How would you feel about this? Business tacking on bogus charges.

[Jstpssng]

I have a repair shop friend with a waste oil furnace.
He told me he pays $150 each year to have it maintained.
The first 50 oil change customers each year would pay for his furnace upkeep.
After that: It must go in his pocket.

Everybody with an oil furnace pays a cleaning charge every year. The difference is that they also pay for their oil... currently around 2.75$/gallon. I used to give him everything from doing my own oil changes; that day I just hadn't had time to do it, and the truck was long overdue. Now I take my used oil to the saw shop just down the road from him.

 

[chim]

It really gets me when the business is sneaky about it. Years ago I bought a new Monte Carlo from a nearby Chevy dealer. I took my vehicles there for service until that time when an invoice for a tuneup seemed awfully expensive. I went over each item, and found that they were charging list price for the parts. Not a huge problem - everyone needs to put food on the table. I did call to ask about one item that I couldn't identify. So I asked what an NP41 might be. The answer was "Oh, that's our markup". That was the last time they did any work for me.

 

[Lowcountry Rebel]

I would bet they wouldn't quibble over $29 if it means losing a $1,000 sale.

You would be surprised- A dealership let me walk over $50 and lost a $9500 cash sale. Their statement was "are you going to let $50 stop you from buying what you need?" My reply was "Are you going to let $50 stop you from making a $9500 sale?"
A different dealer in town sold the same item to me for $9000- I saved $550.
I sent the first dealer a copy of the sales invoice.

 

[CobyRupert]

Not sure where I saw this (maybe even here?).
Seems appropriate.

 

[Fuddy1952]

You would be surprised- A dealership let me walk over $50 and lost a $9500 cash sale. Their statement was "are you going to let $50 stop you from buying what you need?" My reply was "Are you going to let $50 stop you from making a $9500 sale?"
A different dealer in town sold the same item to me for $9000- I saved $550.
I sent the first dealer a copy of the sales invoice.

You're right about that. About five years ago we went to a dealership to buy two new cars. We were within $150. The manager said "Nope" so we walked away.
We drove to another dealership about 90 miles away and wife and I bought two identical cars and saved a lot. When I told the salesman about other dealer he said he would have given us the $150 out of his own pocket to make the sale.

 

[PILOON]

Well here in Quebec we have mandatory environmental fees on many items.
Tires-$5.00 each
Oil, Filters, TV's, all appliances, batteries also all have 'recycling' fees.
Heck even flash light batteries and anything that is electronic has a 'recycle fee' attached now.
It is all to preserve the environment, or so they say.
The gov't even likes to brag with TV ads as to how many services and merchants take the rejected items.

One problem is when a cottage owner has moved his city 'white good' from the city to the chalet (more good life remaining) but then needs to dispose of it later.
Usually the appliance store is the one to collect the reject but since it is now at the chalet how to dispose? city trash no longer picks up those discards so the owner needs to be able to truck it to disposal.

At the onset tires etc were charged at the dump site so folks were simply dumping them by the roadside hence the 'up front' fee schemes were introduced.
Bit of a scam if U ask me. Gov't has your money (fee) for a service they will provide someday down the line.
Shucks they should pay me interest on that (prepaid service), like my bank does on deposits.
Naturally they'll claim it is all factored in.