Mechanic Advisor was founded on the premise of increased transparency for consumers looking to find a mechanic, as well as a platform for mechanics to showcase their business and connect with local customers. One of our most important features is the ability of customers to review their experiences with mechanics. This allows other potential customers to get an idea of what they can expect from a business, for better or worse. Many of the negative reviews we get tend to have a common theme. We've taken the biggest issues customers have, and listed them below, so that you can tell when you might be dealing with a less than desirable mechanic.
1) Doesn't set expectations - Many negative reviews we've seen have been a result of mechanics not outlining exactly what they're going to do, how long they're going to take to do it, and how much it's expected to cost. Those three factors are the running theme in most bad reviews. Whether it's keeping a car for weeks without letting a customer know how long the work was expected to take, or not explaining the extent of the work needed, setting proper expectations upfront and confirming with the customer exactly what they are would prevent a huge share of bad reviews.
2) Doesn't follow through on expectations - Another source of poor customer reviews are mechanics who over-promise and either under-deliver, or don't deliver at all. Some customers are promised that work will be completed within a day or two, and don't get the vehicle back for a month. Others get vehicles back that aren't even fixed. These situations are obviously not the norm, but they DO happen, and they are bad enough for people to share them with the world on review sites. If you promise to complete something in a specific time frame, or complete it to begin with, it needs to be honored.
3) Takes it personal when being asked questions - Attitude is another cause for poor customer reviews. This is not atypical of any industry that involves customer interaction, but plenty of 1 star reviews involve customers who feel that they were treated poorly simply by performing their due diligence as a consumer. Although there are people who may be difficult to deal with to begin with, that goes for both sides of the counter. But the old adage "the customer is always right" usually stands, and a professional mechanic will make everyone feel like they are the most important customer, even if they have to answer questions that seem beneath them.
4) Changes the price without consulting you - When you take your car in for a diagnostic, you are supposed to receive an estimate. This will give you a ballpark idea of how much the work will cost. Sometimes, the work will exceed the estimate by a bit, or come in less than the estimate. However, if the work performed exceeds the estimated price by more than 5 to 10 percent, you have an issue. Of course, sometimes after a mechanic actually begins work on your car, they might discover a problem they didn't notice before, raising the cost of the repairs. However, if that's the case, they must inform you of the change in price before moving forward, unless you've given them explicit permission not to. Issues with bills coming in hundreds, or thousands of dollars higher than estimates are seen in many poor shop reviews.
5) Doesn't return phone calls - The last common complaint found in bad shop reviews are mechanics who don't keep in contact with the customer at all, even after they have been called repeatedly. While shops are busy and can't always come running to the phone, someone who has entrusted their vehicle with a mechanic should at least get the courtesy of a call back by the end of the business day. We have read reviews where calls weren't returned for weeks, which is unacceptable not just in any customer-service industry, but especially one where the person is depending on their transportation for transporting themselves to work, and their families around town.
MechanicAdvisor.com is one of the largest online mechanic resources in the US. We are the premier website for consumers to research and connect with reputable local mechanics for routine and specialty automotive repair. Our website features instructional videos, articles about maintaining your car, and detailed profiles of over 500,000 mechanics across the country. If you're a shop owner, please claim your shop page for free here 
