- [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?
[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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