in the field.
I had a pretty brisk signing day yesterday. Before I knew it the time was 2pm and I hadn't eaten lunch so I stopped at The Habit for my traditional SB Cobb salad and lemon water.
I was pretty buzzed, as I had been challenged a lot running around meeting tight deadlines, and really needed to eat right away. I truck pulls up in back of my car, blocking me in, and his passenger, a very thin blond woman who looked like a tweeker to me said her husband who was driving, could fix the dent on my passenger side door for $245. I already have a friend who is going to fix it for barter services, and I've know him for a long time. We attend the same spa/pool faciiity in a nearby coastal town.
This is the second time I've been approached by what I have learned are "dent gypsies". I researched these people by googling "dent fixers approaching people in parking lots."
It turns out they carry their equipment in the back of their vehicles, and they will jump out and fix your car in less than an hour and they only take cash. They will follow you to your ATM...this is scary! They don't have business cards, as I asked twice for them because I was too busy to be getting my car fixed out in the open. The first time it happened, I reported it to the Costco manager near my home. The guy started out at $1799, then $1399 and lastly $799. They would have ruined my car and it would end up costing me more to fix the damage they do applying a "wax" to cover up the dent.
Yesterday, I just wanted to run as fast as I could. The guy was huge, looked like a samarai wrestler. They both smoked heavily and I was practically leveled at the stench of cigarette smoke as I passed their passenger window from which the "wife" spoke to me.
Curious, have any men been approached, or is it just women, alone trying to get places in a hurry?
Here are a couple of scenarios I'm passing onto you all...I don't think it's just a CA thing. I found one in OR and Chicago/IL.
https://www.yelp.com/topic/san-diego-dented-car-do-you-get-stopped-by-guys-offering-to-fix-your-dent-on-the-spot-for-cheap
http://komonews.com/news/consumer/dent-repair-scammers-targeting-local-parking-lots
http://www.dentprosacramento.com/5-signs-youre-cheated-by-a-dent-gypsy/
http://www.dentprosacramento.com/5-signs-youre-cheated-by-a-dent-gypsy/
I have reported this to the local police departments in my area.
There are no short cuts or steely deals when it comes to dent repair. These guys are scammers. They seem to work in pairs. B-E-W-A-R-E of DENT GYPSIES. They mainly approach people traveling alone.
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