Minter's Auto Repair

The customer (*** ** ***) called Minter's Auto Repair (the "shop") on January 31, stating that her vehicle would not startI contacted *** *** and asked them to send a tow truck to her locationThe tow truck driver jump-started her vehicle and drove it to my shopI then checked
the charging system, cleaned the battery terminals, discovered a loose bolt on the battery terminal which was tightened, and charged the batteryAfter these tasks were performed, the vehicle was working properlyMs*** then picked up the vehicle and paid the invoice of $*** ($** for repairs and $** for towing)Approximately 12-days later, Ms*** called again stating that she was at a gas station and her vehicle would not startI again contacted *** *** and sent them to her locationThe tow trucker driver jump-started her vehicle and she left in her vehicleThere was no charge to her for this service by me or the towing companyOn the following Monday, Ms*** called again stating that she was at her house and her vehicle would not start and that she could not open the hoodOnce again, I sent a tow truck and they delivered her vehicle to my shopUpon the vehicle's arrival, I noted that the hood was popped openI checked the charging system and determined that the vehicle needed a new batteryI called Ms*** to give her this information and also the price of a new batteryShe stated that she was agreeable to payment of the battery and its installation but she refused to pay the tow bill of $***She claimed that her hood would not open because her hood latch had been damaged on her previous visit to my shop on January 31st, I explained to her that I had just inspected the vehicle and did not find the hood or the latch to be brokenI further explained to her that I did find that the hood was hard to release but that I was able to get the hood up each time I pulled the latchI told her that, under these circumstances, I could not "eat" (meaning to pay out of my own pocket) her tow billShe then agreed to pay the entire bill, including the tow bill, but stated, "I don't know what I'm going to do about this matter." I took this statement as a threat and, therefore, replied to her that I did not break her hood or hood latch, that she didn't owe me anything more, that I could no longer perform services on her vehicle, and that she needed to take her vehicle elsewhereShortly thereafter, Ms*** came and picked up the vehicle which was running fine when she left my shop. Since my last conversation with Ms***, I have spoken with the tow truck drivers at *** *** and each has told me that they had trouble opening the hood on Ms***'s vehicle and had to tap on the hood to get the hood to release each time they were called to attend to her vehicle. I am confident that I did not cause any damage to Ms***' * hood or hood latch and I do not feel any responsibility to reimburse her for lost wages of $***Also, I stand by the work that I did on Ms***'s vehicle on January 3, and also for the services that were performed on her vehicle on her second visit to my shop for which she was not charged, and therefore I do not feel any obligation to reimburse her for the original $**.** charge. If you have any questions or need anything further, please contact MrM*** directly at *** ***. Thank you