My stepson recently had something go wrong with his car.  He took it to Huffines Dodge in Lewisville near where he works.  They checked it out and said it was a fuel pump and would cost about $870.  It turns out the fuel pump had been replaced at a shop in our hometown and was still under warranty.  It’s not a hard choice to pick the inconvenience of an hour drive back to the shop that fixed it first and could replace it for free over $870, right?  So what does Huffines do for the convenience of telling my stepson what was wrong?  Just a charge of $120!

I nearly lost my #$%^&*$ mind!  A $120 “diagnostic fee” to tell us what the problem is.  Of course, they are kind enough to waive that fee if you spend your money with them but the fact the part is under warranty costs $120.

Here’s my “courtesy fee” for Huffines telling my stepson what is wrong.  Please, whatever you do, avoid Huffines Dodge for any service until they understand what service means.  I’m suggesting you don’t go to their shop, body repair or buy a car from them.

If I can convince just one person to avoid a shop that charges exorbitant rates to tell a college kid what is wrong with his car then I will feel vindicated in the rip-off I had to pay for.  Just one person not shopping at Huffines Dodge in Lewisville and I will feel better.

Tell me you are charging me $40 to pay the mechanic to look at it and I can understand even though I think some services are free to build goodwill.  I’ve been in retail for 20+ years so I have a grasp of how to build lifetime value with customers.  It’s not that I didn’t want Huffines Dodge to do the work, it’s just that the part is under warranty and I would be a tad daft to pay for it when it’s a free replacement.

Yes, I’m a little hot under the collar.  No, I probably wouldn’t write this post in a week or so.  Yes, I think it’s pathetic to charge that much.  The service guy, while not the one choosing how much to charge, said “the Ford house charges $130.”  Did  your mama ever ask if you if everyone else jumped off the bridge would you do it too?  C’mon man!  I don’t care what the other people who are abusing good service are doing.  Stand up.  Do the right thing.

Oh yeah…the brakes I was going to let you fix.  FORGET IT!

@huffinesdodge