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After taking car to mechanic, woman left with box of parts

19 hours 53 minutes 32 seconds ago Thursday, April 03 2025 Apr 3, 2025 April 03, 2025 10:19 PM April 03, 2025 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - Imagine taking your car to a mechanic for a repair you'd saved up for only to get it back in pieces. It happened to one woman in Baton Rouge who wants a refund.

The parts to Olivia Hayes' 2010 Volkswagen EOS are scattered in a garage at her parents' home in Slidell. It has no top, no trunk closure, and no back windshield. Hayes' contacted 2 On Your Side hoping to bring attention to what she's gone through.

Hayes took her car to Moberly's Car Repair in Baton Rouge. It's a mechanic she brought her car to before. She had saved up to get her convertible top fixed. Moberly's told her the work would take two weeks and it would cost $1,300. She paid half up front.

Several problems arose and Moberly's needed a part and weeks turned into months.

"I get a call from them saying, 'Hey, we have unfortunate news, your car is broke beyond repair,'" said Hayes.

She found her car in pieces and was told nothing could be done.

"It's too broken, they can't put anything back together," she said.

Hayes took a video while she sat in the front seat showing how the car had been stripped and there was a box of parts in her passenger seat. She had to call a tow truck to get the rest of the parts, including the top of the vehicle.

David Moberly has spoken about Hayes' situation with WBRZ and says he'd like to work with her to help find a solution.

"I told her I would help her, I'd accommodate her, work with her, try to help her find a car, give her money toward a car," said Moberly.

Moberly tells WBRZ he had told Hayes upfront once they started working on the convertible top there would be no going back. Hayes had no idea that could mean her car might be damaged beyond repair. 

Moberly says he had a similar car on the lot and offered to swap out the engine and transmission with Hayes and sell it to her. Hayes says the offer was $3,500 and she declined.

Now she is out a car, relying on Lyft and friends for rides to get her to and from work.

"I don't want anyone to be scammed by Moberly's ever again," said Hayes.

She wants a refund for all the money she has spent at Moberly's fixing up her car, which is several thousand dollars. Moberly's has not agreed to that, but maintains they'll continue to work with her. Hayes is considering legal action if they do not agree.

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