A young woman has lashed out at mechanics, claiming they charge her “twice as much” as male customers because she is a woman.
Alice Bleathman was left in tears after claiming two different mechanics had taken advantage of her while trying to fix her van.
She shared her outrage on TikTok claiming some mechanics appeared to have deliberately done a “shitty job” because they knew they could get away with it.
“Sometimes I hate being a girl,” Bleathman said as she sat in her car, her eyes red.
I know a lot of other women have to deal with this. Two men came to fix my truck and do some things and charge me whatever.
“But it’s like they’re making fun of you because you’re a woman.”
The influencer went on to say that she believed it was because she “didn’t know any different” and the mechanics who worked on her truck did a poor job.
Bleathman added through tears: “Then I’ll have to go pay someone else.”
“You feel like an idiot and I end up spending twice as much money,” he said.
Ms Bleathman went on to say that she sometimes wishes she “wasn’t a bloody girl” and was fed up with being taken advantage of, something she said “happens all the time”.
“This is sometimes the reality of being a woman and asking for help,” she said.
Social media users were divided over the emotional post, with some agreeing with Bleathman that mechanics charge women more.
“This happened to me too. I was charged for things that didn’t even need repair or they didn’t fix what they charged me for,” wrote one.
“A mechanic tried to charge my wife $600 for a window button… I got the part from another mechanic for $60. The struggle is real. Come on, workers, do a better job!” said one husband.
Another added: “Misogyny is very much alive and kicking.”
Other Australians said it was not just mechanics who took advantage of women.
“How frustrating! I experience the same thing with quotes for our home renovation. As soon as they hear my voice on the phone, I know I’m going to get ripped off,” wrote one woman.
Many men assured Ms. Bleathman that it was not just women who were being taken advantage of by workers.
“That’s terrible, it happens to men too, not all of them are mechanics,” wrote one.
“It’s not just the girls, it’s all the guilds that take advantage of this. It’s hard to find honest people,” said another.
A third added: “It happens to boys too. The mechanics are rubbish.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I’m a white collar guy who doesn’t have a clue about many trades. I’m pretty sure this has happened to me too,” wrote one.
But there were some Australians who did not feel sorry for the influencer and advised her to educate herself better so that she would not be taken advantage of in the future.
“Women should start accepting jobs so that they don’t scam us,” wrote one.
“That’s why I did the certificate two in mechanics, electricity, bodywork and painting, so I could build knowledge on a good foundation,” said Anther.
But when some Australians wanted to blame the influencer for having “no idea” how much things cost and that she wasn’t being unrealistic, Bleathman hit back.
“I did my research, they just didn’t do it the right way,” he said.
‘They charged me for a job they didn’t do right, period.’