CLEVELAND — Jessica Strong of Cleveland just wanted repairs to her 2019 Dodge Challenger after someone slammed into her car this past summer, but $5,000 dollars and four months later, she still doesn't have her car.
Cleveland's Department of Building and Housing said the neighborhood home repair shop where Strong took her vehicle is now being investigated as an unauthorized residential repair shop. It's a growing issue throughout Northeast Ohio, which News 5 has been reporting on for the past several months.
We don’t just report the initial story—we follow through to its conclusion. Read and watch our previous reporting on this story below and see more stories that we've followed through on here.
Strong said she paid the owner of the home repair shop up-front in mid-July so he could buy parts and supplies to repair her car, and said she was told her vehicle would be completed in ten days. But, Strong reports several weeks went by without any update on repair progress.
“He showed me certificates I thought were real, and he said he has permits to work from home, that he had a legit body repair shop," Strong said. “I kept asking him, can you please send me progress, can you please send me pictures after so many times of him lying, he even told me I could come over to see the vehicle, I kept calling him.”
Finally, in mid-September, Strong contacted Cleveland police, and when she and investigators went to the home repair shop, she said she found her car was still dismantled and unfinished.
“The door was completely ripped open, the front part where the speakers are cut out, the wire was hanging, the door ripped open from where the locks were exposed," Strong said. “On Sept. 7, I sat out there from 7 o’clock till 9; he never brought the vehicle outside, he never got it together, he had no intentions of meeting me outside with the car.”
David Roberts, Cleveland's Building and Housing chief assistant director of law for code enforcement told News 5 that city inspectors went to the home and are investigating the location as an alleged unauthorized home repair shop.
“The inspector reports that he saw two dismantled cars in the front, and he’s got a high fence in the back where he’s hiding other cars," Roberts said. “You want to be careful with whoever you hire, and the fact that someone is operating out of a residential area tells you right away they’re not legitimate."
Roberts said consumers should do their homework and get a written contract for repairs before handing out any cash. Roberts said if an uncooperative homeowner is convicted of running an authorized repair shop, it's a first-degree misdemeanor, which can carry up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Roberts said these unauthorized operations could present a health, safety and environmental neighborhood risk.
“What if one of those cars catches fire, what do you do about the waste products, the oil, the solvents," Roberts said. “There’s a way to set up a repair shop, and there’s restrictions on that, and if you’re in the backyard on the patio of a residential home, you’re obviously not going to be doing that appropriately.”
News 5 had decided not to name the repair shop involved in this case as the City of Cleveland continued its investigation.
The City of Cleveland said homeowners should report unauthorized car repair shops by dialing the city's 3-1-1 hotline.
Meanwhile, Strong has a word of warning for consumers who may consider turning to a residential repair shop in an effort to save some money.
“I’m not just going to take a $40,000 vehicle and give it to anybody, I thought I did all my research online," Strong said. "If it’s not a legit shop, just don’t do it at all; do not take the chance.”
News 5 is committed to following through on this developing story.
