Show I II I BABSON'S A S 0 e I II I Licensing Mechanics o Better Business Bureaus and local law enforcement agencies all allover over the nation are receiving complaints about the poor performance performance performance per per- or nonperformance of mechanics at repair garages and service stations FRAUDULENT PRACTICES These complaints range from carelessness in auto repairs to howls from those victimized victimized victimized vic vic- by the fraudulent practices practices practices tices of some repairmen who con motorists into okaying re repairs repairs repairs re- re pairs or replacements not ac actually actually actually ac- ac necessary and sometimes sometimes sometimes some some- times not even desirable One of the most frequent gripes concerns conr con- con r cerns charges for work which subsequent investigation reveals reveals xe re re- re had not been done at all Another grievance becoming more and more widespread na nationally nationally na- na is the property da damage mage estimate This particular type of swindle swin dle dIe sheet is a very important factor in the final price of accident accident accident acci- acci dent dent insurance Every padded damage estimate estimate estimate esti esti- mate helps jack up the cost of all auto property-damage property in in- in IMPACT ON PUBLIC SAFETY For every motorist who has been gouged deliberately by crooked garages there are perhaps perhaps perhaps per per- haps a score or more who have been victimized by incompetent repairmen who either have done sloppy work or have failed to diagnose car troubles correct correct- ly Often Orten as not the poor- poor quality work or wrong diagnosis has complicated things for the unsuspecting motorist But apart from the inconvenIence inconvenience inconvenience and unnecessary expense nse there is the impact on public safety No one knows how many accidents each week are directly direct direct- ly traceable to the misfeasance or nonfeasance of mechanics whom the non mechanically dined motoring public have trusted but it is obvious that the number Is large eno enough gh to be call for a crusader of the persistence persistence persistence per per- of a Ralph Nader STATE SUPERVISION Law enforce enforcement ment officers in several areas have lately been citing the need for legislation that would provide supervision of repair garages and legal re redress redress redress re- re dress for those victimized by the sharp practices of repair repair- men Their argument Is that the petroleum corporations which largely control the service outlets outlets outlets out out- lets are not policing these oper oper- In New York state this failure o has led to serious consideration of possible methods of licensing licensing licensing licens licens- ing auto mechanics Reportedly there Is significant police support support support sup sup- port for such a move and public interest in it has been growing In New York City a full full- fUll I blown campaign for reform of the repair garage industry is being sponsored by the Citizens Committee for Metropolitan Af Af- Af fairs Probability is that New NewYork NewYork NewYork York will enact enabling laws be ore too long FEDERAL CONTROLS Meanwhile federal officials are becoming more aware of this overall problem and of the acute need for protecting the public and the honest mechanics in n the business from the incompetents incompetents incompetents and the gougers At present Congress is studying studying studying stud stud- ying the auto insurance problem to determine whether Uncle Sam should exercise control over underwriters in this field Senators Senators Senators Sena Sena- tors and Representatives will be reminded that one of the significant significant significant cant factors contributing to high auto insurance rates Is the outright outright outright out out- right dishonesty of a sizable segment of the repair industry Make no mistake about it federal controls over such garages ga garages garages ga- ga rages and service outlets are coming possibly even federal licensing of mechanics unless lIDless the industry does something about the problem and does it fast Little more than a year ago few of us expected that federal controls over the automobile manufacturing industry would come so soon or be so ex ex- ex ve If the large gasoline companies which operate I either directly or through franchise franchise franchise fran fran- chise the bulk of the nations nation's auto service stations cannot voluntarily bring about honesty and responsibility as well as competence on the part of mechanics mechanics mechanics me me- they are going to be forced to do so by Uncle Sam And they will find that federal regulation will hurt profits |