DeKalb County woman says she is on the hook for thousands after car repairs she never agreed to

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A DeKalb County woman says she took her car in for an oil change and wound up with a hefty bill.

Lenora Kareem told Channel 2 Action News she’s been going to the Tires Plus on Memorial Drive in Stone Mountain for decades. As a long-time customer, she has a Tires Plus credit card.

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Kareem went in for an oil change last month. She said the tech told her that her car needed work, including repairing an issue with her front tire, that would cost thousands. She told him no.

“I said, ‘I can’t afford that. That’s way too much for an oil change or whatever you need to replace,’” Kareem said.

When she arrived days later to pick up her Jeep, she was told she owed more than $2,500.

“I walk in for an oil change, that’s August the 14th. By August 15, the bill went from $79 to $2,500,” Kareem said.

Kareem told Channel 2 she never signed off on any work and has a $1,400 limit on her Tires Plus credit card.

She said the manager threatened to charge the remainder of her balance to a friend who’d opened a Tires Plus card that day.

“My account, it’s my account. It had nothing to do with her,” Kareem said.

After going back and forth for days, Kareem finally got the $1,399 bill just under her $1,400 Tires Plus credit card limit.

“Whatever he did, I need more explanation,” she said.

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Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Justin Gray contacted Tires Plus about Kareem’s issue and was sent the following statement:

“We are aware of this matter and have worked actively to resolve this complaint since originally servicing the vehicle last month. As part of our dedication to customer satisfaction, we remain committed to reaching a mutually satisfactory resolution.”

Channel 2 Consumer Advisor Clark Howard told Gray in cases like this Georgia’s mechanics lien law gives the power to the mechanic.

“If there is no paperwork and a mechanic does the work, you are liable for the work they did and their work against your word because the burden of proof falls on the consumer because work was done to your car,” Howard said.

Howard says to protect yourself you need to make sure you don’t walk out without a service ticket listing what work is being done.

You can even set an amount of money the work can’t exceed. Sign it and take a picture with your phone.

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