Re: Repair shop ripping me off
While I think all of the advice offered here has been done with the best of intentions, I also think that a very key issue is being missed. The fact of the matter is that you are not refusing to have the work originally contempleted done - the mechanic is. You also have no responsibility to solve his liability problems for him. All he has to do, as some pointed out, is to note the defect found on the final order and have you acknowledge that problem by your signature.
By refusing the original work unless he gets to do the steering work, he is doing two things - first, he is coercing you to accept his word for what he says is wrong and, second, he is forcing you to accept his price to make the repair to the steering system. If you allow yourself to be bullied, you have no opportunity to get a second opinion, obtain repairs at a better price, or to just do the work yourself.
If I were in your shoes I would do a number of things. First, I would read every word of the work order that I signed and I would go back to the shop to see if there are any signs on the wall about minimum fees. Second, I would get a copy of the mechanic's lien law in your state, if there is one. Next on the list would be to see if there are any consumer protection laws in regard to estimates v. obligation to allow the work to be done.If there is nothing about minimum fees, you have an advantage. As to the lien law, you may be surprised at some of the stuff in these laws. Very often, people lobby state lawmakers to put all sorts of bizarre stuff in them - I am even aware of one that allows an airport to seize someone's airplane over unpaid landing fees. But ... and this is a big but ... they do not provide blanket protection for mechanics and those mechanics can not seize your property arbitrarily. In terms of consumer protections, even where a minimum fee is allowed in lieu of permission to do the work, I would be looking to see if there is lmitation to only that work which was requested.
In dealing with the repair shop, I would once again offer to let him do the original work but I would refuse the additional work. If he says no, demand that he release your boat for no fee at all. If he says no again. and you feel you are ok from the standpoint of the laws involved, leave and call the police. The simple fact of the matter is that if your state's laws do not allow him to hold your boat under the circumstances involved, at that point in time he has stolen it. That said, understand that the cops may try pretty hard not to have to deal with the situation,and the mechanic may be hard headed enough not to release the boat. If these things happen, you then have to decide whether to just pay the fee and come back at him later, or go hire an attorney.
Hope things work out for you.
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