01x95 - Pet Adoption Fail; Texas Natural Disaster Repair

[bunniefuu]

- [Judge Judy] You rescued a dog?
- Yes.

And it was not a good fit
with your other dog?

There was some snarling going on there.

[Judge Judy] You say you called her?

Right away,
she started ranting and raving at me.

She said, "I want her back here tomorrow."

What did you do with the dog?

What did you do with the dog?

[announcer] This is Judy Justice.

[theme music playing]

[announcer] Lorraina Delatorre is suing

Dog Rescue President Tami Karlsson

for adoption fees and harassment.

[Kevin] Court come to order.

All rise.

- Hello, Judge.
- Hello.

Case number 1034,
Delatorre versus Karlsson.

Thank you. Be seated, please.

Ms. Delatorre, you rescued a dog?

- Yes.
- That dog?

- [Lorraina] Yes.
- [Judge Judy] And you rescued that dog

from the defendant's rescue...

- Correct.
- [Judge Judy] ...facility?

- Correct.
- [Judge Judy] And paid a fee...

- Correct.
- [Judge Judy] ...of $500?

Yes, ma'am.

- And signed a contract?
- [Lorraina] Yes, ma'am.

- Do you have a copy of the contract?
- [Lorraina] Yes, I do.

I'd like to see it.

Okay.

Now I fully read this agreement.

So you signed and acknowledged
this contract?

- Correct.
- [Judge Judy] And this is Maltese Rescue?

[Tami] Yes, Your Honor.

How long have you been in existence?

- Eight years.
- [Judge Judy] Explain it to me.

Do you operate out of your home?

- How do you do that?
- [Tami] Yes.

So we have fosters
spread out throughout California

and we operate the organization
out of our home.

When I retired, we decided to do this.

We've rescued approximately 1,200 dogs
over the last eight years,

Maltese specifically because

they have special needs
with their little bodies,

so special medical needs.

So that's pretty much
what we specialize in.

So if somebody were, for instance,
from Texas,

and they could no longer
take care of their dog,

and they found Maltese Rescue online...

Yes, Your Honor.

[Judge Judy] ...how would that work?

If they were from Texas,
it's a little more difficult,

unless they were to fly her here
or the animal here.

If they're in California, for instance,

in Sophie's case, her owner had cancer

and she was dying, so...

- [Judge Judy] Here in California?
- Here in California.

So she called and she said...
sorry, it makes me sad.

Um, she said,
"I wanna have Sophie go to you

because I know you come highly recommended
and you'll give her the right home."

[Judge Judy]
And Sophie is about eight years-old?

- [Tami] Yes.
- [Judge Judy] So when she called you,

- do you take her into your home?
- Yes, ma'am. Yeah.

[Judge Judy] For how long do you usually
keep the dogs in your home?

It depends on the medical conditions
of the dog.

Sophie needed serious dental.

She had several teeth pulled

and she didn't eat very well,
so we took her.

[Judge Judy]
When you took Sophie to the vet

to have her teeth taken care of,
who paid for that?

We do.
Maltese Rescue California pays for that.

[Judge Judy] And is Maltese Rescue
of California a 501[c][3] corporation?

- Yes, Your Honor.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

- Now, you had another dog?
- Correct.

- [Judge Judy] You actually had two?
- Correct.

- [Judge Judy] One passed away?
- Yes.

[Judge Judy]
And according to your complaint,

you thought that
the surviving dog was lonely.

Your Honor, Scarlet is a special needs

and she's gone blind in the last...

about eight months
and we had lost our Boxer.

And Scarlet depended
on our Boxer quite often

because of her going blind.

And when I went and saw the vet
to take Scarlet for a checkup in February,

I was explaining to her
that Scarlet seemed very lonely.

- And then I know she's [indistinct]
- [Judge Judy] Got it.

- So they...so they suggested...yes.
- So that's the reason...

That's the reason that you went to rescue?

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

And Scarlet is a Maltese?

Scarlet is a three-and-a-half-pound
Yorkie.

But you went to the Maltese Rescue
rather than a Yorkie Rescue, why?

Maltese are usually smaller,

and I was looking for a dog
under eight pounds.

[Judge Judy] Okay.

And so I was on Petfinders,

and a Maltese happened
to come up on Petfinders

with the Maltese Rescue.

[Judge Judy] Okay. I just want to know

- how it came about.
- [Lorraina] Yes, yes.

And you took her home
on the 29th of April?

- Yes, ma'am.
- [Judge Judy] Okay. And...

Or no, I'm sorry.
It was on the 30th, Your Honor.

- [Tami] Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Okay. Next day.

And it was not a good fit
with your other dog?

- No, Your Honor.
- [Judge Judy] So what did you do?

[Lorraina]
After three weeks and we were trying to

work her out with Scarlet

and there was some snarling
going on there and so forth.

- What did you do? Three weeks later?
- [Lorraina] I...

I phoned Tami the morning
of the 24th of May.

I proceeded to try to explain to Tami
that it was not working out,

that they were not bonding.

It was not a good fit.

And I was trying to explain to Tami
what all had been going on.

But Tami right away started yelling
and barking at me and...

Tell me what she said to you.

After a month,
you said it's not working out.

- Right.
- And what did she say to you?

She asked me,
"What do you mean it's not working out?

What's going on?"

- [Judge Judy] So you told her...
- [Lorraina] Yes.

[Judge Judy]
...and then she said to you...

[Lorraina]
"I want her back here tomorrow."

- Okay.
- [Lorraina] So I proceeded to tell her

that that would not work out,

that it would have to be on the weekend.

[Judge Judy] Okay.
So you said it's not working out here.

- [Lorraina] Correct.
- She said, "I'll take her back.

Bring her tomorrow." Do you remember
what day of the week this was?

It was on a Monday.

- So May 24th.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

- So you called her on a Monday?
- Yes.

[Judge Judy] And she said,
"Fine, bring the dog back."

And you said, "I can't bring her back
until the weekend."?

- Correct.
- [Judge Judy] And then...

Well, she said,
"I want her back here tomorrow."

[Judge Judy] Tomorrow. Okay.
Well, that sounds reasonable.

- She's concerned.
- [Lorraina] Right.

[Judge Judy]
You're calling up and you're saying,

"I don't want this dog anymore.

The dog is not working out in my family."

She didn't say, "It's not
my problem anymore, you adopted her,"

she said, "Bring her back
right away," right?

- Right.
- [Judge Judy] And what happened?

[Lorraina] I proceeded to tell her
that I could bring her on the weekend.

- [Judge Judy] Yeah.
- And that was not acceptable to her.

No, she wants the dog back right away?

[Lorraina] Yeah, she wanted
the dog back right away.

[Judge Judy] Dog back right away.
And so what did you do?

So then I said to her,
"Then I would need to meet you

or you could send somebody
to come get her, either/or."

So she said to me,
"Let me make a couple phone calls.

I'll get back with you in a little bit."

So we left it at that.

So I waited that whole day,
I didn't hear back from her.

We went into the next day.

I waited the next day.

Did not hear from her.

Okay. Now so far that's two days later,
that would be a Wednesday?

- Correct.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

And by Wednesday,
you hadn't heard from her

and you already told her

that you couldn't return the dog
until the following Saturday.

- [Lorraina] Correct.
- [Judge Judy] Wednesday,

prior to the Saturday, what did you do?

Okay. So that afternoon,
I had lunch with a friend of mine, Angel,

and I was telling her what was going on.
And she proceeded to tell me that the...

[Judge Judy] Don't tell...
don't tell me what she told you.

As a result of that conversation,
you rehome the dog to these people?

[Lorraina]
No, I don't even know who that is.

- Your Honor...
- [Lorraina] No...

- [Judge Judy] Just a second.
- [Lorraina] ...Your Honor.

- [Judge Judy] To whom did you give the...
- I didn't rehome...

- [Judge Judy] Just a second.
- I had not rehomed here.

Who did you give the dog to?

I did not give her to anybody
at that point.

- No, that's a lie.
- [Judge Judy] Just second.

- What did you do with the dog?
- I still had the dog.

[Judge Judy] Until when?

I had the dog until Thursday
I believe it was.

- I'd have to look at my notes.
- Okay. So you have the conversation

- with Angel on Wednesday.
- Hmm.

[Judge Judy] And on Thursday,
what did you do with the dog?

I still had the dog until the afternoon
when Tami agreed.

[Judge Judy]
Don't tell me what she agreed to.

I asked you a specific question.

What did you do with the dog on Thursday?

[Lorraina]
After I was instructed by my attorney...

Don't...what did you do...

- I let my friend come pick her up.
- ...with the dog?

- [Judge Judy] Your friend Angel?
- Take her to the grandparents.

[Judge Judy] Just a second.

- Your friend Angel. So...
- [Lorraina] Correct.

...you gave the dog on Thursday
to this other person?

Correct.

[Judge Judy] And after that,

you assumed that Angel
was giving the dog to a grandparent?

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

And then?

[Lorraina] So I had got
my attorney involved.

- Why?
- [Lorraina] Because as I was trying to

explain on Wednesday evening
when I called Tami

to see what was going on
because she had stated,

"Give me a little bit, I'll call you back.

I'm gonna have somebody
meet you tomorrow,"

which would have been that Wednesday.

"I'm gonna have somebody
meet you tomorrow to pick up Sophie."

So when I did not hear back from her,

I called her that evening
and I couldn't get two words

in edgewise except to say
I was trying to explain to her and say,

"Tami, I found another home for Sophie."

I wanted to try to tell
her they want to do an application,

but Tami did not give me a chance
because right away

she started ranting and raving
and yelling at me.

So after about 15 minutes of that,

I cut the conversation and I said to her,

"We're not getting anywhere.

You won't even let me
speak to explain to you the situation.

So I will...tomorrow morning,
will have my attorney friend call you

and he could set up
a meeting time for us to meet

to make the exchange of Sophie."

So I did call my friend the next morning

and I said as a favor to me,

"Would you call her
and make arrangements for us to meet

so I could return Sophie?"
So he made the arrangements...

- [Judge Judy] Just a second.
- ...it was agreed that...

- [Judge Judy] Just a second.
- ...I was reaching Tami...

[Judge Judy] You can't tell me that.

That's hearsay.

Well, if you're retired, why didn't you go
bring the dog home the next day?

- As I'm trying to explain...
- [Judge Judy] Back to her?

...when I have my grandkids,
I don't drive that far

- because I'm not...
- [Judge Judy] You know...

accustomed to driving in the traffic.

You know, I'm... actually think
you're pretty outrageous.

[announcer] And later today...

Will either of the toilets work?

- I don't know.
- [Judge Judy] No, just a second.

Ms. Cory, don't think
about where I'm going...

- Okay.
- [Judge Judy] ...because I would know

in a two-bath house
if I was there by myself

whether either one of the two toilets
was working after two days. [chuckles]

[theme music playing]

[announcer] Lorraina Delatorre says
Dog Rescue President Tami Karlsson

owes her for the adoption fee
of a Maltese.

So this is what the case is about.

You made a $500 donation

- to Maltese Rescue.
- Correct.

[Judge Judy] And you want
the money back, that $500.

That's what this case is about.

- Yes, because Tami agreed...
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

- ...to pay me back.
- That's what this case is about.

You want your $500 donation back

because these people,

I don't know where they got the dog from.

You're not the grandparents, are you?

They're my grandparents.

- [Judge Judy] They're your grandparents?
- Uh-hmm.

[Judge Judy] Just sit.

You in effect rehomed to the dog to Angel

who said, "My grandparents
are gonna take the dog."

- Let's say I left all of that in.
- Yeah.

[Judge Judy] That means
that you don't know about the home.

You have no idea about the home.

You didn't do an inspection of the home.

You don't know who the grandparents are.

- [Lorraina] Yes, I do.
- You don't know what...

Uh, he's a pastor,
and they're very good Christian people.

What's his name and how many times
did you meet the grandparents?

George.

[Judge Judy] How many times
did you see the grandparents?

Once.

Where?

At a wedding reception.

After you gave the dog away. Uh-hmm.

- [Judge Judy] Just a second.
- I'm sorry.

[Judge Judy] That's not a home inspection.

That just means you gave the dog to Angel

to give to grandparents who evidently
didn't keep the dog

because they gave Sophie to these people.

- [Tami] Yes, Your Honor.
- [Judge Judy] This is your dog?

Yes. But there was a reason
why that happened.

I don't care why it happened.

That has nothing to do with this case.

- No.
- [Tami] Yes, Your Honor.

[Judge Judy]
It has nothing to do with this case.

But I did not give Sophie away

until after Tami instructed my attorney

- that it was okay.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

You can't tell me that.

It's hearsay.

We were on three-way.

[Judge Judy] It doesn't matter.

Okay.

Just for my own information,

I assume for the purpose of this question

that you had a conversation
with this lawyer friend of hers?

So he was a paralegal, Your Honor.

- [Judge Judy] Just a second.
- Oh, sorry.

Did you know that she was on the
three-way?

- No.
- [Judge Judy] No. Of course not.

Look, this is very easy.

- Do you like Sophie?
- Yes.

[Judge Judy] She looks healthy.

She's gaining a lot of weight. Yes.

[Judge Judy] You're satisfied...

- Yes, Your Honor.
- [Judge Judy] ...that she's okay?

She filled out an application.

- She did all the right things.
- [Judge Judy] Just...

And gave you $500?

- No, she did not.
- [Judge Judy] She did not?

Because she gave a $500 donation.

- And...
- [Judge Judy] Okay, just a second.

So you didn't ask her for another?

- No. That wouldn't have been.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

- Just a second.
- Okay.

It's very, very easy.

You signed this contract.

You want me to read it to you?

"I hereby acknowledge and understand

that the dog's adoption fee is a donation
to Maltese Rescue Organization

and that MRC is in no way obligated
to return or refund this adoption fee

at any time." You made a donation.

Tami agreed to return the fee to me.

- [Judge Judy] Oh, really?
- And she was going to get it...

- [Judge Judy] Just a second.
- [Lorraina] ...from this woman.

[Judge Judy] Just a second.
Did you agree to return the fee to her?

When I first spoke to her, I explained

if she would return Sophie to me
immediately

because I didn't know where she was.

I would then refund her her money.

Just a second.
That was in the first conversation...

- [Tami] Yes, Your Honor.
- ...when she called you on a Monday?

- Yes, Your Honor.
- [Judge Judy] Okay. When she called you,

did she ask for the adoption fee?

- No, she did not, Your Honor.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

It was at that conversation when you say,

"Bring the dog back here immediately,

and I will refund your money."

- [Tami] Yeah.
- And she says,

"I can't get the dog there
until the weekend."

Um, actually, when she first called me,

she said, "You need to get this dog
out of here immediately.

I'm sick of her peeing..."

Your Honor, I never said that.

"...peeing and pooping all over my house."

I said, "Okay. Okay. I will get her.

I can't do it right now.

If I can't do it,
I'll find someone who can

or I will get her tomorrow.
I will call you back."

And then it escalated from there.

She also said she would not drive to me

because she doesn't drive that far.

I said, "You drove to my house
to pick her up.

How could you not drive that far?"

[Judge Judy] During what part
of the initial conversation

did you say to her, "If you bring the dog
back to me immediately,

I'll give you your $500"?

The very beginning when she told me
she was sick of her

peeing and pooing all over her house.

I will get her out as fast as I can
and I will give you your money back.

[Judge Judy]
That any part of the conversation?

Your Honor, that's not what was said.

[Judge Judy] Okay. So you tell me

when she told you she would give you
your money back on what day?

On, uh, 25th of May
and on the 27th of May.

[Judge Judy] Okay. Tell me about that.

On the 25th of May was the day
after you say you called her.

You say you called her on the 24th of May.

- And the 25th.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

- You say you called her on the 24th?
- Yes, ma'am.

And she didn't mention anything
about the return of the money on the 24th?

- No, ma'am.
- [Judge Judy] On the 25th,

- very next day...
- That was that evening.

[Judge Judy] Just a second. I thought
you didn't speak to her the next day.

- I did on the 20...
- [Judge Judy] Shh.

- I spoke to her that...I called her...
- [Judge Judy] No, no. Shh.

- ...because I had not heard back...
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

- Oh.
- You told me your initial call with her

was on the 24th which was on a Monday.

- Correct.
- [Judge Judy] Right.

And you say,
"I waited for her all day Monday

and I waited for her all day Tuesday,

and I didn't hear from her."

So I called her back Tuesday evening.

- [Judge Judy] And?
- I have hit my phone.

- [Judge Judy] Go ahead.
- Okay?

[Judge Judy] And tell me
about that conversation.

So that's when I asked her
what she was going to do.

Was she going to meet me
or was she sending somebody to pick her up

or did she wanna wait until the weekend.

What did she work out
because she was going to phone somebody.

- Don't tell me what she was going to do.
- [Lorraina] Okay. I mean...

- I mean you do drive.
- [Lorraina] [indistinct] like this.

And you did drive to get the dog.

- So you could've driven.
- Yes, ma'am.

[Judge Judy] And if you waited...
what kind of work do you do?

I'm retired.

[Judge Judy] Well, if you're retired,
why don't you go bring her the next day...

- [Lorraina] Because I...
- [Judge Judy] ...back to her house?

- Because...
- [Judge Judy] If you're retired,

why didn't you go and bring the dog home
the next day...

- As I'm trying to explain...
- [Judge Judy] ...back to her...

...when I have my grandkids,
I don't drive that far because I'm not...

- You know...
- accustomed to driving into traffic.

You know, you have no case.

Zero.

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah.

You made a donation to a charity.

Read your contract.

I actually think you're pretty outrageous.

Your case is dismissed. We're done here.

- Hmm.
- [Kevin] Court adjourned.

Oh, the defendant is nasty

and you could see that it's her way or
no way.

I think that she made the right choice
and she made the right decision.

And it's very apparent
when I was at their home

that she's just a nasty person.

So I'm not exactly sure
what transpired there

but, I, she definitely made
the right decision.

I made a tax donation
and I'll use it on my write-offs.

[Judge Judy] That was relatively easy.

Contract is a contract is a contract.

Taking away all the emotions.

Plaintiff knew what she was signing.

She understood what she was signing,
and she breached the contract.

Anyway, right thing happened.

Case number 1011,
Coit versus Alonzo, please step forward.

[announcer] Jennifer Coit claims
contractor Robert Alonzo

changed his price quote, causing her
to overpay for plumbing services.

- Ms. Coit, you live in Texas?
- Yes.

- [Judge Judy] Where is Texas?
- Dallas.

[Judge Judy]
You had a bad storm this past year.

- A bad one.
- [Judge Judy] Hoo.

What was the date of the storm?

Around February 16th I think or like that.

[Judge Judy]
And I think my memory serves...it got...

as cold as it's been
probably in your memory.

- Yeah.
- And in 20 years.

How cold was it, Mr. Alonzo?

One, zero degrees.

Tell me about your house.
What sized house do you have, Ms. Coit?

I have, um, three bedrooms, single family.

About 1,700 square feet.

- And all your pipes froze?
- [Jennifer] No.

Both of the toilets in my house stopped up
and then my sink, and then the pipe didn't

[Judge Judy] Well, that...just a second.

So you had two toilets, one sink.

- Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] The sink was where?

[Jennifer] In the kitchen.

[Judge Judy] What about
the sinks in the bathroom?

The sinks in the bathroom,
no...uh, but the shower in the bathroom.

[Judge Judy] So now all these things
didn't know will come together,

they clogged because it was freezing
outside.

- Possibly so.
- [Judge Judy] Not possibly.

There's too much serendipity
in losing two toilets,

one sink, and a shower, all at one time.

I think it started
before the storm though.

Before we had the weather,
it had already start.

I could see it in the shower.

[Judge Judy] How much before the storm?

[Jennifer] Maybe a couple of days.

[Judge Judy] Did you call anybody
when you started to see a problem?

[Jennifer] Well, it really wasn't.

- I didn't see a problem until...
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

- Yeah.
- [Judge Judy] So Ms. Coit,

so we're not gonna play with each other.

The pipes froze in your house
because of the storm.

- Okay.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

Do you think that 150
over a four-hour period

by three men is sufficient compensation?

Yes. I have [indistinct] yes.

They weren't there for four hours.

Listen...

Sorry.

[theme music playing]

[announcer] Jennifer Coit
is suing contractor Robert Alonzo

for overpayment and price gouging

during a natural disaster in Texas.

[Judge Judy] Now, Mr. Alonzo,
you're in the plumbing business?

I'm a general contractor actually.

So, uh, we subcontract plumbers
and other contractors.

You got his name out of the phone book?

Actually, I got it off of, um,

this site...this app that we have
called Nextdoor

for your neighborhood so you can go in
and get recommendations and [indistinct]

[Judge Judy] Okay.
So then...so you got it online?

- Yes.
- And did you call him on the 16th?

It wasn't him.

- [Judge Judy] Who was it?
- It was his workers.

I only got his name because he's the one
that I had to charge my credit card to.

- Yeah.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

- Okay.
- Did you ever speak to Mr. Alonzo?

- Not until after the fact.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

The reason that you're here today

is that you think Mr. Alonzo
overcharged you?

- Yes, ma'am.
- [Judge Judy] And you paid him by

both cash and credit card
in the amount of...

I think $1,200?

- [Jennifer] 1,250.
- Hmm?

- 1,250.
- [Judge Judy] 1,250.

And it was your understanding
that they were gonna come out

and do the job for a $150?

$150 is what I was quoted.

- [Judge Judy] Oh, okay.
- Uh-uh.

[Judge Judy] Well, I don't know
whether that's what you were quoted

unless you have it writing
from somebody, do you?

I have it on a text message.

I'd like to see
what the text message says.

- I've never seen none of her texts.
- [Judge Judy] Shh.

Okay.

I have to see who it's from.

This one doesn't show the price.

- [Judge Judy] Well, that's what I need.
- [Jennifer] No, I don't have that.

[Judge Judy] So then
since you don't have any proof

of what you were quoted
both either in a contract

or in a text message that I can look at,

or in an email
that I might be able to look at.

Tell me, did workers show up
to your home on the 16th?

Actually, they showed up
to my home on the 18th and 19th.

[Judge Judy] So neither toilet was working

- for two days?
- Right.

And the sink wasn't working
in your kitchen?

- [Jennifer] Right.
- And the shower wasn't working?

- Right.
- [Judge Judy] Now, on the 18th,

- how many people showed up?
- [Jennifer] Three.

[Judge Judy] At what time of the day
did they show up?

Actually, it was about 8:00 PM.

How long were they
at the house on 8:00 PM?

I would say 15 minutes.

[Judge Judy] When they left,
were the two toilets still broken?

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Was the sink still broken?

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] And shower still broken?

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] And then they came back

on the 19th,

- was it the same three men?
- [Jennifer] Yes.

[Judge Judy] And what time
did they get there?

I would say they got there maybe 6:00 PM.

And what time did they leave?

[Jennifer] It took 'em a while.

So I would say maybe 10:00 PM.

[Judge Judy] When they left
after they were there for four hours,

were either of the toilets working?

[Jennifer] I didn't...I don't know...

[Judge Judy] Just a second.

Ms. Coit,
don't think about where I'm going.

Okay.

[Judge Judy] Because I would know
when a two-bath house,

if I was there by myself

whether either one of the two toilets
was working after two days,

I would know the answer to that question.

So at 10:00 PM when they left,
were either of the two toilets working?

They were working
but they hadn't bolted them down.

[Judge Judy] So could you use them? Is the
que...

Yes. I could use them but...

- [Judge Judy] You could use them both?
- Uh-hmm.

Okay. And what about
the sink in the kitchen?

Uh, the sink in the kitchen,
it was...I can use it.

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] So it was working.

- And what about the shower?
- Yeah.

[Jennifer] The shower was working.

- [Judge Judy] Did they ever come back?
- No.

[Judge Judy] So they were there
from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM on?

- The 19th.
- [Judge Judy] The 19th.

- Uh-hmm
- And there were three men working?

- [Jennifer] Yes.
- Who finally bolted down the toilets?

Well...

[Judge Judy]
Not-not a well thats, that's the name.

...they didn't...they didn't do it.

My...I had to get someone else
to come in and bolt them down.

I had to buy the pieces
because when they removed the toilet,

it broke the screws in the toilet,

so I had...and I couldn't get them
to respond to come back out.

So I had to hire someone else
to come back out to put the toilets down,

and I had to buy,
I forget what you call it,

for the toilet, for them to bolt it down.

- That little ring that you need?
- [Judge Judy] Okay. Uh-hmm.

- Yeah.
- But you had the use of toilets.

Do you have the bill
from the person that came back

to put them back to bolt them back
into the floor?

- No, I don't.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

When they left,
did they present you with a bill?

No. They quoted me a price.

[Judge Judy] You can't tell me
what they quoted you.

- Okay.
- [Judge Judy] Because that's hearsay,

unless you spoke to him.

Who ultimately gave you a bill?

No one gave me a bill.

[Judge Judy] Who told you what to pay?

- That's why you're here.
- One of his workers told me what...

- [Judge Judy] Was that on the 19th?
- Yes.

[Judge Judy]
And when he left at 10:00 at night,

what did he say the charge was?

He told me 1,350.

And did you pay him?

[Jennifer] Under duress, yes.

- [Judge Judy] You paid him?
- Yes.

I wrote him a check for 250

and then the balance of a thousand

- on my credit card.
- [Judge Judy] On your credit card.

And then from what I gather
from the papers,

you questioned or tried to do a chargeback

for what you had put
on your credit card...

- Uh-hmm.
- ...which was about a thousand dollars.

And the credit card company did it first.

- Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] And then they did

a further investigation
and they charged your credit card?

- Uh-hmm.
- So what do you think

the cost was supposed to be?

The cost was...

- [Judge Judy] Supposed to be?
- ...supposed to be 150.

[Judge Judy] Okay. Now,

do you think that 150

for what was done in your house

over a four-hour period

by three men is sufficient compensation,

whether there's a blizzard or not,
whether there's a storm,

you think that a reasonable price
for four hours work for three men

is a hundred and fifty dollars,
you think that's a reasonable price?

- At the time, yes.
- [Judge Judy] Yes, well.

Because [indistinct] the toilets.

But I paid 250 because of the weather,

that's when I went over
and paid more than what Mr...

[Judge Judy] Well, then, Ms. Coit,
I'm gonna say this to you.

He doesn't have to say anything.

You can't decide what his fee should be.

You can't do that, you know.

Nobody likes price gouging
during an emergency.

- Yeah.
- [Judge Judy] But what I'm telling you is

if your house is totally frozen

and it took three men to do it,

and they couldn't even
get to your job for two days...

because they were so busy,

it is not unreasonable to charge...

what you were charged for that many men

for that many hours' worth of work.

There's a lesson to be learned,
I'm gonna tell you what the lesson is.

And the lesson to be learned
is before you have a job done,

get an estimate in writing.

If they left on the 18th and said,
"We now see what the problem is,"

because that's what I'm surmising.

You can't tell me that.

But I assume if they came
and looked at the problem,

they said,
"We'll be back tomorrow to fix it."

And if you were a consumer, you say,
"How much is it gonna cost?"

Put it in writing.

- Okay.
- I have that bill.

The credit card company
did its investigation

and found that he was entitled
to his money.

I find the same thing.
Your case is dismissed.

- We're finished. Thank you.
- Thank you.

[Kevin] Court's adjourned.

Well, the fact that, uh,
actually they didn't complete the job.

They didn't complete the job at all.

That's...I don't think...I don't think that
that's true because...

I had to get another plumber
and someone else,

they did not complete the job.

The guys were there for a lot longer

because they did some jobs
for me personally.

$1,250.

The money that was charged,

that all went to the [indistinct]
one penny.

Now we can film again.

Hard times. People were under stress.

You had to do what you had to do.

[Sarah] So I know you always say

that it's important
to get your contracts in writing

for enforceability
and just to hold people accountable.

I think this case showed that especially
in times of distress and desperation

and natural disasters,

it's even more important
to get things in writing.

Yeah. Sometimes when you're
in the midst of a problem,

when you [chuckles]...when you live in a
house

that has two bathrooms
and you don't have a working bathroom,

that...that's a real problem.

But when you had come to court,
you need evidence.

I didn't actually think that
what was charged was that unreasonable,

so it was without a contract
and you add the number of men

and the number of hours that they work

and the fact that they worked
from 6:00 at night until 10:00 at night

- according to plaintiff.
- Uh-hmm.

[Judge Judy] In my judgment,
they were entitled to the fee

that they charged
and if she was unhappy with it,

that was her problem.

She really should've gotten it in writing.

And when in doubt, get a signature.

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