QuestionI think I got scammed last night. A guy at a parking lot claimed to work for an auto collision repair shop. He said he had his boss's equipment and could repair my dings, scratches and cracked bumper. If anyone out there knows how I could fix this, please let me know.
Bumper issue:
I have a 97 Honda Accord. At one point, I ruined my bumper and just bought a plain bumper that had not been painted. It was just black; how it came originally. I never got it painted because it never really looked that bad. Anyway, eventually I ruined it again and cracked the side near the headlights. Last night, this man in the parking lot offered to fix it. What he did was, he put this putty type of material which he said was self sanding and it would fill in the crack. I also saw him put some sort of white tape to bond the crack together. He did not smoothen it out or sand it as he said it was "self-sanding." He then took some primer and spray painted over it to match my eggplant colored car. This morning, I checked it and some of the parts that he put the putty on was cracking. I touched it and the putty had not dried yet. I paid him $240. I know I got scammed, but can someone tell me what I need to do to fix it?
Door Dings/Dents:
He also put this white paste which to me look like plaster on my door dings and minor dents. He claimed that this was some heating material that heats up the metal and pops it back to its original form. He said I was not to remove this stuff for two days because that's how long it would take to have the dents pop back out. How true is this?
Please help!!!!!!
AnswerCaroline, you sound like a very sweet, but very naive, person. Let this be a life lesson to you- never buy anything from door to door salesmen, never loan friends more than 20 dollars, never lend family more than 5 dollars, never buy a rolex from a stranger, and never, ever, EVER let anyone do any work on anything that you didn't solicit first. Some guy in a parking lot? It sounds like a recipe for trouble-this person scammed you for 250 dollars- he could have just as easily stolen your wallet, kidnapped you, or worse. If you ever run across another "helpful" stranger, politely but firmly decline. Tell him you are on your way to the Dojo to pick up your boyfriend/husband. He will get the message. This was an inexpensive lesson- I know, it still sucks, but folks have been scammed for much, much more. Get that plaster off your car before it damages the finish- I bet it loosens up nicely with some warm, soapy water. At this point, I would just figure on having to buy another bumper cover. He surely didn't properly prep the repairs, or prep for paint. The paint will soon be flaking off in sheets, and the "repair" he did on the crack will completely fail within the week. I would keep this to myself to save face, maybe tell folks you tried to fix it yourself and failed. You don't want to appear to be an easy target for others to get over on you. Good luck, have a great day, and look at the bright side- I didn't charge you anything to make you a little more street smart, and street smarts are something you can't put a price tag on. Bill
