Reediting my post entirely. This mechanic sounds like a real piece of work. I was going to defend him possibly just being bad at documenting instead of a scammer (a pump *can* cost $600+ to replace, and cars around here can have rusty enough brake lines I could see a rear line breaking when he tried to drop the tank.) But going through all the labor of re-removing the pump, instead of working out a payment? Wow.I’m calling pontification on that.
1 a : to officiate as a pontiff b : to celebrate pontifical mass
2 : to speak or express opinions in a pompous or dogmatic way
Officer, this man has vandalized my car and put the gas tank in the trunk. Kin you hep me?
Sorry, ma’am, vandalizing a car and putting the gas tank in the trunk is a Civil matter.
@Littlemouse…Read Elizibeth’s statement above…She called the police and they said they couldn’t help her.
Just some food for thought but the following could be considered.
Sometimes states pass statutes that make certain actions a criminal matter and which can lead to fines, jail time, and so on.
Many times “laws” are not really laws as much as they are regulatory procedures and which are not a criminal matter. This makes it a civil matter instead and that’s what it sounds like in this case; at least IMO.
The case Transman referred to appears to basically be a civil case although you have the state on one side instead of 2 private citizens duking it out in court.
I just don’t see this guy, as much of a weasel as he appears to be, ever being prosecuted for auto theft and do not think that he should be. Taken behind the woodshed might be an option. 
What I find unusual is how this relationship, which was described as a “friend”, could have degenerated into something this bad on a vehicle that apparently actually needed the repairs and the sum total is not that bad.
The entire story sounds odd and I wasn’t prepared to dump on the tow guy because of uncertainty about the entire story. The latest posts and the part about ripping the parts back off kind of turns me against the guy, all assuming the story as related by the OP is 100% factually correct.
The woodshed is a wonderful idea. I would be curious to know if this guy, or this shop has other complaints on him for the same thing. If this is a regular thing, I can see the law getting involved because of the “Pattern” but if this is an isolated incident, you can forget it. The DA is not going to touch it. All the guy has to say is that he was told to tow and fix the vehicle and it must be just a big understanding. The vehicle is not stolen. I also would like to know how the mechanic turned so ugly so fast. All the OP asked is whether they could make payments and now they are getting kicked off his property???
transman
Police and the DA are very very reluctant to get involved in a case like this. My own case with the neighbor who deliberately destroyed my fence (in front of witnesses)…the police said there was NOTHING they could do…it’s a civil matter…yet the guy clearly broke the law (destruction of property).
All we’re hearing is ONE side of the story. Someone this sleazy can’t stay in business too long if he treats his “Friends” this way. How does he treat someone he’s never met.
What I’m having a very difficult time with is how the situation could have gotten this volatile over an apparently needed repair at a fair price and while being done by someone they called a friend.
And to throw someone off the lot because all they did was ask about a payment plan?
The fact the guy would waste time removing parts is stupid and non-professional but maybe he’s been pushed to the point where he said enough is enough. Some people will do things on principle even if it costs them time and money. I’m that way and some years ago fought for almost 6 months with a tag agent over a triple charge on a lost motorcycle title. Eventually the agent offered the entire fee back at which point I told him I wanted a written apology for being dead wrong in the first place. This sent him into a rage and I told him to stuff the money because it was never about the cash; it was principle. (The state commission also said I was correct so there’s no misinterpretation.
A friend of mine whose job keeps him on the road came in one weekend to his home in an outlying small town and found someone’s car parked in his drive. This person had been told to not do this. My friend went in the house, grabbed his Ruger .44 Carbine, and put 6 rounds through the front of that Toyota, busting up the engine block and transmission to boot. He then attached a chain to the rear of the car and drug it backwards almost 15 miles on the backroads with the car slamming from one ditch to the other. Needless to say, it was a total wreck.
The owner was a tad upset and called the sheriff. The sheriff would not do one thing to my friend. They did advise the Toyota owner to not park his car in someone’s drive anymore.
"My friend went in the house, grabbed his Ruger .44 Carbine, and put 6 rounds through the front of that Toyota, busting up the engine block and transmission to boot. He then attached a chain to the rear of the car and drug it backwards almost 15 miles on the backroads with the car slamming from one ditch to the other. Needless to say, it was a total wreck.
The owner was a tad upset and called the sheriff. The sheriff would not do one thing to my friend. They did advise the Toyota owner to not park his car in someone’s drive anymore. "
HA HA, Love it…I’d like to hang out with you guys…
I was at the dealer one day, just finished a trans service. The R.O. read: Trans service and check and adjust all fluid levels with ALL underlined. Well, I added a quart of oil, everything else looked good except for the empty washer fluid. I got a bottle from the parts dept and filled the washer reservoir. Service writer called me about 15 minutes later saying the customer is furious about me filling the washer reservoir, well, the R.O. did say ALL fluids… He was just upset that the dealer was charging $8.00 for the bottle and refused to pay for it. Service writer said they would just charge it to MY shop ticket. I said “Sure, why not”. I brought an empty bottle into the service lane and while the customer was paying his bill I siphoned MY washer fluid back in front of the service manager, writer who was laughing, and the customer who came out in the middle of my siphon job. Customer tried to get the service manager to tell me to stop but he told him, "Its the tech’s fluid now, you didnt want it.
transman
Reminds me of something Thomas Sowell wrote about the similarities between inner city gangsters and rednecks. I think it’s in Conquests and Cultures. Here’s the Classic Comics version:
"Officer, this man has vandalized my car and put the gas tank in the trunk. Kin you hep me?
Sorry, ma’am, vandalizing a car and putting the gas tank in the trunk is a Civil matter.
@Littlemouse…Read Elizibeth’s statement above…She called the police and they said they couldn’t help her."
I read her statement above. There are now new facts on the ground. The car is being vandalized and disassembled.
“Sarge, this mechanic is disassembling my car. Mind if I take a couple guys and go have a word with him?”
“No, patrolman, that would be inappropriate! This is a civil matter. Just take him to court when and if he finishes disassembling your car. Now go write some tickets.”
What you THINK is law and what actually is the law are two different things.
And what if the patrolman actually makes an arrest…and then it’s found later that the OP was LYING…Then what??? That’s why police WON’T get involved. You may THINK they will…but they WON’T. The police and DA will ALWAYS treat this as a Civil matter.
I’m calling pontification on that.
Well little…you’ve shown NOTHING but opinion and what you THINK should happen. I’ve had personal experience in a situation where the other person clearly broke the law and the police refused to get involved because they said it was a Civil matter…the OP herself stated the police won’t get involved…
If you have any EVIDENCE to the contrary…please share.
One last point…
If the police are the authority to use in this situation…then why would Ohio set up this Consumer Affairs office specifically aimed at this type of fraud. Seems to me that if the police are the ones that should be handling this type of fraud…then this Consumer Affairs office is a waste of tax payers money and should be abolished.
I can see why this mechanic has a lot of money owed him, he is a total jerk. I believe the original post said the car was towed to a “friends” garage for repair. Some friend!
At this point you need to get the car away from this guy. If he hasn’t undone the work, pay the original bill and be done with him. If he has undone all the work, and the gas tank is in the back seat as he threatened then pay the tow bill only and remove the car. Then document all the damage he has done (a gas tank in the back seat is obviously meant to damage the car) and then take him to court.
Whatever, NEVER take an car repair business to this guy and warn all your friends about the whacko.
That’s a funny story about the washer fluid Transman. I’d have done the same thing.
That story about my friend the with .44 is the dead truth. That poor old Toyota leaked all kinds of fluids down the road and was shedding parts the entire way. Being towed backwards behind the mighty Dodge pickup with 20 feet of chain with no control over the steering wheel caused that car to slam into one ditch and then back into another. The only thing missing is a video for You Tube…
He can be a volatile guy at times. There’s a story behind it but he had to leave his motorcycle once and come back for it. When he arrived back with his wife he found a local town cop sitting on it and apparently playing motorcycle rider. My friend jumped out of the truck with gun in hand and told him to (can’t use the language) or he was going to (deleted language) off.
The cop backed off quickly and did nothing.
Ellsabeth,
Get the car back, then SUE THE CRAP OUT OF HIM!!! Have two other mechanics look at what’s left and give estimates, then sue him for the damages to make the car right.
First and foremost, get the car back. The longer he has the car, the more ‘storage’ charges he can slam on the car and eventually seize the car on a mechanic’s lien. Then, he can put back on the parts and sell the car to recoup his costs. I know, I’ve seen it done.
One other thing I’ve seen, and based on his behavior as you’ve told us is possible, is wait until the storage lien period is up, then send the car to the crusher. A story I have is a friend of mine worked for a tow company in Fla. One day, a Hurst Olds 442 was in a terrible accident that left some suspension damage. He towed the car to the storage lot, as is customary. The car owner put up such a stink over tow fees and daily storage fees not covered by his insurance that he let the car sit there while he used lawyers to fight the insurance and the increasing tow and storage bill. The storage lien period in Fla is 30 days. On day 31, the lot owner ordered my friend to take it to the crusher.
**Addendum
Attached is the statute on Ohio law covering storage liens. http://www.parkerburns.com/5322.03.pdf
I think you need to talk to lawyer at this point.
It’s really not been etched in stone yet that the tow guy is a weasel. On the surface it appears that way but the OP not filled in a lot of blanks about this story. Some of the lingering questions might be:
Explaining how this friendship reached this point.
Explaining how the OP, husband, and the daugher all appear to have maintained a non-shouting, level headed demeanor throughout this entire ordeal; at least by the way the story is told.
Explaining how this tow guy can be a raging loon to a friend who, by the story, has yet to raise their voice or a finger.
I had previously asked about the name or a strong hint about the tow operation. Providing a city, street name, and possibly a general area could lead to a net search. If this guy is the weasel he’s portrayed to be then I would think that the BBB and court records would reflect a higher than normal number of complaints and suits.
How about it OP? Care to give the city and street?
The best non-harmful payback I ever saw when I was driving truck. I was at the I-190 tollboth in Buffalo many years ago. A teenager in a Pontiac convertible with the top down pulled up to the toll booth with a $100 dollar bill for a 15 cent toll. The collector ask him if his girlfriend in the car had something smaller, the driver snarled "She doesn’t pay when she is with me.“
The collecter removed his lunch from it’s paper bag and went from booth to booth and came back with the bag abd his hands full of change which he upended in the back seat of the pontiac and said politely " There you are $99.85, would you like a receipt sir?”
“Well little…you’ve shown NOTHING but opinion and what you THINK should happen.”
I say again:
I read her statement above. There are now new facts on the ground. The car is being vandalized and disassembled.
And using my best Father Mulcahey voice, I once again call “pontification”.
“That story about my friend the with .44 is the dead truth. That poor old Toyota leaked all kinds of fluids down the road and was shedding parts the entire way. Being towed backwards behind the mighty Dodge pickup with 20 feet of chain with no control over the steering wheel caused that car to slam into one ditch and then back into another. The only thing missing is a video for You Tube… :-)”
Your friend is a menace to society and should be put down. He had the option of beating the crap out of the vehicle in his driveway, yet he chose to use it to endanger others.
I read her statement above. There are now new facts on the ground. The car is being vandalized and disassembled.
Says WHO?? I’m sure the mechanic doesn’t say that…So the cops should just arrest this guy because SHE said it was vandalized…The mechanic will say…that’s the way the car was towed in…
Can I live in your fantasy world littlemouse…Sounds much safer then the real world where I have to live.
Says the OP:
He says he’s replaced the straps holding the gas tank on, that he’s removing them and putting the gas tank in the trunk of the car.
The gas tank was presumably on the car when he towed it. Now he stole her tank straps and put the gas tank in the trunk (That’ll smell great, won’t it).
I call that vandalism.