Ed Daley of Scarborough, Ont., depends on having a vehicle for his work in sales.
But Daley says having paid $1,100 cash to fix a leak, he’s still without the use of his 2011 Dodge Caravan. And to retrieve it from a second repair shop, he’ll have to come up with $1,000 more.
“It’s been a nightmare, and I don’t know where to turn and that’s why I turned to you guys to help,” Daley told Global News in an interview outside his home in Scarborough.
Daley’s problems began in March. He engaged the services of Donovan Francis, who runs a company called Automotive Links.
Francis is an auto repair broker who facilitates vehicle repairs at one of several shops in the city.
“Ed Daley hired me to fix one problem and that’s the problem I fixed,” Francis said repeatedly during an on-camera interview, insisting he fulfilled his obligations and repaired a coolant leak.
But Daley says he wasted his money.
“The car wasn’t fixed at all,” said Daley.
Francis contends that the shop to which he brought the vehicle, EM Automotive in Markham, performed the repair as requested.
But Daley says neither EM Automotive or Francis issued a receipt or provided a completed work order, which is standard practice in auto repair facilities in Ontario.
Francis says Daley “didn’t want a receipt” even though it would indicate the scope of repair work Francis said the shop carried out.
Daley said the opposite is true.
“I asked for a receipt, he said, ‘No, no, if you have any problems, you come back to us’,” said Daley, describing the encounter.
The customer tried unsuccessfully to get the shop to fix the leak a second time but EM Automotive stopped taking his calls, he said.
When a Global News reporter and camera crew waited in the laneway outside EM Automotive and unrelated businesses, owner Ed Mello walked over with a message.
“I don’t care who you are…you don’t have the story straight,” Mello said, grabbing a microphone and placing his hand in front of a camera lens.
Mello denied receiving $1,100. Francis said the customer paid Mello in his presence, although he said the amount was about $800.
“You’re a liar, get out of here,” he said, walking into his shop. “You’re a liar like Ed (Daley).”
At one point, Francis encouraged Daley to consider replacing the transmission in his vehicle, even though that wasn’t a necessary repair, Daley said.
In July, EM Automotive delivered Daley’s vehicle to another shop for analysis. The owner of that repair facility told Global News it was able to repair the leak easily. The diagnosis: it required a new oil cooler assembly. Parts, labour and tax for the repair added up to $966.
The owner of the second shop said there was nothing wrong with Daley’s transmission.
He said he expected that EM Automotive would pay the bill, but it has not. Francis is also denying any responsibility for the ultimate repair.
Until someone pays the bill, Daley is without his van.
“Six weeks and counting.”