Driver says repair shop drove his car behind his back, racked up tolls

CHARLOTTE — Eric Montgomery bought a used Cadillac, but he says he had problems almost right away.

“Honestly, it was like one of those terrible old cartoons where you drive off the lot and the car starts falling apart initially, you know what I mean, like, almost immediately,” he said.

He says the dealer was responsive and told him to take the car to Repair Hub, a shop it works closely with. “I dropped it off and then I flew out of town for almost four weeks,” he said.

He got back, retrieved his car, and says the toll bills started showing up in the mail. He showed Channel 9’s sister station in Orlando, WFTV, the paperwork: more than 100 transactions over a 19-day period (all dates Montgomery was out of town) for nearly $200.

“You know, my father was a mechanic and he owned a garage. If I was ever doing that to one of his clients’ cars, I didn’t want to think what would happen to me,” he said.

One of the owners of Repair Hub admitted an employee drove it. “I think it was two weeks he used. The... employed here, the guy, don’t work here anymore,” he said.

But he claimed the employee thought it belonged to a friend who used to own the Cadillac and didn’t realize it had been sold. The owner told WFTV it offered to reimburse Montgomery for the tolls and a free service package for the car.

Action 9 investigator Jason Stoogenke says, clearly, a mechanic can take your car for a drive to see what’s wrong. But if you really think they’ve been joyriding your car, first, build a case. Document everything, like the mileage. Maybe your car has dash cam video.

If you tell the business and don’t get anywhere, you can: