Anyone out there who owns a shop ever do (use) them? Anyone in MA use them? Is it hard to do or is it easier to go to small claims or have a colecton agncy help you? Trying to find an easier way of chasing down the last minute payments that are weeks old when i have someone like that.
We had guys come around and pass out cards that would handle all of the paperwork for you...for a price. A few years ago it was like 300 bucks. It took longer than a few weeks to justify a mechanics lien though. More like months rather than weeks. It's complicated for a rare event but if the car is truly abandoned and it's worth selling, then the cost is well worth it. You'll need to have documents for the work and the storage fees.
gotta a numbers matching resto worth at least $20K- our contracts state we can charge storage if they are delinquent after two weeks at a rate of $25 per day. Im nice enough to start this as soon as the car goes in unusable storage where we cant get to it. Hopefully the guys realizes this is his CAR and it may soon become mine...to sell.
Problem with collections is that (in Michigan)it you end up taking them to court also, you do not get any of the cost to hire a collection agency. I learned this the hard way. Guy came to court with his check book and paid the balance he owed and our company was out all other costs. Save money and get the court involved right up front.
Check with the laws of your state. I'm sure there is a time period that applies and it's more than just a week or two. I would not let it get out of my sight before the bill is paid. Either way he will have to be notified and he may just decide to pay the storage fees. Know your rights and his rights before you go too far and invest any more money. If you go by the book he has no recourse.
In Va. I've done in countless times. Our process was to go to DMV. Fill out the required paperwork ( 2 forms), post an ad in a public space announcing an auction on such and such a date. When no-one shows up because we posted the announcement in a county park, then I own the vehicle for the price of registration and title fees. If I were you, I'd go to your local DMV and explain the situation to someone. They usually will help you find the easiest way to own the car if you so desire. I've only done this on cars that the owner didn't really want back for whatever reason. In the case of a car worth 20 large, it may be worth a letter from you to the owner of the car explaining exactly how the process works and how you could potentialy own his car. It might speed up the payment. Good luck.
at my uncle's body shop when he gets a big time project he draws up a contract stating that his shop will maintain all documents on the car ie title, pinkslip whatever. If the owner becomes deliquent on payments or just refuses to pay then the car becomes the property of the shop and will be sold to re-coup expenses. So far he has had two customers try to take him to court but they have lost both times due to the fact that the contract was notorized and filed with the local courthouse. He maintains very detailed files on every project he does.
i would start with a letter from a legal office stating your intent, that usually gets the ball rolling. always add legal costs and time to collect money owed. i had a company that owed me $12,000 and didn't have the money or health to fight a legal battle. they said they would pay but wanted a discount and settled on 11% which was fine because i usually add a 35% "fuck-me-around fee" to the bill just in case. still cost them 24% which was worth the wait. do it the legal route because word of mouth can make or break your business.
I only had to do it once in the last 10 years when one of my customers couldn't pay his bill ( I hate when someone has work done but doesn't have the money, what's up with these people?). Had a local title service file the papers for me, charged $75 to file, another $125 to actually provide a lien title if nessasary. We added the $75 to the repair/ storage bill the customer would have to pay. After he was served papers he found the money to pay me, I wasn't lucky enough to get a $60G truck for a $3000 lien!
What happened to the good old days when you could send Jimmy the 6'-4" 350lbs biker to his house? I hear from the it used to be pretty effective.... lol. Its just a joke violence is not the answer boys and girls, but sometime I wish it was
I always find it funny (and not in a good way) that if people dont pay on a new car- they re posess it in the middle of the night or another quick pickup way, but if its a classic car- we have to wait it out with paperwork. Too bad we couldnt use something like a car re possess company and just take the darn thing- its really the same thing.
I'd be interested as well. I just won a judgement in small claims court for a "non-paying" customer who already has his vehicle back. This has been on-going since June. I should have known that it was gonna suck when the judge told me, "good luck getting the $$".
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