A WOMAN hit back at a car dealership who repossessed her motor by stealing their name before sending them a cease and desist letter.
The legal dispute between them began when the dealership took her vehicle while she was at work, sparking a fiery feud between the two.
Tiah McCreary bought a Kia K5 before it was repossessed[/caption]
The car dealership repossessed the vehicle while she was at work[/caption]
Tiah McCreary from Ohio purchased a 2022 Kia K5 in February 2022 from Taylor Kia, according to court documents.
The Ohio resident was preliminarily approved for a loan, allowing her to drive off in her brand new motor – though the Global Lending Services (GLS) later concluded that there was not enough information to issue a loan.
Taylor Kia responded by repossessing the car while Tiah was at work, prompting her to retaliate.
Tiah discovered that neither Taylor Cadillac or the Taylor Automotive Group had ownership of the name Taylor Kia of Lima – after Taylor Cadillac failed to submit a renewal application to the name.
She registered Taylor Kia of Lima under her own name and sent a cease-and-desist letter to the car dealership.
Tiah said that no business was allowed to be done under the name Taylor Kia of Lima without her consent.
A fiery legal battle ensued, with Taylor Automotive Group arguing that the matter couldn’t be settled in trial court – since Tiah had signed an agreement with them through binding arbitration.
The dealership prevailed, though Tiah hit back by appealing to the Third District.
Once there, Tiah scored another win as it was ruled that binding arbitration – which – only applied to the car purchase and the previous ruling in Taylor Automotive Group’s favour was reversed.
Now, Tiah and Taylor Automotive Group are gearing up again for another clash in common pleas court.
The news comes after a car seller was nearly scammed out of his 1948 Packard by online fraudsters.
Matt Neff said he got a response almost immediately after putting up an ad for the car online.
One potential buyer offered to send a check for the motor in the post, since he was unable to view the car in person.
However, the check far exceeded the asked amount and Matt was instructed to send the excess amount to a shipping company.
He later discovered that it was a counterfeit check.
Put off by further attempts to scam him out of his Packard vehicle, Matt decided to keep the car for himself.
How to avoid being scammed at the repair shop
Motorautocar and the AARP have east-to-follow tips to avoid being scammed by a repair shop.
- Motorautocar suggests asking to see parts that have been replaced or to see old fluids after they were swapped. If the shop says that’s impossible or refuses, it could be a sign it wasn’t done.
- Ask for a walkaround of the repairs that were done. Most mechanics are happy to show you what was done in the shop. While being walked around, look for evidence of repairs like the area being cleaned off, shiny new parts, tool marks on the bolts, tools being out or nearby, etc.
- Before taking your car in, look at other customer reviews on Google, Yelp, or Facebook. Many customers only review a company if they have negative reviews, so keep an eye out.
- For costly repairs, consider getting multiple opinions. If two to three shops suggest identical repairs, it’s likely to be true.
- Test a new shop with minor issues you’re aware of to see if they add anything to the repair bill.
- If applicable, bring someone to the shop who knows about cars to have them double-check or read a repair bill.
- Get everything on paper. Not only is it important for your repair records, but it can help protect you if legal measures are necessary.
Source: Motorautocar, AARP
The car dealership and Tiah headed to court[/caption]
