Women drivers ‘ripped off’ at garages
Nearly a third of female motorists feel that a garage has overcharged them for work done to their car purely because they are a woman, according to new research.
Younger women drivers (aged 20-25)) claim to be most vulnerable, with more than a third (33.8%) feeling that a technician has charged them over the odds. However, even a quarter of the most experienced drivers (aged 56-70) believe it’s happened to them too.
The survey for new car maintenance and ownership service, motoreasy, also reveals that almost one in three (31%) female motorists have stopped using a garage because they felt they were being taken advantage of.
Women aged 26-35 are most likely to jump ship from a garage because they believe they were ripped off (38%). “These days, people are generally busier than ever with modern life,” explains motoreasy’s Duncan McClure Fisher. “Increasingly, motorists don’t have time to deal with the dull car maintenance jobs like arranging MOTs or organising car repairs.
“Our research shows that this is compounded for female motorists, who also feel fearful of entering negotiations with garages in case they get overcharged or charged for work that is not actually needed.
“The problem is even worse for young drivers, who don’t know as much about cars and are, therefore, even more open to being taken advantage of.”
motoreasy’s concierge-like service provides customers with their own personal technician, who liaises with garages and negotiates lower prices for parts and labour on their behalf.