Corner Mechanic

The corner mechanic charged me $260 for an oil change and fuel filter. Since my truck is diesel this service usually runs around $100 and I have never paid more than $120. What a rip off! The labor alone ran over a hundred bucks for something that I could have and should have done in my garage in under an hour. I'm very disappointed and left with that awful feeling of being ripped off.

Joe at Corner Mechanic called me a horrible customer. I have worked in customer service since I was old enough to work, and I have seen some horrible customers. I've been cussed out and stiffed and insulted. But no matter how horrible they were, I never insulted them back.

And what did I do to deserve being told I am a horrible customer? I asked questions and brought my own parts. He told me that the carburetor now worked "alright" but he couldn't adjust it right, but he still expected $456 dollars for "overhauling" the carburetor. When I questioned having to pay for repairs that were incomplete he said he wouldn't work on my van anymore. He kept cutting me off when I said I didn't want to pay for the repairs if the van still wasn't fixed, and he threatened to scrap my van. I told him he was providing horrible customer service, and he responded that I was a horrible customer, and something along the lines of "I don't need this."

I gave it a week before I posted any reviews so I could have a clear head when relating my story. I have put a lot into the van but now I have no more money, as I was forced to pay for the repairs, and so I will scrap the van myself. I was my own bad luck I got a lemon, but when the van was dropped off we asked if we could bring our own parts and we assured that was fine, and we also told them that if we had a budget and needed to know if total repairs would exceed a certain amount. Then I got yelled at for bringing m own parts and a van I could drive before I took it to them runs worse than it did before I took it in and won't start. The remains of the carb-rebuild kit he gave me with my invoice includes a bunch of unused parts that would be in the carb if they had actually rebuilt it comprehensively. If I had been horrible and cursed him, I could understand his reaction. But the bottom line is: He didn't fix my van, he charged me full price to not fix my van, he clearly didn't know what he was getting himself into if he didn't realize what needed to be done to the carb, and he insulted me when I was upset about the above information. I didn't curse or yell or anything, I just asked too many questions.

Yup, ol' Joe may have worked on my van for four or so hours, but he didn't fix it. But it's fair that he gets paid for that work. You should know though, all he wants is his money, and he certainly isn't there to help you.