DRIVING THOUGHTS
I will tell you a story of how things can go very wrong when you trust your vehicle for a paint job and some body dent repair with an auto shop you found only in Facebook. Read on to learn lessons – and get entertained too.
After six months of waiting for his Nissan Patrol to be finished, and after many follow up calls, my friend, who I shall call Steve, filed a complaint at the barangay in La Loma, Quezon City, where the auto shop is located. The barangay captain and the tanod were most patient, and listened to the plight of Steve. Then we and two barangay tanod went to the auto shop to view the vehicle. There we found the vehicle very far from delivery stage, some parts scattered around it, the paint job not even halfway done. A few minutes later, the barangay captain followed, viewed the vehicle, and asked the painter some questions.
The auto shop is located on the ground floor of a three- or two-story structure with a gate and signage, having the markings of a legitimate operation. Another sign said a wellness clinic occupied the second floor. It did not look like a low-budget talyer, and there were about three or four cars in the process being painted.
The next day, Steve got a barrage of mobile phone messages from the owner of the shop, who now claimed that he is not the owner but only his name is used to identify the business. He sounded angry and alleged that Steve had given him a death threat through the painter. But the barangay tanod and I were there and did not hear such a threat.
A day later, Steve received a summon from the barangay lupon for three meetings where he and the auto shop owner would meet and discuss the non-delivery for six months of the vehicle. The first meeting was set for Nov. 7 and since I have not yet attended such a meeting, I agreed to go with Steve, who by now felt he had “lost” his beloved Patrol. (He is one of the founders of the Senior Car Camping Plus group and a member of several 4x4 groups.)
The first meeting went well, with me being told that third parties are not allowed to join, or for media to take notes or write about what was discussed. I asked if I could be allowed to stay in the room and they agreed. So as to follow the lupon’s instructions, I will not write about the negotiation.
The shop owner agreed to deliver the Patrol in good running condition on Nov. 25, and to refund the ₱40,000 Steve had given for the ₱50,000 job. The four members of the barangay lupon also signed the document as witnesses.
Since I had been pulled into the drama, I went with Steve to the Nov. 25 date. We were met by only one person, the president of the barangay lupon. The four lupon members who had signed the document for the delivery on that day, and the shop owner were not there. After the surprise, Steve asked the lupon president to call the shop owner so they could meet. We were informed that the barangay lupon had no set meeting for that day. That was another surprise, but since that was my first time to attend such a meeting, I thought they would be required to attend the appointed time for the possible solution to the complaint.
So, another long discussion ensued between the auto shop owner and Steve, with the lupon president quietly and efficiently listening and guiding the conversation. In the end, a deal was made.
The next day, an appointed mechanic took the Patrol out of the auto shop where it had been for seven months now. A friend took it for a drive later that afternoon. By early evening I got a call from Steve: "Please help me get a tow truck; the rear tire of the Patrol got disengage while my friend was driving it near the QC Elliptical Circle."
The next day, the mechanic inspected the vehicle, finding many parts missing, not working, or misaligned. Finally, two days later, Steve got his Patrol home. Steve went back to the auto shop the next day to check if he could find some missing parts lying around. He found two small parts.
Is that the end of the Patrol’s misadventure? To me it is. But to the owner, I think it will take another month to put back the missing parts and finish the paint job.
Meanwhile, I should go to the barangay services section at the Quezon City Hall, or perhaps to Mayor Joy Belmonte, to inquire how the barangay lupon works.