Consumer Fraud credit card charge back

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TheMachanic

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a customer called me to come out and look at their vehicle as I do mobile automotive repair. I charge 130 for service call and 60.00 to tow the customer's vehicle if it cannot be repaired on site and needed to be towed back to our garage. we determine the issue with vehicle we called the customer to tell them what the repairs would cost (1200.00 estimate total) and it was about a week before they gave us a credit card number over the phone. we charged the card 190 for the service call and tow. in addition the customer authorised 650.00 deposit for the part plus 98.00 for expiditing the shipping. We ordered the part over the phone the next day and as the customer asked we played 98.00 to expedite the part to us. Once we received the parts the customers car was placed back in line to come into the Garage for the required work. About 3 day down time plus 3 days in shipping. Well the parts supplier sent the wring but similar part and we contacted the customer with options 1) reorder the part from a different supplier or 2) use the parts we received to rebuild the customers failed part. The customer became upset and said we had the car long enough and they wanted to cancel the job. I reminded the customer that the agreement they signed states there is a right to cancel however there will be a fee of 300 for tear down and reassembly. I also told the customer that any difference did they are due as a refund would be reply to their credit card once the part was returned to the supplier and we were refunded the total purchase price minus the 98.00 shipping and 300.00 for our labor as in the contract. The customer agreed and we released the car to a tow company hired by the customer. Our cost for the original service call, tow to the Garage, expidited shipping not refundable, and teardown and reassembly total is 788.00. We would refund the difference back to the customer once the supplier refunds back to is for the wrong part sent. The customer agreed. Then after 30 days the customer charged back the credit card 700.00 and 10 days after that she charged back the 190.00 as well.

My question is; is this theft and should I call the police or take her to court. I don't really have time or money to take her to court but her actions without any warning or call from her expressing dissaticfation do cause lots of financial hardship and put us in a negative balance which crippled our ability to do business fir a couple of days or more.
 
It's probably criminal behavior in your state, and most likely prohibited.
Call the police and see what they say, or visit the detective bureau (robbery or bunco) and see what they say.

In the meantime, your civil recourse is a mechanic's or workman's lien.

Liens work, sometimes very, very fast.




http://www.coloradolegalservices.or...95-9B78-BEDDACDF6B84/149011Mechanics Lien.pdf


http://www.zlien.com/mechanics-lien/colorado-lien-law-faqs/

http://www.lienitnow.com/colorado.asp?gclid=CMKtlpTck8ACFShp7AodjnEABg
 
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