29% Of Female Drivers Feel Garages Overcharge Because They're Women

Those holding down jobs in the motor trade might want to take note of a new study from warranty and MOT provider motoreasy, revealing that 29 per cent of female motorists believe that they have been overcharged by garages in the past simply because they're women.

Younger women, those aged between 20 and 25 years old, feel the most vulnerable, with 33.8 per cent saying that they feel a technician charged them too much, while a quarter of 56 to 70-year-olds say they feel the same way. Interestingly, 31 per cent admitted that they stopped using a garage because they thought they had been taken advantage of.

Chief executive of motoreasy Duncan McClure Fisher said: "These days, people are generally busier than ever with modern life. 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."

He went on to add that younger drivers in particular are often affected by this because they have less knowledge about cars and as such it's easier for them to be taken advantage of.

Similarly, a few years ago a study from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, published by the Times, revealed that women are quoted higher prices than men for the same services on a routine basis. However, if they demonstrate that they understand car finances and can hold a conversation about mechanics, they could avoid being overcharged as mechanics will stop assuming that they don't know what the repairs being carried out are worth.

Researcher Meghan Busse told the news source that men didn't seem to suffer in the same way when they showed that they had no knowledge of car mechanics, suggesting that some sort of discrimination is at play. She went on to explain that the internet has consequently become very important when it comes to cars in the last 15 years or so.

However, research carried out by insurer Sheila's Wheels found that because modern cars have become so complex in recent years, there isn't much difference between the genders when it comes to knowledge of car mechanics. In fact, it was found that men are actually being charged more than women for car servicing and repairs - although women are able to exercise their charms in order to get the cheapest deals from their local mechanic.

If you're a mechanic or run your own garage, you'd perhaps be wise to carry out a review of your business practices to see if you're over or undercharging customers for whatever reason and if there's something you can do about it as a matter of urgency if you don't want customers to go elsewhere with their cars.

 

 

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