I just want to confirm my humanity here - I'm afraid of car mechanics. When they give the quote are they just pulling numbers out of their heads because they know that I know nothing? Do they really replace the broken part with a new one or is it a rebuilt one? Is anything broken at all??? Every time the old van started acting funny I got all stressed out. And I know many people feel that way about taking their treasures to a jeweller for repair. I sympathise and I got some common sense advice for you;
1. If the job is going to be complicated, get a second opinion. Make sure that both jewellers agree on what the problem really is. If they don't, go get a third opinion.
2. If a job is going to be expensive go get a second opinion. And don't go with the cheap guy, go with the person who can explain the problem to you and why its going to be expensive to fix.
3. The only way to get a truly independent Appraisal is to look up Jewellery Appraisal in the phone book and pay for it yourself. The "Independent Appraisal" that the jeweller gave you probably reflects what the jeweller wanted written.
4. Don't bother asking for your gold back when you have your ring sized. The little piece of metal is our profit margin, we will just charge you extra for the hassle of remembering to put it in a baggy, and what good is it to you stuck in your underwear drawer?
5. If you want me to fix your earring, bring me the unbroken one too. That way I can make sure that they still match after, you look silly if I only polish one.
6. Don't try to fix it yourself. I charge extra to remove pipe solder and plier marks.
7. Every year bring your jewellery in to be looked at. Its much cheaper to re tip claws that replace lost stones. Ask to have stuff polished and checked, yes it will cost money, but so does any tune up.
8. Don't tell the jeweller to 'just make the ring a 1/2 size bigger" invariably that is wrong. Always get your finger measured.
9. If I say I will call you in a couple of days with the estimate, it means that I must figure out the price, maybe I need to calculate the diamond replacement cost or maybe your jewellery is so dirty I need to clean it before I can see the whole problem. If I just tell you a number Right Now I'm going to guess high so I don't put myself out of business.
10. hmmm I'm sure I will think of more...
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Car mechanic and service adviser here. A friend of mine liked (what I believe is) your new facebook page, and that has lead me here to what I hope is the same person.
In response to your questions:
1. They aren't just pulling numbers out their heads if they're reputable. Most shops have a database of how long a given job takes for each different car that has been made.
2. They will usually put in a new component if the job is on smaller and inexpensive components. They will usually only use a rebuilt/salvaged component on larger and expensive jobs, such as a transmission or engine replacement. And they will always consult you, just in case you have issues with used products, or would prefer a brand new unit entirely.
3. If it isn't broken, they won't fix it.
Go for a garage that is clean, well lit, and has people that will talk to you. A good service adviser is also a functional teacher, and can explain what the problem is, what the component does on your car, how it is broken, and how it can be fixed.
There are crooked guy in clean shops, and there are also good guys working out of their garages. Your friends, clients, and co-workers can usually recommend a good place to get work done.
We're really not all that bad. If anything, we (the garage staff) are more upset with this than you are. Because now we have to convince a general public that has grown up KNOWING that mechanics are looking to fleece you, that all we want to do is provide honest service, and pay our bills.
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