BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU ONLINE COMPLAINT SYSTEM

I did business with a company located in: the United States

My complaint involves: my vehicle

My complaint involves: the vehicle itself (repair issue)

My complaint about my vehicle involves: repair or service issue involving an independent shop or dealer and unrelated to the manufacturer's warranty

Company name: Steve's Automotive By The Galleria

Primary classification of problem: Selling practices

Secondary classification of problem: Customer service issues

Tell us about your problem:

I brought my vehicle to Steve's Automotive to be serviced. My wife received a call the following day informing us that the necessary repair would cost $950. After speaking with her, I agreed that I would go to the shop to speak with the mechanic directly, because the car is an older car and we would have to get rid of the car before making a repair of that amount.

I met with the mechanic in charge of my vehicle and, after a brief conversation, I found that the car did not require all the repairs that were on the original invoice. The shop was attempting to sell me components that were not necessary to get the car running. The original repair invoice included a new distributor, ignition wires, and an ignition coil. These parts totaled about $500. The remaining $450 was for three hours of labor to make the repairs and a $70 diagnostic fee.

After I disputed the need for a new distributor and ignition wires, the mechanic modified the invoice to include only a new ignition cap and rotor, and an ignition coil. The total for these parts was now $150. My new total, including a modification of the labor hours required, was $430, which I paid. This is less than half the total that the shop tried to charge my wife.

I believe that the mechanic attempted to charge my wife a "woman tax" for the car repairs, hoping that she would not know enough about the repairs to protest the charges. It is my understanding that this constitutes a predatory business practice, and it is my hope that it is treated as such. In any event, I will never use Steve's Automotive again.

Desired settlement: No settlement requested

Desired outcome: If the BBB finds that Steve's Automotive is making a practice of overcharging women for car repairs, it is my hope that they have their membership removed.