WORST BUSINESS PRACTICES - PATHETIC SERVICE: 700% mark-up on parts !!!!!

WORST BUSINESS PRACTICES - PATHETIC SERVICE: 700% mark-up on parts !!!!! When hiding dishonesty with stupidity makes-up for the worst lies and stories being told to the client's face, not even realising how embarrassed the workshop manager himself should be...

MY STORY: Wanted to ask Driveshafts center Bellville to check an inner CV issue with my vehicle. It was a "pre-diagnosed" issue for which I already got told exactly where and what was wrong, but as recommended, always seek for a second opinion. So here I am, waiting for the workshop manager to take care of me. While I am waiting, I can already witness clients walking in with lose CV joints, which is suggesting that some clients prefer to do the job themselves and just have the joints fixed at this place.. why ? Well, keep reading

Finally my turn, I now have to sit and drive with the workshop manager who’s going to quote me, he wants "to check the vehicle" (already a red flag when 99.9% of the time you just put the car on the lift and immediately see / manually check the CV joints for yourself..) but I let him, sometimes you must take the time to understand who you're really dealing with... SO, 20 mins later, on an empty parking lot, burning my petrol for no reason, pretending to do some magical mystical manoeuvrings on my vehicle, in order to identify the problems, he decides to drive back to the workshop. More like trying to gage the clients pocket’s depth with this technique I guess, but who knows ?.. well keep reading you might be surprised...

Four wheels in the air, the car is now up on the lift being scrutinised. from the faulty inner CV joint that he spotted he now wants to quote me on the other one as well, not realising that his honest staff already told me that the other one was fine, but ok why not.. problem being that I question him in front of his staff, and I can see the staff being indirectly forced to lie to me, not even looking at me in the eyes because they seem to be more honest and it is like they do not want to indulge these behaviours contrary to the workshop manager, already looking at me as if I were his monthly pay check…

Now leading the entire diagnostic process so that he can apparently enforce his own stories upon his staff and myself, the workshop manager picks-up that the one wheel bearing is making a slight noise. wanna quote me on that, ok why not, the wheel bearing never ever bothered me while driving but since you'll be scratching there, let's kill two birds

End RESULT, Sit Tight and Dare not to Laugh: +R11k incl VAT !!! Bwahahahaha :-)

BREAKDOWN Charging R3k per inner CV joints !!!!!!!!!!!! You heard me, R3k !!! average unit price for official brands being between R300 to R600 cost, even with a max workshop commission of +20% on parts which is very high for RMI registered service providers, you would end up on R720, not R3000 !!!!! And the 20% is to justify the fact that you have to source, phone, drive around, but Driveshafts center Bellville should already have corporate agreements with free deliveries from suppliers into place since it is their core business for years.. … Anyway, from the most expensive one available for my vehicle which is R600, he shoots up to R3000 for the inner CV joints,.., WHAT THE ACTUAL F!!! :-)

WAIT THERE IS MORE :-), according to the workshop manager's embarrassing BS, it is a "DC brand, a german company", "not a Fonkong product"…, as if Midas or Master Parts do not supply official and reliable quality brands for these CV Joints AND from which the best German quality retails at R600 !! He had the nerves to say that to me when he was actually the one phoning around in front of me to get quotes, and believe you me, he never spoke german to his supplier :-), so he definitely went the normal channel via midas, MasterParts etc for which the max price is R720 per inner CV NOT R3000 a piece…

When I checked the "DC brand” he mentioned to me, it never showed up, just a "DC inner CV joint" product, listed for $48 a piece and compatible with my vehicle. So even if i import it, it would cost R800 plus their 20% on parts R960, and 20% on parts is a lot from workshops. NEVER WOULD I LAND ON R3k

SO THAT WAS THE FIRST LIE: "they supply german solid whatever"... At that point, the only solid thing they supplied me with was a home made torrent of HORSE **** through the workshop manager teeth…

- Second, he goes and blame the secretary for quoting me on wheel bearings at R1000/piece instead of the max price of R300/piece… !!!!! :-) Then in the conversation, he makes it up that I must now replace the entire hub, "because it needs to be replaced", Ok Boss ! Like *** really .

If we speak about the wheel bearing, ok! Why not! Even if there were no problem in the first place, still why not, but now he wants to quote and replace the entire hub WHAT THE ACTUAL F !!!! :-) World Class CLOWN

IN TOTAL its a hub (never mentioned after inspection), 2 wheel bearings (only one mentioned after inspection), 2 inner CV joints when only one was faulty according to his dedicated honest staff.. Oh and a CV booth, max usually R200, guess how much :-) ? R400 wow not bad compared to the rest. Oh and another one, he quoted me to replace the outer CV boot but he wants to service the outer CV joint as well hahaha, extra R300, DUDE just change the outer CV joint, it cost R350 total cost, and its the same labour job, same location... BS all the F way !!

I got my accountant to check for me, it is 700% mark-up on parts and overall almost 5 times the price of what I should pay !!!!!!!!

The ONLY honest price was for the labor: R650 / hour but not for 4 hours as per listed on the quote but 2hours to change one wheel bearing and one inner CV joint, and 2 hours is more than enough… The staff works hard and it is a good price per hour, should the workshop manager not eat from this plate AS WELL...

CONCLUSION: WORST BUSINESS PRACTICES - PATHETIC SERVICE - covering dishonesty with stupidity..

BACKGROUND: The diagnosed car is an old car that is listed on my company, it is a runner, therefore I cannot imagine how bad they must knock other people out of their money for a service that has no other real intrinsic value than empty words and fake promises based on unnecessary repairs!!!

Imagine for one second how they would treat your wife, girlfriend, mother should they go in there alone ?!!!

It is not about having money and not having to worry about an 11k expense when, in reality, you’re supposed to spend 3k total…

Idiots always let their ego being taunt on the fact that they cannot afford paying and eventually give in and pay, when the truth is that they should listen to their heart and brains and refuse to be financially abused and intellectually insulted.

You do not have to spend money in a stupid way to prove that you exist.

It is often said that rich people are rich because they treat money with respect. When you have a car valued between **** and 2m, do not bother with Driveshafts center Bellville, send it to the dealership workshop, they’ll charge you nothing on the motor plan or workshop price with a solid warranty..

But if you have a vehicle valued from 100k to 500k then look after your expenses and pay for what is fair.

Giving money to bad places is directly killing the honest workshops out there who do not put a 700% mark-up on parts ! . The day you need a real service from legit places they will all be closed down because their market share dried out for the benefit of these so called "centers", and you will only be at the mercy of **** and dishonest places ….

8k is nothing, from 3k to 11k, why not, but it is a nice week-end with your half, a beautiful gift to your mother, a present for your kids.

When it comes to Driveshafts center Bellville, keep the money in your pockets and quickly drive away…

I HOPE THAT MY REVIEW WILL HELP YOU