Don't waste time listening to anyone who says to just let this go - they are absolutely wrong.
I have said this time and time again, and will keep saying it as long as I have to until people get it. When you let things like this go without taking them to task for it, all you're doing is enabling them. Yes, YOU are enabling them. YOU are part of the problem when you don't call out your mechanic for crap like this. YOU are part of the reason why this keeps happening.
Why? It's very simple. There's a couple odd potential scenarios here:
This was a genuine human mistake
This was an intentional bit of deceit by a mechanic who wanted to cheap out on the cost of a filter
This was an intentional bit of deceit by a mechanic who didn't have the filter on hand like he thought but didn't want to wait for one to show up.
This was an intentional bit if a deceit by a scumbag service writer/shop owner that is to blame for B or C.
In ALL cases, it is imperative that you hold the shop accountable for this.
If it was a genuine human mistake, and the mechanic gives half a ****, it will serve as a sobering wake up moment that will prompt them to use extra care in the future to make sure it doesn't happen again.
If it was a deceitful action by a dishonest shop/mechanic, by letting it go and letting them get away with their deceit, you only enable them to continue on with their deceit. Yes, YOU enable them to be deceitful.
I say this as a mechanic who holds my own damn self acountable to every customer I work for. I educate them and everyone else I know on how NOT to get deceived by shady/sheisty mechanics. One of the most important lessons is to never let anyone get away with deceit. EVER.
There is a simple reality in the world of automotive repair: Many mechanics are dishonest. Maybe the majority. A considerable minority are downright deceitful and don't give two ****s about you or your car. By letting stuff like this go and not holding them accountable, you are partially to blame. I don't care if you have more important things to worry about in life, I don't care if you foolishly try to boil this down to just the cost of an oil change. It's not about that at all. It's about principle. It's about integrity and making sure the people you hire to do your work for you are honest.
I hear people tell me nearly every day that they'd rather just let this go, let that go. It drives me nuts! How the hell is it that you people don't seem to care about getting screwed? I don't care if you're Jeff Bezos or living check to check, it isn't about the money as much as it's about the principle. You have to hold people accountable for their BS or the whole problem just gets worse. Do you really want to keep being part of the problem, making it worse for everyone else? That's what you're doing by letting this kind of stuff go.
Bad mechanics can only persist and carry on doing business as bad mechanics when people let them. STOP LETTING THEM and these problems start getting fewer and farther between.
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