My brother told me to just ask for a discount on my car repair bill

So my check engine light came on last week, and the mechanic said it was a sensor thing. The quote was $480, which felt high. My older brother, who fixes up old trucks, said 'Just ask if they can do better on the price. The worst they can say is no.' I was nervous, but when I went to pick up the car, I just asked the manager if there was any way to lower the cost. He looked at the bill, tapped on his computer for a minute, and said he could take 15% off for paying cash. That saved me over $70. I felt silly for almost not saying anything. It was such a simple piece of advice that actually worked. Has anyone else had luck just asking for a better deal on stuff like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

riverg7521d ago

Wait they just gave you a discount for paying cash. That feels like a red flag for how they price things. Makes you wonder what the real cost was.

charles_black2421d ago

My brother gives me that same advice and I always chicken out. I get this mental image of the manager laughing me out of the shop. Good on you for actually asking. That cash discount thing is pretty common, they save on credit card fees. I should probably try it next time instead of just complaining about the bill to my dog.

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grant7281d ago

Man that mental block is so real. But honestly most small business owners are just regular people trying to make it work. They aren't sitting there waiting to laugh at you. The cash discount isn't some secret scam, it's just math. Credit card companies take a cut of every sale, sometimes like 3%. So if you pay cash, that's 3% more in their pocket right away. It makes total sense they'd share a little of that saving to encourage it. Pricing is always a bit of a game, but this one feels pretty straightforward to me.