HELP. do I need a lawyer?

[808 Vibes]

So the guy with mafia-themed office has used the Better Business Bureau complaint reply system as an avenue to try to drag my good name through the mud, claiming that *I* am making "falsifications", "using" him to pay for "wear and tear" damages, and claiming that *I* am the "unethical" one, among other things. And get this...*I* "should be ashamed" of myself. !!Better Business Bureau has 2 (other than mine) complaints within 36 months against this place, and the Office of Consumer Protection has another complaint (other than mine) in their database-for which I called for information on...# OCP-2005-0653N dated 5/30/05, for water damage to an engine.Do I need to get a lawyer for this, since he has decided to take it on a nasty turn to try to weasel out of this?

[kunkstyle]

Might not be a bad idea. What about your insurance company? They were behind you on this, IIRC. Maybe they have a lawyer that handles these types of issues which would save you having to get one on your own.

[808 Vibes]

Yes, the insurance company is representing me. But would they do anything about him doing this too? I'm still waiting to hear back from my agent on this. I feel like I'm running for political office and need to defend myself from the lies, character assassinations and mudslinging.

[AKLGT]

this is about your car accident correct? you need a good personal injury attorney. do it fast, you only have a certain amount of time you can file any claims or combat this guy's crap.

[BlueCrush]

Quote, originally posted by AKLGT »this is about your car accident correct? you need a good personal injury attorney. do it fast, you only have a certain amount of time you can file any claims or combat this guy's crap. This is about her car getting flooded in her work parking lot. No need for a personal injury attorney. I would look into an attorney though if your insurance co will not represent you.

[KNINE]

Quote, originally posted by HawaiiPontiacLover »I feel like I'm running for political office and need to defend myself from the lies, character assassinations and mudslinging. Where can I get my HawaiiPontiacLover campaign button? It certainly wouldn't hurt to see a lawyer as long as the first consultation is free. Are you looking to make him pay for the damaged they did to the car, or for slander? You can spend a lot of money on a lawyer, and have nothing to show for it. I can tell you this from experience.

[engineertwin2]

There might not be too much you can do, unless he specifically used your name in identifying you in the BBB claim. If your name is on the claim, you can ask the BBB to redact your name from the claim (at the very least the claim online). Otherwise, it may be difficult to prove slander in this case, given that there are no obvious libel damages.Can you quantify what damage this may be doing to you? In this case, it is likely that it would be your requirement to prove damages in a court of law.

[808 Vibes]

How's this? "Ms. ________ (my name) is very unstable and over emotional and alot of the statements made in her complaint are falsifications. She should be ashamed of herself because she is the one being unfair and unethical for trying to use Capone's to pay for damage to the entire interior of her Vibe, when she knows that most of these flaws are due to wear-and-tear of the vehicle." I asked the State Office of Consumer Protection, which gave me more info on the prior complaint in their database. They said that it went civil, I asked what that meant, and they said it was a financial dispute that left their hands and went to court. They gave me the number of the State Bar Association, while my complaint is being processed.

[ou.grizzly]

Hapa Girl,You need to contact a lawyer and not talk to this man directly anymore. If he wants to talk to you, it has to be through the insurance company or lawyer. For one I bet a lawyer would really eat this case up as I am sure you have suffered mental anguish almost to the extent that you have to seek professional help, i.e counselor or therapy. See where I am going with this? Games are a 2 way street.You need to contact the local News Station and News Paper and tell them your story. I can see this now, single woman who takes care of her mother and is being abused due to her gender as business owner thinks he can take advantage of her. If your losing any sleep over this or you can not let this go at all; as it bothers you at work or when your relaxing. Go to your DR immediately and mention this! Then it is DOCUMENTED. Then ask what can the DR do for you and go from there. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. Holds up in court.

[808 Vibes]

I did contact a local TV news feature weeks ago (called "Action Line") but did not hear back from them. I just talked to my boss who said it's likely because he advertises on that station so they won't touch it. Grizz, I do NOT talk to him. I do NOT want to go near him or his business and neither will my car.

[ou.grizzly]

Try the local papers then. If the insurance company was any good, they would withhold payment to Capone's until your vehicle is fixed. Actually, the insurance company should front the money to get your vehicle fixed at another shop. have you go on your way, and then go after them in court. That is how it usually works, at least here in MI if the shop is unwilling to fix damage they caused. I would ask Allstate about this; as it is their job to make sure your vehicle was fixed correctly since they directed you to that specific shop. It is not doing you any good by being caught in the middle. It is Allstate's job to make sure everything is in pre-damaged condition.

[808 Vibes]

Actually the establishment is the one that asked for an additional $480+ for the anti-corrosion treatment on the electrical parts, in order for it to be completed. An Allstate agent went down, took photos of the car in disassembly (I've seen these photos...dashboard hanging, shift console hanging, the very parts that have PRY marks!) and gave them the check so I could get my car back. Allstate and my agent have been phenomenal from the beginning, showing me that customer service still exists. I will not change insurance companies.I'm sure this has to go through corporate, and I understand that takes awhile, and that is fine by me (I did get a check from Allstate, and it is good for one year) but when I saw what he had wrote on the reply to the BBB (maybe he did it to try to intimidate me like he did in his office, he said that if I took him to court, I "wouldn't win".) My agent has said it's OK to go ahead and get it fixed and I have been instructed to keep ALL parts as evidence.

[ou.grizzly]

Quote, originally posted by HawaiiPontiacLover »My agent has said it's OK to go ahead and get it fixed and I have been instructed to keep ALL parts as evidence. Get if fixed from the Pontiac or Toyota Dealer and make sure Allstate pay's to get it taken care of, not Capone's. You go your separate from Capone's and let Allstate battle with them.

[808 Vibes]

The Pontiac dealers here don't have body shops (!!) not sure about Toyota.

[ou.grizzly]

Quote, originally posted by HawaiiPontiacLover »The Pontiac dealers here don't have body shops (!!) not sure about Toyota. Check Toyota and if they do not, ask who they send their work to.

[808 Vibes]

They've been WOMF'd to warn others http://www.hawaii.womf.com/cat...00043

[zionzr2]

Have you reported your experience on Angies List?http://www.angieslist.com/AngiesList/

[808 Vibes]

Thanks, I have bookmarked it and will sign up and post after I clean house.

[808 Vibes]

Those posts were there before I posted. They don't have anything to do with me. They're just all lumped together in the wash/detail section. Their posts weren't directed at me. (they posted in July) before this all happened to me.