Any one know a good lawyer....shop ripped me off pretty bad

[UpSideDownDesi]

I don't know if this is the right place thread to post in (Mod's move it if you have to the right place). Well just looking for a lawyer who will give me some advice what to do or if wants to take my case to court and charge fees afterward or if he/she wants to do it for free u know try to polish there skills. Story with the shop is fucked up...goes something like this.
Last year i got in a accident...no other cars involved..bald tires...rainy nite...do the math. Ended up taking the car to the shop and told him i had the parts so all he needs. All he needs to do is fix it up and charge me labor. He started working on the car with short on workers...month passed..he tells me he need more parts....it takes me about week or two..i get him more parts. Another month passes and car is still sitting there..his excuse..the guy who was working on my car left. Then he tells me he's moving his show down the street so he won't be able to work on the car...i said okay. It takes him 2 months to finally get things started on my car. At this point i couldn't take the car back because he already did half of it and i already paid him $1000 (half). After another month or so Car gets 90% finished and the guy who was working on my car left so the car gets knocked of priority. Heck long story short.... it took the shop 9 months to fix the car...i'll give him 1 month the time it took me looking for parts, but still 8 months. While fixing the car he said...don't wory about little stuff like changin the mounts, putting headers, a lil dent on the roof, etc etc...he won't charge me for it. I go to pick up my car all the little stuff he said he won't charge are on the final payment adding another $1300. I walk up to talk to him and the first thing he does is starts swearin and says " either pay and take the car or leave my property. As soon as you leave my property, I am going to put a lean on the car and mark it as abandoned vehicle on my porperty...and put a title on it." On top he didn't do some of the stuff he charged me for. I took the car...had no option. I paid wat i owed and the $1300 extra (i had liability only at the time of accident so everything came out of my pocket). Here's the cherry to top it off with... I took the car to acura to get the estimate on stuff he didn't do..another $1000 (dent on roof didn't get fixed properly, door needs to get re-aligned..then other minor stuff). I got screwed pretty bad i know...shit had to take less classes and kill some other stuff because of this coz i couldn't afford. There's lot more to this, but it will be a essay if i type it all.
Let me know if you know someone who can hep me out to get some of my money back from the shop and teach them a lesson. I have all the paper work from day one so...i am prepared.

[iloveboost]

Good luck finding a lawyer to do it for free.

Find a lawyer you'd like to use and pay them to write up a draft and send it to the shop. From there, the guy will weigh his options on whether or not it's worth just paying you the money, or going to court.

If it ends up going to court, you're going to have to pay your lawyer up front to represent you, and you can try to sue to compensate for lawyer fees. Good luck getting your lawyer fees back in Georgia, though. Just be prepared to pay for the attorney out of pocket.

When I filed a complaint against my apartment complex (Post Properties), they gave me every excuse in the book on why not to pay for damage to some items in my house totalling $800.00 or so. I went up there day after day, and then finally said fine, I'm getting a lawyer. Their lawyer contacted me telling me not to call him back, he can only speak to my attorney (he was playing hardball and tried to intimidate me).

I get an attorney friend to type up a draft and sent it to my property manager. Same day they received the draft (he sent me a copy also), is the same day my apartment complex called and told me to go up there to pick up my check.

Sometimes it's cheaper for a company/business to just pay the loss than to hire an attorney and go physically fight the charge in court which might be the case for this guy if he can't keep employees and is so behind on work.

Again, first step is finding an attorney you feel comfortable dealing with and going from there.

Good luck.

[UpSideDownDesi]

Good luck finding a lawyer to do it for free.

Find a lawyer you'd like to use and pay them to write up a draft and send it to the shop. From there, the guy will weigh his options on whether or not it's worth just paying you the money, or going to court.

If it ends up going to court, you're going to have to pay your lawyer up front to represent you, and you can try to sue to compensate for lawyer fees. Good luck getting your lawyer fees back in Georgia, though. Just be prepared to pay for the attorney out of pocket.

When I filed a complaint against my apartment complex (Post Properties), they gave me every excuse in the book on why not to pay for damage to some items in my house totalling $800.00 or so. I went up there day after day, and then finally said fine, I'm getting a lawyer. Their lawyer contacted me telling me not to call him back, he can only speak to my attorney (he was playing hardball and tried to intimidate me).

I get an attorney friend to type up a draft and sent it to my property manager. Same day they received the draft (he sent me a copy also), is the same day my apartment complex called and told me to go up there to pick up my check.

Sometimes it's cheaper for a company/business to just pay the loss than to hire an attorney and go physically fight the charge in court which might be the case for this guy if he can't keep employees and is so behind on work.

Again, first step is finding an attorney you feel comfortable dealing with and going from there.

Good luck.
that's the prob...i don't have a good attorney cirlce and nor do i know any who deal with these kind of cases. I called one, but he hasn't gotten back to me yet. I called my ins. agent for advice, and he told me to take $2300 as a loss (no way). I was thinkin about taking shop/owner to small claims court, but don't know how effective will that be or will i able be to get my money back like that.

[SL65AMG]

that's the prob...i don't have a good attorney cirlce and nor do i know any who deal with these kind of cases. I called one, but he hasn't gotten back to me yet. I called my ins. agent for advice, and he told me to take $2300 as a loss (no way). I was thinkin about taking shop/owner to small claims court, but don't know how effective will that be or will i able be to get my money back like that.

shit man if you can prove to the judge that he didnt do what you requested/paid for you should have no problems..... but do you have pictures of the "finished work" after he was done. if you dont then all they have is your word. which dont cut it. otherwise..... you might just end up gettin urself in trouble ($$$)

[C22H19N3O4]

The advice will not be free. The ITS (intent to sue) letter sent CMRRR will not be free. The amount you are seeking may not be worth the trouble for most attorneys. You never mentioned the stipulations of the written or verbal contract. If there is a written contract, I hope you read the fine print. Also, can you prove the amount of actual damages? A prima facie case will help you win in Magistrate Court. Keep in mind that there is a statute of limitations on most contracts.

You can go pro se (w/o an attorney), IF you are willing to do some legwork. Usually a well written ITS will work. Don't let the system intimidate you.



*NOTE: I am not an attorney. I am just speaking from my own experiences in court.

[UpSideDownDesi]

shit man if you can prove to the judge that he didnt do what you requested/paid for you should have no problems..... but do you have pictures of the "finished work" after he was done. if you dont then all they have is your word. which dont cut it. otherwise..... you might just end up gettin urself in trouble ($$$)
car is as is been sitting in the garage ever since i got it back from him...no other work done...i got pictures or i can take the car to court and let them take a look at it themself.

[UpSideDownDesi]

The advice will not be free. The ITS (intent to sue) letter sent CMRRR will not be free. The amount you are seeking may not be worth the trouble for most attorneys. You never mentioned the stipulations of the written or verbal contract. If there is a written contract, I hope you read the fine print. Also, can you prove the amount of actual damages? A prima facie case will help you win in Magistrate Court. Keep in mind that there is a statute of limitations on most contracts.

You can go pro se (w/o an attorney), IF you are willing to do some legwork. Usually a well written ITS will work. Don't let the system intimidate you.



*NOTE: I am not an attorney. I am just speaking from my own experiences in court.
I didn't sign any contract when i dropped and picked up the car. The only paper i signed was "account paid in full"...no fine print. So i am not bound to any contract. I can prove damages because after his shop i took the car to Acura they wrote me up their estimates (so all legit paper work not from no name made up stuff). What do you mean by Prima facie case??? I am willing to do legal work...since i know the most about this situation. ITS??? Well good advice...more will help. Plus i don't mind paying a attorney. He/She can have their fee after they get money ouf of the shop. I wanna teach this shop/owner a lesson and get my hard earned money back.

[C22H19N3O4]

If you don't mind paying an attorney, then look through the yellow pages for one that practices consumer law. I'm willing to bet you won't find too many b/c there isn't a lot of money to be made in that area. Even if an attorney takes your case, you won't get all of your money back.

Everyone claims they will do whatever it takes to teach a shady business a lesson, but very few people follow through with it. You need to try and resolve this issue before you decide to file a claim in court. Georgia does not have a small claims court. The Magistrate Court fulfills that duty. The civil claims cap is $15,000.

I will suggest a few simple things you can do to get the ball rolling.

1. Do some reading at THIS (http://www2.state.ga.us/GaOCA/auto1.htm) site.
2. Go here (http://consumer.georgia.gov/00/channel_modifieddate/0,2096,5426814_5684688,00.html) and look for the "sample complaint letter" to the left. Amend that letter to suit your situation. Make sure that you cc: the OCA. It's at the bottom of the letter. Send it to the shop Certified Mail Return Receipt Requested. The post office will know what to do. Keep the return receipt for your records. It will show who signed for the letter.
3. At the same page as above, go to "general complaint process" and get a complaint form. File it with the The Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA) after you have received confirmation that the shop signed for your letter. Also, before you file the complaint make sure the shop is not willing to work with you. Anyhoo, file the complaint with the OCA and provide a copy of the letter you sent to the shop. Keep a copy of the complaint. You can mail the complaint CMRRR. It's just nice to have documentation.
4. File a complaint with the local BBB even though you know it won't do any good. Document that complaint. Also, you can search their db for other complaints filed against the shop within the 36 month period.
5. Some counties have online dbs that allow people to search for all cases filed in their jurisdiction. Find the offical website for your county.
6. Now it's just a waiting game. If the shop still refuses comply with your request, then you should file a claim.
7. Do some reading here (http://www.gwinnettcourts.com/courts/magcourt.htm) . It explains the filing process. The rules apply for the entire state.

Like I said before, most people don't have the intestinal fortitude to go all the way. If you threaten to sue...follow through with it.

[UpSideDownDesi]

If you don't mind paying an attorney, then look through the yellow pages for one that practices consumer law. I'm willing to bet you won't find too many b/c there isn't a lot of money to be made in that area. Even if an attorney takes your case, you won't get all of your money back.

Everyone claims they will do whatever it takes to teach a shady business a lesson, but very few people follow through with it. You need to try and resolve this issue before you decide to file a claim in court. Georgia does not have a small claims court. The Magistrate Court fulfills that duty. The civil claims cap is $15,000.

I will suggest a few simple things you can do to get the ball rolling.

1. Do some reading at THIS (http://www2.state.ga.us/GaOCA/auto1.htm) site.
2. Go here (http://consumer.georgia.gov/00/channel_modifieddate/0,2096,5426814_5684688,00.html) and look for the "sample complaint letter" to the left. Amend that letter to suit your situation. Make sure that you cc: the OCA. It's at the bottom of the letter. Send it to the shop Certified Mail Return Receipt Requested. The post office will know what to do. Keep the return receipt for your records. It will show who signed for the letter.
3. At the same page as above, go to "general complaint process" and get a complaint form. File it with the The Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA) after you have received confirmation that the shop signed for your letter. Also, before you file the complaint make sure the shop is not willing to work with you. Anyhoo, file the complaint with the OCA and provide a copy of the letter you sent to the shop. Keep a copy of the complaint. You can mail the complaint CMRRR. It's just nice to have documentation.
4. File a complaint with the local BBB even though you know it won't do any good. Document that complaint. Also, you can search their db for other complaints filed against the shop within the 36 month period.
5. Some counties have online dbs that allow people to search for all cases filed in their jurisdiction. Find the offical website for your county.
6. Now it's just a waiting game. If the shop still refuses comply with your request, then you should file a claim.
7. Do some reading here (http://www.gwinnettcourts.com/courts/magcourt.htm) . It explains the filing process. The rules apply for the entire state.

Like I said before, most people don't have the intestinal fortitude to go all the way. If you threaten to sue...follow through with it.

thanx for the info...i'll go throw it and follow the steps and see what goes on.

[rbwdriven]

was this place in acworth. I'm having the same issues.

[gingercoop]

I posted to another thread about the same company. They used to be GBW motorsports, then Allhonda Imports, then Honda Guys, then Southern Honda and Associates....they're crooks, but i;'m looking for info on them - any inside names, info you may have, anything you noticed didn't look quite "legal" going on - I got an upcoming lawsuit against them myself, as does a couple other people right now.