Trouble with workshop

84 euros charged for a few seconds’ work

You might think that if you drive a BMW, you have plenty of money. Of course, that's not the case, as this story from Andreas Huemer from Upper Austria shows. The 60-year-old from Pinsdorf is an emergency paramedic and therefore used to a lot, but what he experienced in a garage caused him to gasp.

It all started when the electronic locking system of his four-year-old BMW 318 was defective and could no longer be opened. So Huemer drove to his trusted garage. "I was then offered to make a goodwill request to BMW after I no longer had a warranty," says Huemer. No sooner said than done. An employee contacted the car manufacturer in Munich and after a lengthy phone call, they agreed that BMW would cover 80 percent of the costs.

The bill arrived a few days later
"But I was supposed to pay for the 90 minutes of work. I said that I would think about it," says Huemer. In the end, he decided to have the mechanics open the fuel filler cap by force and not wait for BMW. "That was a five-second job, then it was done," said the BMW driver. That was the end of the matter for him, he got into his car and drove home. But a few days later, the surprise came in the form of an invoice for 84 euros.

I've been a customer there for decades and can't understand it. If necessary, I would have taken legal action.

Andreas Huemer zur „Krone“

 Vehicle diagnosis was charged
"They attached the diagnostic device to my car. However, I was never told that it would cost anything and I never signed an order," says the Pinsdorf resident angrily. A complaint didn't help either, so Huemer turned to the "Krone". A corresponding inquiry to the garage went unanswered, but the boss got in touch with Huemer. "I only have to pay half now," he says. The annoyance remains. "I've been a customer there for many decades. If necessary, I would have taken legal action, of course."