Theft and lack of action by police

jose bagge · Jun 5, 2008

As an aside to previous post about tractor theft, this has happened 3 times in 2 weeks:
> customer brings car into shop requesting work to be done. Estimate is completed, customer signs workorder and drops off car. We complete the work, and notify customer that car is done. "customer" then comes with spare key and removes car with out paying. $500 job, $1100 job, $2700 job.
> we contact police, they claim that this is a "payment dispute" and therefore a civil (small claims matter). Two different counties have claimed this.
> However (we smartened up on the last two), if we call and say that the car was stolen and we do not know who has it, and that we can not get in touch with the owner (we can't- they use caller ID and do not answer), the police pursue it as a stolen car- in the OWNERS' behalf.
> Results: ZIPPY!

keep in mind, we provide the police with name, address, phone, tag, VIN, workorders, parts bills from our vendors- squat.

VAJERRY, just get some shop to install an engine in that truck and roll with it when they are done- the VA police won't do JACK!

MarkB_MI · Jun 5, 2008

I like it!

It's unfortunate, but the police and prosecutors frequently shirk their responsibilities, particularly when they see a case is going to be a lot of aggravation and won't get them any press coverage.

Mike M · Jun 5, 2008

All you have to do is put them in at night or lock them in a yard or disable them until full payment. If no pay then get a mechanics lein and it is yours !

CJ3b_jeep · Jun 5, 2008

Invest in some tire boots. A buddy of mine who runs a shop had to do this.

Hotflashjr · Jun 5, 2008

In Massachusetts you can also add a "Mechanics Lien" through the Secretary of State. Basically you put a verifiable lien on the car for the work done. When they go to sell the car they are forced to pay you if they want your lien released so they can sell the car. It really catches people by surprise. I don't think it takes a court order or anything like that to place the lien. Just a copy of the bill and a filing form from the state. You should check and see if VA does the same. It cost $25 to file the lien in Mass.

If not, invest in some tire boots or leave the cars locked in the shop. At least you have them on breaking and entering then.

paul · Jun 5, 2008

Seems more & more it's the honest guy that gets punished, and nothing done to the criminals. After a rise in car thefts, laws were passed that it is illegal to leave keys in the car. So if your car is stolen, _you_ get a ticket for sure, but the crimial gets away with it 3 out of 4 times......

Now sure it is not real brite to leave your keys in the vehicle, but which is the _crime_, how should we the people be protected?????? People should not steal, and the judicial system should be dealing with that, not collecting money from honest folks.

And 100 other similar deals. Make it a crime to be honest & enforce those laws againt the honest person, but do less & less to investigate the real crime....

--->Paul

Jeff-oh · Jun 5, 2008

I wondered why my shop started taking Credit Card info over the telephone when they called to say the work was done. If you did this then the vehicle was ready to be picked up after shop hours at your convienence.

HENRY E NC · Jun 5, 2008

As stated below, almost all states have a mechanics law which provides for a mechanics lien. Some states alow for recovery of the vehicle after a certain period of time amd some states also provides for the vehicle be sold by the stae at auction. Check on VA law. You may be surprised. Nuff said Henry

Spook · Jun 5, 2008

That's what Michigan does, too. The car cannot be resold without the lien being cleared.

Anonymous-0 · Jun 5, 2008

had the same happen with tractors after they were fixed so now when i park them out side i make sure i disable them so they don't leave when i an gone. i have seen guys drive by to see if i was around had one guy stop when i was gone and tried to start his tractor but i had the roter out of it so burned up the starter day latter it left with rebuilt starter and 145.00 more to the bill

Goose · Jun 5, 2008

Not quite automotive, but a contractor friend of mine built a house for a person he had reason to believe would not be timely in paying.

When they laid the bricks in the chimney, about half way up, they put a piece of thin window glass across one course of bricks. The house was finished in the fall, and the owner moved in before the house was completely paid for.

The fellow tried to use the fireplace and, of course, it wouldn't draw. He called my friend and raised he11 about the fireplace. My friend told him he'd have to have the house paid for before he could fix the fireplace.

The fellow finally paid up, my friend put a bunch of padding on the grate in the fireplace, then went up on the roof and dropped an appropriately sized rock down the chimney.

As they say, there's more than one way to skin a cat.

RobMD · Jun 5, 2008

That's very, very good. Wow.

Roy in georgia · Jun 5, 2008

hmm I leave the key in the ign. on my car and truck if someone steals it and there is a law against me leaving the key in it "they must have found my hidden key" is all I gotta say bout that

sbin · Jun 5, 2008

A friend that owns an auto repair business spends many hours of employee time every week moving vehicles around so everything is either in the shop or the secured lot because of this problem.

I have had the biggest problem collecting money for trade work from lawyers.UPS drivers, nurses, just about any working people strike a deal with a handshake and pay what was agreed upon on satisfactory completion of job.Several lawyer I've worked for have drawn up detailed contracts and then tried to negotiate the price again on completion.One guy refused to pay for a very expensive granite kitchen island top under the pretext of a minor natural flaw in the stone he choose.
Knowing that his wife had a large house warming party coming up we went back and pulled the granite top and told the stone importer what the guy was up to.Sure enough his wife was seriously ------ off.He threatened me under pain of legal action for its return.Then called the importer who told him another one could be made for 3x what he owed in about 2 months.
The wife called that evening and applogized for husband behavior, I told her another one could be made and delivered before her party for cash upfront.Funny how that price was the outstanding balance plus a few hours labour.

Roy in georgia · Jun 5, 2008

here in Ga. I think it allows the shop to take possession of said vehicle or not allow anyone to remove vehicle from property until lein is paid. Even the loan co. cannot repo a vehicle from a shop until loan is paid my brother went through that when he had the trans. rebuilt couldn't make $ while truck was broke put it in shop, some how loan co. found it and paid shop, took truck then brother was mad because he was going to pick up the truck that day and start back hauling. He took the $ he saved on the trans. work paid on another truck and started over.

Anonymous-0 · Jun 5, 2008

That is a good one. You do need leverage when it comes to these matters.

An owner of a large project will keep what is called retainage out of every prime contractors monthly payment requisition, used to be about 10%, so for all the progress payments this is done until the end of the job, so on a large contract it represents a significant amount that a contractor needs, can be a good chunk of the jobs profit too. This is done to insure that all punch list items are completed to the satisfaction of the owner, close out items are done, it gives the owner some leverage until the job is 100% accepted/closed out and can be held for 1 year or more depending on the contract, until the job warranty expires in some cases. Funny though, contractor does not have the same leverage as an owner in some cases, smart move the piece of glass was, owner must have been really dumb, not to look into the flue.

I bought a cheap car for a co worker once, gave him the car, but kept the title, he was a budding alcoholic I came to find out, many DWI's later I heard. Never was sure how he got plates and stickers without transferring the title, but he ran the car, for about 6 months, never paid me, but when he wanted to sell it, he came to see me, had the title under the seat of my truck the whole time, dug it out in front of him and gave it to him when he paid me cash, had he known it was there and we still worked together I'd bet he would have stole it.

It's all about leverage, you always need that, good to have that in most situations like these.

RodinNS · Jun 5, 2008

You were brave on that one I think. Personally, if I was selling a car to a known drunk, I'd get my money before he took possession of the car, and then I would go WITH HIM to DMV to make sure that he actually transfered the title out of my name.
A good number of those guys around here will drive anything at all with no licence, no plates or expired plates on the car and no insurance. If he gets in a wreck and kills someone, the title is in YOUR name... and now they comin' fer you. If the vehicle is out of your posession, get the title out of your name.

Rod

Anonymous-0 · Jun 5, 2008

You're right on that one, was about 22 or 23 at the time, we worked a lot of hours at this place, but were all good friends, even with the owner, and although he (owner) could sock em down after work, and this guy (whom I gave the car to) had a kid with his sister, so there was some family connections here, it never appeared to be anything other than an after work thing. No one did (and they'd never know) drink during work hours, but this one fellow sure made a career out of it later. I figured he'd keep making it to work, pay me and do the right thing, til I saw the car being driven, never thought they could come after me, title was not even in my name, bought it from a friends dad and just gave it to him was like a $300 car, a decent one too. Title was still in the first owners name.

I've seen my old boss in the local watering holes on occasion, sometimes tying one on where I don't even think he recognized me, he built a successful business too, still at it, only a few years older than I, but the other guy let alcohol ruin his life, stack of DWI's, jail time, gout and other effects of being pickled all the time is not kind to your health. He lost some good jobs, at some good local heavy and highway construction firms that do a lot of prevailing wage work, was a good dump truck driver and just as good on the equipment, all to shame for excessive drinking.

Anonymous-0 · Jun 5, 2008

My shop owner's insurance policy cover's such things but it is more fun to handle myself.

Chain link fence helps a lot.

I put a lien on one a good many years ago and it didn't do any good for me. It was stolen from the owner's then went through a chop shop. Imagine someone who didn't pay having those type of people around.

CJ3b_jeep · Jun 5, 2008

The other things my buddy does is wait for them to come back. In this neck of the woods if you need a part for an older Ford truck, he's the guy to go see. So if they need something, they'll be back and paying him for his work and not getting a break on parts. A couple weeks ago, we were at a swap meet and he saw someone that owed him money from work he did for them, he figured the guy was at a swap meet, so he must have money on him. He asked for and got his $400.

NCWayne · Jun 5, 2008

Before you call saying the car is finished take something important yet easy and quick to replace off the car in order to disable it. When a customer comes to pick up their vehicle sent a guy out to stick the parts back on real quick and bring the vehickle to the customer instead of makiing the customer go to the vehicle. If you do something like that, I don"t care wether you"ve got the spare key or not, if the coil or a couple of plug wires are missing the car then isn"t going anywhere very quick. Too most of the newer cars have the emergency fuel shutoff switch. I"m not sure if they can be tripped manually or not but the ones I"ve run across aren"t all that hard to reset after they have been tripped. Once again the car isn"t going anywhere if the fuel pump isn"t working.

landlord7012 · Jun 5, 2008

invest in a few "boots" and just tell them you are protecting "their" investment until they pick it up and pay the bill.

Dollar Bill

Bret4207 · Jun 5, 2008

My agency doesn't let us get involved in civil disputes. I wouldn't be too hard on the cops. It's not criminal, it's civil.

tlak · Jun 5, 2008

This old guy at work did autobody at his shop in the country. A customer came andpicked up his car whilethe owner wasn't there. This same customer took the car o a garage in town It was the ownwer's son's shop. He called his dad. The owner choked the shot out of the guy. The owner was fined $10,000. The owner told me the guy's junk didn't work anymore. Wonder if the guy wanted the 10k or his junk to work.

Nancy Howell · Jun 6, 2008

Sorry for your troubles. World seems to be full of folks just looking for a way to rip you off. I finally found some peace knowing they may lie their way out of it here, but how are they going to explain it to Jesus?

Theft and lack of action by police

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