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IlovemyevoIX
09-18-2007, 06:30 PM
anyone delt with autoshop lawsuits? i am a partner in a basic autorepair and porsche performance shop in hayward and i have a customer here that is bein a real pain in the ass....

95 Buick Century (scraper)
women came in looking to get the parts (she brought in) installed
quoted her 140.00 for the installation of her sparkplug, SP wires, air filter, and a oilchange
i get a phonecall from her an hour later saying that her car is making a noise like somthing is going to jump out
she returns from werever she came from and we took a look at her car...her Timing tensioner was bad...
so i return her money and she verbally abuses one of the tech's saying he needs to go back to school for whatever reason

i get a phonecall from her today saying now that her Cruise Control is not working....when the job we did for her had nothing to do with the cruise control...and again shes threating me to either fix it, or if she has to get it fixed somwere else then shes going to have to take me to small claims court... so then i again tell her that she can do whatever she wants, but im not goin to pay for anything...and that ill see her in court....

Any suggestions? besides me kickin this broad to the curb with a allan wrench!

esco
09-18-2007, 09:35 PM
The only thing can be done is to tell her to take her business elsewhere and she will have to prove without a doubt and have clear cut evidence that the tech did a poor job. You are not liable for repairs if she cant prove that what was worked on proved to be the cause. However, you must also do the same as a precautionary measure.

It really seems like the customer is trying to get a free car paid for in this situation, these are the customers to look for.

oneillevo
09-19-2007, 01:24 AM
Restrain from actually hitting her, although Im sure you just ment that figuratively. Like ESCO mentioned just let her be. If she is serious about the matter then she will take you to small claims which only has a maximum penalty of $5,000. Then she will need to prove concisely that the damage was done as a direct cause of the work being done on the vehicle. If you are like any other autoshop around you should have a checklist of the exact things being done or touched on the vehicle. i.e. A 20 to 30 point inspection list or something. Which the customer should have signed before they consented you working on the car. If you have her signature on anything prior to anything being done to the car then you should be in good shape in the event she takes you to court. This is because she has already consented you to work on the vehicle or was made aware of what was to be done. Thus, anything beyond that would be the responsibility of the owner. My hopes is that you had not admitted any wrong doing when she 'verbally abused' you. Saying "sorry" or being apologetic in general is a sign of admitting guilt. If you didnt do that, then your in better shape.

She is going to have a difficult time proving that your shop was direct cause of the other things going out, she would have to first prove that the said items were in working order first then prove that you broke it.

In my non-professional opinion Id say you'll do fine. Let her be and if she really does come back dont sweat it.

kinetics
09-19-2007, 02:32 AM
ey buddy! don't sweat it...you want me to take care of her?!
i used to be a hired hit-man ya know :lol:

IlovemyevoIX
09-19-2007, 08:20 AM
ey buddy! don't sweat it...you want me to take care of her?!
i used to be a hired hit-man ya know :lol:


hahah ill be giving you a call...



Restrain from actually hitting her, although Im sure you just ment that figuratively. Like ESCO mentioned just let her be. If she is serious about the matter then she will take you to small claims which only has a maximum penalty of $5,000. Then she will need to prove concisely that the damage was done as a direct cause of the work being done on the vehicle. If you are like any other autoshop around you should have a checklist of the exact things being done or touched on the vehicle. i.e. A 20 to 30 point inspection list or something. Which the customer should have signed before they consented you working on the car. If you have her signature on anything prior to anything being done to the car then you should be in good shape in the event she takes you to court. This is because she has already consented you to work on the vehicle or was made aware of what was to be done. Thus, anything beyond that would be the responsibility of the owner. My hopes is that you had not admitted any wrong doing when she 'verbally abused' you. Saying "sorry" or being apologetic in general is a sign of admitting guilt. If you didnt do that, then your in better shape.

She is going to have a difficult time proving that your shop was direct cause of the other things going out, she would have to first prove that the said items were in working order first then prove that you broke it.

In my non-professional opinion Id say you'll do fine. Let her be and if she really does come back dont sweat it.


i appologized that she wasnt happy with her service...and i told her id be happy to see her in court....mann i hate East Oalkanders......geeeze

nightwalker
09-19-2007, 08:33 AM
Man, I know how Oakland is. I worked in Oakland for 6 years. It eventually came down to us doing a body, and pre-inspection before even starting the work. We had a couple people (all black too, WTF?) claim that we made dents, scratch paint etc, and that they were going to sue us.

If it comes down to it, the BAR will get involved. But you don't have to be a tech to know that the cruise control has nothing to do with what you did. Most likely, the BAR will have take it to two other repair shops that they trust for their opinions. I really wouldn't worry if I were you, just don't say something you'll regret later.

MR Bye-Bye
09-19-2007, 09:07 AM
I was a mechaniic eons ago and delt with a guy who had some minor work done (valve cover gaskets) replaced and then came back saying we made the A/C fail and the battery go bad. He was just looking for some free repairs. Maybe this lady is doing the same thing.

oneillevo
09-19-2007, 09:14 AM
I was a mechaniic eons ago and delt with a guy who had some minor work done (valve cover gaskets) replaced and then came back saying we made the A/C fail and the battery go bad. He was just looking for some free repairs. Maybe this lady is doing the same thing.


Maybe for repairs? She IS looking for free repairs. LOL

Dont sweat it much. She probably does'nt even know how to go about suing anying.. LOL

IlovemyevoIX
09-19-2007, 09:19 AM
lol right now all im doing is laughing.....defamation time

i also got a little help from my parents hence my mom bein a lawyer...so right now im just waiting on that lady.

IlovemyevoIX
09-19-2007, 09:24 AM
Man, I know how Oakland is. I worked in Oakland for 6 years. It eventually came down to us doing a body, and pre-inspection before even starting the work. We had a couple people (all black too, WTF?) claim that we made dents, scratch paint etc, and that they were going to sue us.



thats exactly what im going to do....it just sucks because it wastes soo much time...but i guess i gotta do what i gotta do.

Full Function
09-19-2007, 01:43 PM
If she takes you to court, you have a pretty good chance of winning. Everyone is right, she's just trying to get something from you for free. Once the court has decided in your favor, sue her back for lost wages and emotional distress!!! Then again, she is from Hayward, so she wont have much to sue for.


Jerry

ronpanama
09-19-2007, 01:53 PM
Proper documentaion is the key. Im a dealership technician and see these types of things
all the time. If the tech described what he did and included the fact that parts were customer
supplied she has no leg to stand on. Dont give her anymore free stuff and tell her I see you at
the courthouse, chances are she wont actually take the time to file the papers. But again
proper documentaion is the key. Good luck.

SpeedElement
09-19-2007, 01:56 PM
yeah this type of stuff happens to auto repair and performance shops all the time. There are a lot of cuntbags out there tryin' to scam honest businesses. Its pretty fucked up. But hey, as long as you can prove that issues they had have nothing to do with the repairs thats been done at your shop, they have no case.

SpeedElement
09-19-2007, 01:56 PM
Proper documentaion is the key. Im a dealership technician and see these types of things
all the time. If the tech described what he did and included the fact that parts were customer
supplied she has no leg to stand on. Dont give her anymore free stuff and tell her I see you at
the courthouse, chances are she wont actually take the time to file the papers. But again
proper documentaion is the key. Good luck.


+1! :)

IlovemyevoIX
09-19-2007, 01:58 PM
Then again, she is from Hayward, so she wont have much to sue for.


Jerry


shes from east oakland...i guess that means she doesnt have anything to sue for.

IlovemyevoIX
09-19-2007, 01:59 PM
thanks guys!

Lurk
09-19-2007, 02:06 PM
There's a flip side to that coin. There are also some sorry ass repair and tuner shops out there that do fuck up a customer's car and then try to deny it. Especially ones that don't have shop insurance and are worried about paying out of pocket. So as a precaution, before you take your car to a shop, take the time and snap some detailed pics of your car before dropping it off at said shop. Like people say, documentation is key.

The OP seems like he has a decent case. GL.

dl_EVO
09-19-2007, 02:37 PM
Even if she is from East Oakland doesnt mean you can't sue her. You can ruin her credit if you win the case and she can't pay. It will demolish any credit she has.

You can do it just to spite that women for putting you through unneccessary stress. :lol:

Full Function
09-19-2007, 03:01 PM
Even if she is from East Oakland doesnt mean you can't sue her. You can ruin her credit if you win the case and she can't pay. It will demolish any credit she has.

You can do it just to spite that women for putting you through unneccessary stress. :lol:


=PWNAGE

mech88
09-19-2007, 06:28 PM
Yeah Shit like this also happens in my shop. One lady complained that we dented her dent :lol: and wanted us to fix it or she was going to sue us, But the sue job never happend.