Engine Locator Services, Inc. consumer fraud, theft of parts, breach of contract, destruction of property, and won't return my deposit! Ripoff Phoenix Arizona

I took my truck to this mechanic shop on Wednesday, February 28, 2007 for an engine rebuild. I was told that my truck would be ready in a week. After a week had gone by I called to make pick up arrangements for my vehicle. I was told that it hadn't been started, but that it would be, and be done the following Thursday or Friday(9-10 days).

That Friday comes around and I try again to make arrangements to pick up my truck. Again I was told that it wasn't done. I was told the following Tuesday or Wednesday. I called on Wednesday and you can probably guess what happened. I told them I had some furniture to move and that I needed my truck back. I was told that it had been started but not finished and that I could pick up my truck that Saturday at 3:00pm.

I showed up at 2:45pm that Saturday and discovered that my repair work still had not been started! By now it had been 3 and a half weeks they had my truck. I was apologized to by the supposed owner over the phone (I had the mechanic call the owner) and assured that my truck would be finished no later than the following Wednesday (the 4 week mark).

I made a surprise appearance to the shop that Tuesday and saw some of my parts scattered around the shop. The mechanic who was working on my truck told me that my engine was not rebuildable (which is what the deposit was put down for) and that they could put in a new motor for $680 more. While in the shop I noticed something sort of funny. The mechanic that was working on my truck had a truck of his own in the shop as well. Conveniently, it was the same make, model, and year as mine! Only difference was color! I asked him what was wrong with his, to which he answered that it just needed a radiator.

At this point I decided not to have the extra work done, since they were not able to do the work originally contracted and never once contacted me to tell me this. I asked that they gather my parts for inspection, as I did could not believe that my engine was in that bad of shape. I was told that my parts were at the machine shop at a different location and that it would be a day or two to collect them.

At the end of the week I called to see if my parts had been located and I was told that my parts were in the mechanic shop all along. I finally had enough and made arrangements to have a new mechanic come pick it up. Since I couldn't get the time off work to be there, I sent my husband to retrieve the truck and parts. They were still scattered around the shop, and several important pieces were missing. My husband started loading what parts were there into the back of my truck and noticed something. Our radiator was missing. Funny that the mechanic's truck, which was the same as mine, needed a radiator. Since my husband pointed that out, we were able to get it back. The mechanic, knowing they were in trouble, put a false date on the release receipt( March 5th instead of actual date of April 5th).

We tried to collect our deposit, since they couldn't do the work that was to be done and were told by the owner that the deposit($1500) was non-refundable. He said I could try to sue him, but I'd never get my deposit back. I'd sent a complaint to the Attorney General's office and gotten a response that it was being investigated, and I was advised to get a lawyer. This didn't even seem to bother the owner, who had at that point already been contacted by the Attorney General's office.

Several days after the new mechanic had my truck he called me. He said that the engine was originally rebuildable, but not anymore due to the fact that the previous mechanic had made such a mess of it. Parts were broken and missing. Instead of disconnecting the wires and hoses, they were severed.

The mechanics at Engine Locator Services, Inc. stole my deposit, held my truck for 5 weeks while doing no work, and now, just so far, have caused over $1000 in additional damage to my vehicle. My new mechanic called me and said that he'd be more than happy to testify in court against them, and that they give a bad name to mechanics everywhere.

My total loss is:
$1500 deposit
$1000+ damaged/missing parts
Over $2500 total and, though I probably can't get compensation for it, as of today I've been out of a vehicle for 7 weeks.

Marissa
Mesa, Arizona
U.S.A.