AArrrggghhh - clutch fried by Audio Shop

USAA is RUTHLESS. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

 

Good attitude, even when you are mad.

 

NEVER in my ENTIRE LIFE have I heard of such....Grace! I truly am jealous of your ability to look at the bigger picture instead of sweating about the small stuff. I have to be honest, I was expecting to read about a legal-lynching. What interested me was the title of the thread, it lacked curse words and threats of homicide. Then I read the thread; waiting to see the words "So I just got bailed out of jail" but NOTHING! WOW! I would have killed sombody!!!!! I would have broke something or punched someone or....DAMN! I would have been pissed as HELL! But you just....let go! By all means, you could turn this guys world upside down. And nothing. You let him just dig his own grave. In my life, this seems to be one of my biggest stumbling blocks. I hate it, but sometimes I just get pissed and rage takes over reason. HOW DO YOU DO THAT??? how do you just....let go?

 

DO NOT PAY CASH!!!

If he takes credit cards, his CC company contract REQUIRES HIM to accept Credit Cards as payment for ANY INVOICE he presents.

Call your credit card company FIRST THING this morning. FIRST THING. Explain the situation to them, that you want to pay by credit card, and that this particular vendor will not accept your card.

THEY WILL FORCE HIM TO TAKE THE CARD. Take a hard line stance on this. DO NOT PAY CASH. Squeeze him.

ALSO call USAA before you pay the bill, not after. Cross your T's, dot your I's.

Believe me, he doesn't want to risk losing his CC contract over this and he will take your card if you push hard enough.

then of course, you immediately contest the charge and string him out FOREVER.

Finally, call the local paper and TV station. Betcha they have a consumer hotline, or consumer reporter who would love this story.

DM

 

This...this is the real reason why crowbars were invented.

I had a similar experience, but with a house painter. Long story short, shoddy work, much of it had to be redone...repairs made, et cetera...no payment for services rendered/lawyer. The owner visited and got very mouthy with me while I was nailing some trim in the garage. Holding a hammer...veins popping out of my forehead...he got the hint and left.

Two months later, he pulled the same shizzle on an ex-con who promptly blew his brains out.

 

Credit card or nothing!

 

Karma-phala at it's zenith...
CH

 

Damn...

 

Unless I am missing something here, a shop has to have a signed estimate in advance in order to charge you for repairs / install/ etc.

If you signed an authorization to repair, it must have a dollar amount that you approved, in advance, in order to legally charge you.

Either way, I am sorry that you are having to deal with this matter at all...

S

 

If you pay for my flights over there and back, food and transport, i have no problems smashing the **** out of his shop, and i will get the ferrari out of there without you paying a penny.
I probably would kill him for about $15000, but for $50k i would kill him, his workers and all their families. And get your Ferrari.
PM me.

 

Wow! You are showing amazing restraint.

After all this, you still won't give out the name of the shop? Even so other owners in your area can protect themselves. As others have said, he's probably done this before, and will do it again.

 

I love the last sentence in post #9 of this thread:
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?p=137818776#post137818776

Thanks.

I also thought this was an interesting type of website for you to consider posting on (totally unrelated to this topic, of course):
http://eastbay.citysearch.com/review/32802135

 

Where did you find this shop. With all of the help the people on F-Chat can offer I don't know how you ended up at a shop that has neon colored civics and hyundais in front of there counter. I just think some research would have helped. Stuff happens even when Ferrari experts work on cars but you would think if the owner of the shop was a local part of the Ferrari scene he would take care of this. It sounds like you made him a great offer. When the Ferrari dealer in Redwood city opened they would have me drive up from L.A. to do there cars. If you ever have any audio questions on your car send me a P.M. Good luck.

 

Completely unrelated, yes.

What's really funny is that I was actually complimentary of his feedback on yelp! and other online Forums. This piece of trash actually said that he had his employees fill out "raving reviews."

He has 14 BBB complaints which have not been responded to.

 

I agree. I figured you could have researched with some local FChatters about a more reputable shop that deals with high-end vehicles. You should probably get your "installation" checked out by a reputable shop once you get your car back - who knows what sort of hackjob they might have done!

 

No, actually the stereo sounds GREAT- no complaints about the quality of work or the caliber of product installed at all. Which, seems like a strange thing to say but it's true. They did a fine job on the work, I just didn't ask for most of it.

Now they won't let me pay for the car to get it out of the shop. Said they are filing a mechanic's lien on it in 30 days.

 

What's their reasoning in holding the car? Trying to cover something up? Or just being bastards?

 

Take this advice! Dave is absolutely right.

 

This is getting a bit ridiculous and reading it is mostly just frustrating. There's been some really good advice in this thread, yet it really doesn't seems like you've made any progress. I'm not sure why.

Point number one. And you shouldn't pay cash unless you are resigned to losing it forever.

Another perfect point. Did you not receive an invoice prior to having the work done? Did it not have an agreed upon price already included? A shop cannot just change the rate/price at their whim.

Then it's simple - report it stolen. Notify your insurance company and tell them you know exactly where it is. All of this is pretty much common sense. I'm really not sure why the situation has escalated to where it is currently.

Regardless, good luck. Hopefully a lesson is learned through all of this.

 

They need to be registered with the state of California to be in business.

read this

http://www.bear.ca.gov/forms_pubs/car_stereo.pdf

then this

http://www.bear.ca.gov/forms_pubs/wr_estimates.shtml

then this

http://www.bear.ca.gov/enforcement/enf_activity_040107.pdf

Please note that there were 617 inspections out of 616 complaints. This bureau is funded by its fines....so they don't get paid unltil they find something wrong.

To the best of my knowledge, the stereo shop cannot charge you if they are not registered, and in fact they would be required to return your money as part of the fine if they are not licensed. In other words, an unlicensed business cannot receive compensation for work, therefore they must work for free.


Jay

 

Where are you seeing they are not registered?

Also, it might be time to move this to a subscribed forum.

 

Gut feeling........

I'll bet you one (1) Shiner Bock that they aren't registered with the State Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair.


Jay

 

Jay,

I wish you were correct, but... where's my Shiner?

http://www2.dca.ca.gov/pls/wllpub/WLLQRYNA$LCEV2.QueryView?P_LICENSE_NUMBER=81829&P_LTE_ID=700

 

Oh no, not the boots again!
I sense the starting of another fund to fly PAP over again!

The Dino guys remember this very well.

Great advice.

It looks like this is going to court and I'd wonder if it would show good faith to the court that you were willing and able to pay by suggesting that you send the owner/business a formal letter by return receipt/signature stating that you are want to pay for the work and you proposed immediate payment at the shop (on such and such date) but the owner changed the terms of payment to cash only.
Just a thought.

 

Everyone is giving Abdul too much credit here. I went to pay with a credit card, and he wouldn't take my money. POLICE CANNOT INTERVENE, it's a CIVIL issue not a CRIME.

So, my choice was not pay him and get a mechanic's lien filed on me (how long would that take to defend, 2 months?) or pay him knowing I'd lose the money forever. So, I just went and got the cash and just as well should have burned it.

I called MasterCard services, and they said "they'll investigate the issue" but MasterCard said "it can take weeks or months to discuss with the owner. They don't have the capacity to intervene on my behalf, or at least that is what I left the conversation understanding.

How could I possibly call it in STOLEN? It's not stolen, it's being held HOSTAGE. I gave them the keys to install the stereo, cops aren't going to get involved in a civil issue. I asked the cops about this, and if I reported it stolen they were going to charge ME with filing a false police report!

Anyway, got the car out- got it over to Silicon Valley Ferrari and they are going to begin tearing it down. USAA HAS SAID THAT THEY WILL PICK UP THE TAB ON THE CLUTCH AND GO AFTER HIM.

I never signed a work order, either. I signed the receipt showing I received the stereo. Just plain old dirtbags, guys. I intend on reporting it, to everyone I can. But when you are dealing with garbage that truly has nothing to lose, then I have nothing to gain. It would be like suing a crack head.

After you give your keys to someone, they hold ALL of the cards. PERIOD.

Hard lesson learned. Thank God for USAA!