I've been fortunate that I have always had friends that had their own shops or worked in the industry, that and I am able to do some of the work myself.

That said, I've seen and heard plenty of stories about over charging or it taking forever or both. One guy I know, whilst he is very good at what he does, does nothing quickly. They do a lot of Pro Stock and Super Stock stuff here in Australia, anything outside that, usually takes forever. Blocks have sat in the shop for 2-3 years in some cases. His brother is an engine builder as well, and will often work 7 days to turn around an engine in 2 weeks