FLORIDA — Single working mom Dawn Brown said a Port Richey repair shop left her without a vehicle and dependent on bumming rides. Brown’s car trouble started in January when her SUV’s engine died on U.S. Highway 19 in Port Richey.
Brown didn’t know who to call. A Google search led her to Auto Legends Towing and Repair and its owner Debra Noonan. Brown told ABC Action News that Noonan told her the engine needed replacing and would cost $2900.
According to a receipt dated February 2, Brown paid Auto Legends $1,000 toward the replacement motor. Text messages from Noonan show she asked Brown for more money. On February 20, Brown used Zelle to send Noonan another $1,200 for the engine.
For the next three weeks, Brown and Noonan exchanged texts about the progress of the work. One message indicates the SUV will be done around March 10.
She's not the only customer to accuse Noonan of not getting what they paid for.
State investigators charged Noonan with fraud in 2021 after an I-team investigation revealed that another customer claimed he paid $1,150 for a catalytic converter that was never installed.
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Noonan pleaded not guilty, and three years later, she's still awaiting trial. Dawn Brown emailed ABC Action News after finding our 2021 story online.
Brown said she received an anonymous call in mid-March telling her to pick up her SUV outside the Auto Legends shop. She found the old motor still in it. State records show the Auto Legends' license expired in February, and the shop closed. We found the gate locked when we stopped by in March.
ABC Action News called and texted Noonan. Someone who said he worked with her said the money Brown paid was for storage and towing. But the text exchange between Brown and Noonan tells a different story.
We told Brown about Florida's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which regulates auto repair shops. She filed a complaint with the agency in March. FDACS confirms they have opened a case and are investigating.
Meanwhile, Brown is stuck sharing a car with her teenage daughter. She told ABC Action News the situation was “very upsetting to me and my children.”
State law requires auto mechanics to provide a written estimate when the repairs top $100 and they can't hit you with a final bill for more than $50 over the original estimate without your prior authorization. You can file a complaint against a mechanic here.
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