Beware! How Service Centers Are Scamming You

Beware! How Service Centers Are Scamming You.

Credit: iammotobiker

Introduction: In today's article, I am going to talk to you about service center scams. That is, how you are fooled at the service center: money is taken from you, and no proper work is done on your car. Bike owners trust authorized or local service centers for servicing their bikes. But many service centers take advantage of the customer's negligence and scam them. These scams can range from small things to big frauds.

Black work is going on behind the white coat. I am going to expose this black work, so keep reading this article. Not only this, I will definitely tell you about the problems and scams that you do in authorized centers, that is, in the service centers of the company. Often people have this thought that a lot of trust is placed in the service centers of the company, that the work of the authorized company would be done as per the recommendations in the company headquarters, but this is not the truth. I will also tell you how you can avoid this scam and problem.

*Common scams in bike service centers*

1. User manual recomendations are just for show: 

If you see, there are 3-4 tasks in the bike. 3-4 tasks are done by the company while servicing it. One is blowing air on the air filter; that is to clean the air filter. Then another task is to clean the spark plug if you wish, and the third task is to change the engine oil. The company does these 3-4 tasks, and if the car is missing and is not running properly, then clean the fuel injector. These tasks are mentioned in the user manual in preference, and then the company does only these 3-4 tasks. 

Credit: Honda Global

Now if you ever look at the periodic maintenance chart in the user manual, then you will find many things there, and you will also get to see a chart in which the company will tell you whether you have to inspect the parts and whether they require replacement or not, but the mechanics of the company just check the things from above, whether they need to be replaced or not, and inspect them from above. But you will see during the first service that the valves of the bikes are also checked; the valves have to be opened and set also. The mechanic will never do it in your first service. And if there is some sound coming from the engine, the mechanic will tell you about it in the first service too with great difficulty because these people are lazy. These people think that we should repair the car as quickly as possible and we will get our money. If there is free service, then let it be; we will get the money for the parts and all this work.

If you open your user manual and look at the periodic maintenance chart, you will see many things in it, and those things are whether the oil in the front bearing shock absorber needs to be changed or not. The company will not tell you all these things at the recommended time. You will not go to the service center. Suppose you need to change the oil of your front telescopic suspension after 10,000 km; then the company person does not even know when the oil needs to be changed. Either they know or they do not know; they will not tell you that the oil of the front shock absorber needs to be changed after 10,000 km.

Also Read: Honda Activa 7G

Suppose the bike ran for 10,000 miles and you went to the service center, but they did not tell you; then, after a few days, the problem would arise, and then you would come to know that the shock absorber oil should be changed. There are many such things, like front bearing greasing and rear axle greasing etc.

2. Forced replacement scam: 

Suppose some small problem arises in your bike and you tell the company that you are facing some problem with the bike; then they will say that this part needs to be replaced. If you do not have knowledge and are not enthusiastic about the bike, then you can easily believe them that the person from the authorized service center is saying the truth, but it is not necessary; it can happen at many places. The service center near you works well and honestly, but in most of the service centers, you are fooled.

Credit: internationalcenter

So you will be forced to change the parts. Suppose there is some problem in your bike, and the company says that it will change the clutch plate, but there is no interval written in the user manual as to how much time it will take to change the clutch plate. It is changed only when the bike has 10,000-20,000 km. So in this way the company forces you to change the parts, saying that you should get the parts replaced, that these parts have gone bad. What will you do by replacing them? Drive and change them quickly. Until you read the periodic maintenance chart of the user manual, until then you'll be fooled, and you will find very few things to see in it.

3. Hidden charges Bill: 

The scam that you see in authorized centers is that the parts are written in the bill, and you pay the bill for the changed parts. Whether you pay using the card or cash, you definitely do, but you don't know whether the parts are replaced or not in the bike. The point comes here. Many people have already fallen for this scam: whoever is inspecting your bike will write down your parts that will be replaced, and a long bill will be prepared for you, but you will be fooled there. Because if you go to the service center's workshop, then after some time you will be chased out. It is told that you go and the car will be ready; you just wait in the waiting room. So it happens sometimes that the parts are written in the bill, but the parts are not replaced. At the last, if you look at the final bill, you will see charges that were not even mentioned earlier—and when you ask, they say, “It is standard process, sir.”

4. Engine Oil Scam:

You will say that what will be the scam of oil? They will mix water in the oil. It is not like that. The scam of oil is that you put normal mineral oil in your two-wheeler and moped, and it runs for around 2500 to 3500 km. Now the thing is that if you drive your vehicle for even 1500-1600km and take it to them, then they will say that the oil has to be changed. This is mostly a story of the service center, meaning that I know how to check the oil. I will check it and tell you whether the oil is okay or it has gone bad. It has gone completely bad, the lubrication has been lost. I can tell you that, but if you go to the service center after driving the car for 1000 km, he will say that the oil needs to be changed, that the oil of the car has gone bad, so the oil scam is the most popular scam. Some authorized centers claim to put in new engine oil, but the oil is old. Sometimes they remove the oil and put the same oil again or put in a smaller quantity.

credit: the sportztourer

5. Fuel Scam:

The next scam that we can see here is that it cannot be called a scam of one kind, it can be called a problem.So the thing is that petrol is used to clean the carporator vehicles. So when we are paying you the service cost or even getting the service done for free, then why did you take out petrol from our vehicle? If you ever visit the service centre here, you will see that the service centre takes out petrol from your vehicle and the corporate is cleaned with the same petrol, but when you pay the service cost, then why is this done, you should ask this question to the authorised service centre, but no one asks.

Credit: Times of india

6. Service Not Done Properly:

The problem of getting service done at an authorised centre is that mechanics get wages according to the vehicle. If you see, your job card is made, on it the name of the mechanic is written; the mechanic to whom the car is going, what does that mechanic do, he tries to work on the car as quickly as possible so that he can opt for another car. The sooner he will work on your car, that much sooner he will work on another car, that much sooner he will be able to work on cars in the whole day and that much more his profit margin, whatever money he can make. But what does the mechanic do in this situation that he leaves out many things from the car, i.e. if you say something work, it will not be done. 

7. Fake Parts Replacement Scam: 

I have also heard of some scams that these are very rare but they do happen, that is, parts are replaced; new ones are not put in instead of replacing the parts of the car. Replacement means that parts are replaced near the car, i.e. if the tubeless tyre in your car looks a little good, then the tyre is removed and put in another car. I have seen some such scams also and many people have told me I have told you.

Credit: Yamato Scale

Solution: 

Now I will tell you how to save yourself. Suppose there is some problem in your car, then you go to the service center and tell them that this is the problem, and if, suppose, the problem has not been solved and you feel that some theft is going on there, then you immediately tell them, I will complain if my work is not done; then it was of no use to me that the problem has to be solved.  You threaten to complain. And if the threat does not work, then what you have to do is go to the company's site, call its toll-free number for the customer care service center, or send an email to its email ID, after which you will get a call saying that this was the problem in your car, and the call will be made to your nearest service center. The service center people at the company's headquarters will call you immediately.

Also Read: These mistakes will cancel your Bikes warranty

Now, if you want to save yourself from theft, whether any parts are being replaced in the car or not, then you tell the person who inspects the car that whenever you replace the parts, call me, I have to see the parts, it's okay if he denies, So you have to know a little that I have to see whether what parts in the car which I am paying for are getting replaced or not, then he will let you come, there will be no talk of any such problem, that is why the service center people do not let you come inside, there is a lot of hassle inside the workshop, the mechanics are also working, then if customers are also coming then it becomes a hassle, but at the specific time of changing the parts, you can go there and tell them that they have come to see the replacement parts.

Conclusion:

Bike servicing is a matter of trust, but some service centers misuse this trust. The more aware you are, the safer you will be. Get the service done, but with understanding!

Do you want to know the solution to any other scams or problems? Please give your opinion in the comments and if this article is helpful for you, then definitely follow it.