What can i do if a garage has overcharged me?
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What can i do if a garage has overcharged me?
My car went into the garage for repair. The garage quoted me $700 to repair it, however when I went to collect it they said they needed to do extra work to make the repair and invoiced me for $1,638. Are they legally bound to advise me of the cost and to get my authorization to carry out those works before they do them?
Asked on September 1, 2016 under Business Law, Alaska
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 7 years ago | Contributor
Yes, they have to get your consent to additional work or costs. They don't always need specific "line-item" consent; for example, if you told them to do whatever needed to be done to get the work done and car repaired, that could be enough. But if you didn't give them blanket authority for whatever work was necessary but only agreed to what was in the quote or proposal, they cannot charge you beyond that.
The above said, if you and they can't work this out, you will likely end up in litigation, which is disruptive, takes time, and can be costly; it is in your interest to try to settle the matter with them, especially if the work was necessary (e.g. not fraudulent) and was done well. for example, you could offer to pay the additional parts cost beyond the $700, but either none of or a fraction of the additional labor cost. If you received good value, it's worth paying more than you thought you would, to avoid ending up in court.
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