I wasn’t expecting so many replies and had trouble keeping up during the week because I was trying to get the van hauled.
It wasn’t DIY. We agreed that I would order the parts because some shops had trouble doing an estimate (older van, probably not in their computer). Most of the parts were easy to find, but for a couple we needed to confirm that they would fit into the space and that the line and hose diameters matched up. He never sent measurements, but did eventually say that specific parts would fit. Not all of them did.
No, not obviously, unless you mean they can literally lock the door to their garage (at which point my next call is to the police). If they engaged in fraud or other dishonest behavior, then a mechanic’s lien goes out the window.
Again, my advice in situations like this: always pay with a credit card. Yes, definitely have it out with them up front, but if they’re being total jerks and threatening not to release your car, it’s way easier (and safer) to dispute the charge later with the CC company. Plus then you’ve got your car back.
The shop can literally “lock the door” and you can call the police but if the shop has a valid lien, the police won’t do a thing.
And as far as using a credit card and disputing it later, that won’t work either. Credit Card companies will halt a charge for fraud or non-delivery but if your signed (authorized) the charge the only thing you’ll accomplish is ticking off the shop by delaying payment and ticking off the Judge if you later go to court, especially Small Claims.
Tough call but if you signed an authorization they can hold a car. I’ve run into several snafus involving not customer cars but cars on which a bank held the lien and refused to pay. The banks lost both times and one even resorted to having a repo guy and his wife sneak down one evening and try to break in to get one of the cars.
Both banks wanted me to just give them the cars and eat both parts and labor. Insanity at best.
A next door business owner saw him and told him to get the hxxx away now or he was going to call the cops. I called the bank the next day and told them I kept a .380 firearm in my desk and that I was going to hang around at odd times just to see if they wanted to try it again. That ended the debate for good.
Unless I’m mistaken, fraud did occur here. If I was the OP and the evidence they’ve laid out is indeed accurate, then I would have no qualms whatsoever about disputing this charge with my CC company.
lol, what sort of bank was this? A small community credit union? I can’t imagine BoA hiring an amateur repo guy, and then needing to threaten them with a gun.
