Do women get a fair deal with tradespeople/mechanics?

[JMemonic]

I do have a problem finding a builder, gardener, painter ... it seems like all the ones that I know are honest and trustworthy have so much work on that they are booked up for years ahead.

Which kind of says it all, really.

I can help with the builder and painter let me know and I will get their names to you.

[enigma51]

And I bet they all run the opposite direction laughing loudly........

More a case of being scared of what it might do to them

[JMemonic]

Having been in several industries now where these situations occurs I can say its not only females that get ripped off, its not only males or tradesman who do this ripping off, and surprisingly the ones who do the ripping off seem to build a following that allows them to if not blatant about it continue to rip folks off.

Take care, check job sheets etc, and never get to the point where you trust the "professional" to the point that you do not check what you are paying for, be prepared to question that which you don't understand, any good business will have staff prepared to assist you, answer questions and generally make you feel welcome.

Unfortunately there are rip off merchants out there, and certain events have pit falls as well, trust me mention wedding and prices go up, as do flowers around Valentines day, petrol around long weekends etc.

[karla]

I can help with the builder and painter let me know and I will get their names to you.

I have my eye on a painter (worth waiting for) but I'll get the builders name off you on Wed, if that's ok.

[FROSTY:Me]

Actually Id say less and less females are "targets" but by gosh it gets me seething when I see some of the "servicing" bills older people are paying on their cars.
One old bloke had his cambelt replaced TWICE in 50000km and was charged About $1000 a time on a friggin corolla ($400 job)
Or the poor old dear that was given a $2500 quote to fix a list of "urgent WOF items" She decided not to bother and traded her car in.I put it through for a WOF at a reputable testing station. HMM flew through.
-Incidently in BOTH cases the culprits were the AA sevice centre in Devonport.

[Xaria]

My Mother used to have this problem with our local mechanic. She solced it by writing a note saying "Roley says we need..."

I used to have a mate take my car for its WOF. A couple of times it got through even though it probably shouldn't. (Get this seen to pretty quickly please...)

My car is booked into a new mechanic on the same block as my work. I know it is good to keep going back to the same guy and we get most of our work vehicles done there so we get good rates.

I just resent paying money for stuff for my car you know? Would rather it went towards the next bike

[enigma51]

Actually Id say less and less females are "targets" but by gosh it gets me seething when I see some of the "servicing" bills older people are paying on their cars.
One old bloke had his cambelt replaced TWICE in 50000km and was charged About $1000 a time on a friggin corolla ($400 job)
Or the poor old dear that was given a $2500 quote to fix a list of "urgent WOF items" She decided not to bother and traded her car in.I put it through for a WOF at a reputable testing station. HMM flew through.
-Incidently in BOTH cases the culprits were the AA sevice centre in Devonport.

My mother in law got told her wheel bearings where fucked but they will pass the wof for her if she gets it fixed with them

Took it to toyota ...... nothing wrong with the wheel bearings

[barty5]

I have automotive repair shop in newmarket and we pride ourselves on being honest to our customers. We hold all parts removed from vehicles untill customer has left, Parts are shown to anyone who wishes to see them and in a lot of cases we show the customer the faulty or worn parts before they are even removed so they can see for themselves if they are unsure.
This type of business requires a lot of trust from your customers if you are to get repeat work from them. All jobs are explained before they take place and the reasons why should be done.

[martybabe]

I have automotive repair shop in newmarket and we pride ourselves on being honest to our customers. We hold all parts removed from vehicles until customer has left, Parts are shown to anyone who wishes to see them and in a lot of cases we show the customer the faulty or worn parts before they are even removed so they can see for themselves if they are unsure.
This type of business requires a lot of trust from your customers if you are to get repeat work from them. All jobs are explained before they take place and the reasons why should be done.

And it works too, you'd have my business if I lived up there.It's bad enough paying out money for routine or unbudgeted for jobs but to be ill treated and ripped off because you're a woman, old or are not blessed with mechanical savvy is criminal stinkage of the highest order.

[HungusMaximist]

Just remember, Karma has it's ways with lairs, cheats, and con-artists..

And that they have to go to bed every night knowing that tomorrow just might be the day that they're gonna get caught out or fucked.

[Beemer]

I've had a few tradespeople try and rip me off but they don't get the work and I tell everyone about my experience so it backfires somewhat! We got quotes for having our two bathrooms lined in seratone and new fixtures installed. First guy says $6000 for labour alone, second guy never turns up but says about $10,000 including fixtures and fittings and labour, third guy says 'at least' $8000 for labour alone - and that was for ONE bathoom, not both. Ended up asking a mate for a referral and he put us on to two guys who did the building AND plumbing work for $3500 and the all-up cost (including new flooring) was about $10,000 for both bathrooms.

Took the car to Mexted Motors in Tawa for its first service as that's where we bought it from (second-hand) and there is no Mitsubishi dealer in Levin. Bird crapped on the windscreen as I was pulling in and I didn't want to smear it all over the place so I didn't wash it off. Picked up the car later that day (after having to put fuel in their courtesy car as it was on empty when they gave it to me) and paid the bill. Looked at it when I got home and found they had claimed to have checked the operation of the windscreen wipers and the wiper fluid reservoir. Really? Well how come the bird crap was still splashed all over the bloody windscreen? My husband checked and found we'd been charged for a new air filter or something that hadn't been changed either, but we got very little action when we complained. Guess what? Despite good service when we bought the car, we will NEVER buy anything from them again, and nor will we get the car serviced there again.

However, we get great service from the local Firestone guys - many times they have fixed punctures or removed tyres from bike rims for free and they always give us a good deal when we buy tyres. Same goes for the guys who built our front porch. We didn't really know what we wanted but they translated our vague ideas into something that has exceeded our expectations - and the price was pretty good too.

Unfortunately there are some people out there who think it's the done thing to rip people of both genders off, and they do it until they get caught out. I got told once by a computer repairman that I needed a new high-spec motherboard for my Mac. Rang the agent in Christchurch and was told it was highly likely the battery was nearly dead and that I should try replacing that first. "Tell you what," the guy said, "I'll send you a new battery and if that doesn't work, just send it back". It worked perfectly and was about $30 rather than $800!

We had new flooring laid in the ensuite and it lifted and bubbled near the door the following day. I rang and they sent someone out to fix it (two young guys who had a combined age - and IQ - of less than 40) but they managed to leave huge wrinkles where they had pulled it up to reglue it, and there was a 1cm cut in the edge where the metal strip was. I pointed it out to them and said I wasn't happy, so the owner came out and looked at it that night. He said it wouldn't get any worse, but I just said "if it were in YOUR bathroom, would you be happy? I've waited FIVE YEARS to have the money to get this bathroom renovated and I am not prepared to have a cut in the lino the day it is finished. I would like it replaced please." He could see I wasn't happy, so he said he could replace it or give us a discount and for me to talk it over with my husband that night and let him know what we wanted. We weren't keen to have damaged lino (they had put some sort of sealant over it and that was a different colour to the lino) so we said we wanted it replaced. They then had to pay to have the plumber come back and remove the vanity and toilet he'd just installed, and reinstall it when they were finished. So I'd say their profit went out the window - but at least they remedied the problem.

I think a lot of the trouble is caused by people not questioning the work or not complaining if they are not happy. What's wrong with complaining and still never using their services again!

[Sarah1298kk]

New to Kiwibiker.co,

Hate to be a new user but I thought that I would share my experience regarding finding a local mechanic in your area. For me, my bike is my life. When I hop on my SUZUKI 1000cc, I can tell if it isn't running correctly.

With this being said, it is crucial that I find a great mechanic to take care of my bike. While word of mouth from other riders is the best way to find a new mechanic, I recently came across a website that offers customer opinions, reviews, and ratings regarding not only mechanics but painters, contractors, and electricians.

The site, angieslist.com is pretty cool. It does cost money though- a step many have trouble stepping over. I strongly recommend checking it out.

It saved my ass.

-S

[awayatc]

2 different breeds of people realy:
the bloody good value honest as gold competent real Kiwiblokes....half the time charge bugger all for little "help you out-ers"

The me, me me and I myself brigade out for a quick buck at any cost, without any sort off commendable skill or knowledge......
or even possessing the slightest redeeming character trait....

I have learned the hard way how to pick em now....

[CookMySock]

2 different greeds of people realy:
the bloody good value honest as gold competent real Kiwiblokes....half the time charge bugger all for little "help you out-ers"

The me, me me and I myself brigade out for a quick buck at any cost, without any sort off commendable skill or knowledge......
or even possessing the slightest redeeming character trait....

Thats not fair. There are also those who genuinely go to work because they love it, and try hard to pay their house off, and deserve to have a proper income. Living on 22k a year is robbery, and its not the consumer getting ripped off either.

I worked really hard for my customers for years and years, and it got me precisely nowhere - they just crunch me for an even BETTER deal every time and go spend the money they "save" on their $60,000 boat, or their teenage kids' $11,000 dirtbike. They didn't "save" any money at all - they just took it out of my pocket and stuck it in theirs.

I will go about my business in an ethical fashion, just like I always have regardless of what my customers project onto me, and if they still think I'm stealing from them then go use my opposition - I'm sure they will get a fair deal from him just like they did from me, but once again it won't take long for them to not think so, and then they can go to hell after that coz I don't want to see them again.

It's not always about everyone else.

Steve

[awayatc]

well Steve, you fit in the first category then.....
I said "charge bugger all for help you out sort of things".....not free jobs!
You can carge a fair rate for a fair job....Nobody should have a problem with that.
Don't charge for work you did not do or did not do properly...

The other people you talk about are definitely in the second category.....Met a fair few of them myself.

It is about live and let live.....