A woman in Dekalb County, Georgia, speaks out against charges she received from allegedly unapproved car repairs.
On Aug. 14, Lenora Kareem took her Jeep to a Tires Plus in Metro Atlanta for an oil change. A long-time customer, Kareem held a credit card with the establishment. While there, a mechanic informed her that she would need some repairs, including on her front tire. Given the expensive quote, Kareem decided to pass on getting the tire fixed.
“I said, ‘I can’t afford that. That’s way too much for an oil change or whatever you need to replace,’” explained Kareem to WSB-TV.
However, she found the repairs made despite her objections when she picked up her car days later. In turn, the bill increased from the expected $79 to $2,500. The expense exceeded her store credit card limit, which goes up to $1,400.
Kareem maintains that the repairs took place without her permission, but faced threats from management for inquiring about the cost. To her shock, she claims the supervisor threatened to put the rest of the balance on another friend’s card, who just opened an account that day.
She expressed, “My account, it’s my account. It had nothing to do with her.”
While the business reduced the bill to fit her card limit, Kareem remains liable for the services rendered. According to consumer advisor Clark Howard, Georgia law typically favors the mechanic.
“If there is no paperwork and a mechanic does the work, you are liable for the work they did and their work against your word because the burden of proof falls on the consumer because work was done to your car,” explained Howard to the publication.
Howard suggests getting a detailed service ticket to protect oneself from receiving a costly bill. Moreover, car owners can state that a bill cannot exceed a certain limit if necessary, as well.
The Tires Plus location released a statement about the situation to WSB-TV.
“We are aware of this matter and have worked actively to resolve this complaint since originally servicing the vehicle last month,” the company wrote.
“As part of our dedication to customer satisfaction, we remain committed to reaching a mutually satisfactory resolution.”
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