JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A woman said her car is being held hostage by an auto repair shop after she took it there for service. But now they won’t return her phone calls, and a sign on the shop's door reads, “Pay or quit.”
“I need my car,” said Kathalena Queen.
What started as a quick repair turned into weeks for Queen. She’s been taking her SUV to All-Pro Complete Repair for 17 years.
“He calls me back and says I need a timing belt. And I keep calling, he says it’s not ready,” Queen said.
And the wait turned into silence.
“I call him on the 16th, no answer on my phone; I have called 163 times,” she said.
There’s a sign on the door that says "Pay or quit." Another sign says, “Per the Florida Law The Property Landlord has no jurisdiction over All-Pro Repair Shop business, inventory, and vehicles on the lot, etc. And therefore we can’t assist with removing your cars. The customers may retain your own lawyers, to help with replevin actions or other types of judicial relief. We feel your pain but cannot give access to the lot to remove your vehicles.”
“And there’s my car, for how many weeks, with the hood up in the back,” Queen said.
Action News Jax went to the business owners' home, but no one answered. We also found one complaint with the Better Business Bureau, but the owners never responded.
"This is just ridiculous. I mean, I want my car," Queen said.
The property owner said an eviction will be filed Monday. As for the owners of these cars, if they want their cars back, the property owner said they need to hire an attorney.
Cox Media Group
