Hail storms hit North Texas pretty hard this year, but some storm victims feel like they've been banged up twice.
During a March storm, hail hit two of Jody Sheffield's vehicles. His truck was almost brand new.
"I just bought it," he said. "I think maybe I made three payments on it."
Sheffield's insurance paid quickly. As he left the bank after cashing his insurance check, he met someone who claimed to be with a body shop who promised to fix the damage at a cheap rate.
"He says he'll do both cars for $500.48, " Sheffield said.
Having received more than $3,000 from his insurance company for repairs, Sheffield initially thought that sounded like a great deal. When the two men came to his home to do the work, though, Sheffield started getting suspicious.
"He would heat it up with a torch right here and then the kind of work it with the suction comp, a commercial grade suction cup, and then slap wax on it," he said.
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The men assured Sheffield the wax would come off easily the next morning. Sheffield paid only part of the $500 dollars they wanted and told them he would pay the rest when he saw the dents were gone.
"You couldn't tell whether the dents were gone or not because everything was covered in wax," he said.
The next morning, the men were a no show.
"The dents are still there," Sheffield told us. "It took me six hours of hard scrabble and to get that wax off."
Sheffield said the men got $150 bucks from him and damaged his paint. Lesson learned.
"If it sounds too good to be true it probably is," Sheffield told us, laughing.
We tried the numbers Sheffield had for the men with no luck. The auto body shop they claimed to be with has also never heard of them.
That's tip No. 1 to avoid being ripped off. If someone claims to be with a body shop, research that shop online and call it. Second, beware of deeply discounted offers. Finally, beware of anybody who approaches you about a repair, especially in your driveway. It's better to look and find your own body shop. Ask friends for recommendations and get at least two written estimates.
