforcement study showed that even when the chimpanzees had enough, and could get more, they would beat up the weaker ones and take their tokens... And one of them insisted that the others start calling him 'The Donald'...
crimresearch Alumbrado Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 10,618

11th July 2012, 01:21 AM	#15
SezMe post-pre-born Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Santa Barbara, CA Posts: 16,650	Originally Posted by Modified In most of the shows where they select repair companies randomly out of the phone book, it seems to be about 2 out of 3, so not a minority. Dodgy conclusion. One does not know how the shows selected which bits to air and which to leave on the cutting room floor.

11th July 2012, 03:42 AM	#16
commandlinegamer Philosopher Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Mazes of Menace Posts: 5,994	I perform computer repairs. I probably don't charge enough, mainly down to a general lack of self-confidence in my ability, though I might claim a reasonable level of success at fixing machines. The location I work in is not terribly affluent, and I try to pitch my costs at a level people will pay, as opposed to going elsewhere. My MO is to charge an initial fee for basic diagnostics and administration (unless the fault is self-evident). I don't go fishing for every possible problem that might exist, though I do test for things that might prevent me getting to the root of the issue that the customer has complained of.
	__________________ He bade me take any rug in the house.

11th July 2012, 04:01 AM	#17
Dcdrac Illuminator Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 3,896	On my way to work I used to pass a Quaker Assembly Room, now long snce demlolsihed, they used to have very thought provoking posters outside on their billboard one said: there is enough for eveyone's need, but not for everyone's greed The other was a bomb being dropped on a Mother and child which had the sentence: The arms trade point of delivery. Not religious but always admired the Quakers.
Dcdrac Illuminator Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 3,896

11th July 2012, 05:05 AM	#18
Careyp74 Illuminator Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Trevose, PA Posts: 3,407	Originally Posted by Doghouse Reilly Not to imply that you are in any way misrepresenting the story, but I have to wonder if your friend is. This seems rather strange, since by replacing the belt for free they were basically admitting to sabotage. They could have just said, "See, we told you so" and what proof would your friend have had? There is no way the police would have done anything, and anyways the mechanic would have been able to say, "Yeah, we just told him the belt was about to give out, so no surprise there." I am very skeptical of this story. People who are willing to sabotage someone's car wouldn't cave in that easily, and would have a lot to lose by doing so, since by replacing it for free they would be creating evidence of malfeasance. You can't say that their actions were admittance of anything. You could say, though, that if they didn't offer to replace it for free, then the cops would be able to determine any wrong doing. A belt that gets old and snaps on its own looks different from one that has been scored, or sanded down. One that has been damaged to the point of only lasting minutes would be really obvious. I am sure that the price of the belt included a mark up, and on many cars it takes all of 5 minutes to replace it. That is basically how long it took for me to replace mine, since it wasn't technically a serpentine.

11th July 2012, 05:06 AM	#19
Careyp74 Illuminator Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Trevose, PA Posts: 3,407	Originally Posted by Dcdrac On my way to work I used to pass a Quaker Assembly Room I always thought that they came pre-assembled. Perhaps they have to glue on the beards and funny hats.

11th July 2012, 05:26 AM	#20
Halfcentaur Philosopher Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 6,004	My sister had some kind of engine failure driving to college, and was left at the mercy of a small town mechanic. After my mother sent the money for a new engine, everything seemed okay. A few years later a friend of mine was working on the car when it was back in the state, he was knowledgeable about engines and all that jazz, and he discovered it was the same engine and only a part had been changed after my late mother had paid the bastard for a brand new engine.
Halfcentaur Philosopher Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 6,004

11th July 2012, 05:42 AM	#21
Alt+F4 diabolical globalist Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Department of Abandoned Places Posts: 9,804	Originally Posted by Bikewer We have seen this sort of thing with the auto-repair folks as well; it's almost legendary especially if the customer is female. I'm a middle aged woman who knows almost nothing about cars. A few years ago I took my car to garage #1 because it was making "strange noises". Mechanic drives it around the block, comes back and says, "Lady there is nothing wrong with your car, it's just getting a bit older". (Like me, I guess ) A few weeks ago, the engine warning light came on. I go to garage #2 (I had moved so garage #1 was not convenient anymore). Mechanic looks at my car and says, "Lady, your gas cap is undone, that's why the light is on". He resets the light for me, tells me I look like his aunt and sends me on my merry way. As Anne Frank once said (or maybe she said it a bunch of times, I don't know), "In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”
	__________________ "My folks touched a lot of kids." - Jerry Sandusky Last edited by Alt+F4; 11th July 2012 at 05:44 AM.

11th July 2012, 06:46 AM	#22
Sir Robin Goodfellow Master Poster Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Estevan (wear da fox hat) Posts: 2,751	I've worked in automotive repair for almost twenty years now, and I've never seen anything shady from my employer or co-workers. If anything, we've done thousands of dollars of work for free over the years. No doubt there are some bad shops, but don't paint everyone with the same brush.

11th July 2012, 06:54 AM	#23
crimresearch Alumbrado Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 10,618	Originally Posted by Sir Robin Goodfellow I've worked in automotive repair for almost twenty years now, and I've never seen anything shady from my employer or co-workers. If anything, we've done thousands of dollars of work for free over the years. No doubt there are some bad shops, but don't paint everyone with the same brush. There are good shops. I've managed to find someone trustworthy every place I've lived, but it took some doing. Yet 'some bad shops' keep winding up in such numbers on these hidden camera exposes, going back to when 60 Minutes was brand new.
crimresearch Alumbrado Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 10,618

11th July 2012, 06:55 AM	#24
crimresearch Alumbrado Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 10,618	Originally Posted by Careyp74 I always thought that they came pre-assembled. Perhaps they have to glue on the beards and funny hats. It's actually the dry cleaning room.
crimresearch Alumbrado Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 10,618

11th July 2012, 07:35 AM	#25
TjW Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: up in the air Posts: 10,114	Once upon a time, I took my truck in for an oil change. I was informed that my fuel injectors needed cleaning. This seemed unlikely, since it was carburetted, not fuel injected. I eventually started taking my cars to my wife's college roommate's father. His shop was some distance away, but he was honest. Every time I was in there, the place was packed. I'm of the opinion that a good honest mechanic can charge more than the discount shops and still have all the business he can handle.
	__________________ TjW People like TjW -- Kelly

11th July 2012, 07:40 AM	#26
Alt+F4 diabolical globalist Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Department of Abandoned Places Posts: 9,804	Originally Posted by Sabretooth Her house had two chimneys? No, it's true. I saw it on the Tyra Banks Show, so it must be true. The show was titled, "5 Women, 10 Vaginas".
	__________________ "My folks touched a lot of kids." - Jerry Sandusky

11th July 2012, 08:32 AM	#27
Modified Illuminator Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: SW Florida Posts: 4,062	Originally Posted by SezMe Dodgy conclusion. One does not know how the shows selected which bits to air and which to leave on the cutting room floor. Usually they state the total number of honest and dishonest ones they encountered, though they may only show some of them.

11th July 2012, 08:57 AM	#28
TragicMonkey Poisoned Waffles Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Monkey Posts: 30,291	Originally Posted by crimresearch Well, the Token Reinforcement study showed that even when the chimpanzees had enough, and could get more, they would beat up the weaker ones and take their tokens... In the similar Tolkien Reinforcement study, several of the chimps got together and forged Rings of Power.
	__________________ One cannot expect wisdom to flow from a pumpkin.

11th July 2012, 08:58 AM	#29
Manopolus Metaphorical Anomaly Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Linn, Kansas (a.k.a. Dead center of Nowhere) Posts: 3,092	Originally Posted by Modified Usually they state the total number of honest and dishonest ones they encountered, though they may only show some of them. You do realize that the most dishonest industry in existence is not auto repair, etc. It's the entertainment industry. It doesn't matter if it is true -- what matters is if it's what their sponsors want the consumer to hear, and also what consumers themselves want to hear.
	Last edited by Manopolus; 11th July 2012 at 08:59 AM.

11th July 2012, 03:08 PM	#30
Modified Illuminator Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: SW Florida Posts: 4,062	Originally Posted by Manopolus You do realize that the most dishonest industry in existence is not auto repair, etc. It's the entertainment industry. It doesn't matter if it is true -- what matters is if it's what their sponsors want the consumer to hear, and also what consumers themselves want to hear. Certainly most repairmen are honest most of the time. It's not like 2/3 of all repairs are unnecessary. The shows know how to get the occasionally dishonest ones to show it - provide a customer who appears to be clueless along with a problem that is trivial but stops the device from working. That 2/3 of them will go for it in those circumstances is not surprising at all.