TROY — Some people in Miami County are finding out on social media that their mechanic shop closed and left their cars outside.
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Those with cars at BP Auto Shop in Troy found the shop closed on Wednesday and their vehicles unlocked with the keys left inside.
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News Center 7’s Malik Patterson spoke with Matt Gomes, a man who’s had his Ram 3500 at the shop for over a year after getting into an accident, and had even made a down payment for parts and labor.
Whenever he would check on his truck, he says he’d be met with an excuse from the owner.
“The excuse is, ‘Oh, we busy, so your car is like in the line,’” Gomes said.
Now, he’s filed a police report for $14,000 in theft.
“If I’m gonna take the $8,000 money back, and then basically, like, I have to do it all by myself,” Gomes said.
Patterson called the shop’s owner on what he was told was his personal cell phone, but did not get an answer.
Another customer, Caroline Kniceley, also has trouble getting in touch with the owner.
“Call him on his cell phone, leave a voicemail. Call him on the shop phone, left a voicemail telling him it was very urgent, we haven’t heard from you, I’m getting concerned,” she said.
Kniceley’s last trip to the shop was on Monday evening, and she found a note saying the shop was permanently closed and the keys were in the vehicles.
She said she bought a car from the owner for her child. It broke down, and he never fixed it.
“We’re gonna have to end up taking it somewhere else to get fixed or sell it, and yeah, he’s gonna have to get a new, new vehicle,” she said.
News Center 7 has not heard back from the shop’s owner as of the time of this report. Some customers have said they’ve contacted attorneys to get their money back.
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