I'm about to sell someone's repaired TV because they won't pick it up!

[radiotvnut]

I've got a TV that I repaired for someone over a month ago. The only thing I have on them is their cell number. When I called them to let them know it was ready, they said they would get it that day or the next and they seemed happy that I charged them less money than what I originally told them it would cost. The TV has been sitting here over 30 days and the only thing I get when I call the cell number of the owner is their voice mail. Of course, my calls are not returned. I should go to the neighbors' house so my name won't come up on her caller ID.

This thing is big, in my way, and I have money in it. I want it GONE; but, I don't want them coming back in six months threatening legal action because I sold their TV. I just thought I'd run it past you guys that have "been there and done that" before I do anything.

It really burns me up because the owner hasn't got guts enough to call me and tell me something. If she can't afford to have the TV fixed, she should at least let me know and give me permission to sell it. Now, I've got a TV sitting here that I can't do zip with. I've got a feeling her problem is not financial. Her hubby probably bought an "etch-a-sketch" TV for Christmas and they are now avoiding me because they no longer want the one I have.

[zenithfan1]

That is probably it, and they don't want to pay for a set they don't want anymore. They should have the courtesy to return your call and say what they want done with it. Did you tell them at the beginning that it had to be picked up after 30 days? The best thing to do is get something in writing first so when this happens, they cannot come back with legal action. People have abandoned stuff with me too, and like you said, they came back a year later wanting it back after I had claimed it for myself. It was a really nice Lawn-Boy weed eater that I replaced the engine on.

[toxcrusadr]

Yeah, and you can't even write them a registered letter without an address.

Do they have some kind of receipt for the TV in the first place? If they can't prove they owned it in the first place and gave it to you to fix, they would have no case even if they did come back.

I'd start leaving messages about selling the TV and if you don't get a response, go ahead and do it.

[Fred Sanford]

Whenever I did this kind of thing for money (not for friends) I used pre-printed repair tags where the client's stub laid out the terms- no pickup after X amount of days after contact and we can sell to recoup funds.

je

[radiotvnut]

There was nothing in writing that changed hands between us saying that I have their TV. I do have a sign on my door saying that any repairs left over 30 days past the date of notification that the repair is ready will be sold for charges. I think I'll call once more and give her a deadline for picking up the TV, after which time it will be sold for repair charges.

This woman actually bought a TV from me the same day she left this one. That's when she asked me about repairing her TV. She didn't haggle about the price of the TV she bought and seemed very interested in having her set repaired. Me being the nice guy that I am, I only got her cell number since she seemed to be above board. From now on, I'll be getting EVERYTHING on them and maybe some up-front money for a check out fee. I knew one guy that had a shop and he finally had to start charging money up front because of the number of people not claiming their stuff. He said that the up front money cut out most of that crap.

[Tripod]

Here in Cape Town, I often see ads in the Personal columns from service businesses like yours, advertising that such an such an item will be sold to defray costs, unless collected within 7 days. This however, also costs money but may be safer for you to do and avoid possible legal action in future.

tripod

[bshorey]

Originally Posted by radiotvnut

There was nothing in writing that changed hands between us saying that I have their TV. I do have a sign on my door saying that any repairs left over 30 days past the date of notification that the repair is ready will be sold for charges. I think I'll call once more and give her a deadline for picking up the TV, after which time it will be sold for repair charges.

This woman actually bought a TV from me the same day she left this one. That's when she asked me about repairing her TV. She didn't haggle about the price of the TV she bought and seemed very interested in having her set repaired. Me being the nice guy that I am, I only got her cell number since she seemed to be above board. From now on, I'll be getting EVERYTHING on them and maybe some up-front money for a check out fee. I knew one guy that had a shop and he finally had to start charging money up front because of the number of people not claiming their stuff. He said that the up front money cut out most of that crap.

It's a good thing you didn't call from your neighbors phone - you now have a phone bill that serves as a record of your efforts to contact her.

Make sure it's been a full 30 days, then unload the damn thing.

My .02,

bs

[Sandy G]

Tripod has a good idea-Put a small notice in the "legal ads" part of the paper saying you intend to sell the TV after a certain date for abandonment, run it for a month, & I'd think you'd have yr bases covered. You might wanna check w/a lawyer, but that seems like a way to go.

[sampson159]

here in franklin county,you have to do the registered letter thing.if you have no address,you must place an add in the local paper with a 30 day clause and you must have a sign within sight as to the same.i had a guy come after his set more than a year from his letter.i paid him the going rate for a inoperable set.he wanted the price of a new 19" xl-100.it was 10 years old when he brought it to me.took the money and asked to "look' at another set for him.i did! believe it or not-he lived right acreoss the streetl

[julianburke]

Actually it is longer than 30 days. This varies from state to state but no address is no real problem as you are supposed to put an ad in the classifieds notifying the public that ****TV serial number*** last known owner *his name here* will be sold on a particular date for repair lein. A little hassle but this is legal and they cannot come back and try to sue you after you have sold the set. Don't sell the set immediately until you have talked to your attorney. You need to be very careful here!

[Findm-Keepm]

Originally Posted by sampson159

here in franklin county,you have to do the registered letter thing.if you have no address....... and you must have a sign within sight as to the same.

Same here in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Posted sign stating items left after so many days will be sold for repair costs, claim check must state same, and a certified letter (return receipt requested) on file, or they have legal claim. Not so for cars - if it's spelled out on the repair claim check, 30 days and you can get a mechanics lien title, then sell.

If they do pick it up eventually, DO NOT TAKE A CHECK! Even uglier.....

BTDT!

Cheers,

[jpdylon]

Ask for a "minimum service charge" rather than a deposit at the time the invoice is written up. Since its a service charge implying services rendered rather than just a deposit it can be legally considered as completely non refundable. So even if they never pick it up, you have some money to cover a small amount of expenses.

Also have them sign a separate document explaining that after you contact them to let them know the set is finished that they have 30 days - and afterwords if you don't hear from them its yours to do with what they want. Give them a copy of it to go along with the claim check. This will greatly lessen the possibility that they can pull something on you if you sell it - then they decide to pick it up a month later! It has to be a separate document or it technically isn't legal - or so I'm told.

[radiotvnut]

If I were to fix TV's for anyone else that I didn't know, I could charge $15 for a check out fee and explain to them that the $15 would go towards the repair cost and if the set was not repaired for whatever reason, the $15 would cover the check out fee.

Actually, I'm getting less and less interested in repairing a TV for anyone unless I know the person very well. 99% of my repairs are done for people I know and they usually end up being done for free or for the cost of parts. But, you know how people talk and that's when someone out of the blue will call and beg me to fix their TV or whatever. I have no desire to be the town TV shop and there's been several people that I've sent to a real TV shop because I didn't want to mess with whatever they had. My main interest is keeping my vintage equipment going for my personal use and helping out other collectors and that's it. So, once I get this TV off my back; I'm probably done!

[radotvguy]

take a deposit upfront before doing the repair , this tends to weed out people that will stick you in the end .

[AUdubon5425]

I looked through the Mississippi Code and couldn't find anything referring to liens on appliances. Maybe ask a tv or appliance repair shop what guidelines they follow.