Man Caught "Repairing" Vehicles With Play-doh

FL Man Arrested For Allegedly “Fixing” Cars with Play-DohSCANDALOUS SCHEMES — BY TRACE AMERICA ON JANUARY 7, 2013 AT 4:10 PM 

You can make so many things with Play-Doh: hair, desserts, people, houses, animals, and, of course, spaghetti. One thing you can’t do with Play-Doh is use it to fix cars.

One Florida man is learning that the hard way.

According to the Business Insider, Nicholas Johnson, 33, was arrested recently for allegedly defrauding car owners by promising to do body work on their cars, for which police say he used said Play-Doh.

A local news report stated that Johnson was charged with retail theft and scheming to defraud. He reportedly roamed around his neighborhood, keeping an eye out for cars that needed body work, and then offered to fix them.

Johnson allegedly used the Play-Doh to make it look like the first stages of body work had taken place, after which he promised to return the next day and continue the repairs, which of course he never did.

Consumer lawyer Robert Murphy says, under state law defrauded consumers do have options. It is required to register as a repair shop if you will be providing those types of services, plus you need to offer estimates and disclosure statements. However, Johnson didn’t do any of those things, and is therefore open to civil liability.

Murphy says Johnson also likely misrepresented repairs, made false promises, and willfully departed from accepted practices and professional standards (and I would assume that Play-Doh is not an acceptable standard when it comes to repairing a car).

A consumer who sues under these laws can receive damages, court costs and attorney fees.

“The unhappy consumer may also have a claim under the Florida Deceptive Trade Practices Act,” adds Murphy. That law covers a broad range unfair methods of competition, unconscionable and unlawful acts. A repair facility (or person) who violates any state law, as discussed above, would have a case under the DTPA.

Murphy also noted, “And if the consumer lives in a county that’s adopted the typical consumer protection ordinance, there is usually a specific section dedicated to auto repair shops.”

He then added, “Lastly, there are possible claims for fraud, misrepresentation, negligence misrepresentation, and fraud and inducement.” All states have similar laws.

An attorney likely won’t take a case against a guy using Play-Doh to fix cars though. It is presumed that Johnson won’t have any money, and definitely no bond or insurance, as a real body shop would have if the “repairs” had been done there.

Murphy recommends that consumers can and should contact the local state attorney who is prosecuting Johnson. “Consumers should contact the local state attorney handling the matter, and forward evidence of their damages,” he said.
This post is authored by Trace America.

http://www.thefraudreport.com/index.php/2013/01/fl-man-arrested-for-allegedly-fixing-cars-with-play-doh/