June 11, 2014—Most consumers feel overcharged when getting work done at auto repair facilities, according to a recently released report by AutoMD.com.
The survey was conducted online from more than 2,400 car owners between March and April, and it also detailed some of the repair industry’s biggest opportunities to earn the trust of customers.
Transparency is the largest issue in changing consumer perception of shops, the report said. Consumers said that not knowing what a repair should cost is the biggest challenge in the process, and these consumers are going online to research pricing and to look at consumer reviews before going to a repair shop to ease that concern.
"We know that there are excellent repair shops and service centers in every city in the U.S., but, as this study shows, a persistent perception problem plagues the industry: Consumers simply don't trust that they are paying an appropriate price for a repair and their view of the whole experience is, generally, not a positive one," said Brian Hafer, vice president of marketing for AutoMD.com.
"But there is good news,” he added. “Consumers are going online to check price quotes and repair shop reviews and are craving apples-to-apples actual job quotes. So, for shops that are pricing fairly, offering real quotes and keeping up a good digital presence, there is a real chance to improve perception—and, with it, their business[es]."
Other key highlights of the survey include:
- 83 percent of all respondents feel overcharged
- Women dislike going to the repair shop more than going to the dentist
- Men rank repair shops only slightly higher than going to the dentist
- Over 44 percent of women have a negative view of the auto service center/repair shop experience
- 12 percent of women view it positively
- 16 percent of all survey respondents had a positive view
- 40 percent of all survey respondents had a neutral view
For more information and the complete survey results, visit autoMD.com.
