Mark's Automotive are Scammers

[Serenity40]

So my son is home from college for the Summer. His 95 Pontiac firebird was running a little rough so we took it to Mark's on Friday. Well the repair was just completed today. The wife made the bill as I stood in front of her. Talking to herself and doing some sketchy math. She said hmmm about $49 for the change of spark plugs and $40 for labor. Really figuring it out on the fly as to how much to charge us for a spark plug that wasn't firing. So I pay the trumped up bill and get the keys, my son goes out to his car and discovers his GPS is missing and the center console lid has been ripped off. We are a hardworking family with two kids in college and I am so frustrated at being ripped off twice by those jackals! The couldn't have cared any less. Needless to say I will never go back to that shop.

 

[BadGirl]

So my son is home from college for the Summer. His 95 Pontiac firebird was running a little rough so we took it to Mark's on Friday. Well the repair was just completed today. The wife made the bill as I stood in front of her. Talking to herself and doing some sketchy math. She said hmmm about $49 for the change of spark plugs and $40 for labor. Really figuring it out on the fly as to how much to charge us for a spark plug that wasn't firing. So I pay the trumped up bill and get the keys, my son goes out to his car and discovers his GPS is missing and the center console lid has been ripped off. We are a hardworking family with two kids in college and I am so frustrated at being ripped off twice by those jackals! The couldn't have cared any less. Needless to say I will never go back to that shop.

Did you file a police report? If not, do so.

 

[Serenity40]

My husband said call the police as well but I said what will they do except take the report. My insurance deductible is $500 and Mark's said file it with your insurance. I lose either way. Do you still think it's worth it to file?

 

[BadGirl]

My husband said call the police as well but I said what will they do except take the report. My insurance deductible is $500 and Mark's said file it with your insurance. I lose either way. Do you still think it's worth it to file?

Absolutely file.

It likely won't do a damn thing to get your son's gps system back, but it will let Mark's know that this incident occured on their property, on their time, and that they need to do something so this isn't a regular occurrence to their customers.

 

[dave1959]

Can't say much about the GPS and conole. But the spark plug job was very cheap.That job should have been easily $150-200

 

[retiredweaxman]

I am not a lawyer and never pretend to be, but couldn't the insurance company find the automotive shop at fault/ I mean if there is no forced entry, that would mean the shop did not take precautions to secure property entrusted to their care.

Is there a sign that says, "Company is not responsible for damage or theft of vehicles?" If so, did your son have access to his car so that he could properly secure his vehicle? If not, then I would think the shop did not allow him to secure it, thus making the shop responsible.

Was the car on the inside of the garage bay over the weekend? If so, that would mean a possible inside job - again, making the shop responsible.

Just my 2 cents worth - if there is a lawyer in the house, please chime in if I am mistaken. I look at this as a learning experience for me.

 

[Serenity40]

I was told by my neighbor that replacing a spark plug costs $10. Where did you get that figure from? He said even if he replaced it with a top of the line spark plug it could have been $20.

 

[Serenity40]

When you drop the vehicle off for repairs it states that they are not responsible for any damages or stolen property. I agree with the inside job since the vehicle was locked and there are no signs of forced entry(no broken glass or door scrapes) only missing GPS and the console lid ripped off for staging.

 

[lovinmaryland]

Absolutely file.

It likely won't do a damn thing to get your son's gps system back, but it will let Mark's know that this incident occured on their property, on their time, and that they need to do something so this isn't a regular occurrence to their customers.

Depends on how much stuff was stolen (value$) If it was say $300 not much the insurance company will do seeing as their deductible is $500. IMO I wouldnt file the claim unless the value of items stolen was well over $1k.

 

[dave1959]

I was told by my neighbor that replacing a spark plug costs $10. Where did you get that figure from? He said even if he replaced it with a top of the line spark plug it could have been $20.

Retail list price of spark plugs -- $6.00 to $8.00 each depending on engine
Labor as per mitchel labor time guide -- 1.5hr (v6) 2.0hr (v8)
At roughly $75-90 pr hour.

Remember, he paid someone else to do this job. He did not go to auto zone
and do it himself.
Also based on the OP ther was probably a little diagnostic time in volved. It was brought in for running rough not just " replace the plugs"

 

[retiredweaxman]

Thank you for the clarification SER...I agree a police report needs to be filed. If they investigate the car and see no scratches, dents, dings, forced entry - they may try to link it to someone on the inside as well.

 

[dave1959]

My husband said call the police as well but I said what will they do except take the report. My insurance deductible is $500 and Mark's said file it with your insurance. I lose either way. Do you still think it's worth it to file?

ALWAYS file a police report, No matter what the amount.
They may not catch a thief based on your report but if the do catch someone they may be able to tie him/her to your crime also.

 

[Serenity40]

Retail list price of spark plugs -- $6.00 to $8.00 each depending on engine
Labor as per mitchel labor time guide -- 1.5hr (v6) 2.0hr (v8)
At roughly $75-90 pr hour.

Remember, he paid someone else to do this job. He did not go to auto zone
and do it himself.
Also based on the OP ther was probably a little diagnostic time in volved. It was brought in for running rough not just " replace the plugs"

I guess he had the amount of spark plugs correct. I don't know how much the labor was but there were no computerized figures like at Precision Tune she was just pulling figures out of her hiney!

 

[RoseRed]

So my son is home from college for the Summer. His 95 Pontiac firebird was running a little rough so we took it to Mark's on Friday. Well the repair was just completed today. The wife made the bill as I stood in front of her. Talking to herself and doing some sketchy math. She said hmmm about $49 for the change of spark plugs and $40 for labor. Really figuring it out on the fly as to how much to charge us for a spark plug that wasn't firing. So I pay the trumped up bill and get the keys, my son goes out to his car and discovers his GPS is missing and the center console lid has been ripped off. We are a hardworking family with two kids in college and I am so frustrated at being ripped off twice by those jackals! The couldn't have cared any less. Needless to say I will never go back to that shop.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me...

 

[royhobie]

My husband said call the police as well but I said what will they do except take the report. My insurance deductible is $500 and Mark's said file it with your insurance. I lose either way. Do you still think it's worth it to file?

Filing it with insurance may cause insurance to go up. Most folks use insurance for "major" more expensive issues. No doubt about it, make darn sure you file a police report. Cops will do more than you know. The report isn't just a report. A lot goes on after taking the report. If you haven't called the police, do so NOW. Allowing them to get away with it, without police involved INVITES more of this type of behavior. Is this what you want for the next son or daughter that comes along? I doubt it. Do yourself a favor and call the police and report it. You will find that you will feel glad that you did afterward.

This business has a long history. Ask around and check on car repair establishments first. Good luck!

 

[retiredweaxman]

Filing it with insurance may cause insurance to go up. Most folks use insurance for "major" more expensive issues. No doubt about it, make darn sure you file a police report. Cops will do more than you know. The report isn't just a report. A lot goes on after taking the report. If you haven't called the police, do so NOW. Allowing them to get away with it, without police involved INVITES more of this type of behavior. Is this what you want for the next son or daughter that comes along? I doubt it. Do yourself a favor and call the police and report it. You will find that you will feel glad that you did afterward.

This business has a long history. Ask around and check on car repair establishments first. Good luck!

RH - I am not sure if this business has a "long history" as you claim, however, it is not well liked by the BBB as it gave the business an "F" rating. I was thinking of posting the link, but it includes the owner's e-mail addy and I prefer not to post that info.

The BBB does mention there have been 3 complaints in the past 3 years. 1 was for billing and the other 2 were for product/services. 1 claim was from 2009 and the other 2 were from 2010. Of the 3 claims, 1 was resolved, 1 was resolved through assistance from the BBB and the 3rd has not been resolved.

Of course, you might have more info on people and the business than was reported to the BBB.

This business is not affiliated with the BBB.

 

[RPMDAD]

Serenity, 2 points, am guessing a 6 cylinder engine if they replaced all 6 sparkplugs for $89.00 i'd say that was a bargain. As far as the theft goes i would file a police report.
With %500.oo deducatable, dont think i would file an insurance claim jmho

 

[Serenity40]

Thanks everyone the consensus is file the report but do not file with insurance company. I appreciate the information and advice.

 

[bohman]

Can't say much about the GPS and conole. But the spark plug job was very cheap.That job should have been easily $150-200

Thanks everyone the consensus is file the report but do not file with insurance company. I appreciate the information and advice.

Good luck to you. I'd hesitate to file a police report, too, just for fear that I was wasting my time. But look at it this way - If you file a report, some good might come out of it, or it might not. But if you don't file, it's guaranteed that nothing will happen.

Another thought just hit me. I wonder if they can afford to offer cheap prices because this was an inside job. As in, they're getting the money back that they didn't charge you for the plugs. Looking back, when I was shopping around for somebody to replace my clutch, their estimate was hundreds of dollars cheaper than anybody else. I figured it was because they didn't know what they were doing, and the cost would go up once they had my car on the lift and found out how complicated it was. But maybe they can offer cheap labor if they're making money off the stuff in the cars... Just a thought.

 

[dave1959]

Good luck to you. I'd hesitate to file a police report, too, just for fear that I was wasting my time. But look at it this way - If you file a report, some good might come out of it, or it might not. But if you don't file, it's guaranteed that nothing will happen.

Another thought just hit me. I wonder if they can afford to offer cheap prices because this was an inside job. As in, they're getting the money back that they didn't charge you for the plugs. Looking back, when I was shopping around for somebody to replace my clutch, their estimate was hundreds of dollars cheaper than anybody else. I figured it was because they didn't know what they were doing, and the cost would go up once they had my car on the lift and found out how complicated it was. But maybe they can offer cheap labor if they're making money off the stuff in the cars... Just a thought.

Why ?? Does everyone always look for the cheapest place to fix a car. This thread is an example of what can happen when you do that.
Best thing to do is find a business that you trust. In the long run you will
get a much better deal.