Auto Zone is a parts store. Gil is a mechanic. No comparison. I would charge you $200 just to keep you away from my business. I have been bringing my vehicles to Gil and have always found his service excellent and his prices very reasonable. I don't think your 'story' is worth two cents - it's also slanderous....

Thanks for the article, Ill stick with Auto Zone.

Steering customers away from a local business and encouraging them to shop at a chain store? Especially in this economy when it is SO hard for the little guy to make it when competing with large corporations? Absolutely tasteless. You should be ashamed of yourself. I am sure Mr. Denomme's family thanks you for taking food off of their table. I am quite sure you could have used your time to write something useful that is not hurtful to one of our neighbors.

With the cost of living on the rise, I take this article to be useful! If you are all fine with dishing out your hard earned dollars for people to charge you for services that can be done for free, than so be it...that's your choice. I, however, work for my money to have a roof over my families head and food on the table. Maybe it would be another story when people collect there disability checks and cash assistance and sit on the butts all day. Just saying, when you WORK for your money, unlike many in Woonsocket, you have a different perspective!

Steve,
While you are welcomed to post your opinion here freely, you cannot curse, and so your previous comment has been deleted.
My intent with my email earlier today was to simply explain that we have covered the budget issue and the fact that the city is on the verge of bankruptcy quite thoroughly. For example of comments regarding Woonsocket being on the verge of bankruptcy, quite similar to what qualified for news today in other outlets, please feel free to visit the following articles: http://patch.com/A-hWq7 http://patch.com/A-h4mB http://patch.com/A-frv8 , http://patch.com/A-f2QG , http://patch.com/A-dT1n
But because I do take requests for coverage seriously, I have also contacted both the mayor and the finance director for a story which, as I mentioned in my earlier email to you, will be published soon. Contrary to your assertion that Patch is fluff, I believe the above articles constitute clear evidence that Woonsocket Patch has been on the story long before the media outlets you mentioned today. This is not new news, but quotes taken out of context by media outlets that are only now covering Woonsocket's budget issue. I guarantee you some of their research led them here.
Furthermore, while I understand that you might enjoy coverage of political and budgetary issues, which we do regularly, as is evidenced by the comments above, that is not the case for all of our readers. There is room for lighter news as well.

As to criticisms of the article itself, Michelle Couchon's intent is to make sure the fee does not surprise other consumers. In that sense, clearly several readers did find it useful.
I am also pleased and grateful that his customers have testified to the quality of his work. Those who believe that the cheapest work is not always the best work will continue to visit their mechanic of choice. Those on a very tight budget, meanwhile, will be aware that diagnostics cost $90.

I appreciate this article. I took one of our cars to Terry's Auto before Gil bought the establishment. We were told a certain price. When we picked the car up it was 3 times more than we had anticipated. We paid the bill, I made a copy of it, whited out the amounts and brought it to several other establishments to see what their prices were. Terri's Auto was charging much higher rates , almost 3 times as much and they also did work that we did not ask for. While I know our experience was with the previous owner it has made me very leery of revisiting for any repairs. This economy is so bad for so many that a tip like this can be a real cost saver. I don't think that informing the public is slanderous or libelous but I do think it is informative. I, for one, didn't know that Auto Zone offered this service!

Thanks for sharing the information, much appreciated !

if anything else...i hope Terry's gets a lot of free advertising from this article. The Customer Profile of this author should be a lesson to everyone...we have to step up and take responsibility for our actions. We have to be informed and ask questions, and not blame others for our lack of good judgement. When we make a mistake, we cannot turn on those who are just trying to provide a valuable service. Having Patch is a nice service, but I, like other readers have expressed, wish they would focus on important stories happening in the area, not letting a disgruntled shopper use this site as a sounding board to trash the name of a local business that has been providing excellent service to its Customers! Again Terry's is one of the best shops in the area...keep up the great work Gil and Kelly!!! Ignore people like Michelle...they are the distractions that keep us from focusing on the real problems. Shame on you Michelle.

If the point of this article was truly to inform people that Auto Zone offers a free service you could have easily stated that without singling out Terry's Auto. I am quite sure every other mechanic around charges a diagnostics fee as well, not just Terry's. For those of you on a tight budget the information would still have been just as helpful without trashing a local business. You can try to defend your story all you want but it's still wrong and deep down you must know that. Your job is to report not to try and sway people with your opinion.
And as for you, Lori I work damn hard for my money and always have. I have had my share of hard times but still recognize quality when I see it. If you think the employees at Auto Zone are just as qualified as a mechanic with years of experience under his belt to tell you what is wrong with your car then go for it. My opinion has nothing to do with where my money comes from and everything to do with the philosophy that you get what you pay for. So yes, Lori, I WORK for my money and stand by all I have said here.

SvenGali: Personal attacks will not be tolerated here either. If you continue to attack our readers, your account will be suspended.

I think the point of the article should have been the cost savings at Autozone. I don't believe that only one service station should have been singled out. But a more in depth study of service stations in Woonsocket would have been helpful. For example, maybe there is a service station that does not charge for this service or if they do the work after the diagnosis then they do not charge you for the service of the diagnosis.

As far as taking food off the plates of the owner this is a free marketplace. Terry's can use this article to bring in more business with a change of policy. I am sure he does not have time to do free checks if people use him to diagnose and go somewhere else.

Sandy...has this business purchased advertising space on Patch?

No matter what you do, your not going to make everybody happy.

I happen to have a connection to the previous owner of Terry's and was always treated well and with respect. I continued to bring my car for service after the business was sold. I too was charged $90 to be told my gas cap was loose. I ate crow that time and paid the money. I then brought my car back once more for service. On this occasion I was charged 3x retail on just the parts alone! After that incident, I never went back and told everyone I know of his business practices. If he is doing this to acquaintances of the former owner, then I can only imagine what he is charging strangers.

Really people, I don't think the intention was to hurt the business....I just think the article for whatever reason was not complete. More service stations asked and results published would have been a service to all consumers. Would you not like to know what service station in Woonsocket does not charge for this service? How about their hourly repair rates? How about free towing if the work is perform at the premises? In these times where everyone is trying to tighten their belts this can be vital information.

This seems to be simply a review on this one establishment that this writer chose to do. No different than all of the other reviews that are done by the patch like the Bites Nearby. Just because the review was not a positive one does not mean it should not have been done. It is true that many other places in the city probably charge similar rates but those were not being reviewed. Maybe in the near future they too will be done. These businesses should simply take the criticism in the reviews and use them to improve their company if needed.

Thats why I don,t go to Terry,s Auto for service , I go to Art,s on the corner Front & Transit. his prices are fair and Honest

My family and I have have been customers of Terry's for many years - dating back to when Terry opened his doors. Gil is a top notch mechanic...his prices aren't the lowest (he's a business not a charity) but he stands behind his work.

Bobby - I think your mistaken, at least with respect to Terry's. They do charge you based on the hourly rate but it's pro-rated based on the duration of time it takes to complete the job - it's very clear on their receipts. I'm standing up for Gil because he's been fixing my cars for 20 years so I guess I do know him personally but it's not like we're friends. If you really think Gil charges $51 to change a fuse you're really off-base. If you think charging someone to do a job is taking advantage then I don't know what to tell you. It's a business.

Well Michelle, what say you to Gil's response. Seems like there were a "FEW" things missing in your account of your visit to Terry's. As I said in a past post, Gil, Kelly and co. have always treated my wife and I great from a service, price and quality of repair standpoint. He even went as far once as to take my wife's car into his shop the next day for a new water pump because she needed to have it for work the following week, thereby avoiding a major headache! Hopefully, you're not using the Patch as a means to vent your frustrations to a larger audience.

It’s unfortunate that you felt you had to air my car's dirty laundry in order to defend a fact. (my poor car is dreadfully embarrassed at having missing her last oil change, lol). Auto Zone is not a repair shop, that much is true, but the following places are.
Let the Facts Speak For Themselves.
Check Engine light Diagnosis Fee:
1.Meineke Car Care Center, 240 S. Main St., Woon: FREE.
2.Forbes Auto, 773 Front St., Woon: FREE.
3.A & W Tire & Services, 375 Farnum Pike, Smithfield: FREE
4.Cerroni's Service Center, 124 Pleasant View Ave., Smithfield: FREE
5.Uncle's Transmission, 5 Larch St. Smithfield: FREE.
6.A 1 Radiator - $25.00
7.Moe's Broad St. Garage - $32.50 but it’s FREE if you allow them to do the work.
8.Speedees Oil Change & Tune-Up, 547 Kelley Blvd., N. Attleboro -$40.00
9.Wayne’s Service Plus, 269 Silver Spring St. Prov:: $44.50
10.Midas, 1290 N. Main St., Prov - $45.00
11. Terry’s Auto & Repair, 36 Blackstone St., Woon - $90.00
3 of the above auto shops advised me to tighten up my gas cap if my check engine light was on. (Cerroni's, Forbe's Auto, and Meineke). Apparently most mechanics are aware of the fact that if your gas cap is loose, it causes the check engine light to come on. An honest mechanic will tell you that right off the bat.

Many of Gil's facts are incorrect, but I do not stoop so low as to argue trivialities, especially in print. I will say that I've certainly not been a customer for years; I only moved to Woonsocket last June. The fact that Terry's not only charges $90.00, but fails to inform you is the crux of the entire article. I ask you, who is going to agree to a $90.00 bill just to find out what's wrong with their car? Isn't that what a mechanic is supposed to do? Hasn’t this service been free since the invention of the car? Isn’t it bad enough we have to pay for parts and labor? Now we have to pay for the diagnosis as well? In his article, Gil stated that I wished to find out what was wrong with my car so I could take it elsewhere. Well, so what? Am I not entitled to take my car to whom I choose? Am I not entitled to locate the best possible rate? Am I not entitled to learn the problem with my vehicle without spending another small fortune in addition to the outrageous amounts of money it costs to fix the car?? My sole intention was and is to stand for those of us who live honest, hard-working lives and against the injustice and dishonesty that surrounds us.

Michelle, what exactly did you pay for?

According to Gil:

Michelle paid UNDER $100 for scanning the check engine light code, a pressure test, and a smoke test done to the vehicle to diagnose the problem. PLUS, she received her much needed oil change, all for UNDER $100.

Please comment on the facts!

Michelle - IMHO...In order to truly assess whether the $90 daignosis charge is appropriate and reasonable, you need to confirm if those other service providers are using the system and software (or similar) that Gil described in his response (which costs nearly $10k and requires regular software updates) or are they using a less expensive and less accurate machine of the ilk that people can buy themselves over the internet. I'd be interested to know how you framed your inquiry to the other service providers. If my knee hurts, I can go to the doctors for 1. examination, 2. x-rays or 3. MRI, all of which are methods of diagnosis and all of which have different accuracy rates and costs. If you were not advised ahead of time of the cost of the diagnostic, that's an all-together different discussion and clearly not appropriate nor good business.

Michelle thank you for making me aware of the fee and Gil thank you for sharing your side of the story too. One thing that sticks out is AutoZone is a parts store that doesn’t provide any mechanic services like Terry's or any other mechanic. Also they are probably using the $100 model to do the scan.

Opinions are just that opinions, everyone has one and is entitled to it. People should be a little more respectful of each other here. It is ok to disagree but don’t get bent and start personally attacking each other. Also expect when you put an opinion out there that people are going to disagree and it is ok for that.

I have never been to Terry’s for repair work but I have heard good things about the business and I see lots of cars running around with Terry’s Auto stickers on them. IMO Terry’s has a right to charge for this service there is a direct cost to the business to provide this service to his customers. Also as a mechanic he needs to protect himself from “customers” just coming in and asking for a code scan or diagnostic and then fixing themselves. It takes time and a mechanic to perform this. Why shouldn’t they be compensated for this? Also who the heck shops around when your vehicle needs to be repaired? I mean if it is needed right away, and why would you go to a place you don’t trust working on your car?. I am not talking about getting tires or a brake job, but rather repairs that are needed right then and there.

cont'd
I work in IT field and I have/do personal computer service on the side. When someone asks me to look at there computer I talk to them about what they are expecting. Are they just looking for an expert opinion? Are they looking for me to diagnose and repair the issue? For the 1st one I would charge a flat diagnostic rate, from there they may decide to fix it themselves or have me do it. For the latter I would apply the flat diagnostic rate to the repair work. Only time someone was unhappy was when I charged them $25 (discounted Diag. fee) to plug back in their network cable. Total time to diagnose and repair was 5 mins. I had spoken to them via phone for 15 mins and asked if they had checked the cable. I had to drive 30 mins to get there and it was at night. So people you will never make happy.

Nothing wrong with a little civil discourse...debate and discussion is always healthy.

Dear Gill
Please pay YOUR techicians to Diagnose my vehicle's problem. I would like you to work for free and allow me to use your knowledge....equipment.......tools....personnel.....overhead.........and experience to tell me what my cousin "Homer" needs to fix in my back yard. Thank you
Michelle Too.

Oh, and while your at it, can I please have a free oil change as well. It seems like I'm 5000 miles overdue....LOL!