Armand's Auto Clinic in Sudbury
monro...@gmail.com
the biggest RIPOFF mechanics in Sudbury, Ontario. Armand’s Auto Clinic
located in Sudbury, Ontario.
Armand's Auto Clinic
593 Notre Dame Ave
Sudbury, ON P3C 5L4
I took my vehicle to Armands on Monday, January 12th, 2009 because I
had a leaking radiator hose. I left my vehicle in his parking lot
because the business was closed when I arrived there. The next day I
phoned the owner to explain why my vehicle was sitting there, and what
needed to be fixed. He told me that he wouldn’t be able to repair it
that day (too busy) but that it would be done the next day.
During the phonecall to the garage, I asked for three things to be
done:
1) repair the rad hose leak
2) inspect the back of the car because I smelled gas (possible leak)
3) The car was not starting all the time and to check the charging
system (battery and alternator)
I also asked about the labour to replace the rad hose and Jean-Guy
(the mechanic at Armand’s) stated that it would be “about half an
hour” which would be $40 ($80 per hour rate). The hose itself would be
$95.
So based on this, I anticipated a bill of approximately $135 plus
whatever labour was involved for the charging system test.
Jean Guy also stated to me that my car “runs like a bag of shit” and
that he thought that the engine was misfiring.
So a day went by and I heard nothing. The next day I receive a phone
call from Jean-Guy who informs me that my car was ready. The final
cost would be $350.
$135 to $350 is quite the markup don’t you think?
Jean Guy went on to explain that not only did he replace the radiator
hose but he also replaced the coil pack which had been causing the
rough engine idling. The coil pack was only $20 (used from a wrecking
yard) but also "about an hour" labour ($80). The cost of rad-fluid was
$14.
Let’s do some math here:
Rad hose ($95)
Labour ($40)
Rad fluid ($14)
==========
149$ for repairs that I DID ask for
Let’s add on the cost of the coil-pack repair that I did NOT ASK
FOR….
$20 part
$80 labour
========
$100
This brings the bill to $249 presuming that I pay for unauthorized
work (which I won’t).
I went in and paid him $200 that I felt was an adequate cost for the
radiator repair and a charging system test. I made no mention of the
fact that I didn’t ask for the coil-pack to be repaired because I
didn’t want a confrontation. I simply told Jean Guy that I would need
to go to the bank, and I never returned.
I went home and wrote him a letter indicating why I was refusing to
pay the remainder of this bill. I quoted the Consumer Protection Act
violations that he committed:
56. (1) No repairer shall charge a consumer for any work or repairs
unless the repairer first gives the consumer an estimate that meets
the prescribed requirements.
58. (1) No repairer shall charge for any work or repairs unless the
consumer authorizes the work or repairs. 2002, c. 30, Sched. A, s. 58
(1).
I did not provide a maximum amount that I was willing to spend nor did
I authorize the additional work. The final bill is also well in excess
of the allowable “10% above estimate” allowance.
I thought that this would be the end of things but apparently not. I
received a phone call from an irate Jean Guy on January 26, 2009. He
had received my letter and was not pleased at all.
Jean Guy gave me a little more clarification into my bill being so
high:
The $149 for the radiator hose repair remained the same (parts &
labour). Interestingly enough though the price of the radiator fluid
had magically doubled from $14 to $23.90 as he was now claiming that
it took two containers of fluid. The charging system test was $40
labour.
I digress… I did ask for the battery charging test to be done and in
all fairness my bill should be adjusted like this:
$149 radiator repair
$9.90 additional rad fluid cost that came out of nowhere
$40 charging system test
===========
$198.90
$198.90 is still within the $200 that I had paid Jean Guy.
But it gets better… Jean Guy also stated that I also owed $40 for a
‘pressure test’ on the radiator. $7 for hose clamps and, oh yes… $40
for the fuel line inspection.
“I asked you what the labour would be to replace the radiator hose”, I
said to Jean Guy. He replied, “You asked me what the labour would be
to REPLACE the radiator hose. You didn’t ask me what it would be to
put in new fluid and run a pressure test afterwards.”
Woe be me, oh petty customer. Apparently you need to be very precise
and speak slowly when asking Jean Guy questions about estimates.
Incidentally, when you replace a radiator hose, you put in the new
fluid to replace the old and then let the car run with the radiator
cap removed to remove any air in the system. There is no need for a
pressure test to be done, nor did I request one to be done. In fact, I
had told Jean Guy exactly where the leak was occurring in the hose.
This was proven when he showed me the old hose with the crack in the
same spot that I’d mentioned.
The inspection of the fuel line was as simple as putting the car on
the hoist and giving it a quick look. For this, Jean Guy charged me
(or wants to) $40, which translates to half an hour’s work.
He went on to say that he doesn’t give estimates (the Consumer
Protection Act says otherwise) and that he charges for the entire time
the car is in the shop. Obviously I can see why he doesn’t want to
give estimates because I think that he likes to jack up the cost of
these repairs and blindside his customers.
At this point I’m not sure even Jean Guy knows where these costs are
coming from. We have $198.90 in LEGITIMATE fees plus $100 in ILLEGAL
REPAIRS to the coil pack, plus $40 for an unnecessary radiator
pressure test plus $40 just to just look at my fuel line with his own
eyes. The total for the above adds up to $378.90.
Jean Guy went on to say that, “I felt sorry for you and did you a
favour. The bill could easily have been as high as $500.”
I am therefore warning potential customers about Armand’s Auto. Jean
Guy went ahead and ordered me a used part from a wrecking yard,
installed it, and then tried to bill me $100 for it. I was never
informed of this repair nor did I ask for it.
When I asked for an estimate on the radiator repair, which was my
right, I was quoted a cost of $40 labour. When it came time to pay for
that repair, I was dinged with additional fees that were not given in
the estimate.
I was told that they don’t even GIVE OUT ESTIMATES despite having
already done so with me.
What sort of a garage bills a customer $40 to put a car up on a hoist,
start it up, and spend 5 minutes looking for a gas leak?
Armand’s Auto Clinic not only performed unauthorized work but then had
the gaul to demand that I take my car back to them to put back in the
‘old’ (and broken) coil pack that was replaced with a used working
one. Keep in mind that the working part was a non-refundable $20 used
one from a wrecking yard. The time spent for Armand’s to remove this
$20 part would be the same amount of time it took for them to install
it.
Finally, Jean Guy told me that he would report me to the credit
agency. In essence: a debt collection service. That will be
interesting to do considering he has only my first name and a phone
number.
One last thing. Jean Guy stated to me that I was lucky he even took my
car in because he works by referrals only. In other words, if you want
to be a customer of his, you need to have someone recommend you to
him.
Funny, I thought that in real life people recommended mechanics to
customers not the other way around.