I've got no bone working on cars for people I know, but they are on a heavy discount with a fixed price, before I start. If I'm confident enough to work on someone's car that I know, that's how I roll. If it's too much time out of my week at the moment and will kill me at the rate I give them, I suggest a different shop that I send folks to.
This whole deal sucks, though. I agree. Just make this person aware of their hours flagged against a typical job. Let the mechanic roll it over and this person may respond accordingly, without feeling insulted.
When deals are off the mark that I'm involved in, I don't mind revisiting figures with good reason. If I'm at fault, I'll actually go the other direction, just because it was brought to my attention and I feel that I should know better, if I'm the one providing services.
