Who is Responsible for Items Left Inside Vehicles While at Repair Shops?

A customer’s stereo worth hundreds of dollars is stolen from his vehicle while it is in the possession of an automotive repair shop. Is providing security for customers’ vehicles the responsibility of the repair shop? A reporter from WBNS-10TV in Columbus, OH, answers this question.

Below is the article as it appeared on the WBNS-10TV website.

Consumers Can Be Liable For Theft, Damage To Cars Left At Repair Shops

September 14, 2010
WBNS-10TV

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Thefts from cars at auto repair shops are more common than you might think, but who is responsible?

Jason Osborn was still getting used to driving without his car stereo on Tuesday, after he said it vanished while the car was being repaired at an auto shop, Consumer 10’s Kurt Ludlow reported.

Osborn said he expected the shop’s owner to reimburse him the hundreds of dollars the stereo and speakers were worth, but that did not happen.

“He should be responsible because it was in his parking lot,” Osborn said.

In many cases that might be true, Ludlow reported. In the law, it is called a bailment; when a person turns over their property to someone else, like an auto repair shop.

The shop is required to use ordinary care in the safekeeping the property, and to return it to you undamaged.

Most repair shops, including the one where Osborn left his car, modify the responsibility by having customers sign a disclaimer that says they are not responsible for loss or damage to cars or articles left in cars.

To read the entire article, visit the WBNS-10TV website at http://www.10tv.com/live/content/consumer10/stories/2010/09/14/story-columbus-car-repair-liability.html?sid=102.

When Your Shop Is Worth Much More Than You Thought

Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.

Case Study: Owner of San Francisco-based Import Service Shop Delighted to Discover Just How Valuable His Business is to Qualified Buyers
I sometimes share case studies of the clients I have been able to assist in my role as an aftermarket business broker and provider of intermediary and advisory services. I do that when I think the story will provide a reader in similar circumstances with new insights or helpful information.
In the case of Cowden Automotive, Inc., I acted in a consulting capacity assisting the owner and his broker in valuing the business, creating a marketing plan, finding a qualified buyer, and arranging financing for the sale.
Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.
Needless to say, delivering that kind of good news to a shop owner is a rewarding experience. Discovering that the sale of his business would result in his retirement nest-egg being substantially larger than he had ever thought was a fitting tribute to someone who had spent his entire working career as a busy automotive service shop owner.

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