marking empty tanks as MT is standard practice at steel shops, don t think literacy, or lack thereof, is the reason…
MT is a common acronym in industry.
NFG is another.
Or in the automotive field SNAFU and the sometimes more than random DILLIGAF. 
Why is everybody assuming the mechanic is to blame?
Perhaps the service advisor goofed up and told the mechanic to go ahead with the repairs . . .
marking empty tanks as MT is standard practice at steel shops, don t think literacy, or lack thereof, is the reason…
It’s standard practice around here to mark a broken piece of equipment, a damaged tire, defective part, or any other faulty item NFG. I’m sure you can figure out what that means…
Very true. A service writer screwup would not be a first…
There may have been a drawn out argument later at the dealership with fingers being pointed in every direction.
There’s also the slim possibility that in a conversation with the vehicle owner that the owner may have said something which could be taken a certain way by the service advisor and a verbal go-ahead given to the mechanic based on a misunderstanding. Not a first there either.
joyfuljennyof4 “The general manager wasn’t too nice about the whole thing.” They should have been begging forgiveness! You would have suffered the inconvenience but would have likely won in small claims court. If your Husband deferred the needed work for a later date and implied the work would be done by the dealer the right thing would be the dealer deferring the payment to that later date. It sounds like you actually got a better deal with the work done at a large discount as long as the $450 did not severely hurt you financially. If it were me I would still no longer have confidence in the dealer. Many years back I had a similar experience. It did not involve known work needed being deferred. It involved work and materials I had done the previous day being redone which I consider even worse. The work order specifically prohibited ANY additional work being performed without my permission and included my telephone number.
Our 1991 Jeep Cherokee 4.0L inline 6 A/T was about 200 miles shy of 30,000. Scheduled maintenance at 30K was transmission/cooling system service, air and fuel filter. The dealer had some service coupons in the local newspaper with attractive prices. I made an appointment the previous Friday for Monday morning for transmission service, cooling system service, and steam clean engine compartment and undercarriage $49.95 each (coupons) plus fuel filter $20. Sunday at home I did a lube/oil/filter. I replaced the air filter and the windshield wiper blades with Trico blades. When I dropped it off at 8:00 Monday morning I made sure it was noted on the work order that no addition work of any kind was to be done without my authorization and made sure I received a copy. I told them I would pick it up between 3:30 and 4:00. They said no problem. I returned at 3:45 prepared to pay my $170 bill and drive home. I was presented with a $250 bill! I was very upset but kept my cool and said excuse me for a minute. The Jeep was parked right out front and I retrieved my owners manual. I returned to the service counter and showed the service writer where I logged all scheduled maintenance I had performed and stored all my receipts. My Napa receipt listed Oil filter $4.95, oil 6 quarts @ 89 cents each $5.34, air filter $8. wiper blades $12.50. My bill had lube/oil filter $50. Air filter $30. Wiper blades no charge. They were a current promotion. He began the usual song and dance. The oil and air filter were due at 30,000 miles. How were we to know you did them yesterday? I placed the work order he had written that morning, pointed at the no additional work without my authorization and said you did not need to know you needed to call me. I said I needed to see the service manager. I had worked at a dealership and knew the service writer had no authority to adjust my bill. He called the service manager who was there in less than a minute and exhibited 100% more professionalism than the service writer who had been carrying on my complaint at the service counter with other customers in the area. The service manager only said come with me sir. We went to his office. He shut the door, offered me a seat, took his seat, and asked how can I help you? I briefly explained my problem while showing him the work order, my bill, my log book, and my receipt. He said he wished he could do more but he would adjust the charges to what they were supposed to be and pay for my wipers. I said that’s really all I’m asking. He took me to the cashier. I paid $157.35 and was on my way home. They sent me some vouchers for free oil changes but the only time I returned was for a recall.
when doing quality control for structural steel, I would usually use the soapstone method to mark layout or fit up errors. a mistake would get an NG, a repeat mistake would get the NFG.
a welding error would get the dreaded red crayon tho.
Sounds like a fair compromise. I think the dealer likely did the entire job at cost to them and potentially ate part of it.
Police are never involved in these situations(nice they came). It is a civil dispute.
Don’t let the original hard copy out of your possession and release “copies” until this fiasco turns out in your favor…which we all would like to see.
Guys, it doesn’t matter if the work needed to be done or not. If OP did not tell them to do the work, then they shouldn’t get paid for it.
Look at it this way. Come Fridays in the summer my lawn needs mowing. If Earl’s Mowing Service stops by at noon and mows my lawn for me before I get home, I’m not paying them. Yes, it needed to be done. No, I did not want them to do it.
To handle such situations any other way is to invite all sorts of unauthorized charges for work that “needs” to be done.