It's all how you present the situation. Dealers have an advantage, as do independents, it's which advantage is the best for the customer which is key.

Whenever I need to call the dealer for an intellectual issue, I make sure to always make the call from the office from my contact, so they can hear exactly what I'm asking the dealer to do and to let them know I've been as thorough as possible in giving as much information as possible in doing my best to keep their bill down from the dealer.

When the dealer tech shows up with the wrong hand held diagnostics tool, comes later than was quoted from the dispatcher, comes from the farthest dealership in their multi-dealership family, gives the wrong part # on the work order (which my customer signed off-on, not knowing it was the wrong part #), somehow- with all the technology a dealership has, the tech has to make multiple trips to the shop in the course of the repair, etc.....- forgive my ramblings- all the above has happened to me in the last few years.....

Combine the above with the fact that when the invoice comes in it's outrageously expensive & then the customer has to call & argue his point to get the bill even close to being reasonable. I have yet to lose a customer to a dealership with this type of situation being played out time & time again.