The Washington herald., 1921-03-13
More Attention to Cost Of Auto
. Repairs Would Help to Drive
So-called Robbers Out of Field


-rhe old boat Is getting kinda
-a6zsy you would look It over
and dx IL When can I have it?'
mat y about typical Of the nom
businesslike way In which too many
motorists leave their cars for over
60ling and service work at repair
shops. as poitnsd out by the Service
Department Of the National Auto
mobile Chamber Of Commerce.
Mr.. Newly Rich Is one type
EAger to make an impression OF
Devil t-the-expense-
maybe wherever he goes he Is
quite sure he would lose caste II
he 20 much as. inquired what the
bi11 will be when the job Is done.
prIde wil1 not let him inquire. and,
rons who either haven't enough
business sense to know any better
or are so overburdened with money
that they don't care for expense.
Is it any wonder that some serv-
ics establishments have ?degener-
atsd into legalized highway roboery
shops?" asks II. R Cobleigh. sec
rstary Of the National Automobile
chnber OF Commerce service de-
p4r<ment with everything made
80 attractive for them. why should
man be a burglar or sneak thief
ana risk his life and liberty when
he can collect money 50 much more
! easily and take no chances at all?
in fact. he has the law to protect
5 him. when, with the car in his
possession, he can hold up the Gus
toner until his bill is paid Very
attractive business, as almost any
one will agree.
Brinxs Condemnation.
In the meantime. the aver
are automobilist with no money to
waste. willing to pay for what ne
gets but needing to get all he pays
for; who treats his fellow men on
the level and believes he has a right
to expect square dealing from them
In return, n eondemning all automo-
bile service and repair men as
grafters and criminals.
Then, at the other extreme, Is
the chap who, not understanding
enough about what 1t costs to re-
pair q car. having nothing with
which to compare, would think any
charge exorbitant just on general
principles. II he got 5000 job for
$50. the $50 bill would look so big
+, that he would be sure 1t was toe
much anyhow. because he just
knows that all service stations rob
and that's all there is to II.
Even business men. who shoult
know better. have been known Il
take this attitude. A truck owner
who had q car repaired without In
atwya A.
an itemized bill for 5000. which ht
,aidn.t understand. and declared thai
he would pay $50 and not 1 cent
more. The service manager, hap
penfug to be psychologist. realized
that this man might not be as un-
reasonable as he appeared, so h,
called upon him and told him that
: he was going to explain the bill
and would settle with him when he
got through for just what he, th'
customer, decided he owed. They
went through the bill item by Item
and, try as he would, the customer
could not md more than SIS e
which he could conscientiously OBJ
ject. and so he settled his bill fol
S1s5- what fs more to the point. he
learned q. lot he did not know about
the cost OF antomotfve work. and Is
likely to take better care of nj,
Seduipment in the future so that he
will not require repairs 50 fire.
quently.
Help Renore Dishonesty.
In course of time, car owners
will become educated as to what are
reasonable charges aud will demand
to know in advance what contem-
IL -
oniy would begin this now they
could be helping remove the cause
for dishonesty, which is so preva-
lent and for which they are so
largely responsible.
More credit to them, many serv.
Ice stations are reforming them.
selves. They appreciate that any
charge at all Is a shock unless one
knows that 1t is coming, so they
have adopted the very obviously
successful methods of merchants in
other lines, and are having exact
Understandings with their patron.
before job Is started. In the first
place. they tell him what is the mat
ter with his car Then they figure
out the cost and Mr.. Car Owner has
the opportunity to decide before he
orders the work whether II is worth
to him the sum that 1t will cost. II
IL 10 more than he cares to spend al
the time. perhaps he decides to put
up with little noise or somethine
else until later, and has only the
most necessary Jobs done.
For most of these jobs the shop
has q Nat priA just like a dealer
In hats or shoes certain price
for q certain operation-add up
your operations and there's your