cfherrman
Senior Member
Sending a letter from a lawyer can do harm, as I mentioned earlier in the thread
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Truck heating up
- Thread starter suladas
- Start date
Welder Dave
Senior Member
I did too and fully agree. It can be a very friendly letter, just asking what transpired and what's the current status of the truck. No blame just clarification. Pretty sure the shop will know if they screwed up (whether or not they want to admit it) and a letter from a lawyer could cause them to reconsider their position and try to work with the customer. The letter isn't a threat, just a friendly tap on the shoulder. Hey, what can we do to rectify the situation, like a mediator would ask. A letter from the truck owner wouldn't work because there's already been a lot of conflict and arguing. The letter is a really suttle threat since it's on a lawyers letterhead.
cfherrman
Senior Member
You send me a letter from a lawyer all further communications will be with a lawyer, I won't risk making my case worse by trying to communicate with them. Good luck after that.
Welder Dave
Senior Member
I misread a post. If you're getting nowhere, then what do you do? If it's a simple miscommunication a letter from a lawyer could clear things up. In this case, it appears they were at an impass. The shop threatened a mechanics lean I'd guess as a scare tactic because they never acted on it, so they threw the 1st punch. If they were certain they had authorization to proceed with the truck a letter from a lawyer shouldn't bother them, especially if it was just to get the status of the truck and/or to see if something can be worked out regarding the repairs. It's not much different than if a shop had your machine for month's and nothing was bring done even when it was authorized. When 2 sides can't work things out a lawyer can often get both sides stories and then determine what might be a way to resolve the issues. Some people don't like confrontation or know how to deal with it. A friendly letter from a lawyer won't hurt. How the other party responds can often be a good indicator if they might be in the wrong or if they are in the right. If they respond back basically telling the lawyer off, there's a good chance they screwed up. If they respond back respectfully, stating everything that transpired and have evidence to back it up, maybe they aren't the ones in the wrong. There are many instances where people feel they were overcharged or they feel extra work was done that wasn't needed. They make up some story and go to a lawyer. Lawyer initially believes them but after getting all the facts, realizes it was just somebody thinking they were charged too much. A letter from a lawyer can clear things up when the 2 parties are at odds. It doesn't hurt if it's done right.
terex herder
Senior Member
Lawyers are like nuclear weapons. If the other side uses them, you have to also.
Welder Dave
Senior Member
Not necessarily, if a letter is just asking for clarification. If a shop did nothing at all wrong they could simply reply with a more detailed explanation of the invoice. They don't need a lawyer for that.
In this case a letter asking for details of what was done could seem pretty routine. Lawyer gets a detailed account and tells truck owner the charges are reasonable for the work done but then the bigger questions come up... Was the work authorized and how was it authorized? Where is the proof for all of the work being authorized? What is the standard for proof? I think this is why major work orders must be signed. It's pretty hard to dispute something you've signed. It's equally hard to justify doing the work without a signature.
I'm sure there are many customers who've felt they've been overcharged. They embellish their story to a lawyer. Lawyer sends a letter. Shop replies with a detailed account of all the work done. Lawyer goes over all the work done and the charges. Lawyer finds it is reasonable and tells their client they don't have a case. People dispute lawyers fee's all the time so lawyers are used to it.
In this case a letter asking for details of what was done could seem pretty routine. Lawyer gets a detailed account and tells truck owner the charges are reasonable for the work done but then the bigger questions come up... Was the work authorized and how was it authorized? Where is the proof for all of the work being authorized? What is the standard for proof? I think this is why major work orders must be signed. It's pretty hard to dispute something you've signed. It's equally hard to justify doing the work without a signature.
I'm sure there are many customers who've felt they've been overcharged. They embellish their story to a lawyer. Lawyer sends a letter. Shop replies with a detailed account of all the work done. Lawyer goes over all the work done and the charges. Lawyer finds it is reasonable and tells their client they don't have a case. People dispute lawyers fee's all the time so lawyers are used to it.
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cfherrman
Senior Member
Always
Welder Dave
Senior Member
I disagree. If you did everything by the book you don't need a lawyer to reply to a simple request for information. If it escalates then you might need a lawyer. I can see a lawyer being consulted but I can also see a lawyer saying to just send what was asked for. Why spend $500 or more for a lawyer to respond to a simple request.