Twin Cities body shop holding car for $30K, woman says
BLAINE, Minn. — It was back in April when Lyra Robinson said her 2019 BMW X5 was stolen from her home in suburban Chicago.
While her vehicle was recovered by authorities in Minnesota, it wouldn't start, so she brought it to Best Auto Body in Blaine.
To get the problem diagnosed, Robinson assumed the cost would be a few hundred dollars.
When the body shop found out Robinson had insurance, she said she found out the shop was charging $2,500 just for a diagnostic.
Robinson said her insurance company, Trexis Insurance, conducted a four-month investigation into the charges.
"During this investigation, Best Auto Body never called me and said, 'oh we're going to charge you. We're going to start charging you storage, because they're taking too long doing your investigation,'" said Robinson.
Robinson alleges she then received another price tag and an ultimatum: Pay $30,000 for the cost of storing her car for several months, or Best Auto Body will send it to auction.
Robinson alleges none of the paperwork she received had written notice of storage fees.
The owner of Best Auto Body, Kiril Sheyman, would not answer questions, but did send a written statement, which said in part, "We have been working with insurance for months. While the matter is still pending with insurance, we don't feel that it is appropriate to comment."
E-mails between the insurance agent and Best Auto Body show the first mention of storage fees came in July. In that exchange, Robinson's insurance agent appeared to point the finger at her own client, writing that Robinson was not authorized to take her vehicle to the shop until the insurance investigation was complete.
According to Minnesota's Law, "At the time a shop provides a customer with a written estimate, the shop shall inform the customer that any charge for storage or care...shall be in addition to the estimated price for the repairs."
A spokesperson for the Better Business Bureau in Minnesota and North Dakota wrote in an e-mail, "From a standpoint of ethics and transparency, BBB's expectation of any business charging "storage fees" would be that those fees are conspicuously disclosed, so that the customer can make an informed decision on how and whether to proceed."
All of this while Robinson deals with heart-related health issues, requiring doctor's appointments twice-a-week. She said she's had to rely on rideshares in the meantime.
Robinson says her next step is reaching out to the Minnesota Attorney General's Office.
"I'm just praying that I can get some help to help me resolve this issue," said Robinson.