On Wed. August 22, I went to DOMESTIC AUTO EXPERTS located at 19920 Morton Rd in Katy (next to Popeye Chicken) to get an oil change.
The manager said that the tire had a bit of play and needed to have the ball joint replaced immediately. I would not drive it like this, it is too dangerous, he said.
Since this was a life or death situation, I consent to the immediate repair. The cost to replace the control arm was $ 541.41 (including coupon) It was not after the work done I saw the warning the Attorney Generals web page warning consumers from becoming victims of automobile rip-offs, by stating: Avoid being rushed into last-minute decisions.
After the work was done, I checked with 2 honest shop owners and I was told that the cost of the control arm to them is only $ 50 each, and the cost of removing and replacing two control arms should not exceed $ 250 maximum to replace both sides (they replaced only one side in my car).in addition, the arm-twisting deceptive statement that it was too dangerous had no merit and I could have perfectly well have time to drive it to an honest mechanic.
After I found out that I was ripped-off by Domestic Auto Experts of Katy, I wrote a letter to the owner who in turn passed to the store manager (s).in our telephone conversation with the manager he mentioned that the reason why their labor rate of $ 109 per hour is higher is because they are better than anyone else; even better than the Lexus dealer (?), and they have to pay for electricity and benefits to their employees, he said.in addition, they are free to mark-up the cost of parts from 3 to 7 times over their cost and they use they rate given by Mitchell multiplied times $ 109/hour.
What makes this very deceptive is the fact that they have a sign over the entrance to the shop stating that they strive for a 10% profit. They preach honest at reasonable price and rip-off the victims that walk to their shop blindly.
Go to http://www.topix.net/forum/autos/ford-explorer/T9PQVP4CBMP2F6OAF and see the cost of replacement of ball joints (which comes as part of the control arm). Also check with your own mechanic and you will see that this is an outright rip-off.
I believe that I have been robbed by Domestic Auto Experts of Katy and I requested a refund for the amount of overcharge and they refused to do so on the grounds stated above.
A consumer rip-off business like Domestic Auto Experts should not be allowed to victimize the Katy community, and just like me, residents should take their car repair business elsewhere.
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