Don’t forget to ASK!

I dread getting my oil changed for several reasons: (1) it takes time to drive there and hope there’s not a long line, (2) it’s not a fun way to spend money, and (3) I always get taken for a ride.

I finally got around to taking my Pontiac Vibe for its overdue oil change this week and sure enough, Murphy’s Law came with me.  The first time I went I waited a good 20 minutes before they opened an available bay window.  After pulling my car in, they informed me that they don’t regularly carry the oil filter for my car and I’d have to return next week.  Sigh.  I went back a few days later and was happy to see there was no line at all.  I pulled right in and the awkwardness began, “What kind of oil do you want?”  Now I’ve been taking my own vehicles to get an oil change since I was 16, and my dad had prepared me for this question by saying, “just tell them, whatever you used last time.”  However that answer didn’t suffice this time around when the attendant answered “we just got a new computer system and don’t have record of what we used last, but we would recommend a synthetic for your car.”  When I hear the word synthetic, I think of something fake like a synthetic fiber sweater that means cheap, cheap, cheap.  And I’m OK with cheap when it comes to oil changes.  But I didn’t ask how much it was and later found out it was an additional $30 to get synthetic oil.

$93 dollars later, I was pulling out of this oil change chain just fuming that I had, once again, spent way more than I intended to all because I didn’t ask first.  I just assumed that the options he gave me were included in the standard oil change price.  And although I think a good business practice is to be up front with additional charges, I do take responsibility for not asking how much something was before purchasing it.

So whether it’s an upgrade on your baked potato at a restaurant or an upgrade in oil for your car, always be sure to ask when any sort of salesman asks you if you want something additional.  You’ll probably save a few bucks if you do

__
Photo Credit: pagedooley // Creative Commons