Unlocking Transparency and Fairness: AI Legalese Decoder Reveals the Truth Behind Excessive Automotive Repair Charges and Unjust Key Withholding
- August 29, 2023
- Posted by: legaleseblogger
- Category: Related News
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**UPDATE: Positive Resolution with Midas, Avoiding Legal Action**
Thank you to all those who took the time to read and respond to my previous post. I am pleased to share that I had a productive conversation with the manager of the Midas branch this morning, who apologized for the inconvenience caused and waived the $99 diagnostic fee. In addition, they offered me a free oil change as a gesture of goodwill. I received my keys back without any issues, so I have decided not to pursue legal action and will try to put this incident behind me.
During my conversation with the manager, I raised my concerns regarding the exorbitant quote of $800 for a battery replacement and questioned why the oil light was on. The manager acknowledged that there was a misunderstanding, attributing the high price quote to his employee relying on a computer-based price estimation. He admitted that there was no actual damage to the battery tray, and any issue with it was a miscommunication. Interestingly, the manager also mentioned that there was some sort of problem with a screwing mechanism below the tray, which my friend successfully addressed, rendering the broken tray argument invalid.
I had submitted a complaint to Midas’ online customer service, and it is possible that this contributed to the swift resolution. I have decided to move forward and put this incident behind me.
**How AI Legalese Decoder can help in this situation:**
The AI Legalese Decoder can be a valuable tool in assisting individuals who encounter similar situations at auto repair shops. In this case, the AI Legalese Decoder can assist by providing guidance on how to:
1. Report the incident effectively: The tool can help you understand the appropriate steps and language to use when reporting the false quote and lack of proper diagnosis to the authorities or appropriate consumer protection agencies. It can help you draft a clear and concise complaint that highlights the misleading practices and lack of transparency.
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3. Investigate further damage: With concerns about potential further damage to your vehicle, the AI Legalese Decoder can help you understand the steps to take in order to gather evidence and investigate what may have occurred. It can guide you through the process of collecting relevant information to strengthen your case, such as obtaining expert opinions or conducting a thorough inspection.
Being equipped with the AI Legalese Decoder can provide you with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate the legal aspects of situations like these, ensuring you are well-informed and can make informed decisions about your rights and the actions you wish to pursue.
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****** just grabbed a
Call Midas customer service at their main office.
Ask the police to get involved. Auto part store do diagnostics for free. And will put in a battery for free also. Lesson learned
I own a small commercial trucking business and I pay around $275 or so for the purchase and installation of a new battery for a 19,000 lb truck. In the Boston area, so not a low cost of living area. It kills me that it costs about the same for a 3,500 lb car.
I got your back. Former automotiveTechnician. Professional revenge expert. Call the cops and have them meet you there. Demand your keys back and do a full visual inspection of your car. Take a video and pictures. They can’t force you to pay for a service you do not want or authorize. Take your car to a dealer and ask for a full inspection. (preferably one that sells your make ex Honda , btw) Call Osha and file a complaint. If you see someone not wearing ppe, grab a pic or video to include in the complaint. Ppe for mechanics includes gloves, safety glasses, sometimes hard hats, or respirators. Go to the chamber of commerce and file a complaint about their shady and potentially legal business practices. Heck, if you can get their names, you can probably contact the ASE institute and lodge complaints there. Lastly, let’s talk about three letter agencies, or taher one specific one. The FTC! You have a right to file a complaint and report scams, attempted scans, fraud, etc.
oops, i dropped the numbers for some of the places to contact below. Remember, if they’re willing to do this to you, imagine what they’d do to someone’s grand parents. People like these dirt bags make the rest of us look bad. This is how you send a message and make sure it’s heard.
ASE: 800-390-6789
OSHA: 800-321-6742
Midas Consumer relations: 800-621-8545
FTC: The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and protect and educate consumers. You can learn more about consumer topics and file a fraud report online or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357).
p.s.
Make sure to note the entire address of the business. Most places have a “Your city/community name here”, town talk group on Facebook. Post your experience there and let the community know what these people are doing and how they operate. DON’T BE AFRAID TO BE A PAIN IN THE ASS! If you feel ignored, keep applying pressure.
First I hope you got the diagnostic in writing. ItÔÇÖs required they only do authorized work. If not authorized call consumer affairs of your location immediately. Contact the police also as most departments have an automotive fraud unit. If they did unauthorized work then itÔÇÖs not your cost. But contact immediately for the fraud unit. ItÔÇÖs fraud and theft.
This $800 is crazy! A battery is around $250 at AutoZone or advanced auto.
But almost every shop will include the diagnosis charge in your total… example: your check engine light is on, the diagnosis is $150..you agree to fix whatever the issue is and they include the diagnosis xharge in your total(sometimes they will reduce the diag charge).
If you don’t agree to have the problem fixed, you’ll still have to pay the diag charge.
The clearly committed crimes. Get the police involved.
I had a similar issue with Midas once. I called corporate and they fixed the situation in 1 hour. I’d start with that.
Contact Midas corporate. A lot of these shops love to fuck over customers, especially women. The corporate office doesn’t like that. Contact corporate, and odds are they’ll get this sorted out right quick.
Call your State’s Bureau of Auto Repair, as it is called in California, they take a very very dim view of this behavior.
Call corporate.
They now sell lots of battery charging devices. We keep one at the house, check each vehicle frequently. We charge them at home as needed. If we decide we need a new battery we buy it and put it in. Not getting that scam again. Sorry it happened to you.
call the police and tell them that the mechanic is holding your keys and car at ransom. See how quickly they give them back then.
Contact the licensing agencies where you are and MIDAS corporate. If it’s an inspection station, Contact your DMV licensing division and they’ll send an inspector.
The police can also charge them with fraud
NAL, but had a similar issue as a woman. Fools didnÔÇÖt realize I did my own maintenance and knew what was wrong with the brakes. (WonÔÇÖt go into detail, but Just know I got a refund minus the agreed upon price and the guy was fired).
Starters get the number for corporate and file a complaint. Be detailed as possible, and polite. This group is admittedly 50/50 taking them seriously but still try.
You also have recourse in the BBB, your state Attorney general (depending on state) and the consumer protection hotline. Many reputable companies also have a complaints hotline. (Mind did, not sure yours).
I hope you have taken photos of your finding of the battery in the seat with tray: that alone risks damaging your seats, which could be seen as trying to up the price. (Batteries do leak)
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One other thing: if you havent already PLEASE understand the basics of your car to call out these  persons.
Knowledge m the color of your Transmission fluid, weight of oil, if the oil is synthetic or not (uncommon), filter number, windshield wiper lengths, etc.
Knowing the fluid color is important – it varies. Some transmission fluid is neon yellow while say a Honda or newer Toyotas itÔÇÖs reddish.
It may sound odd to say this, but Ive had more mechanics busted for lying and intimidated into just doing the correct work this way. A business list mine Рan oil change group Рlying on the transmission claiming it was oil to give their friend work. I went to a trusted friends recommendation instead. Best work I received, and the fellow actually had my back when I was dismissed from my job at the time but thats another story.
Brake light on the dash came on dealer said they topped off the battery fluid and light went out but said it needed a full brake job quoted at $900.
They didnÔÇÖt know we had a full brake service done by another company 6 months before.
We had the brakes double checked and there were no issues. The dealer just thought they could get away with it.
When the oil pressure light come on, first thing to check is the oil level not the Battery
NAL. $99 diagnostic? Are there not real mechanics near you?
Contact the Department of Consumer Affairs at your State Attorney General’s office. They can suspend/revoke the business license for this place, and it sounds like they need to.
Then you call corporate and tell them you’ve reported them to the above named office due to illegal practices.
After that, put in a Yelp and Google review naming names and what you’ve done to resolve the issue – without satisfaction.
Call the cops
Call the cops and scare these assholes. Hopefully once they realise you’re clearly not bending over they will resolve the issue.
I can’t believe somebody at a shop would do this because a customer ‘is a woman, she won’t know’.
All the best op!
Sear triedmthat bullshit on me 30 years ago. Two weeks after 60 minutes did an exposee on Sears cheating automotive customers. It was surreal. Told me my battery went dead because my alternator was overcharging it at 13 voltsÔǪƒÖä
the battery died because it was a 48 month battery and the car was 50 months old..
Left my car to get an oil change, came back and they told me the battery died and they had to jump it. They recommended I get a new battery (from them, of course). It was funny tho, that the clock or preset radio stations didn’t reset (this was years ago). I refused, and the car acted weird and stalled a few times after, which it had never done before. I brought it to an AutoZone type place, one quick look under the hood and he showed me where they had partly disconnected the battery so it wouldn’t work right. He knew exactly where I had taken it to get the oil change before I even told him. They had even tried the “we don’t feel safe letting you leave with it like this” line ƒÖä
No no no that’s not right at all. I have experience as a mechanic obviously and that makes all no sense what they did. Your oil light could only possibly be on due to the battery in very few and rare circumstances, all of which are electrical, and they could have simply tested the battery in that case instead of doing all this as a knee-jerk reaction. You know, testing it, as in, diagnosing the issue… The diagnosis that they want to charge you for.
$800 – wrong.
New battery instead of just testing the old one first? – wrong.
The way they took it all apart and told you your plastic tray was rusted? – wrong.
Battery left in the interior??????????? That is suspected defective???????? VERY wrong.
It is possible they pulled the car out of the garage without the battery, by just putting it into neutral and rolling it back then using the parking/ebrake to stop it in place. No major worries there. Your first action with the car itself should be having a shop look at it to make sure they didn’t damage anything. And hopefully you take it places often/regularly that there’s a previous point of inspection done on it, that has records of what was and was not broken.
Can I ask what vehicle; make/model it is? NAL also.
Sounds like they didn’t do the diagnostic, ask them for a print out of the results.
If you have the time and money you could take them to small claims court but the most you would get is damages, so the $99 back plus costs of a rental car if you can produce receipts. They don’t do pain/suffering. Big boy civil court would but you would need an attorney for that.
Best way to resolve this is pay the $99, get a receipt, and contact the main office, like main Midas office, not this location’s manager or owner and explain what is going on. See if they will refund the cost of the test since they couldn’t diagnosis why your oil light was on which is why you had the test done. They MUST reinstall your battery as it was when you brought it in since you never authorized them to work on the battery. Take photos of the battery sitting in the passengers set and make it clear from the photos your car is at their shop.
I understand your concern for damage having been done while it was in their care but there is nothing to be done about it now unless you can prove they did the damage.
File a complaint with your states attorney general. The complaint will go to corporate for someone there to answer. If they get enough of the state will file suit against them.
It does seem there trying to sceew you over. $800 for a battery is alot. Im sure there are some cars that is acceptable due to specific battery size and location.
But one thing i want to point out is that when doing any kind of electrical diagnosis on a vehicle the first check is the battery for charge and condition.
Computers can do wierd things when the battery is weak. You can have a bad battery that still starts the car fine in the summer. But once the temperature drops youll get slow or hard to start.
This weak battery can and does sometimes cause false reading for the cars computer even if the car still starts.
That said if you dont want them to change the battery they should reinstall it and you pay the diagnostic fee
Are they not releasing your key because you wont pay them or because you wanted it released after they were closed?
Wait. Are you trying to take the car after hours without paying your bill? You agreed to a 99 diagnostic check.
In a comment you said you were running late and didn’t make it to the shop before they closed for the night/weekend. Since you didn’t come to pay the bill during working hours , they locked up the key in the key safe for the weekend (ensuring the safety of your car in their lot.)Just come back for your key on Monday during working hours and pay your bill. . .
Stealing your car back without paying the bill owed can get you in trouble for theft of service and, or they can file a non-payment charge against your credit with debt collectors.
NAL.. but someone who had a very horrible experience with Midas as a woman about 10 years ago. My van started acting up driving home one night. My husband had to come get me. The next day I took it to Midas, because it was the closest place and I didn’t want to drive far. I needed plugs and wires changed. I went to pick it up, tapped my brake to stop to pull out and I rolled 3 feet before stopping. I went back in and asked what they did to my brakes. The guy was very condescending and said nothing. I left it and called my dad. (I was about 37). About 20 minutes later I got a call from them saying they found trash in my brake line. They cleaned it out for free and gave me a discount on my bill.
Get a large male to go with you to get your car. They think they can take advantage of you because you are a woman. It sucks. I have 3 other instances where service techs have lied straight to my face. I always go have a diagnostic done at an auto parts store before taking my car for service, so I know what’s wrong first.
You can absolutely report Midas for what theyÔÇÖre doing to the police. Officer is going to ask if youÔÇÖve already paid for any work already done and youÔÇÖll need to he honest.
Legally, an auto shop can refuse to return your vehicle if you refused to pay the bill agreed to. However once thatÔÇÖs paid, they canÔÇÖt hold your vehicle.
Alternatively, if theyÔÇÖre refusing to accept payment because the vehicle is truly ÔÇ£unsafeÔÇØ to drive and theyÔÇÖre insisting on repair work needing to be done, then an officer should come to the shop to confirm their findings; if theyÔÇÖre telling the truth then the plates on the vehicle would be removed. If the cop sees no obvious concerns for the vehicle driving safely, the officer will tell the shop to bill you and return your vehicle. If they still refuse to return your vehicle after that or ÔÇ£drag their feetÔÇØ then theyÔÇÖve just crossed the line from sleezy to breaking the law
Post the location so we can all leave 1 star review, thatll get your keys back asap
My car was running very badly. After three shops tried and failed, I asked my pastor, he told me where to go. I went. They had me take them on a test drive. I asked if it was the tranny. They said no. I said. “This is not gonna cost me $2k ?” They said this isn’t gonna cost
You $200. It was the wire harness, on my Nissan Quest.
With the oil change. It was @ $250 . They are my mechanics.
NEVER go to Midas as a woman. They told my sister she needed brake bearings, and tried to tell me I would need a new fuel pump. (There was a shorted wire to the pump. I knew that as my normal mechanic had tested the pump but didn’t have a wiring schematic.)
I am not sure if it is the quality of men they hire, or their training process to take advantage of women.
iÔÇÖve had battery/oil diagnostics done for free at multiple auto parts stores, with a full printout of the code and everything. theyÔÇÖre totally in the wrong
If you end up paying $99, do so with a credit card so that you can dispute the charges. If they try using your credit card later, that’s fraud, it’s criminal, and they will get in big trouble.
Find the shop workers cars and set them on fire?
File a police report for the theft of your ket and the fraud on the battery. The big thing is they stole your key.