Kuwait has no standards or government regulations setting the charges for any kind of auto repairs. Most dealerships and mechanics charge customers depending on the damage or the part they repair or replace. Some mechanics seize every opportunity to charge customers exorbitantly high prices. If you do not know what is wrong with your car, the more likely you are to be taken advantage of. Some auto mechanics deceive motorists by charging for parts which are not in fact changed. You are at the mercy of unscrupulous garages.
However, there are many good auto mechanics in Kuwait who charge customers fairly. Meet Mahmun, a Bangladeshi mechanic who runs a garage in Jleeb. He can detect problems accurately just by listening to the car and observing it. Mahmun specializes in repairing engines and mechanical failures. "I learned repairing and mechanical troubleshooting when I was 15 from my brother, who owned a small shop in Dhaka. I worked for him for two years. When I turned 18, I asked my uncle in Kuwait - who ran a garage - if he could find me work as a mechanic. So he hired me," he told Kuwait Times.
Heeding his aunt's pleas to return to Bangladesh for good, his uncle went back, leaving the care of his garage to Mahmun. "My uncle had made some money, so he gave in to the requests of his wife to come home to Bangladesh so they could start a family. They were married for five years but had no children. Now he has three kids and they are happy. As for me, I am still young, and will get married maybe three years from now when I am 30," he said.
Mahmun is now runs the auto repair shop, which is open seven days a week. "Every day I am here in the garage. I open and close the shop daily from 9 in the morning till 10 pm. I make sure we have ample business - I even work Fridays to earn money. I pay the rent of the shop and salaries of my two workers and two other part-timers on time. I also send money to my uncle as promised," he said.
Even though he owns and manages the garage, he always checks the work done by his employees. "The key to repeat business is to satisfy the customer," he said. "We have lots of competitors, but we differ from them with our service," he added. Mahmun said his principle in life is to work hard and honestly, even if others don't. "Maybe I am blessed by Allah because I work very hard and I don't cheat customers. This is the principle I learned from my uncle when he left for good," he told Kuwait Times.
He advises customers to be more alert and discerning. "If you do not want to be cheated, ask for a receipt for every part changed in your car. Some mechanics will tell you they changed this and that part, but if there are no receipts, how can you be sure that they changed the problematic parts? So be very careful, as they do many things to con you," he warned. He also advises customers to go directly to the car dealerships as they have all resources to check the problems of the brands they deal in.
By Ben Garcia