A Talmadge woman contacted Team 10 after she said a local auto repair shop drove off with her money.
Joanne, who declined to use her last name, isn’t in the best of health. She’s 74 years old and has asthma and COPD.
She needs to get around to pick up her medicine and get to work.
She noticed her 1988 Dodge pickup truck was acting up, so she brought it to Charles Auto Repair on University Avenue.
“I saw this repair shop and I saw he had a lot of cars there,” Joanne said. She thought that was a good sign that the repair shop seemingly had a lot of business.
The owner told her to pay up front to repair her engine. She paid $1,450 in a cashier’s check.
“I said okay, so I tapped into my [401K], which I shouldn’t have [done],” Joanne said. “But I don’t have [any] money to spend on a new car.”
The cashier’s check shows she paid in early November. Since then, she said all she has received from the owner, Charles Broadway, is excuse after excuse.
“Two weeks go by, I didn’t hear nothing from him,” Joanne said.
More weeks went by.
And nothing.
It is now February and she still has no car.
Co-workers help drive her around. They even tried to call the shop to see if they could get answers for Joanne.
“He goes 'why do you keep calling me? It’s not your car, it’s none of your business,'” said co-worker Maurice Norris.
Norris said the owner no longer takes his calls.
Team 10 went to the auto shop to try and get answers. Another employee said the owner was not there and would be back.
Joanne’s truck was sitting at the shop with car parts in the bed of the truck.
“I want my money back and I want my car,” Joanne said.
Charles Auto Repair is licensed with the state.
The owner, Charles Broadway, has yet to contact Team 10.
