70% of UK garages overcharge
Newswheel staff :: 28 March 2006 :: Filed under Europe & UK, Safety
In other news…
Pope prays. World turns. Day follows night. That a recent survey conducted by independent car warranty provider Warranty Direct found that 70 per cent of UK garages over charge when secret-shopped by a member of the public is hardly shocking news. And given the nature of Warranty Direct’s business, the cynic would argue it has a vested interest in trying to shame garages into charging less. But it’s not exactly reassuring, all the same…
Of course, the idea that garages dole out eye-watering estimates to walk-in punters is hardly headline news. But here’s the twist. When officially surveyed by Warranty Direct on the subject of repair charges, one third of garages delivered quotes that included labour times that were more than the manufacturer’s official recommendations.
Needless to say, the Retail Motor Industry Federation has called BS on the results. “This survey is misleading. On close inspection the total level of perceived overcharging is 12.5% above the manufacturers' official repair times. This result hardly calls for sensationalist reporting,” quoth chief exec Matthew Carrington. Er, perceived overcharging, Matthew? We’ll file that one away with friendly fire, extraordinary rendition and the rest of our favourite fad-ridden euphemisms.
Linkage:
WhatCar
Posted 05 May 2007, by Tyron