car repair nightmare

[Hammerette]

A while back we paid over $700 for repair of our car---a few months later we started having same problems with car and returned it to the same repair shop. They fixed again basically the same things over again and charged $800 this time---which we had planned to pay. We paid half of the $800 when we picked car up and gave a check for the other half which repairman agreed to hold on to for one week before cashing. The car started messing up again on the way home from the shop!! We took car back and left on parking lot over the weekend for same repairman to look at on Monday. We changed our mind over weekend and decided to get car to another repair shop after being out so much money and still needing car repaired. We stopped payment on the 2nd half of the $800 bogus repair feeling we still paid $400 too much. We just got a letter in the mail from the prosecuting attorney claiming that it's against the law to stop payment on a check with intention to defraud. If not paid within 10 days we will have criminal charges brought against us. What has this repairman done, and how can we get this taken care of? How can we show proof of being the victom here and not the criminal?

 

[visions]

Car Repairs

If you have a written estimate for repairs for both times you had gone to the repair shop and they show the same items or similarities of sort and they failed to fix them, file a claim in small claims for the money paid for the first repair and the second repair. This will force the matter before a judge. In which you can plead your case. In the mean time respond to the attorney, indicating your intentions to file claim if the money or check is not returned put it in his lap. You can stop payment on the check espically in the case where the repair shop is trying to defraud you for bogus repairs. I have been through this several times. If someone else disagrees with please research your options with a local legal clinic. Do not let this go un attended. If you do it will show intent to defraud.