Thanks for the reply. I wish that the fact that the money was taken via mail from another state made a difference. ALL of the small claims work is done by the victim, especially all the fees and travel from another state, and the other party can avoid ever paying a dime.
I paid a shop $5000 to do restoration work on my car. The owner went berserk and insisted that I get my car out of his shop. Regarding the deposit, he claims that he has already spent it on personal expenses and he has nothing to give me. The agreed-upon rate for the work was $50/hr and he...