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Scheduling Service, the Undisclosed Expense
I had shocks replaced on the front yesterday. I spoke to the recommended shop in Eugene, OR a couple weeks ago and was told to give them a call when I knew exactly when I wanted the work done. I called and they siad only they order the shocks and would have them available the next day. Perfect I thought and scheduled the service. They replaced the shocks and a few other things. When I got the bill I was surprised by the $85+ freight charge. Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised, but it wasn’t disclosed. How was I to know they didn’t use a local distributor? Given I was planning on being in town a few days I would have waited a day or two to avoid the unecessary freight charge.
BTW, the other complaint I have is the rounding problem when calculating labor. They performed 4 services and each case rounded to an hour. I got it if they are doing one service, but when each of 4 services all done by the same mechanic, are rounded up then you can easily pay for an extra hour. While on the hourly charge, why do shops charge their RV labor rate to work on bus mechanical problems? If my RV said Greyhound on the front they would have done the same work at a rate 20% less per hour than the RV rate.Okay, enough soap box. I think they got the work done right and the most important part.
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2 Replies
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A common complaint is about shop labor rates and how those charges work down to the bill.
The owners that have had the most success at controlling the costs os service are initially very explicit about what they need and expect. Then when the work begins they are there. They don’t leave the coach or at least don’t go in the waiting room. They observe the work and they keep notes of what was done, when it started and when it finished. Finally they compare what they were told it would cost and what they noted were the start and stop times and the extent of the service with the bill. If they disagree with the bill they have the ammunition to dispute it before they write the check.
It takes vigilance to avoid unnecessary or excess billing. I won’t name names but we have an astute owner who has gone so far as to point to the lack of fingerprints on a dusty hub cover to prove work he was billed for was not done.
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A common complaint is about shop labor rates and how those charges work down to the bill.
The owners that have had the most success at controlling the costs os service are initially very explicit about what they need and expect. Then when the work begins they are there. They don’t leave the coach or at least don’t go in the waiting room. They observe the work and they keep notes of what was done, when it started and when it finished. Finally they compare what they were told it would cost and what they noted were the start and stop times and the extent of the service with the bill. If they disagree with the bill they have the ammunition to dispute it before they write the check.
It takes vigilance to avoid unnecessary or excess billing. I won’t name names but we have an astute owner who has gone so far as to point to the lack of fingerprints on a dusty hub cover to prove work he was billed for was not done.
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