Drop car off at mechanic and tell him not to perform service without consent...he performs service (auto, credit)
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Not pay him. Simple as that. Pay for whatever work you authorized and ask him for your keys. If he has a problem with that or refuses to give you your car then call the police.
Not pay him. Simple as that. Pay for whatever work you authorized and ask him for your keys. If he has a problem with that or refuses to give you your car then call the police.
he's apparently well-regarded so i don't really want to burn the bridge. but you have a good point.
he's apparently well-regarded so i don't really want to burn the bridge. but you have a good point.
Hey its your money. I know I wouldn't be paying for any work not authorized by me. ESPECIALLY if they performed and are charging me for something that didn't fix the problem that they're claiming it had.
Don't pay. You did not authorize the work. The only issue is that it's your word against his. Although you can ask to pull phone record proving he called if it comes down to it. And if it didn't fix the problem then you shouldn't pay for it.
Has the shop refused to turn your car over to you unless you pay? Have you told them politely why you're not happy? Politeness can go a long way no matter if they were in the wrong.
Also, what kind of place is this? A big chain or a Joe Blow hole in the wall? Who did you talk to when you brought the car in and who did you tell no service unless you authorize? The service writer? Office Manager? Mechanic? Shop owner? Did they deny you told them no service without notification?
Someone mentioned earlier to call the police. Forget that. Cops aren't going to involve themselves in a private business matter when it's he said/she said.
If the shop is being obstinate and unwilling to cooperate on the matter, tell them politely that you will immediately speak to a lawyer to discuss your options. Also, that any regulatory agency or association they belong to may be notified.
Once again though, no anger, threats or bluster. Just stay calm and be firm.
One last thought if you don't want to do any of the above. You can also pay with a credit card, then file a chargeback with the card and state that you didn't authorize the work, the repair was done without your consent and was done poorly. Credit card companies definitely have a lot of power in these cases. The shop will have to show proof that you authorized the work and if they can't do that, you would likely win the case and get your money back.
Last edited by mandavaran; 01-14-2016 at 03:07 PM..
More information needed: critical to know in which state this took place.
in many states, a signed repair authorization is REQUIRED BY LAW prior to doing any work or the shop has no claim to get paid or file a lien on your car. (There are some exceptions, such as when a car is towed in as a non-runner and the shop is tasked with getting it running again. At that, a professionally run shop would be in touch with a car owner prior to doing anything beyond a diagnosis of what the car needs to get going again).
Even with a signed repair authorization, most of those states requiring signed repair quotes/authorizations will not allow the final repair cost per the estimate to exceed that figure by 10% without additional prior notice and prior approval.
If the shop did work which they were specifically told not to do, then you've got a miscommunication or misunderstanding issue with the shop which needs to be resolved. That's in addition to the fact that their work product did not fix the repair issue, which in and of itself is a point to not pay the shop.
If you are in a state that requires a RO authorization prior to commencing the work, then you're good to go. A call to the state agency if the shop balks at releasing your car will have them releasing your car to you under the possibility of them facing heavy fines.
If you are not in a state that requires the signed RO authorization, then you're in a "he said - she said" civil situation. You'll need to rely upon the fact that they didn't fix the problem with the car and did it without your authorization. Issues most likely to be resolved in a small claims court. Best to do what you need to do to get possession of your car and then have the car diagnosed by another shop so you have evidence as to what was done, why it didn't work, and what it will take to repair properly.
While you mention that this is a shop you wouldn't want to burn bridges at, I'd have to question why you'd ever want to do business with such an outfit again. You've hit upon some of the biggest problems in the auto repair industry ... poor customer communications, inept/incompetent repairs, and an apparent unwillingness to seek to satisfy a customer. None of these sound like a shop I'd refer anybody to for any reason.
in many states, a signed repair authorization is REQUIRED BY LAW prior to doing any work or the shop has no claim to get paid or file a lien on your car.
This law went into effect in Ohio in the 1970s. I was working at a Sears auto center, people would come in wanting the advertised 19 dollar muffler, then they would be shocked a few hours later with a bill for 60-100 bucks. Well it needed hangars, pipes, connectors, etc. After the law went into effect we had to lift the car, inspect, write an estimate, present it for their approval, at which point about 1/3 of them said Nope give me my car back. Manager went ballistic at all the time wasted and sales lost, but had to comply with the law.
A few years back when I worked in a shop, we were required by law to have the customer sign an estimate, and also have them check a yes/no box indicating whether or not we had approval to perform extra services without their prior consent. If we decided that their transmission fluid was dirty and proceeded to perform a $200 service without their written consent, they could refuse to pay.
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