Legal Question in Consumer Law in Texas

We are having AC work done on my wife's car. The mobile mechanic said it would take 2 days. He initially told us $600 then the day he was to start added the price of the part $80. The day he started the repair he said he needed the money "or at least half of it up front". Reluctantly we gave him $500 which was to include the part. The car sat disassembled in our driveway for 12 days. The mechanic made all kinds of excuses ranging from needing to take other jobs in between to having Dr.s' appointments for the delays. He then said he needed the last $180 before completing the work. He added that this was just for replacing the part not for charging the system plus freon but just for us that he had a couple cans of freon and would charge the system "for free" a couple days later. Because we did not want to have to pay another shop $150 to charge the system with freon we went ahead and paid the additional $180. He reassembled the car and it is driveable with no AC. Today, 3 days later he went to charge my wife's car at her job but told her he needed an additional $50 for the freeon acting like he had never said there was no additional charge. She had no money there so he left and said he would do it later when she did.

Is taking an addition 12 to 14 days over the stated repair time OK. What rights or recourse do we have?

Thanks!


Asked on 8/31/11, 6:25 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Mark Dunn Mark D. Dunn

There is a rule that exists somewhere out in the universe: If you pay a mechanic all (or most) of the repair price in advance, he'll do sloppy work, or he won't do it at all.

Your mechanic is a sleaze. Send him a demand letter stating exactly what you told me, and demand that he fix the car within ten days. Tell him that on the 11th day you will sue him for fraud and deceptive trade practices and treble damages, etc.

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Answered on 9/01/11, 12:01 pm


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