Aug. 10, 2021—A new study found auto shops often overcharge women for repairs, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
The trend was uncovered in a Journal Marketing Research study “Repairing the Damage: The Effect of Price Knowledge and Gender on Auto Repair Price Quotes.”
The study investigated whether consumers were treated differently based on how well informed the consumer appeared. Authors found that repair shops quoted higher prices to callers who cited a benchmark price and that women are charged more than men when they seem uninformed about market prices.
Researchers also found repair shops are more likely to offer lower prices if asked to do so by a woman than if asked by a man, according to the study.
