'How can they scam someone like that?': Mechanic calls out fellow professionals after customer feels scammed for two repairs

In a world where trust is a currency as valuable as the dollar, it's disheartening to hear stories of deceit.

A recent issue shed some light on a customer's experience, which ripped her off thousands of dollars for one single problem.

This narrative could resonate with many, where we value honesty and transparency above all.


Alice Bleathman has been encountering the same issue with her ute.

Yet, despite visiting two mechanics to resolve the issue, it simply drained her wallet while still dealing with a still-broken vehicle.

'They do such a s*** job, then I have to go pay another person,' Bleathman shared in a video.

'It's so frustrating because you just feel like a f****** idiot.'


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Several mechanics admit to overpricing services to customers who have little to no idea about automotives. Image Credit: Google Maps


'This is the reality sometimes of being a female and asking for help,' she lamented.

Her story struck a chord with many, who shared their own experiences of being overcharged or misled by tradespeople.

'I'm single, and I have the same problem. Two plumbers came, quoted $3,750 to fix a "major" problem,' one commenter wrote.

'A family friend's mate is a plumber. He checked it out and charged $375 to replace a faulty valve.'

Another commenter spoke about the dread she felt while seeking house renovation quotes.

'I'm in my 40s, and I still get my dad to talk to them even though I go to the same mechanic for years,' a third said.


In another incident, A mechanic with a decade of experience admitted to charging women more for services.

Nathan, who spoke on 101.9 The Fox Melbourne, justified his actions by citing the pressures of running a business.

He added he needed to be careful about repairs, as 'they might have a husband that knows their cars back-to-front.'

These issues reflect the stark reality of price inflation for customers who are not as savvy with cars or home improvement.

Kristen Knock, a mechanic from New South Wales, called her fellow professionals out about this growing concern.

'I don't know how they sleep at night,' she stated, reflecting on their lack of conscience.

'They have parents, mothers, sisters, daughters. How can they scam someone like that and be okay?'


Knock, who co-runs Hilly's Westlake Auto Repairs with her husband, offered advice to avoid scams:
  1. Do your research before committing to a mechanic. Customer reviews on social media could give valuable insights into their practices.
  2. While it's not required to take your car to different mechanics, calling and comparing quotes could benefit you, especially if you have an idea of the issue at hand.
  3. Ask the crucial question: 'Will this fix my car?' Understanding the proposed solution is critical to avoiding unnecessary backjobs.
She also shared a message for mechanics who price-gouge their services: 'While you may get that customer for that day and get that quick $1,000, they are going to talk to other people and realise what you did to them.'

'Your business suffers. Your reputation suffers.'

Watch Alice Bleathman's complaint about mechanics here:

Source: @alicebleathman_/TikTok​


We urge everyone to be careful when it comes to approaching costly repairs.

Knowledge is power, and in this case, it gives you the power to protect your wallet and peace of mind.
Key Takeaways

  • Sydney-based content creator Alice Bleathman shared how she felt scammed by mechanics twice, highlighting the vulnerability of women in dealing with car repairs.
  • A mechanic with a decade of experience admitted to charging women and those with little car knowledge more for services.
  • Kristen Knock, a mechanic based in NSW, expressed her frustration with mechanics who scam people and noted the negative long-term impact on their businesses and reputation.
  • Knock advised on avoiding being scammed by mechanics and emphasised the importance of research, multiple quotes, and asking questions to effectively solve car problems.
Have you ever felt taken advantage of by a service provider? How did you handle the situation? We invite you to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.
 
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Recently after doing home renovations. I was told by an electrician he would have to upgrade my meter box before he could connect my oven and stove top. The cost was $4900 just for the upgrade I told him I would have to discuss it with hubby.

I decided to get another quote and this time I also asked for a quote for even more work including adding an extra power point, relocating a power point, fixing the heater switch in the bathroom and replacing a couple of power points.
Plus the original work of upgrading the power box and installing oven , stove top and range hood . And this time the quote all up was $1700.

As for mechanics I'm lucky my son inlaw is a mechanic with his own business
 
I was only discussing with a neighbour yesterday how older single women are treated like idiots by trades people etc .
I have discovered this recently since my husband passed.

Unfortunately for them, I am not an idiot, having spent the last 32 years in the building and real estate game with my
husband.
We have created a Single Old Girls group, get together one morning a week for coffee and a chat. We all have experience in different things.
I help out with real estate advice, even help them to sell their own properties if they wish, saves thousands of dollars.
I have pretty good knowledge on plumbing and electrics, painting and most Reno's.
Another ladies son is a mechanic and we all get our cars repaired and serviced thru him at reasonable prices.
Another ladies young grandson does lawn mowing and all gardening and yard tidy up projects for $25/hr, half the price we had been being charged by a chap who took two hours to do one hours work. This young lad is still at school, a very enterprising young man. He's now doing car washing as well.He works after school and weekends.

It's working out well for us all
with the local rip off merchants starting to realise that we are not as stupid as they thought.

It's virtually impossible to get a tradie to give a quote these days. They all want to charge by the hour and then they spend hours answering their phones.
Keep an eye on the electrician or plumber, they are the worst culprits. We have all made it quite clear we don't pay for chat time..
I don't know what is wrong with tradies these days. Electricians who can't quote for a simple job like installing a light fitting or a new power point
My husband and I used to quote for whole extensions, starting from the slab up to roof and everything in between.
 
We had a blocked toilet and had this plumbing company come out. Well by the time he left l was in a fall blown anxiety attack. He put the camera down the pipes, oh you need all the sewage pipes relined they are terracotta so no good anymore. You also need a pit replacement at the front of the property. Ok so what are we looking at $30,000. Are you kidding? No l shall call the boss see what l can do. No sorry it's pretty bad and the age of the property. Blabla. So hubby and l said look we will get back to you. Thank you for your quote. We were both beside ourselves. We didn't have that sort of money. So when l finally got over the shock l called a well known local company. The plumber shook his said and said l cannot believe you were quoted that. For a start your pipes are fine. Yes you need a new pit it has collapsed. He quoted $6,000 but said l am happy to do it for you for $5,000 because you are friends to my work colleagues parents They did a fantastic job. And the plumber still gives me a beautiful big smile and wave if he sees me on my walk. Always shop around. At least get three quotes.
Kind regards to all Vicki
 
I have had several porch oyster sensors lights. Over time the sensors stop working. To use them internally l had the sensors bypassed so they work like a normal light. The one in our laundry stopped working. I checked the bulb, OK. Checked the fitting, again OK. Solution no power. Called an electrician. He came when l was out and spoke to my wife. Said he would come next day and the cost would be $340. When he arrived asked why it would cost so much. He said the light needed replacing. I insisted he check the switch first. It turned out to be a loose wire. It still cost $120 for the service call.
 
We’ve been pretty lucky since we moved here. Everyone we have employed to do jobs have been fantastic. They go above and beyond for a very reasonable price. It feels like everyone here just wants to help you. The very first thing we did was get a shed built. The guy came to measure up and my husband was installing an out door screen at the time. The guy said you need a bigger drill, I’ve got mine in the car, I’ll do that for you. And this seems to be what the locals do. They are awesome.
 
I was only discussing with a neighbour yesterday how older single women are treated like idiots by trades people etc .
I have discovered this recently since my husband passed.

Unfortunately for them, I am not an idiot, having spent the last 32 years in the building and real estate game with my
husband.
We have created a Single Old Girls group, get together one morning a week for coffee and a chat. We all have experience in different things.
I help out with real estate advice, even help them to sell their own properties if they wish, saves thousands of dollars.
I have pretty good knowledge on plumbing and electrics, painting and most Reno's.
Another ladies son is a mechanic and we all get our cars repaired and serviced thru him at reasonable prices.
Another ladies young grandson does lawn mowing and all gardening and yard tidy up projects for $25/hr, half the price we had been being charged by a chap who took two hours to do one hours work. This young lad is still at school, a very enterprising young man. He's now doing car washing as well.He works after school and weekends.

It's working out well for us all
with the local rip off merchants starting to realise that we are not as stupid as they thought.

It's virtually impossible to get a tradie to give a quote these days. They all want to charge by the hour and then they spend hours answering their phones.
Keep an eye on the electrician or plumber, they are the worst culprits. We have all made it quite clear we don't pay for chat time..
I don't know what is wrong with tradies these days. Electricians who can't quote for a simple job like installing a light fitting or a new power point
My husband and I used to quote for whole extensions, starting from the slab up to roof and everything in between.
I have a husband that is a Electrician I presume Plumbers are the same. A call out is a set charge regardless whether it takes 15 minutes or a hour they have been CALLED out. you are paying for a tradies skills.
 
I feel sorry for this woman but I couldn't watch the video. I gave up after she'd said like for about the 20th time. Maybe I'm just getting less patient as I age, but the use of this filler word drives me crazy.🤪 Am I alone?
It’s not a matter of getting less patient. I also can’t stand when “like” is so overused as a filler word. Used to be “um”, but I could tolerate that (to an extent), because it wasn’t a real word. The young females appear to be worse for it than the young males.
 
I feel sorry for this woman but I couldn't watch the video. I gave up after she'd said like for about the 20th time. Maybe I'm just getting less patient as I age, but the use of this filler word drives me crazy.🤪 Am I alone?
More Americanising (is that a word?) of the English language. I also find the use of Bro irritating. In fact - no, don't get me started ......🧐
 
It’s time there was a crackdown on the mongrels that are doing this. They should bevforced to refund the money if the jobs not done properly, or if it’s proven they over charged anyone, they should have to refund triple the amount overcharged.
theyd soon pull their heads in then
the motto of the story as someone mentioned get 3 quotes.
 
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I think the lady, Alice, should have gone back to the original mechanic in the first place and insisted they did the job properly, which she had already payed for, or demand a refund.
 
I have a husband that is a Electrician I presume Plumbers are the same. A call out is a set charge regardless whether it takes 15 minutes or a hour they have been CALLED out. you are paying for a tradies skills.
I wasn't complaining about "call out" fees although my husband and I never charged even for hours of our time doing extensive quotes for large extensions whereas these days electricians and plumbers seem unable to do a quote for the simplest job, charging by the
hour when a considerable amount of this time is spent on the phone.
Hopefully your husband isn't one of those.
I'm sure we realise we need to pay for a tradies skills, but there are tradies and then there are tradies and many of them like to take seniors for a ride.
As far as being CALLED out, you wouldn't have any business if you weren't CALLED out.
 
Lucky I’ve got a hubby who is a great handyman and can do most of our repairs as well as does all the basic servicing on all our family cars, including kids and grandkids cars. Trouble is he’s getting too old to continue getting under vehicles so our son, a heavy vehicle mechanic and our grandson, a 2nd year apprentice light vehicle mechanic can do the jobs hubby cant do anymore. Grandson is learning how to service the modern computerised and electric vehicles as well as the older vehicles.
 
About 8 years ago I had my electrical circuit blow up. There was a short circuit with my stove. The electrical company came out and did a temporary repair so I had electricity for the weekend. The quote to replace the electrical box was $8,000. The next evening, about 5.30pm the electrical box melted and I couldn't contact anyone from the company to come out. I was able to get someone from Endeavour to come out. He informed me that the temporary repair was so doggy that it could have started a fire. but I was definitely being overcharged. My son spoke to the company next day to cancel the repair and refund the deposit. They reluctantly only refunded $400 of the $800 deposit. The repair and new electrical box only cost me $1200.
Regards Mischa
 
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