The second sentence above their signatures stated that they acknowledged the full $8,514 debt, accepted the completed repairs, and authorized my shop to begin lawful collection proceedings if payment was refused. I had not tricked them with hidden print. The language was directly above their names. They had simply been so certain they could intimidate me that neither bothered reading it.
At 8:00 the previous evening, I had sent the signed invoice, photographs, parts receipts, and work records to my attorney. The unpaid repair claim was then formally documented, and notice went to the lender holding the Mercedes loan. Delphine’s early-morning screaming started after she received an automated alert that the vehicle now had a disputed unpaid repair balance attached to its records, complicating the expensive trade-in she and Garrett had scheduled that weekend.
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