Find solution
How can I repair my TV myself?

How best to handle this TV repair scam

  • A family member took a TV into a repair shop and paid $125 cash up front. After several months of weekly excuses, we're certain the TV is never going to be repaired. How best can we handle this? The repair shop seems to be a one-man operation in a small poor town. My family member, Bob, called repeatedly for status updates. The repairman always put him off, promising to call the next week. Eventually, he stopped taking calls from Bob's phone altogether, so Bob started borrowing phones. It's been 5 or 6 months now. We've also found some reviews online of other customers saying the same thing -- he kept their money and their TV. We have a receipt, but paid with cash, so there's no way to get a bank to help. I'm not convinced the BBB will help. What's next? Lawsuit? Is that worth it for a couple hundred dollars, and even if we win, how to compel payment?

  • Answer:

    I'd go to the cops, sounds like a scam.

mad bomber what bombs at midnight at Ask.Metafilter.Com Visit the source

Was this solution helpful to you?

Other answers

This is theft; he has both the TV and your money. Call the non emergency line of the local police department.

Kruger5

I am not a lawyer, but I'd think the next step is small claims court. Get a judgement, then figure out how to get that judgement enforced.

straw

The BBB is no help at all at situations like this, nor will making a nasty report to them change anything. Nthing small claims court.

JoeZydeco

Please notify your state Attorney General's office as well.

trunk muffins

Go to the store Say "I want my money and TV back now, or I call the cops and this gets very inconvenient for all of us" Get your money and TV back Bash them on Yelp Take your TV to another repair place If they say "Go ahead, call the cops" go ahead and call the cops.

signsofrain

You could potentially take them to small claims court, but for $125, I'd just write it off as lesson learned and warn others about them on Yelp and similar sites.

tau_ceti

Small claims court is exactly the proper forum for this.

inturnaround

Here's what I'd do. File in Small Claims court, THEN call The People's Court and see if they'll mediate your case. You get a trip to New York, and an appearance fee. Any money won is paid out of a fund, so even the dipstick repairman will get paid. Everyone wins. If you're really entrepreneurial, get the other folks on Yelp to file as well, or bring them as witnesses. All you need is a receipt from the guy. Another thing to do is to write a demand letter and send it Certified Mail. Bring the phone records. They're evidence too.

Ruthless Bunny

Yeah this probably qualifies as theft, depending on how exactly your state statute is worded, but the police will probably encourage you to go to small claims, unless they're just desperate for work. Once you've got a court order, if he still refuses to pay they should be more willing to help enforce the order.

kavasa

Load more

Related Q & A:

Just Added Q & A:

Find solution

For every problem there is a solution! Proved by Solucija.

  • Got an issue and looking for advice?

  • Ask Solucija to search every corner of the Web for help.

  • Get workable solutions and helpful tips in a moment.

Just ask Solucija about an issue you face and immediately get a list of ready solutions, answers and tips from other Internet users. We always provide the most suitable and complete answer to your question at the top, along with a few good alternatives below.