Latest news with #Denory
CBS News
12-03-2025
- Automotive
- CBS News
New York lawmaker wants to give communities power over problematic auto shops
A lawmaker inspired by a recent CBS News New York investigation wants to give New Yorkers more power over problematic auto repair shops, but some mechanics are not on board with his bill. The investigation showed how customers say a garage held their cars hostage. Community should have input in repair shop license approvals, renewals, lawmaker says Assemblymember George Alvarez, of the Bronx, has been trying to pass a bill since 2023 to require input from local community boards before the DMV approves, renews or transfers a repair shop license in New York City. "Because DMV, they may have records what happened before, but they don't know the detail. They don't know everything about that repair shop in the community. The community does," Alvarez said. Inspired by CBS News New York's recent reports, Alvarez revised his bill to specify that the DMV must consider any history of a shop's "refusal to release a vehicle to its rightful owner despite having already received payment in full." But the Service Station Dealers of Greater New York trade association says the DMV regulates garages enough already. "It's gonna be more opinionated because it's gonna be somebody that's not happy with somebody's work that they did for whatever reason is, the cost or something like that," said Louis Lanicci, with the Service Station Dealers of Greater New York. Brooklyn auto repair shop held cars hostage, customers say Sara-Lee Ramsawak didn't think she'd ever see her car again. She says it was damaged in an accident back in May and towed to State to State Automotive in Brooklyn, where it stayed for 10 months. "Every time I inquired about getting my car back, I was told that I would have to pay exorbitant storage fee prices," she said. "And the only reason I received the car back was because of this story, I believe, being aired on CBS and your investigation." That investigation also helped another person, Louis Denory, get his car back after a year and a half. Both Denory and Ramsawak say their insurance had already paid for repairs, but State to State demanded storage fees, which the shop denies. CBS News New York cameras, however, caught a shop worker telling Denory, "You're not getting the car back, then," when Denory said he wouldn't pay the storage fee. When Denory's car was towed to the shop in 2023, the garage, called A9's Automotive at the time, had already been telling its Instagram followers to "follow our new business page" called State to State Automotive. State regulators say A9's had a history of violations, including operating without a license and poor repairs. But about two months after Denory's accident, the state's Department of Motor Vehicles approved a repair shop license for a new LLC under the name State to State. "I think it's crazy that the DMV could approve a license for this shop," Ramsawak said. "I think there needs to be better checks and balances." Over the phone, a shop employee apologized for the situation but told CBS News New York the new LLC has nothing to do with the old one. Yet CBS News New York's investigation found that three relatives with the same last name – Quiles – have helped create or manage State to State, A9's, and another troubled LLC that operated at the same garage before that. Four Better Business Bureau complaints also say A9's kept cars for months and other customers have since reached out to CBS News New York with similar concerns. DMV investigating Brooklyn auto repair shop State to State has repeatedly refused on-camera interview requests, but an employee told CBS News New York over the phone that the shop fixed everything Ramsawak's insurance paid them for. He said the shop did a wheel alignment, test drove it to make sure it was good to go and, a week after CBS News New York's story aired, they returned it to Ramsawak. But she says she brought the car to another mechanic, who is still working on it. "They noticed that first of all, a wheel alignment had not been completed and it seemed like the car was not test driven before it was returned to me," she said. "It's just really frustrating, to be honest." Denory also has his car back, but he says the license plates were gone and he had to jump-start the vehicle to drive it home from State to State's storage lot. He says he's still trying to get State to State to pay for the thousands of dollars in parking tickets he got after his car was towed to that garage. State to State is being investigated right now by the DMV and, for that reason, the DMV said they can't do an interview. CBS News New York requested the DMV's files on all of the repair shop LLCs that have operated at that address, but they haven't provided those at this time. In fact, they recently sent CBS News New York a $2,200 invoice for "search fees" and "page fees" for those public records.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
A Brooklyn auto shop held a man's SUV for two years as the man got more than $2K in parking fines. Here's what went down
It's not uncommon for car repairs to turn into a costly headache, but Louis Denory's experience with a local repair shop can easily be described as a nightmare. As the Brooklyn man shared with CBS New York, his Ford Flex was held hostage for nearly two years by an auto repair shop that refused to return it. After an accident in April, 2023, Denory's SUV was towed to A9's Automotive in Brooklyn. That shop later changed its name to State to State Automotive, but kept the same management team. I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) A near-record number of Americans are grappling with $1,000 car payments and many drivers can't keep up. Here are 3 ways to stay ahead Home prices in America could fly through the roof in 2025 — here's the big reason why and how to take full advantage (with as little as $10) Meanwhile, Denory says he spent months trying to get his vehicle back while the shop offered excuse after excuse. 'They would give excuses, talking about 'Oh, the parts, there was a delay on the parts,'' Denory shared with CBS. 'And then the guy talking about he had a death in the famiy… and nobody knew where the car was.' While the shop stalled, the city of Brooklyn apparently knew exactly where Denory's SUV was. After receiving more than $2,000 in fines, Denory learned that his vehicle had been illegally parked down the street from the body shop for months, collecting parking ticket after parking ticket. This sent Denory on a mission to get his SUV back, and CBS News New York's Tim McNicholas was there to help. As the days turned into months following his accident, Denory couldn't get a clear answer on when his vehicle would be fixed. And then the fines started showing up in the mail. By August, 2024, a judge ruled that State to State Automotive was responsible for paying the parking tickets, but the shop still hasn't paid the fines. Denory and McNicholas went to State to State's shop around this time to ask about the SUV. "Where's this guy's car?" McNicholas asked a man at the shop, to which the man replied, 'We don't have a Ford Flex here.' In October, 2024, Denory finally tracked down his vehicle, which was at a parking lot near the auto shop. But when he arrived to take it back, Denory was met with more bad news — the SUV wouldn't start, had flat tires and a truck was blocking the exit to the lot. When he demanded his vehicle back, Denory said an unidentified worker brought up 'storage fees.' 'I'm not paying no storage. I don't care what you're saying,' Denory said. 'Then you're not getting the car back,' the man replied. Later, Denory and McNicholas revisited the lot and found someone had moved his vehicle closer to the exit. With help from his insurance company, which sent someone to jumpstart the vehicle and pump up the tires, Denory was able to drive his SUV home for the first time in 20 months. But the fight apparently isn't over. Denory still doesn't know if his vehicle was properly fixed despite Geico Insurance's claim that the shop cashed the $6,000 check to cover the repair costs. He is now working with the sheriff's office to try to get the funds from the shop for the unpaid parking tickets. The Department of Motor Vehicles is also investigating State to State Automotive, though they declined to offer details. Read more: Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Denory finally has his Ford Flex back, but other customers of the same auto shop say their vehicles are also being held hostage. No one wants to experience this kind of frustration, so what can you do to avoid finding yourself in a similar situation? You can start by checking out the auto repair shop's online reviews. After that, extend your research to the Better Business Bureau, where you can see if the shop has any negative complaints. If anything in your research gives you pause, find another auto shop in your area and conduct your research over again. When you land on an auto shop that's earned your confidence, request a written estimate that includes the costs, as well as a projected completion date before agreeing to the repairs. This can help you hold the shop accountable if things go wrong. These steps can help you avoid Denory's fate, but sometimes all the research in the world isn't enough to prevent you from doing business with an unscrupulous company. If you ever happen to find yourself in a similar situation to Denory's, you can always file a complaint with the BBB or another government agency, such as the Division of Consumer Protection, the AG's office or your state's version of the Department of Motor Vehicles. You can also take legal action. In extreme cases like Denory's, you may need to get legal assistance, and if hiring a lawyer is too expensive, you can always take the issue to small claims court. These 5 money moves will boost you up America's net worth ladder in 2025 — and you can complete each step within minutes. Here's how Jamie Dimon issues a warning about the US stock market — says prices are 'kind of inflated.' Crashproof your portfolio with these 3 rock-solid strategies This self-made $500M real estate mogul reveals his 'essential' US portfolio that he says Amazon 'can't hurt' — here's how everyday investors can copy his secret formula This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
