well, I ended up not having to drive up there. The court is just going to mail me the paperwork that I need to bring this to small claims court. I also filed a complaint with the better business bureau and found that someone else filed a similar complaint with them in september. I also tracked down and talked to someone that is owed $5500 from them. Overall this is pretty discouraging. How can a business continue to operate while stealing money from its customers? It seems crazy to me that even if I win in small claims court it doesnt necessarily mean that I will get my money and he could very well keep his poor business habits and continue screwing his customers. god bless america