Q: Auto-repair/dealer employee made rude/crude comments while giving me a bill for something i didnt ask for. What can I do
I already knew the problem and just wanted an idea of how much it would cost. I left and returned and decided it was to much so i wanted my car and to leave. So, he wrote me a bill for diagnostics and i told him i already knew what was wrong, i didn't want the diagnostic. He said it was in the paper you signed. I said I guess i didn't read it thoroughly enough. Then he said "Yeah, it also says I get to sleep in your bed, and i get to keep your dog." He was being rude and mean the entire time. Since i also talked to him a few days earlier and he was the same way. I was very emotionaly upset that i couldn't talk anymore about the bill or the car. I needed to get out and couldn't take my car until i signed for the bill and unable to talk or do anything about it i signed, got my car and left the store crying. Is there anything i can do against the employee or store? I was hurt financially, emotionally, and his sexual comment left me afraid and extremely distraught.
A:
I am sorry, but there is not much you can do legally. Offensive speech is free speech. There are such claims as "intentional infliction of emotional distress" and "negligent infliction of emotional distress" but his conduct would not rise to that level.
If he had told you that he had your child held hostage and was torturing her and played screams over the phone, then that would probably qualify, to give you an idea of the sort of comments that rise to that level.
As a customer, you can leave reviews, and tell other patrons about your experience, which would probably be more financially damaging than a lawsuit anyway.
I hope this helps.
Wes
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