Is it legal to charge me for a car repair even though the signed work order...

  • Thread starter Thread starter kristen
  • Start date Start date
K

kristen

Guest
...said it's free? I took my car in to have the heater fixed a couple of weeks ago. The shop didn't have the part in stock, but they assured me it would be covered under the car's factory warranty so I gave them the go-ahead to order it. They put in the order for the part, and had me sign the invoice/work order for $0 before they began the work.

When the parts came in a week and a half later, I was again told that they were under warranty. Today, when I took the car in, I was ONCE AGAIN told that it was covered by the warranty. Then, after they had put a couple hours into taking my dashboard apart, they called me to tell me that the part wasn't covered under warranty after all, and that finishing the job would cost me $1400. I did not authorize them to finish the repairs until after we had sorted out the problem.

Their excuse was that the employee who ordered the parts and gave me the work order to sign was new, and because he was inexperienced and made an error by telling me it was under warranty, and the company wasn't liable for his mistake. The manager told me, "I'm not going to lose $1400 because he messed up."

Doesn't the signed work order constitute some kind of contract that they are obligated to perform?
 
You were told is was under warranty and signed an invoice that said the work would cost nothing so you are under no obligation to pay this contract. Tell them that if they have a problem they can take you to court, when a judge sees your contract they will have to enforce it.
 
It is totally illegal. You had a contract for $0.00. It's their loss not yours. In court you would win. If they don't return your dashboard to it's original condition, tell them you didn't authorize them to take it apart and will take them to court. Sounds like the old scam, charge the customer and the factory.
 
>> Is it legal to charge me for a car repair even though the signed work order said it's free? <<

absolutely NOT! - after all, in every single state, a signed work order is a binding contract between two parties, listing what work will be done and how much will be charged.

>> Doesn't the signed work order constitute some kind of contract that they are obligated to perform? <<

ABSOLUTELY! - i wouldn't bother taking them to court just yet - as you can most likely solve this a lot quicker and cheaper on your own:

i had a similar problem happen to me. when they wouldn't give me my car back, i called our city's automobile repair dispute resolution office...which is a free service for sorting out such problems.

i explained the problem, and within a few hours, they called back, saying i was free to come pick up my car anytime i wanted - free of any charges.
 
Back
Top