On Wednesday, July 27th I went out to get a smog inspection of my car. I initially went to a trusted mechanic who then gave me a 5 dollar off coupon for a inspection station about 4 miles away. I went there and was treated rudely when I asked how long it would take to get the inspection. I went down the road to the next inspection station and inquired how much it would cost for the inspection and was told it was $50.00. I felt that was a bit high, so I went home to do a little checking on the internet. I googled cheap smog inspection, Seal Beach, and was drawn to Smogstip.com's entry indicating smog inspections as low as $19.95. I then was given the opportunity to enter my zip code which I did and was then drawn to AAA & B Test only smog station as they had a $20.00 off coupon to print out which I did. I arrived at the center and was greeted promptly by an employee and he as handed my a sheet to fill out and took my coupon. I figured even if their prices were a bit higher than the $50.00 the other place charged, it would still be a pretty good price I thought. After the test, I was directed to the front office to pay and get my documents, and then I was presented with a test price of $78.00. I hit the roof and then they reluctantly took off the $20.00 coupon. I know there are a lot of residents who live a couple of minutes away at Leisure World, and most of whom are a lot older than my 68 years, who will not bother to print out a coupon for this service. I have seen smog stations all over southern California who charge around $40.00 for this test but never saw a price as high as this place. I beleive they are a rip off.
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