Location: Long Island, NY
I had an issue with my guitar amp that was difficult to diagnose at a local shop. I took it into a repair shop that was recommended (authorized dealer and service center). After about a week, I get a call saying they can’t quite figure out what it needs and he needs to “give his guys a break.” I told him that was fine and they can take their time, but I wanted to be kept updated.
Two weeks of silence go by, I call them around the July 4th holiday weekend and leave a message asking for any updates or progress on what the amp needs. No return call. A week+ later, I get a call from a woman saying that my amp is repaired and ready to be picked up. I asked what repairs were made bc I wasn’t notified at all about a diagnosis or cost of repairs. She doesn’t comment on this, starts reading a list of repairs. She asks if I wanted her to continue reading about the parts listed, I respectfully tell her she doesn’t have to continue and ask how much the total is. She tells me a number that’s almost $800. I reiterated that I did not receive any progress updates, etc. She didn’t have anything to say, I said I’ll pick it up later this week (I plan on going there tomorrow (Thursday).
Never once via in person or on the phone did I authorize them to make repairs, I never signed anything that gave them authorization. I wanted to know what was wrong with it and what it would cost beforehand.
I gave them my name, phone number and what I was given was this old school tear-off-from-the-bottom yellow rectangular “ticket” with a claim check number to bring back in upon pick up and a blurb about their pickup policy being 14 days to pick up equipment without storage fees, fees after those 14 days, and after 45 days the equipment becomes their property (none of which apply to my situation, but it’s all that’s listed on this “ticket.”)
I never would have authorized $800 worth of repairs on this. What recourse do I have here? I don’t want them holding my amp hostage. Do I just walk in, not make it a big deal, pay and call my bank about a chargeback? I’m hesitant to sign anything, but again, I want my amp in hand and in my car. I don’t want to make a scene, but they’re obviously not going to be happy if I walk in there and refuse to pay or sign a receipt, complain about how I was not updated and how I never authorized these repairs. I’m pretty stressed out about this.
What options do I have here, if any? I appreciate any insight and thank you to any who read through this.