Why do car garages treat women so badly

[Boldernow]

Ok massive generalisation, but I’m currently waiting for my car to be checked and it’s yet again been such a frustrating and belittling experience. When my husband booked it they were super friendly to him, said it would take no time at all etc, I’ve arrived and dropped the car 2 hours ago, they wouldn’t give me a timeframe of when it would be done, spoke to me like I was an idiot, I just called them and they still haven’t looked at the car. It’s Halfords, this has happened to me at multiple locations so it’s not just one bad one. One time at another location I had an MOT booked, turned up and they said our MOT machine is broken so we can’t do it. By this time everywhere was booked up for MOTs for the next two weeks so I couldn’t get my car done before it ran out. I said to them, your machine has been broken for a week and you didn’t call your customers to let them know so they could book elsewhere? They didn’t even say the word sorry once. I just couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t have let me know earlier or even just that morning before I drove all the way there? Another time at a Farmers Autocare they massively overcharged me for work after an MOT - I was young and it was my first MOT so I think they took their chances, I realised in hindsight how I’d been taken for a massive fool, I had no money at the time so it was a massive blow, and to top it off they all hid in the office and sent out their apprentice to charge me the bill. I felt so humiliated and silly for not knowing better but didn’t feel like I could question it.

I would say I have only ever had 1 good experience at a car garage - Shout out to KJL Motors near Sawston, they were so kind, literally walked me under the car to show me exactly what was wrong with it before I agreed to the work, it was like a whole new world of being treated like a proper person as a customer, so I’ve never forgotten that standard of service that is possible.

Anyway, is it just me? Anyone else get this kind of treatment?

And if you’ve been somewhere in South Buckinghamshire that treated you well please let me know your recommendations!!

I had a car garage try and charge me a certain price once. I knew it was too high so I questioned it, they wouldn't back down. My partner went to pay, questioned it and they dropped the price.

Also rang a garage once to enquire about what was the issue with my vet and they turned round and said... 'is your partner there love'. Pricks

Agree. Places like Halfords don't usually employ proper time served mechanics either. I also avoid dealers like the plague they are massively overpriced and basically just sales machines. I've used 4 different 'back street' garages over many years (found through personal recommendation) and they have all been brilliant. I've not been charged for tiny jobs on several occasions. I've never felt patronised but it is helpful to have a basic knowledge of cars.

Sadly the days of these garages may be numbered. The owner of my current garage was telling me it is practically impossible to recruit mechanics, even apprentices, these days. Good car electronics people are, apparently, as rare as hens' teeth.

I take my car to a white male owned independent garage. Always been treated with respect there.

If you think these guys are bad what about getting your tyres changed? Those guys are real knuckle scrapers. Like calendars up of topless women.. eww

There can be a lot of judgement for people who use pcp/hp or similar to in effect "rent" cars and get another one every three years but I wonder if not having to deal with garages is part of the reasons it's so popular. A lot of the time everything is included - insurance, new tyres, service etc, because the cars are new they don't need MOTs - it might be more expensive but at least it's the same amount every month with no surprises.

Op as others have said best thing is usually to get personal recs (from other women!), friends, family, colleagues...I'm on a few different female centred facebook groups for my local area and often see people posting saying things like "anyone know a mechanic/electrician/whatever that doesn't take the piss out of women needing work done" so its clearly a thing! You get some responses from people trying to drum up business for their partner/dad or whatever but if a few people say the same name then at least its somewhere to start!

@Boldernow KJL are amazing, twice they checked something out for me and refused to charge me even though they spent time on it and were very busy. I wish I still lived round there!

Having in my youth has many terrible cars, what I found worked was having an idea what might be wrong. So if you say 'oh I think it might be a coil spring' you tend to get more respect than if you say 'it's making a funny noise' even when what you thought was a coil spring turns out to be your jack which you didn't put back in the boot properly banging around . So I agree with PP, a basic understanding of cars helps.

Trustworthy mechanics are rarer than hens teeth.
Many years ago I took my car to a garage in Macclesfield - they kept it all week and on the Friday called to let me know it was ready for me to collect. While the bloke was printing the £££ invoice I happened to turn around and look out the window just in time to see several mechanics pushing my car out onto the road and then bump starting it down Buxton Rd. Needless to say I did not pay the invoice. 😂

Maybe avid big chains where the staff don't have skin in the game. Find an independent business.

I wouldn't say it's just women who get ripped off (though I know it's far more common) I've finally found a great garage but it's not in a particularly convenient location for us. My husband put his car in to the super local one for an MOT. He called me in disbelief about the price they quoted for the work, I called my garage straight away and they did it for 1/3 of the price I think DH left the invoice in the car very visibly when he took it back to rip off garage for the retest.

If you'd asked a couple of months ago I would have recommended the one I've been using for the past couple of decades. I found the experience the same as you until I found this place, and have found them very trustworthy. Unfortunately, they've been badly messing me about since about December and I'm very unhappily going to be trying to find somewhere new henceforth. I don't think it's anything to do with sexism though, I think the owner's just gotten rather lazy in his old age.

Definitely avoid Active Tyres in Chesham though, was taken there a couple of years ago by RAC (unwillingly) and the nasty little man on reception kept calling me 'love', then they bodged the job so badly it took out my suspension. Got £50 back from RAC, it cost me over £500 (partly because the lazy owner of my usual garage kept forgetting to send an email clarifying it was the Chesham garage's fault). Also recommend avoiding RAC! Going to be trying John Cox in Amersham for my MOT and service in a couple of months, they're pretty well reviewed so hope they'll be ok.

I find both Kwik-fit and C&A Garage in Fife to be very good.

A few times, Kwik-fit have checked something for me, adjusted air pressure and refused any payment.

Also had payment refused for small jobs at C&A.

YANBU. Btw what's an 'Mot machine'?

Had trouble on the Glen Shee road.

RAC insisted they’d tow me to a garage in Ballater… In 8 hrs time.

It was 2pm. I risked driving to the garage myself.

I took a tyre in to be repaired. They told me it couldn't be repaired and I would need a new one. I refused and went home. My husband went back a short time later and guess what... they mended the tyre 😡

Ugh yes I had one of those experiences at kwikfit when my old car went for an MOT (company car so no choice unfortunately!).

Asked me if there were any warning lights showing, said there was but it was due to XYZ issue which was what the main dealership had told me to be met with ‘pah! NO WAY is that causing the issue, we can get that switched off for you.’

Collected it a few hours later, made sure to tell me what a good job they’d done for me switching that warning light off, drove it about 50m down the road and it came back on!

Our tyre centre used to be great, was a small family owned business then a national chain took it over. It went to get one tyre that I knew was bald replaced and they told me I needed 3. I got the one I knew needed doing and then next week was my MOT, which it passed. My friend said they said the exact to her and really pushed her to get a tyre she knew was fine changed, she refused and again her car passed it's MOT a short whole later.

Whilst it is not against the law to to have different tyres and would not affect an MOT, there are certain cars and circumstances where it is advisable, especially if the other tyres have a fair few miles on them:
"Certain vehicle manufacturers will recommend that you change all four tyres in the event that one needs replacing. This is because some modern, highly-sophisticated drive systems require the vehicle to be completely balanced all round. Having a mix of worn and brand new tyres will leave the drive system unbalanced and compromise the vehicle performance."
On some 4wd cars, it can also cause problems and lead to mechanical failures in the drivetrain. BMW X drive is one example.

@Badbadbunny depends on the garage
We don't do any repairs without a diagnostic first and won't take a diagnostic from another garage as it's caused issues before
So it's £210 diagnostic before repairs and we won't take anyone's word for it

What's happened before is the customer says "spark plugs. Diagnosed elsewhere, need them changing"
We change the spark plugs and it isn't the issue.. customer then has to pay for spark plugs and is pissed off because it's not fixed

This wasn't the situation. They told me the tyres were bald and they weren't and they weren't recommending I change all four tyres.

Can't say I have ever had that problem with our local garage but the fact that we're friends with the owners might be a factor there. However I find car salesmen frequently talk down to/ignore me.
Fairly recently I went to a test drive that I'd booked on the phone. The sales man clearly had me listed as Dr A Doc, not my forename, as as we approached he put out his hand to greet my DH with a hearty "Lovely to meet you Dr Doc". It seemed to be quite beyond his comprehension that not only was I Dr Doc but I intended to buy my own car, with my own money and that it was me that he needed to persuade, not DH. No matter how many times DH redirected him to me, he reverted to providing technical information to him. The only aspects he wanted to talk to me about were the colour range and how easy the sensors make it to park. I felt like I'd slipped through a time warp into 1970. He didn't get a sale.

Keep pushing for what you want to know.
Don't let them fob you off.
Stand there and look at them until you get an answer.
I agree about a "small dick energy" as per PP, but probably my age has caused my anger to overcome any awkward feelings.
Then these situations don't happen.

I'm very lucky as there's a local independent garage down the road from me which I trust completely. Treat everyone the same.

I would avoid Halford like the plague. I bought a bulb in there recently for my DDs car - headlamp bulb - they said they'd be able to fit it in about 3 hours for £20. I said my DD was heading back to uni later that day and we didn't have time to wait. Popped into my local garage and they did it there and then for free.

Don't go anywhere near Halfords. I've had numerous issues with them - they never stick to their booking times, they constantly overbook or have staff "call in sick" so everytime I've tried taking my car to them, its taken at least 2 days for a bog standard MOT! God knows what the fuck they do.

Last year, my battery failed - I called AA who told me the battery needed replacing. I ordered a new battery that was supposedly due to fit my car on the Halfords websites and got it booked in. Took the car in, only to be told the battery was the wrong one (it was what they suggested) and I would have to return tomorrow when they had the right one in stock.

I told them that I had an MOT and full service booked in for 10 days time, I just needed the battery changing and a top up of oil (the AA man said it had run out).

They tried to tell me that I needed to have an oil change booked before my service, else the car would fail the MOT. This was just after I had told them I had it all booked in - luckily I knew that an oil change was a basic part of a full service - I said to my husband when I got home, there was no bloody way they would have tried that upsell with him.

Last week the brakes failed completely. Some cylinder thing on the back had popped and there wasn't a drop of brake fluid in the car. Luckily it was in town so the handbrake was enough. But if it had been on a fast road I would have been screwed.

That’s not possible in a modern dual circuit brake system so if that did indeed happen and there wasn’t a drop of fluid left in the car then I’m not surprised the first lot missed the developing issue as it was clearly something very unusual.

I'm so pleased we've (quite by chance) found an independent garage run by a woman.

She's bloody marvellous, she is a great mechanic herself, runs a tight ship, takes absolutely no truck off anyone... and lo and behold the men who work for her are all decent honest blokes.

I'll be sad when she retires in maybe 10 years, but hopefully her good influence at the garage will remain after her - I hope so.