Why start with the business?
The business that quoted and did the work is the one that has to put it right. Your consumer guarantees are with them, and they know the car and the job.
Mechanic Sorted passes jobs on and isn't a party to the repair. We can't inspect the work, order a redo or refund what you spent, so the steps below go straight to the people who can.
How do you raise a problem with the work?
Gather what you have
The written estimate, the invoice, any messages, and photos of the problem or the dash. If nothing was put in writing, note down what you were told and when, while you still remember it.
Talk to the business
Ring or call in and explain what's wrong, what you expected and what you'd like done. Stay specific and calm, and give them a fair chance to look at the car again.
Put it in writing
If talking doesn't settle it, write to the business. Say what was done, what's wrong now, what you want (a repair, a redo or a refund) and a reasonable date to reply by. Keep a copy.
Go to your consumer agency
If the business won't put it right or stops replying, contact the consumer agency for your state or territory, listed below. It can explain your rights and may be able to help resolve the dispute.
What are you entitled to?
Under the Australian Consumer Law, a repair service comes with guarantees. The mechanic must work with due care and skill, the repair must suit any purpose you told them about, and it must be finished within a reasonable time when no time was agreed.
These guarantees sit alongside any manufacturer warranty and aren't limited by it. If an independent mechanic causes a defect, the remedy comes from that mechanic, not the car maker.
Next time, ask for a written estimate before any work and an itemised invoice after it. Consumer Affairs Victoria recommends the estimate, and both make a dispute far easier to settle.
Which consumer agency covers you?
- Victoria: Consumer Affairs Victoria
- New South Wales: NSW Fair Trading
- Queensland: Queensland Office of Fair Trading
- Western Australia: Consumer Protection WA
- South Australia: Consumer and Business Services SA
- Tasmania: Consumer, Building and Occupational Services
- Australian Capital Territory: Access Canberra
- Northern Territory: NT Consumer Affairs
Can the mechanic keep the car until you pay?
It can. Consumer Affairs Victoria explains that a repairer's lien lets a mechanic keep the car until the repair is paid for.
So if you dispute the bill, talk to your consumer agency before you refuse to pay. You'll know where you stand, and you're less likely to end up without the car.
What if a business should be licensed and isn't?
In NSW, WA and the ACT, a repair business needs a state licence. If you think one is working without it, tell the body that licenses repairers there: NSW Fair Trading, Consumer Protection WA or Access Canberra.
What if it's about your personal details?
If a mechanic's business has misused your details, raise it with that business in writing. If it isn't resolved, or the complaint is about how Mechanic Sorted handled your information, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
Our privacy policy sets out what the card collects and who sees it.
Whatever the problem, keep it calm, keep it in writing and keep copies. That gives the business, and anyone who helps you later, a clear picture of what happened.