Mechanics Accused of Scamming Aunt as Woman Confronts Tire Shop

In Canada, a tire shop allegedly attempted to deceive a woman into paying thousands of dollars for unnecessary repairs. The shop likely assumed that the woman was not well-versed in automotive maintenance. However, they did not account for the fact that her niece, Stephanie R. Katelnikoff, is a proficient mechanic with a considerable TikTok following under the username @thattoolgirl.

In a recent video, Stephanie called out the store for presenting her aunt with a hefty bill and reviewed the charges to demonstrate the shop’s dishonesty. She revealed that the shop claimed her aunt needed new brakes and tires, among other repairs.

“So Tirecraft in Blackfalds tried to tell my aunt that her brakes were metal on metal when there’s 70 percent of the brake pads left,” Stephanie states while showing the brake pads on camera. She continued, “They also told her she needed four new tires ’cause her tires were low on tread.”

Stephanie refuted these claims, showing her aunt’s car tires, which appeared to have ample tread. “These Firestones with 7 32nds left? Among other non-required repairs, totaling $3,100,” she said, holding up the quote that read $3,148.22.

“And when I confronted him about it, he said ‘yeah we did a quote saying it needed it, we told them it needed this work, but we weren’t gonna actually do any of the work it didn’t need.'” Her video then cuts to a conversation with a shop employee who says, “I wouldn’t have done what it didn’t need.”

Stephanie’s skepticism is evident as the video transitions back to her speaking to the camera. “I mean I’m not really good at bulls——- on the spot either, so…” she said before continuing her conversation with the shop tech.

She informed him that she took the invoice “at face value” after receiving the bill. The tech defended not covering the cost of a part, but Stephanie reminded him that the shop claimed the parts were necessary. “So those expenses were incurred because of.”

The conversation gets heated as the employee insists it is the customer’s responsibility to verify if they need parts before the store orders them.

This rationale did not sit well with the TikToker, as she pointed out that it is unreasonable to blame the customer for trusting the mechanic’s expertise. “Could I get a volunteer to explain to this man how professions work?” she asked the camera, cutting back from her discussion with the mechanic.

Unfortunately, the video concluded without any resolution to Stephanie’s grievances. The mechanic stated he would “talk to [his] guys about” the incident.

“Problem, not solved,” Stephanie remarked at the end of her video.

Numerous TikTok users expressed their shock at what they perceived as a lack of professionalism from the Tirecraft employee. One user wrote, “The Tirecraft employee is fully in the wrong. As a welder, someone comes to me to get something fixed, as the professional I give them advice and a quote and they hope that I’m honest.”

Another user stressed the difficulty of finding an honest mechanic: “Finding an honest shop is hard but when you do, never leave them. They take care of you and you take care of them.”

Another commenter was incredulous that the Tirecraft employee suggested customers should verify parts themselves: “‘Without verifying yourself,’ sir I’m not the mechanic.”

Has anyone experienced a situation where a mechanic seemed to be lying about the necessary repairs? How did you deal with it?