This is post is for women only because there is no way a man could answer this question without being bias.

Just because you are woman, do you feel like you get taken advantage of (over-charged, belittled, etc.) when you buy tires for your car, deal with an auto mechanic on car repairs or anything in a 'male dominated world' where men tend to deal with other men.

The reason I ask this is because I get asked (frequently) by single women to go with them to buy tires, deal with an auto mechanic, negotiating price in buying a new car or anything in which they feel like they will be at a disadvantage just because they are a woman.

What is your take on this?

Roy,

Not a woman so can't answer part of your question.

But I DO know you are one handsome suave dude and all the ladies love ya!

Perhaps the car repair thing is an excuse to get close to Hunky Roy Boy!

It's less about gender and more about being uninformed, I think. But because the gender stereotype says women are less likely to know about x, y, and z, as a group, someone can safely presume any woman is uninformed about x, y, and z, and can take advantage of that ignorance. If a woman has the ability to push back and say, "I know as much about this as any guy---" then they'll quickly shift tactics because that won't fly.

I still get undercut mostly by older men. For example, I'll be waiting to ask a question of a home depot associate and a man will be waiting also....the clerk asks the man if he can help him. I was there first and we both let him know that ...the clerk apologizes and says he thought we were together. Common mistake perhaps, an honest mistake, perhaps. Just be more aware of who shows up around you and that should fix that.

Another issue....bought my last truck.....we are at signing...no one mentions the $500 difference on the truck as advertised on line. I mention the on line price for the same truck, they then begrudgingly give me the $500 off. Do they try to rip everyone off? I can't say for sure.

This has been over 15 yrs ago I went with several lady friends to look at new cars. I was not the person buying the car. The ladies were the buyers. HOWEVER when the salesman approached us he started talking to me. I looked at him and said, "You are talking to the wrong person you need to be talking to the ladies."

It's bad for salesman to have that kind of blinders on because many car purchases are made by women and no male is in the picture.

There are several car service dept's of large dealerships that have ZERO ETHICS and no matter male or female customers. They will up sale you on repairs to the vehicles and if you are not aware of these underhanded dealerships then you can pay an extremely high price for car repairs. There are two dealerships in the area that i will not go to due to their up selling practices on repairs. And it happen to another person I was talking to they had a similar experience with one of the dealership.

All dealerships and car repair/service business make their money on and stay in business doing repairs. HOWEVER when they are not ethical and up sale repairs they are not a business I want to deal with nor do business with them.

Yes women are taken advantage of in a male dominated environment However some business's have shady practices and will take advantage of every customer that a walks in their door. Buyer Beware!!

This is especially true in the real estate industry when purchasing real estate. The ethics of some realtors in the industry are extremely poor.

Yes, they try sometimes. I am not particularly bothered by it because I do my homework. One time I was getting rehab bids for a rental and one company in particular was aggressive, asking when could they start and didn't want to provide a detailed bid.

Another company gave a decent thorough bid.

Another company bid beat the 2nd estimate but excluded a major main component. If I had only looked at the price I would have been impressed until I reviewed the estimate and had to wonder about them...

Once the house was done, had a handyman there doing some painting, then the women were relentless, kept coming by thinking he had authority to rent to them when he didn't--- he could only refer them to me! LOL

Yes, unfortunately, it still happens. But as Deanna says, if you do your research and come in with some knowledge and familiarity with terminology, most of the men switch gears and treat you appropriately. The few that "honey" me and try to upsell me see my back going out the door.

But seriously, there are a lot of men who know zero about cars and home repairs and such, who also get taken advantage of - everyone needs to gain some knowledge before entering the fray!

Yep. Not only by car salesmen, contractors and the like, but also by other landlords.

I'm just like Rodney Dangerfield-"I get NO respect!"

Sad to hear that this still goes on today. It's not just women either...

It happened this morning actually but could have happened also to a poorly informed male also. I have a roof leak into my living room. Roofers came out two weeks ago and removed and replaced some shingles for which I paid %675. It leaked worse this weak. So they sent out two guys again. One of them went up and caulked some spots. But he said to me that the roof was old. I told him it was put on in 1998 so he said, well, it's twenty years old then.. He said roofs last longer if the weather is all warm or all cold because the changes ruin them. Since my shingles are dimensional, I was told that was a thirty year roof. It looks good and I would give it at least 5 more years for sure. I know when it's time to re roof due to various signs and they are not on my roof. So I said to him "That's ridiculous". This low life was trying to tell me that my high quality dimensional shingle roof was needing to be replaced. So I guess he figured, since I am a woman, I don't know anything about signs that it's time to replace. I can tell my garage roof needs to go but they won't be doing it. I feel that the same things that are pulled on women would be pulled on men who seem not to know anything about roofing. Maybe a male college professor in a suit would get the same treatment. It's like the lion looking for the weakest wildebeest in the herd.

Hey, It's not just women or minorities. It's PEOPLE.

I met with a contractor yesterday who wanted $1800 for my small one day project.

I commented "That's a lot of money for one day's work" and he instantly dropped his price to $1000.

Almost HALF! but still too high!)

Fathers: TEACH YOUR DAUGHTERS some basic repair skills for cars and houses so they at least know some terminology,

AND teach them how to say NO and walk away. Prepare them for LIFE in the real world.

I know some female LLs who get better deals than I get because they know how to drive a bargain.

With the intergoogs and YouTube instructional videos there is no legit reason fro ANY consumer to uninformed.

If I need a deal I send The Great Negotiator - Wifey. She loves doing it!

BRAD

This is a great question......

I have an excellent mechanic that I have been going to for years. He can still get parts and fix my 30 yr old Volvo. I trust him implicitly!

I have a neighborhood True Value that I go to most of the time. I most always seek out the women that work there...they are so educated and well informed. Again, I have been going there for years and we have a good relationship...first name basis.

A lot of the time, I tend to know more that the sales person at big box stores. Being informed and educated is a must. Also, when I go into a big box store, I have dirty clothes on and boots...guess it gives the impression that I'm working woman....haha, maybe high heels would get me a discount!

The best face to present is confidence!

Totally agree that salespeople in general will take advantage of ANY uninformed individuals or those they believe are.

as seen on here quite often "you get what you allow".

yes, some folks try to take advantage of other folks ...men, women, minorities, immigrants, on and on.

The way YOU act and treat people is the biggest factor. Carry yourself correctly. Know what you are talking about or if you don't, let them know what you want to know. Do not be wishy washy.

I HATE excuses ... I am a female. I am an older person (and they are in their 60s).

I have VERY few issues with anyone (including men's wives) and when I do, I generally steer them the right direction VERY quickly.

It's still a man's world. Look at all the old crypt keepers in the Senate...and what did one say recently? "She's pleasing..."

But it is also the age of information, and if anyone can dig out information on something it is me. Forewarned is forearmed, information is power, know your enemy and all that stuff...

But there is no doubt in my mind that certain men in certain professions of a certain age and/or perhaps a certain class and/or background...discredit women no matter what.

No Roy, this is a fine post. As others said, being informed has a lot to do with it. I don't feel, I am treated differently most of the time. BUT I know what I am talking about, what I am looking for and use the right words. Even if I need help on something, I still know what to ask for in an informed way.

Linda J,didn't know you were blonde,You sure fooled s lot of people...........charlie............

.

I don't feel as if guys try to scam me because I am a female. I firmly believe the ones who do are also trying to scam guys as well.

About the only ones who try to take advantage of me are auto shops, tile and HVAC guys. I think the ones that do rip everyone off if they can.

I have a college certificate in auto repair so Ixm relatively knowledgable. Like my little Mitsubishi needed a radiator last month. It was still 110 degrees outside and I didn't want to diy. The shops wanted $600-800. Got a radiator at AutoZone for $129, $25 for hoses and did a new thermostat for $15. About a two hour job, in the miserable heat, but we also pressure washed and cleaned everything. The shop would have made about $400 for an hours work. Nice work but you can't get it from me.

On a busy flip about 12 years ago I had a bunch of people working and on the fly I decided to install a tile entry. I wasn't paying close attention and approved a $500 labor charge for the tile guy. It wasn't until later that I realized I paid $5 labor per tile - with zero cuts. It was a 10x10 space. I would have paid $150. It took him like an hour to lay it, and an hour the next day to grout. Needless to say I never hired him again.

AC however I know little about. I should have taken that program years ago. The jr college is like 2 miles from my house. Every, single, time... that I hire an AC guy I get ripped off. Except one. I finally found a honest ac guy. He's the retired HVAC dept head at the college.

Oh wow...the stories I have about this. I am extremely fortunate and have a wonderful father that taught me typical "guy" things. I have put more than one man in his place for being disrespectful or condescending. The latest is I was getting quotes on a new whole house HVAC system for a rehab. My usual guy was really busy and I like to try new people in case my regulars flake out. The salesman shows up and starts talking nonsense, literally making up words about HVAC systems. He said because I had a two story house I would need a....and I quote....Super Power Blaster to get the air to the second floor. His quote 3x times what it should cost. I told him to put it in writing and send it to me, he never did. I think he knew I had him if he put it in writing. Unbelievable. The next HVAC guy said he loves to work with females in the business and bent over backward to prove himself.

When I was going to buy a new outboard engine for my sailboat some 23 years ago, I knew what I was looking for. I went to a dealer and looked around. Evidently the owner spotted me and asked me into his office.

I sat down and he started asking me questions like why was here by myself...where was my husband?!!

I told him that the boat was MINE and I was making the decision about the engine. More "silly" conversation ensued, so I excused myself and left.

Went to another dealer where another salesman worked with me....never an inappropriate question, never a "where was my husband", he listened to me!!!

Not a woman (go figure), but since other dudes have chimed in guess I'll have my say as well.

Do women still get descriminated against by men? I would say, in some cases, YES.

But I think more importantly it's not what you have between your legs...it's how you CARRY yourself.

If you come in meekly/weekly, you're in trouble. Doesn't matter who you are. If you come in strong and confident, you'll earn the respect of almost anyone, or alternatively quickly find out how worthless they are and move on. Either way is a win for the person who is strong and confident.

Women can be amazingly strong and confident. The image burned into my mind from my 1st semeters of student teaching was this little older (but not old) lady teacher (in her late 50s, I think) who stood 5 ft. 5 inches and maybe weighed 110 lbs hauling a big bruiser senior football player off a chair he was standing on in during a pep rally. He towered over her, but when she pointed her finger at him and said, "You. Get. Down. Right NOW! Mister." He complied. Guy probably was 6 ft, 2 and weighed well over 200 lbs.

Authority is a mantle we wear, and it is as strong as we present it.

Are there still some bastions of male dominance? Yep, probably will be forever, just like we still have pockets of extreme racism. It's unfortunately, but some folks will never learn. They probably aren't worth teaching. So find out who they are and get around them as best you can.

My advice to ladies who run into these fading pockets of alpha-dominance: Take along whatever extra fire power as needed (your husband, dad, brother, cousin, uncle, friend), not as a sign of weakness, but rather as a sign that you will not be denied. Sexist people are dumb by definition, but don't let their dumbness be the reason why you don't get what you want/need.

Bottom line: don't fear using whatever you can to your advantage.

P.S. I do the same thing with my wife when I find myself shut out of female dominated areas. She can finesse the ladies when I'm too much like a bull in a china shop.

My husband is often useful in this way too: someone will ask him a question about the rentals and he will always respond, "WMH handles all that. I don't have a clue." Or he will say, "You will need to talk to WMH, she handles that side of the biz."

I tend to concentrate on legal stuff. Money stuff.

So I have no shame in turning over the plumber or the HVAC guys to him, because I know nothing about those trades and he does. Because he does, our plumber seems to be very honest and upfront about stuff, and our HVAC guy too.