Monro Muffler Brake & Service

[Disclaimer: This is going to be a long one. These first few paragraphs are back story, so skip on down if you want the short-​and-​sweet version.]
Well, I didn’t walk in expecting to pay almost $ 700 for a brake job and an oil change, that’s for damn sure
Now, before I continue, I should mention that I’m not completely ignorant when it comes to car repair. I make no claims to being a master mechanic, but I can cover the simple stuff without much hassle. I came to Monro because (1) it is my understanding that Ford vehicles require a special tool to recompress the caliper after doing brake work, which I do not have, and (2) even if I did, I don’t have the space right now. Sometimes, it’s just easier to pay to make it someone else’s problem.
I should also mention though, that I hate going into auto shops. In my entire life I’ve only run into two auto shops that I had real confidence that they were competent and honest. But, I had been trying to get this brake job done for a long time, and was having a hard time finding a shop that would willing to do it and would actually return my calls.
And that’s where I erred. I knew I had been running these brakes for too long. I knew the rotors were etched. I expected that the rotors would need replaced. I wasn’t really planning on getting it done, but my fiancée made the point that I may as well as long as I had to go in for an oil change.
[Here is, more or less, where the review starts]
My fiancée ended up being the one to call them about the service first. It was the 4^th of July, and they were one of the only places open to do even an oil change. We were both going to get that done, but she had asked about brake-​work and apparently they had the time to do that too.
So we went there, I arrived first. During this construction on 27^th Street they’re a bit difficult to get to, but it’s not their fault. I walked in and was greeted by a friendly «What can I do for ya?» and explained what I needed. I explained the braking issue: rear axle, rotors are etched, calipers are probably fine.
After handing off my keys, signing paperwork authorizing the work, and heading for the door to head down to a nearby restaurant for a bite to eat I heard my name called back. Another gentleman – the working manager, I’d presume – called my name and asked again what my brake issue was (he had walked out of a back office after overhearing our conversation. I re-​explained. This guy proceeded to chastise the first guy I’d talked to about needing specific authorization for the service. Awkward! He was trying to cover the business’ ass, basically, which I can accept, but it probably shouldn’t happen in front of a customer.
Well, the shop was empty, and I knew roughly how long the service should take. My fiancée and I took off to get a bite to eat. About 30 – 45 minutes after dropping the car off I got a call. It was too quick to be finished up, but it must be important. The manager told me that one of my calipers was seized, and that they would need to hold the car overnight to get the part.
I wasn’t that surprised to learn that a caliper had been damaged – I mean, I didn’t expect it but it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility – but seized? The car didn’t drive like it had a seized caliper whatsoever – no weird smell, no unusual sluggishness during acceleration, no shaking and vibrating when the brakes were applied. I was a little suspicious, but I figured given how frequently I need brake jobs I had reason to think that the caliper might be «sticky» even if not seized.
This one issue brought the estimated total from around $ 400, though, to just under $ 700. That’s a huge jump. The cost of a caliper to me, according to the invoice, is $ 150 (not including labor, which was $ 48 extra). According to PartsGeek and Autozone a decent caliper can be had from anywhere from $ 60 to $ 80 for my make and model. It’s the same story with the pads, Autozone has three versions, a set for about $ 20, or for $ 30, and for $ 50. Monro charged me $ 84.36 for a pair of «Premium Ceramic Pads.» The rotors are the same story.
Really, I suppose the whole review could be condensed to that last paragraph. Monro charges for parts as if they’re made of solid gold. I expect some markup from a shop – after all, it’s how they make money and I consider it the cost of not doing the work myself, but in some of these cases the markup is well over 100% of the RETAIL cost of the part. Considering that Monro is probably getting a decent discount themselves for the volume of parts they buy, their prices are unjustifiable.
Finally, I think it’s worth bringing special attention to another issue: the rotor. I may just be looking for issues at this point, but a close inspection of the rotors they added (which cost me $ 133.99) seems to suggest that these are not new rotors. They have the telltale signs of a rotor that’s been previously turned – not necessarily deficient, just a bit deceptive in my opinion.