Could I get some advice on dealing with this Tesla-recommended repair shop that seems to be pulling a bait-and-switch?
I recently did some minor damage to my Model 3 requiring replacement of the bumper cover and and a rocker molding. The local Tesla service center recommended a local auto body shop that they regularly use themselves. The body shop looked the car over and gave me a printed estimate for the repairs, which detailed the part numbers and prices, about $830 for the numbered parts, plus labor and materials. I agreed to it, and they ordered the parts. A couple weeks later when the parts had arrived at the shop, I brought my car in for them to do the repairs.
This is an out-of-pocket repair, as the cost is too low compared to my insurance deductible and the damage occurred in two separate incidents.
A couple days later, with my car in the shop, they called me with an update. Some of the previously estimated labor items were found to be unnecessary, as the rocker panel behind the molding wasn't actually damaged, so they were saving me money I thought. I requested an updated estimate, which they emailed me.
The new estimate listed the same parts and part numbers (as expected, as I still wanted the molding replaced), but with the total parts price jacked up by about $650! Specifically, they increased the prices for each part by about 20% on average, increased the quantity of support parts (clips and rivets) beyond what's actually to be used, apparently to meet Tesla order minimums, and added a $350 shipping charge that wasn't originally quoted.
All of those things should've been known up front when I agreed to have them order the parts. This isn't a matter of newly discovered additional damage. They didn't inform me of any changes to the parts cost when I dropped off my car, at which point they had all the parts in hand and knew what they were going to charge me for them.
Now that they have the parts, and my car, and have already begun the repairs, I feel stuck. If I had known that they would charge another $650 on top of the printed estimate just for the parts that were originally planned for, I'd have gotten estimates from other shops. What do I do now? What leverage do I have?
I recently did some minor damage to my Model 3 requiring replacement of the bumper cover and and a rocker molding. The local Tesla service center recommended a local auto body shop that they regularly use themselves. The body shop looked the car over and gave me a printed estimate for the repairs, which detailed the part numbers and prices, about $830 for the numbered parts, plus labor and materials. I agreed to it, and they ordered the parts. A couple weeks later when the parts had arrived at the shop, I brought my car in for them to do the repairs.
This is an out-of-pocket repair, as the cost is too low compared to my insurance deductible and the damage occurred in two separate incidents.
A couple days later, with my car in the shop, they called me with an update. Some of the previously estimated labor items were found to be unnecessary, as the rocker panel behind the molding wasn't actually damaged, so they were saving me money I thought. I requested an updated estimate, which they emailed me.
The new estimate listed the same parts and part numbers (as expected, as I still wanted the molding replaced), but with the total parts price jacked up by about $650! Specifically, they increased the prices for each part by about 20% on average, increased the quantity of support parts (clips and rivets) beyond what's actually to be used, apparently to meet Tesla order minimums, and added a $350 shipping charge that wasn't originally quoted.
All of those things should've been known up front when I agreed to have them order the parts. This isn't a matter of newly discovered additional damage. They didn't inform me of any changes to the parts cost when I dropped off my car, at which point they had all the parts in hand and knew what they were going to charge me for them.
Now that they have the parts, and my car, and have already begun the repairs, I feel stuck. If I had known that they would charge another $650 on top of the printed estimate just for the parts that were originally planned for, I'd have gotten estimates from other shops. What do I do now? What leverage do I have?