Who is your service guy? I can't really vouch for any of the guys other than Jim, since he's the only one I know.
My mechanical knowledge is somewhat limited, so I don't know if what you mentioned is reasonable or not. Did the car not start at all, or just some of the time?
I know with mine, when it was dying the starter worked intermittently, and when I rolled the car a few feet, the starter would then catch.
Which contour (svt, v6, 4cyl?) do you have? I think somewhere I read that the IAC valve is a somewhat common problem. Also, try posting what has happened in the problems forum, they should be able to say whether the work they're doing is called for or not.
EDIT: I believe they are supposed to tell you the cost before doing any work, unless you told them to just fix it regardless. Did they call you before hand?
