**FRAUD** I went to the Bowness Mint Auto Service location to get a new muffler for my van. They completed the work and I was happy with it. Since the van was in their shop I asked them to keep it a few more days and also diagnose why it was having starting problems - a secondary ask. I requested them not to do any work without my consent, aside from the diagnostic itself. When I spoke with them later, they explained there was an alternator issue, and had already ordered the part, put it in the van, and billed the labour, despite my request to do no work without consent. I figured since it was an older van, maybe it needed a replacement anyways, so I agreed to pay the $451 for the alternator + labour without a fuss. The next morning it wouldn't start again. I looked under the hood to find that the alternator was never touched, the old part was still in tact, no nuts or bolts were even loosened (it was covered in dirt/ grime with no sign of tools or hand prints on it). What did I just pay $451 for? I then ran some tests on the original alternator only to find it was still working in perfect condition (the starting issue is likely a parasitic draw, which can be solved by installing a kill switch on the battery). On Monday morning I went down to the auto shop with the van. The owner (Warren) refunded me the entire amount. He was professional, he did the right thing and he handled it well. No complaints with him personally. Nonetheless, this type of fraudulent activity should never have occurred in the first place. Had I not gone down to complain, I would have been completely bamboozled. This mechanic shop committed intentional theft and improper business practices. They have been reported to the Better Business Bureau of Canada.