Help Ian and Tomato bounce back

Hello friends, family, and community. Most of you probably know at least part of the struggles Ian and I have been going through over the last several months. It has come to a point where we need to ask for help, so I will lay out the full story here. Buckle up.

In October of last year, while Ian was working, our car was stolen along with our beloved dog Bodhi. With help from a great friend and hours and hours of searching, we were able to recover both Bodhi and the car. The car, however, was stripped and totaled. At the time we counted our blessing because Bodhi was found in good health, and she was what mattered the most to us in the situation.

The thing is though, Ian drives for a living. So, this immediately limited our income. Although it was hard, we kept doing everything we could to get by. Because our schedules did not line up, Ian would drop me off at work (a 40 min commute without traffic) and I would stay there most weekdays for 12, sometimes 15 hours until Ian got off of work. Luckily, I always have plenty of grading to do. But even with the long hours on my end, Ian’s work was always cut short, eliminating some of the most profitable hours of his regular shifts. While we did the best we could, this continually took a toll on us. It wasn’t sustainable, but we kept pushing through and thinking we’d only have to do it for a little while until we caught up.

After several long months, we were finally able to take out a loan and purchase a car. We spent weeks researching different cars that were in our price range. We looked for what would be the best value, get the best gas mileage, and be reliable. We finally found a car that we liked, did research on the dealership, and had an independent mechanic do a full inspection on the car before we committed. After the car came back with a clean bill of health, we drove to Dallas to take a look. The car met our expectations, and we purchased it. We were stoked to get back on track and finally be able to start improving our lives again.

Well, this high did not last long. Two weeks after purchasing the car, the check engine light came on and it started overheating. Demoralized, we still kept our heads up, and thought, “It can’t be that bad. The car was just fully inspected, it can’t be major.” With this in mind, we headed to a popular, national chain repair shop for an inspection. We were told that the repairs would cost thousands of dollars. After sharing the story of our troubles, the mechanic—at the shop with his wife and daughter—told us he would do everything he could to help us. He said we could replace some parts with used parts. He talked to us for a while about our options and got the price point down to something “manageable.” He begged us not to take the car off the lot, stating that it was not safe to drive, and he worried about us even getting home. We left the car there while we tried to come up with a solution. Trying to salvage what we had, we took out another loan to fix the car. We were asked to pay for the work upfront. The mechanic claimed it was a requirement for used parts and the size of the job. We were then told it would be a couple of weeks for the repairs, so we buckled down and kept doing what we had been doing and waited to get through it.

As we approached the two-week mark, we’d heard nothing from the mechanic. When we reached out, he told us he need a bit more time. We were empathetic. The shop was short-staffed, and we thought he really just helped us out, so we continued to keep our heads down and powered through. As time passed the mechanic never offered any information, even when we checked in. He would only promise that it would be done soon.

After 30 days, we contacted another branch in town to see if this was normal and if not, what we should do. Turns out, it was not normal and the lady who answered the phone began looking into our case. We then started receiving angry texts from the mechanic with veiled threats about fixing our car improperly. We were understandably stressed and worried. We contacted the corporate offices and explained the situation before receiving a call from the regional manager. He spoke to the mechanic, promised our car would be fully repaired soon and that he would solve the situation. Another month passed with no outcome. We didn’t know what to do. We could just pick up the car, but no work had been done on it and we’d already paid for the repairs. So, we got a lawyer. Luckily, we had one that we’d used for a previous car accident, and he began helping us pro bono. He sent a letter demanding the repairs be completed and a refund awarded. Negotiations began and we all finally agreed on terms. Ian and I were finally going to pick up the car. It was promised to be in full working order, and we would receive a partial refund. So, after the repair company had the car for 82 days, we were finally able to pick it up.

We drove less than 3 miles from the shop before the check engine light switched on. We documented it and halfway to our house the car fully overheated. We contacted the company to report the failure and they had the gall to claim they returned us “a working vehicle” and that after we took it off the lot “something” must have happened to it. They are attempting to absolve themselves of all guilt and liability after everything we’ve been through with them.

We were so close to being done with this whole thing and here is where we stand now. We have to take the car to be inspected by a dealership. We intend to pursue litigation against the company in the hopes of recouping some of our losses and hopefully we eventually get the car running again. We do not know how long this distasteful process will take or when we will be able to breathe again.

This is our story, but what we haven’t fully expressed is just how hard this ordeal has affected us. It’s been six months since our first car was stolen. In every one of those months, we have been one step away from homelessness. In every one of those months, we have experienced food insecurity. Do we pay the bills, or do we eat today? We don’t usually talk about this out loud. We keep our heads down and we keep moving forward, but this has taken a huge toll on us. We are struggling with our mental health and I am struggling with my physical health. Increased stress often leads to flair-ups of my autoimmune disease (Lupus). We are here because we cannot do this on our own anymore. So, we are asking for help. Thank you for listening to our story and thank you for your help.