WWYD - Customer won't pay for tranny swap

Take it for a garageman’s lien and use it as your DD. Park it next to the cart corrals, drive it in the winter, park it under dirty trees, do the BITOG challenge and don’t change the oil and just top off.

I’m guessing it’s got $1500 in it. Better start abusing it to get your moneys worth.

I know you came here for advice and such, but you did nothing wrong. You can’t reason with people like this.
 
Give her the programming, charge your cost for the fluid "as a favor" and tell her she has 72 hours to come pick it up before you start charging storage fees.

Meet crazy with crazy. Get in a text war with her until she fatigues and gives up. But don't lose any ground, just keep typing the same thing over and over. Don't answer the phone when she calls. Only text.

Fully expect her to try to steal the car back. You can get denver boots on ebay for $100. Put it somewhere you can watch with a camera.

Do you know if this is her only car? Immobile crazy is a special kind. She might need that car to go to the next county to buy her meth or something. Use this to your advantage.

People this nuts are usually pretty bad about using the court system, but if she winds up suing you, you can answer the complaint by just paying what's asked, which is something you might wind up writing off out of frustration anyway. Give her a 10% chance of successfully starting this process though. IANAL.
 
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There was no contract signed, this was all done by word of mouth and over text. That being said, I'm fine with taking just the $800 but she wants it free, as in not paying a dime and taking the car with a new tranny in it.

I didn't read the whole thread but in a text did she agree to the $800? If so I would think that is all you need to at least get that out of the stiff.
Don't mess with this loser, lien the car and start charging daily storage like $30 a day. You could have some real fun with this one.
 
Oh, so you've met Karen.

Karen is a pejorative term used in the English-speaking world for someone perceived as entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is appropriate or necessary. A common stereotype is that of a white woman who uses her privilege to demand her own way at the expense of others. Depictions also include demanding to "speak to the manager," being racist, or sporting a particular bob cut hairstyle.
 
So sorry to hear about this. Just reading this thread is making me uneasy.

It might be worth the shop’s time to briefly document what occurred from whomever else spoke/texted with her, since it sounds like it’s not only the OP who has been in contact with her and the OP was not the one who made the initial agreement.

Oh, and make sure to keel-hull whomever made the initial verbal/text agreement.

Finally, it doesn’t matter what we say from now on to the OP about what she SHOULD pay. The final offer he gave her is $800, so it’s $800 that she owes, storage fees not included of course!
 
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What if she pays with her credit card to get her car back..... then disputes the charge ?
Disputing something with your credit card company isn't an automatic ruling in your favor. Sure, they'll immediately remove the charge while the dispute is looked into but the OP will be given a chance to give his side of events.
 
Disputing something with your credit card company isn't an automatic ruling in your favor. Sure, they'll immediately remove the charge while the dispute is looked into but the OP will be given a chance to give his side of events.

And a "ruling" by the credit card company is not legally binding, so if she charges it back you can repo her car until she pays again, for real!
 
Yeap, that dispute is solely between the purchaser and the 'seller'. If the CC company sides with her, they'll pull the money from the 'seller' but in this scenario, it doesn't mean the OP has to give her her car.
 
Fully expect her to try to steal the car back. You can get denver boots on ebay for $100. Put it somewhere you can watch with a camera.

Do you know if this is her only car? Immobile crazy is a special kind. She might need that car to go to the next county to buy her meth or something. Use this to your advantage.
If he has the car, no need to go crazy with the denver boot, could be as simple as taking out a main fuse so it won't start or just disconnecting the battery cable.
 
Do what they used to do in Ohio:

Hold the car.
Run an ad in the paper for Mechanics Abandoned Vehicle or whatever they call it. Pick a county..
Wait 60 days
Get new title.

Not sure if that still works, but, she abandoned the car at your place of business and you have grounds to go after services rendered.

Used to happen all. The. Time. At the tow truck company...
 
The work falls between nothing and $800. Judge Judy?

Worst show on TV.

Defendant automatically loses.

Judge will not answer simple questions.

Both parties are paid before the show starts.

Hot Bench is marginally better. I suppose for those that watch TV.

Win-win.
 
Return the car to the crazy lady in the condition it came: Remove the transmission and drain the ATF fluid from the transmission, and tell her, she can pick it up, no-charge. Since her husband is an expert, he can install the transmission, flush the ATF and program the transmission.
 
She owes you $800. You should have known it needed reprogramming ahead of time and had that part of the quote. Im not a mechanic, but I don't know that I'd be ok with junkyard transmission fluid, should have been part of the quote too.

From this point forward, you need legit paperwork and a signature on the dotted line EVERY time.
 
Question, was this car an E38 740i or iL? It may not matter to the work performed, but my BMW was a 5-speed (with M-Technic package. Not a 7) and I'm making a note of which cars need their transmission reprogrammed to them, for if I am ever looking at a classic. Say 1992 or so.

Or was it a 5-series.. E34.. ?

It sounds a LOT like you encountered a scam artist, took her at her word, and now she is trying to play irrationality/play on words (fluid? Really? D/M3 costs 12 bucks a gallon at Walmart if that is what the BMW takes, again, mine was a 5-speed but GM had a transmission deal with BMW for a 540i IIRC) and now the woman is just going full crazy and expecting you to cave.

Don't give the car back until she pays at least $800, she owes you door damage now too.
 
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