I dropped off lawn mower on Saturday, 14 Sept 2013 to Reliable Small Engine Repair shop in Tumwater, WA. Alas, they are also a U-Haul dealer and so the small engine repair shop was closed but they did allow me to drop off the lawn mower and give me a work order #, etc. On Monday, 16 Sept 2013 I called and they hadn't gotten to the lawn mower yet so I told them I would drive by and have a look with them to see what the problem was and they told me their lawn mower repairman was out to lunch and to come in 1 your later which I planned on doing. Within 45 minutes I received a call that the lawn mower was serviced and ready for pickup. I asked them what the cost was and they stated it was $43. I asked if this cost involved the installation of a new lawn mower blade, etc. and there was nothing but taking off the one bolt holding the lawn mower blade on to the drive axle of the lawn mower, removing a 1/2" washer that shouldn't have been there which caused the lawn mower blade to be unstable, and reattaching the bolt / blade again to the lawn mower drive axle located on the bottom of the lawnmower (where the blade attaches). I told them I was shocked that the price was so steep for what amounted to a 5 minute fix and they stated that they have a sign stating there is a minimum charge of $30 for work on small engines (I never saw this sign displayed so it must be well hidden if it exist at all). They stated it took them a half and hour of labor to fix this problem (that simply couldn't be true). I told them I would pay the fee and that I would drop by to pickup the lawn mower and that next time I would be sure to check before I took them like this for repair on Angies' List and that I would simply write a report of my experience to Angies' List. When I got to the shop to pickup my lawn mower about 10 minutes later I paid and the owner was very rude to me and tossed my credit card back at me vs. simply handing it back and walked away. I explained to him that I wasn't being rude, belligerent or calling him names, etc., rather I explained that I simply thought it was a very minor repair that I was overcharged for. He asked me if it was so simple, why didn't I do it myself and I explained that I incorrectly thought that the 1/2" washer was suppose to be installed with the blade and that I was mistaken in this (in hindsight). The business owner was the rude person I spoke to but his U-Haul associate, Cody, was very kind, helpful and courteous, (Cody's boss could learn a lot from his employee in this regard). I will never use this Small Engine Repair business again, hindsight being 20/20. I simply don't believe for a second that such a small 5 minute repair job, not involving any parts took him 30 minutes that I was charged for. I also did not appreciate being treated so unprofessionally by the owner when I calmly but firmly stated I thought the price to be unfair for such little work (removing a 1/2" washer and reinstalling a bolt) but I did tell him I would pay the bill with no problems (which I did immediately).
Description of Work: Fix power lawn mower blade that was not secure in rotary power lawn mower.
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Service Categories
Lawn Mower & Power Tool Repair
FAQ
Reliable Small Engine Repair is currently rated 2 overall out of 5.
No, Reliable Small Engine Repair does not offer free project estimates.
No, Reliable Small Engine Repair does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, Reliable Small Engine Repair does not offer a senior discount.
No, Reliable Small Engine Repair does not offer emergency services.
No, Reliable Small Engine Repair does not offer warranties.