(Memphis) All Rya Banks wanted was a new hood and motor for her 2006 Chrysler.
“I was frustrated and I broke down in tears. I couldn’t believe it,” says Banks when she finally saw her car.
After paying for car repairs, she found her car was missing most of the parts and left in a salvage yard.
She blames Universal Auto Body on Summer Avenue, where she took her car last September and paid worker Andrew Collins.
She says Collins took her money but stopped responding to her calls.
She took him to court, but she still had no car until she spotted it Sunday outside a junk lot.
“We spoke to one of the workers at the junk yard. He advised us the car was sold to him,” says Banks.
We went to Universal Auto looking for Andrew Collins.
A man, identifying himself as the new owner, said Collins stopped working there six months ago.
“They ran him out of business. He had a big lawsuit. He doesn’t have anything to do with this one or the one on Airways anymore. No. Not anymore,” says the worker.
But not according to the receipts Rya Banks kept for payments she made to Universal Auto via Andrew Collins as late as November.
“These are his signatures. Yes. Yes,” says Banks holding up the receipts.
One thing appears to be truth, Andrew Collins has mounting lawsuits.
Rya Bank’s attorney, Henry Reeves, says he’s found at least 12 different lawsuits.
“He (Andrew Collins) targets specific portions of Memphis. He targets people who don’t necessarily have the voice and means to address this injustice,” says Reaves.
Reaves is now considering a class action lawsuit and wants the District Attorney to declare Universal Auto a public nuisance and shut it down.
We tried to reach Andrew Collins but got no reply.
He is supposed to be in court this Wednesday on this case.
Attorney Reaves says customers who have complaints about Andrew Collins and Universal Auto Body can get information about the class action suit by calling the Reaves Law Firm at 901-352-0333.