Garage wanting double what they quoted or no car back

[Fullyhuman]

Hi,
Can anyone tell me, where do I stand? A body shop has my car, which i crashed back in April, he quoted £3k and now wants £6k with no justification - he cites inflation! And says if I don’t pay I can’t have my car back. My husband thinks a solicitor would be good money after bad and that the police won’t care. I don’t know what to do. The car isn’t worth loads more than £6k, maybe 8.
thanks

Right up until last week he was saying £3k, with maybe a few hundred on top. I’ve asked for written justification but he says he can’t write it down as he isn’t charging me VAT. I said charge VAT if you like - I suspect he is too small to charge it anyway. I guess he is chancing his arm - he can’t sell it can he? I have the owner certificate.

Ask MN to move this to Legal Matters and somebody will tell you what steps to take

This is showing as Legal Matters, is it not?

Bloody hell what a nightmare!!

I know when dh refused to pay a body workshop who hadn’t got rid of the rust he asked for, they refused to hand over the keys.

the police were useless and told him it were a civil matter.

It is showing in legal matters - you posted in the right section.

Call his bluff.
Leave it there, in his way..... as you say, he can't sell it legally.
Was it a quote or an estimate?
Ask for an itemised written bill.

Sorry, see you have already.
Email / write so you have a paper trail

Was this not in the hands of your insurers?

yes to paper trail.
do you have the vat thing in writing?
trading standards?

Thanks

It was more an estimate than a quote but it’s the itemised written bill he’s refusing to do now - he keeps telling us black is white.

No, they wrote it off

Call trading standards oh and HMRC as it seems he's avoiding VAT. Mind help him change his mind

What dud they value it at?

A quote is different to an estimate. A quote is the 3xact amount and an estimate is a ball park figure with (some) room for adjustment- certainly not 100% of a difference!!
You can check to see if he is VAT registered though in view of his refusal to give yoy his VAT number, it sounds unlikely.
Perhaps search for him/his company on Companies House and you should be able to do a search on VAT registered companies to see if he is registered (I think you can do this).
Has he actually done the work?
Do you have household insurance?

Thanks will search.
yes we’ve household insurance

I think he has done the work

If you google you will see that a quote is an exact price and when given and agreed to, forms a contract.
Call your insurers for advice. Once you get it sorted, please leave a review so others will be aware of this conman.

Contact trading standards

Your husband is right about the police - they would regard this as a civil matter (and they would be right. This isn't the police being useless, as a previous poster suggested. It is the police not overstepping their powers).

The garage can't sell the car. However, as another poster has said, an estimate is not a quote. If it was a quote, the garage can only charge more if you've agreed to them doing extra work or the quote was clearly a mistake. If it was an estimate, they can charge you more provided the final price is reasonable. There is no definition of what is reasonable, but the cost of materials going up is a valid reason for the final price to be more than the quote. However, the fact the garage was saying it would be only a few hundred more than the estimate last week would suggest that the price being suggested is not reasonable.

If the garage is not VAT registered, the excuse for not putting anything in writing doesn't fly. They don't have to be VAT registered unless their turnover in a 12-month period exceeds £85k. If they are VAT registered, their excuse still doesn't really fly but it suggests they are dodging VAT by doing work off the books (or trying to avoid registering for VAT). Either way, HMRC may be interested.

I would seriously consider reporting the garage to Trading Standards. In terms of getting your car back, if negotiations aren't getting you anywhere I would see if the garage is a member of a trade association. If not, a solicitor's letter may be enough to make them think again.

Have you anything in writing from him. Did he give you any clue that he was doing extra work? Can you get him to respond to emails or texts about the increase? Is he admitting originally estimating/quoting £3000

Have you looked online at reviews for his business? Are there other customers who have said the same.

Have you checked to see if he is a member of 'motor codes'. It's government-backed, self-regulatory body for the motor industry. ( he probably isn't!)

Did you pay anything at all towards the repair by credit or debit card?

Do you desperately need the car back? You could potentially pay 'under protest' and then try and claim back the money (very difficult!)

Do you know why the car took so long to be repaired.

Might you consider meeting the price half way if he can full demonstrate his costs have massively increased. ( I wouldn't want to do this but if he were genuine it would be an option for some)

Thanks all.

I remember that garages are one of the few businesses that Can jeep your goods, ie your car, against an unpaid bill.

Agree about trading standards.

What are you waiting for. Phone trading standards and ask their advice. Chances are they will ask for a copy of correspondence so have that available. If they have given a quote/estimate, regardless of the implications it is absolutely unreasonable for it to double. Call them now

If they keep your car be wary they don’t also charge you to store it.

I suspect they’re hoping you’ll ask to meet them halfway and they’ll agree but make out you’re taking food off their kids plates.

Could you pay for it using a credit card and then issue a complaint on the credit card? They might then hold the funds back until the matter is resolved.