Did you ever get a car repair that was 4x what it should be on labor or 8x the parts? I did at L'Eupora Auto Repair in North Providence in RI. Wow! They were banging on my pipe during an inspection and suddenly said that it needed to be replaced. At first, Christine was telling me that it was all done and nothing major, but after some banging in the garage bay, they suddenly decided to screw me since I was a captured audience there for an inspection... or so it seemed to me. I usually buy the parts, if I have time, and look for 3 places and get the best labor quote.
However, this time, my wife had an expensive right knee replacement and I had little time, so L'Europa was the closest too me and I took a chance. They had no sympathy for my wife's problem, just drooling over an extra $1,200 profit for repairs I didn't even need then to past this inspection. Even Balise, our dealership, or MW Auto Repair LLC, would have past the inspection for my car, I am told, repairs later. Bottom line, it is hard to find a reputable repair place that will actually show you the receipts for what they paid on your parts. Gouging is a common practice, it seems, in this industry of car repairs.
Still, I trusted them until I found out how cheap the parts were and being charged 8x the parts cost. This was also a relatively easy job for a mechanic, two hours at most. Click here to see: http://www.eprocs.com/worst-companies.html. You can now post anonymously on our blog here: http://www.eprocs.com/anonymous-reviews.
At another place, North Providence Tire & Repair, they actually sanded down on the sides of my relatively new Michelin tires to say I was suffering from New England wear! They also put 3 screws in my tires and pretended it was not them! The 3rd owner, Bobby, did it, a short guy with a major complex! He said "Your oil change is done but be careful, there are 3 screws in two tires and, by the way, we have a sale going!" Yeah right!
I'm a guy and I know my cars. This was North Providence Tire & Repair in RI. I had taken pictures of the sidewalls of my tires and were perfect before we went there. We do not even have a cars near the ocean for that kind of New England wear. So, the next time you have a 3 owner repair place with a lot of garages, remember, the 3 owners have to make a lot of money.
One time at a Sears, brought car in for oil change, they banged on it and told me $4,000 to fix and not safe to drive. I sued and we won! That was the time Sears was in the news a lot and closed a lot of their repair shops.
Finally I found a one stop shop, stay there, get it done, one bay type of shop, and a Master ASE Certified Mechanic, Miguel, at MW Auto Repair. He fixed it all up on both our Subaru's! Additionally, a dual muffller, pipe, and two front structs that, by the way, did not need changing, would have cost $425, not $1550 L'Europa charged me, I'm now a fan of MW Auto Repair! Stay away from L'Europa Auto Repair! The following is what I have on my website:
L'Europa Auto Repair (1954 Smith St, North Providence, RI 02911)
If you like paying over $1500 just for a dual muffler, pipe, and two front struts, you will love them! I found out that the parts they sold me, even for the very best, cost no more than a few hundred dollars. When I asked them, well the secretary, Christine, had to then go asked Chris Leuropa, the owner, that I wanted to see the cost of the parts. The parts, I estimate, were 4x what it really costs. If there is anything I hate is a mechanic that will not give you the actual receipt of the parts he bought. That is because, like large dealerships do all the time, he hides his profit on the parts in the price.
There is no doubt that the $400 labor charge was really a $1200 labor charge. What he does is increase the price of the parts to get 2x the labor cost or more. That being said, I am paying at least $1,050 or more just for the labor with the inflated parts. He would not show me copies of the receipts of the parts and I was in no mood to argue with him, but he did bring down the price by $250, making their labor profit $800. If you calculate labor and one hour two people, it's $400 an hour! Does your Doctor charge more? Wow! I actually would have rather seen the part receipts and that it was not inflated than get a "now" discount. I wouldn't need the discount if the parts really did cost this much. The worst part is getting asked on the phone by Chris when I complained about the price, after I looked up the cost of the parts down the road at O'Reilly, "What would it take to make you happy?" My discount, $250 is what he gave me. That alone should tell you something about their tactics and hiding the profits in the parts they get at wholesale (most likely).
Please beware, he gives you almost free on everything, like oil changes, etc., but when you need that inspection, you are screwed!!! Notice most of the great reviews are 5 stars on oil changes. I do not see hardly one big job like mine on the REVIEW social media sites, if you call getting a dual muffler and pipe and two front struts a big job, that is. Jiffy Lube down the street, told me they could have done it for $600, less than half of my discounted price with L'Europa! One tip I usually adhere to is to get the inspection damage, then buy the parts, and then get two estimates or more to install it. I failed this time because I wanted to trust Chris and, to put it bluntly, I was lazy on this year's inspection and had too many other things to do (my wife had right knee surgery). Do not trust Chris! He did tell me I can buy the parts next time and he will then estimate the labor cost. That is the way to do it right. I will trust our Jiffy Lube the next time!
One plug, his mechanics do very good work and they do give you a lifetime warranty, as long as they are still in business, that is. If you like paying double what you should be paying for a maintenance job, they do very good work. Keep the receipt. You have a lifetime warranty, after all.
There is no doubt that the $400 labor charge was really a $1200 labor charge. What he does is increase the price of the parts to get 2x the labor cost or more. That being said, I am paying at least $1,050 or more just for the labor with the inflated parts. He would not show me copies of the receipts of the parts and I was in no mood to argue with him, but he did bring down the price by $250, making their labor profit $800. If you calculate labor and one hour two people, it's $400 an hour! Does your Doctor charge more? Wow! I actually would have rather seen the part receipts and that it was not inflated than get a "now" discount. I wouldn't need the discount if the parts really did cost this much. The worst part is getting asked on the phone by Chris when I complained about the price, after I looked up the cost of the parts down the road at O'Reilly, "What would it take to make you happy?" My discount, $250 is what he gave me. That alone should tell you something about their tactics and hiding the profits in the parts they get at wholesale (most likely).
Please beware, he gives you almost free on everything, like oil changes, etc., but when you need that inspection, you are screwed!!! Notice most of the great reviews are 5 stars on oil changes. I do not see hardly one big job like mine on the REVIEW social media sites, if you call getting a dual muffler and pipe and two front struts a big job, that is. Jiffy Lube down the street, told me they could have done it for $600, less than half of my discounted price with L'Europa! One tip I usually adhere to is to get the inspection damage, then buy the parts, and then get two estimates or more to install it. I failed this time because I wanted to trust Chris and, to put it bluntly, I was lazy on this year's inspection and had too many other things to do (my wife had right knee surgery). Do not trust Chris! He did tell me I can buy the parts next time and he will then estimate the labor cost. That is the way to do it right. I will trust our Jiffy Lube the next time!
One plug, his mechanics do very good work and they do give you a lifetime warranty, as long as they are still in business, that is. If you like paying double what you should be paying for a maintenance job, they do very good work. Keep the receipt. You have a lifetime warranty, after all.
