Are dealership shop supplies required by law?

[Mar]

I got some major service done at my favourite dealership today and was told it would be $650 for the service. Great. When I went to pay the bill, they told me they couldn't do the wheel alignment due to their equipment failing so they dropped the price accordingly and gave me the invoice. At the very end of the invoice is "Customer pay env/disposal fee for repair order." for $49.92. I complained about the fee on top of what I was told for the service and I was told it was for shop supplies, regardless that it's listed on my invoice as a disposal fee.

I was also told they're required by law to charge shop supplies on all jobs and that, according to a sign on the wall, it's 16% of all labour charges. Is it actually required by law? I tried finding it online, including the AMVIC site but couldn't find it.

The work done was:
- service 3: $377
- cabin filter: $25.5
- engine filter: $31.88
- brake cleaning: $10.95
- cleaner: $25.37
- HE enviro fee: $0
- EV enviro levy: $0
- synthetic oil: $54.4
- EV enviro levy: $0.4
- replace spark plugs: $204.45
- VI-400 inspection: $0
- passenger wiper blade: $16
- driver wiper blade: $20
- wash: $0
- env/disposal fee for repair order: $49.92

I don't see $50 worth of shop supplies here. I also paid the environment fee 5 times.

[KPHMPH]

They need to use things like rags, brake clean, paper towels and grease.... do you think they should front for that?

[Mar]

Not at all. Is it $50 worth of rags?

[speedog]

Well let's open up this can of worms as every business has consumables they'll use in the process of providing a service to their customers. Why then has the automotive repair business model evolved to be able to include chargebacks to their customers while most other businesses do or can not?

Your hair stylist/barber - what if they were to start including shop supplies in the bill they present to you? Your dog's groomer? The place I take my blades to get sharpened and repaired? Your dry cleaning place?

I do not question that an automotive repair place might use shop supplies but I do think the amount they charge is often inflated and is an easy cash grab.

[max_boost]

I have always wanted to charge a doc fee when I take orders lol

Awesome stuff Mar. It has been awhile haha

[Seth1968]

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Well let's open up this can of worms as every business has consumables they'll use in the process of providing a service to their customers. Why then has the automotive repair business model evolved to be able to include chargebacks to their customers while most other businesses do or can not?

That's kind of like asking, "Why do food servers expect extra money, when all other service providers do not"?

It's because people are an odd sort

[RealJimmyJames]

Airline pricing model. Advertise one cost and charge another

[revelations]

Haha, this reminds me of the one time I went to CT Marlborough and asked for some takeoffs to be mounted on wheels (thats about the only thing I trusted them with) and they tried to charge me all kinds of BS fees, including "environment fee" and "disposal fee" on tires which I brought in .... LOL

[Mitsu3000gt]

7% of the total bill in shop fees isn't unreasonable, but I would agree that depending on what they're doing, it can be a disproportionate amount of the bill. Doesn't look too bad based on what they did, but dealerships always gouge.

TIL Velosters are expensive to maintain

[Hallowed_point]

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Not at all. Is it $50 worth of rags?

How about next time, bring a tote bin containing gloves, liquid wrench, grease, anti seize and so on. I’ve gotBins full of all sorts of that stuff and I’m sure you do too. Tell the service advisor “no shop supplies fee needed good sir, I brought my own!” Much like how grocery stores charge 5 cents for plastic bags so the workaround is to bring your own.

[dirtsniffer]

16% of invoice? Damn. How would a synthetic oil change use more materials that a regular oil change? Sounds scammy

[KPHMPH]

My father in law owns a shop and people complained about him adding shop supplies to his bill. In turn if his bill was $100 with a $5 shop supply he turned it into a $0 shop supply and $105 bill. At the end of the day most companies either show it while charge it or hide it and charge it.

[Maxt]

In my industry, the shop supply charge doesn't go over well with customers. Some shops do it, but I also hear about it a lot as a customer complaint. Probably the reason is the vagueness of it. People don't mind paying marked up prices as long as they know what it is and what it's for. Getting a shop supplies bill for a wiper blade change and ecu flash makes the customer think they just got taken for extra percentage. As a shop, it's far wiser just to build it into your mark-up, or actually list what it was and have a charge per item. I usually list mine out in one invoice line or individually if it's a big customer and I can leave the extra of whatever I used with them.

[tirebob]

For most shops (I say most... Not all) it isn't about squeezing more money from you as much as it is about trying to accurately track where expenses are going. I personally do not bill shop supplies out, but absolutely it is factored into what my true final profit margins are at the end of the year and how much I finally make determines what my sales costs will be on specific things the next season. Some companies prefer to mine that information down per invoice and make ajustments with a bit more fine tuned information.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[killramos]

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For most shops (I say most... Not all) it isn't about squeezing more money from you as much as it is about trying to accurately track where expenses are going. I personally do not bill shop supplies out, but absolutely it is factored into what my true final profit margins are at the end of the year and how much I finally make determines what my sales costs will be on specific things the next season. Some companies prefer to mine that information down per invoice and make ajustments with a bit more fine tuned information.

I don’t see how a shops accounting practices should affect how much I am charged for service.

What’s next, a supplementary shelf stocking fee at the grocery store to appropriate account for the minimum worker who put the items on the shelves?

Enviro levy’s are one thing when they are legislated political extra costs that have nothing to do with the shop. But rags and cleaner? Cost of doing business that can be accounted for behind the scenes.

Just seems to be a lazy, predatory, and out of date practice.

[tirebob]

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I don’t see how a shops accounting practices should affect how much I am charged for service.

What’s next, a supplementary shelf stocking fee at the grocery store to appropriate account for the minimum worker who put the items on the shelves?

Enviro levy’s are one thing when they are legislated political extra costs that have nothing to do with the shop. But rags and cleaner? Cost of doing business that can be accounted for behind the scenes.

Just seems to be a lazy, predatory, and out of date practice.

my point being you are paying for it no matter whether it is on the invoice or not. It is just on the invoice you are seeing the charge rather than it being built on on the back end.

Look, I agree that for the most part people do not like thinking they are being nickled and dimed hence the reason I do not bill shop supplies myself, but if you think you are not paying shop supplies everywhere that doesn't put them on the invoice you are wrong.

[killramos]

The issue is when you are quoted X for a service and later find out you are tacked on another half dozen such items that increase the price. See this all the time with promotional service specials etc. If they are included in the quoted price then idgaf thats the shops problem.

100 dollar Alignment*, with anther 50 dollars of fees and supplies that you find out about when you pick up the car.

Not a personal attack on you, but i think I can find these items on every single vehicle service invoice I have ever received across every type of maker or independent shop. In some way shape or form.

Its the same as how airlines got their pee pee's slapped a few years back for exactly the same practice

[tirebob]

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The issue is when you are quoted X for a service and later find out you are tacked on another half dozen such items that increase the price. See this all the time with promotional service specials etc

100 dollar Alignment*, with anther 50 dollars of fees and supplies that you find out about when you pick up the car.

Not a personal attack on you, but i think I can find these items on every single vehicle service invoice I have ever received across every type of maker or independent shop. In some way shape or form.

No you are absolutely correct in that. I hate "extra" charges after a quote price which is why I personally quote all in, out the door, driving away prices so there is zero guess work for the client, but even then it surprises me how many people still want and exact breakdown of what every little cost is. I always tell them no problem but to understand it does not matter the individual costs because you can only compare the cost on the completed job. So what if my labour is $5 more if my tire is $5 less or as in the case being discussed here, my labour is $20 more but I have no shop supplies added...

My point being people should always be asking what the drive away total is in a quote, and not the individual prices if they want to have more peace of mind.

I can't believe more shops just don't do this by rule. It saves so many headaches.and arguments! At the end of the day though, it is their business and if they do this and you still support them, you are just as much of the issue because you accept it and still pay their bill and they will continue to work this way.

[Seth1968]

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The issue is when you are quoted X for a service and later find out you are tacked on another half dozen such items that increase the price.

It's a shitty business tactic that needs to go away.

Funny thing is, the worst offenders (stealerships) seem to be getting the point. That is, I've been seeing the "all in" ads. Unless at time of payment it really means, "It's all in, but there is still an extra charge for x and x".

Or, how "unlimited" data isn't really unlimited. (Telus did that).

It's legal false advertising. It's rampant, pathetic, and of course generally tolerated.