Bureau reviews auto shops
■ i ne bener business bureau
reveals that some local repair
shops may need a tune-up
By Lindsay Bucheie
Oregon Daily Emerald
There have been nearly 900 com
plaints made against auto repair busi
nesses in Oregon so far this year, ac
cording to the Better Business Bureau.
BBB spokeswoman Angela McCrea
said there are 101 of these businesses
that currently have unsatisfactory rat
ings with the organization, and this
includes businesses in Eugene.
“Consumers are reporting that
auto repair shops are not honoring
their warranties or will fix some
thing on a car that is not author
ized,” McCrea said.
She said there are things con
sumers can do to ensure they re
ceive quality service and ways to
make a business responsible when
it doesn’t provide this service, in
cluding checking the status of the
business with the BBB.
When a consumer files a com
plaint against a company through
the organization, the company must
respond to the complaint if it wish
es to maintain a satisfactory BBB
standing, she said.
It only takes one unanswered com
plaint to ruin a business’s standing,
and at least one shop in Eugene has
- an unsatisfactory standing with BBB.
A business owner can almost en
sure a good standing by becoming a
member of the BBB. To do this, how
ever, 14 standards must be met, Mc
Crea said. These include responding
to all complaints, not having a large
volume of complaints filed and oper
ating with ethics and standards.
“There is a certain amount of trust
that goes along with being a mem
ber of the Better Business Bureau,”
McCrea said. “If someone wants to
know if a business is reliable, they
can find out through us.”
Whether a business is a member
of the BBB or not, the Bureau can
Bryan said.
Steve Romania, owner of the Ro
mania Toyota, Hyundai, Subaru and
Chevrolet dealerships and service
stations in Eugene, said checking
out a business and following some
guidelines can keep consumers
from being taken advantage of.
First, he said, consumers must in
sist they receive a free written esti
mate for parts and labor. Second, ex
pect to pay for a diagnostic exam of
the car if the problem is unknown.
Romania said mechanics are usual
ly paid by the hour and performing
a diagnostic test is factored into a la
bor cost. Other things should not be
paid for, he said.
“It’s a good idea to set a ‘not-to-ex
ceed’ limit on how much you will pay
for service,” Romania, whose business
has a satisfactory standing with the
BBB, said. “Ifthey exceed this amount,
don’t pay for it. The shop should get
authorization from you if any further
repairs are going to be made. ”
Joe Allen, of Dave Allen Automo
tive, said consumers should also
look for mechanics who are certi
fied under the Automotive Service
Excellence, a certification process
that tests mechanics every few years
to ensure their knowledge.
Lindsay Buchele is the community editor for
the Oregon Daily Emerald. She can be reached
atlindsaybuchele@dailyemerald.com.
still process complaints made
against a company and record them
for the public’s knowledge.
Another way for the public to
check the reliability of a business or
to file a complaint is through the Eu
gene Chamber of Commerce; howev
er, if the business is not a member of
the chamber, there is no guarantee
any information will be available or
that a complaint will be handled,
said spokeswoman Dina Fartier.
“We will take complaints in writ
ing, but if the business is a chamber
member, there is nothing that can be
done,” Fartier said. “I do record all
of the complaints, so people can
still find out about nonmembers.’’
Dan Bryan Automotive Repair
Ltd., which is a member of both the
chamber and the BBB, has been
serving Eugene for four years and
currently has a satisfactory stand
ing, said co-owner Carol Bryan.
She said she has seen people who
have been taken advantage of by
other shops.
“I see a lot of single women who
feel they have been taken advantage
of,” Bryan said. “They end up with
parts that weren’t needed or their cars
not being fixed right the first time.”
She also said it’s hard to tell when a
business will provide quality service.
“The best advertising is always
word of mouth; that’s how you can
tell if a business is good or bad,”
Consumer automotive
strategy
One of the best ways people can protect
themselves against disreputable car
repair shop scams is to practice
‘consumer automotive strategy.’
Be quietabout your lack of knowledge.
if you don’t know much about cars, do
not let the mechanic know.
Be aware of common scams used by
dishonest repair shops. There are many
things disreputable mechanics can do
to make a car appear to have more
problems than it does.
If you feel you have not been dealt with
fairly or have been taken advantage of,
you should first complain to the service
manager of the repair shop or die owner
of the facility.
If you cannot resolve the complaint
satisfactorily, contact the local Better
Business Bureau where your car was
serviced for assistance, the Alternative
Dispute Resolution (ADR) division of
the Council of Better Business
Bureaus, your consumer protection
office or the state’s attorney general’s
office.
SOURCE: The Better Business Bureau
University health benefits to decline
■ Rising insurance prices
„ charged by health insurance
companies will result in fewer
choices for University employees
Marty Toohey
for the Emerald
Like the rest of the University fac
ulty, University English professor
Louise Westling could choose from
several health care packages during
the last several years. Although
Westling always chose a compre
hensive package, many University
employees chose a basic package or
opted out of coverage entirely, re
ceiving the difference in cash.
This year, the Public Employees’
Benefits Board, which decides the
health care options available to state
employees, restructured its benefits
package — scheduled to go into ef
fect Jan. 1—because of rising health
care costs. Those rising prices will
cost the University 15 percent more
in both 2002 and 2003. Under the
new plan, only one option will be
available to eligible University em
ployees, instead of the current four,
. according to University benefits co
ordinator Helen Stoop.
The plan’s major changes include
the elimination of the "opt-out” al
ternative, which allows employees
to exchange health care benefits for
a cash equivalent. Also, health care
provider Regence BlueCross
BlueShield stopped offering its
popular basic package, which al
lowed employees some cash back.
Westling said that although the
switch will not affect her coverage,
she preferred the old system.
Faculty insurance changes
Here is a comparison of the major changes, from the University’s current plan
to the one that will take effect in 2002:
Present
Four health care plans
Employee choice of plans
Optional cash back
Fixed rates for health care
January 2002
One plan
Universal coverage
No cash back
No fixed rates
Source Hie PuMic Employees' Benefits Board
“It’s a crummier deal,” she said,
“but it’s not the University’s fault,
because the health insurance com
panies keep raising their rates. ”
University Senate President
Nathan Tublitz likened the change
in system to a change from employ
ee choice to universal health care.
“What the issue boils down to is,
‘What are we willing to pay for uni
versal health coverage?”’ he said.
Tublitz said that the current sys
tem essentially rewards young, un
married employees; under the new
system, those employees will sub
sidize people with families.
“I believe we should have univer
sal health coverage, but not at any
cost,” he said.
William Baugh, an associate po
litical science professor with a wife
and no other dependents, said his
health care plan will not change
much as a result of the new system,
“but it’s going to mean our coverage
is more expensive, and we’re not re
ally happy about that. ”
Although Tublitz said he is not
certain of the overall mood of the fac
ulty about switching to the new sys
tem, he has heard and read that “na
tionwide, it’s about a 50-50 split.”
Ken Hudson, an assistant sociolo
gy professor, has no dependents but
still chose a health plan so compre
hensive that he doesn’t get much
cash back. He said the switch “prob
ably won’t affect me much.”
Baugh said rising costs in health
care are detracting from one of the
few perks of working as a teacher.
“Traditionally in academia, really
good benefits offset low salaries,”
Baugh said. “Now, with the way
things are going, even those really
good benefits are starting to not look
as good.”
Employers’ costs to provide
health care coverage have increased
10.3 percent nationwide in 2001,
according to a recent survey of 360
employers by Watson Wyatt World
wide, The Washington Business
Group on Health and the Healthcare
Financial Management Associa
tion. The costs of providing pre
scription drug benefits increased
14.6 percent during the same time,
according to the survey.
Marty Toohey is a freelance reporter for the
Oregon Daily Emerald.
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