Posted on 01/21/2005 9:30:35 AM PST by Willie Green
A Delmont man has been charged with ripping off the state police on a car repair bill.
Albert P. Furney, 48, of Route 66 north, was charged with two counts of deceptive or fraudulent business practices after state police from the Kiski barracks discovered the work Furney said he would perform at his Excel Auto Body Shop in Salem Township had not been done.
In a written estimate, Furney said he would remove a damaged transmission from a wrecked police cruiser and replace it with a used transmission for $750, Cpl. Charles W. Seilhamer III wrote in a criminal complaint filed with Magisterial District Justice Lawrence J. Franzi, of Washington Township.
Seilhamer is the automotive maintenance officer at the Kiski barracks, overseeing a fleet of 14 cars. This is the first case he knows of in which state police were named as the victim.
"I've never heard of it before," he said.
Seilhamer alleges that Furney had the transmission repaired for $75 and pocketed the remaining $675 that he charged state police. He also charged $765 for a new frame cross-member when he actually installed a used one for $350, Seilhamer said
(Excerpt) Read more at pittsburghlive.com ...
ping
Not a smart move by Albert.
Furney shoulda' "Heli-coiled" that stripped trans bolt hole. He deserves to be caught for being lazy.
This stuff is so common with many auto repair shops. I used to call on autobody shops as a parts salesman for a dealership . The insurance would pay for a new OEM fender and the shop would order it and lay it by the car while awaiting repair. The adjuster would come in see the fender and think everything was o.k. After the adjuster left the shop would instal a cheaper repo or even a used piece and later send the new way higher priced OEM piece back to the dealership for a credit. I had probably 20-25% of the shops would do this on a regular basis and maybe another 20% would do it on occasion. I got my iniation on this when when shop in particular would always be sending new stuff back for credit but I always saw the car it was going on fixed.
ping
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