Did I get ripped off?

[Goathead]

I took this antique (Austrian I think) table to a shop that specializes in furniture repair. Actually, my girlfriend took it in. The table is very small and the only thing wrong with it was that there were two cross supports going diagonally to each leg, one of them was cracked so that the two legs wouldn't stand up. Follow me? After she dropped it off I asked her how much it was going to cost to repair it. She said the guy didn't say. This I thought was strange but I let it slide. We went to go get the table today and all they had done was glue the cracked section and glued the joints where the legs met the table top. They also glued the two cross supports together. None of these joints were glued before. Now they are permanently stuck. Also, the cracked section was merely glued together and they didn't even do a great job of it as there was resin dripping from the seam. The cost for all of this: $100. I was shocked, I was expecting $45 or $50 max. The table was my mother's and is one of the few things that I have to remember her by. I mean I could have gone to the hardware store and bought some wood glue for $7.95 and done it myself. It looked like the job probably took them from 10 to 15 minutes. I thought they were going to do a professional job and maybe graft the two pieces together. They in fact ruined the table. I think I am going to go back to the store and confront the guy about it. The guy in the front room Homer(no lie) is real old and hard of hearing, my girlfriend feels sorry for him because of this and thinks we should just drop it. I think Homer is a scam artist. What do you think?

[MissB]

1. I think I would've gotten a written quote before dropping it off

I don't think you were scammed, per se. *You* should've been the one to drop it off and talk with the repair person about how you wanted it repaired.

jmho

[LiberalVoice]

2. I think you need to go back.

Hard of hearing or not/Scam artist or not they ruined your table when they were supposed to fix it.

[napi21]

4. I agree! Go back, and preferably when there are other customers

in the store! Don't be mean or nasty, but straight forward and LOUD!

Shops like that can only survive with a good reputation!

[sandnsea]

3. You might get a second opinion

On how the table should have been fixed and the cost. Have some paper to back you up instead of making assumptive accusations. Furniture refinishing is very expensive.