Alleged victims of a “dodgy” car detailer have claimed their vehicles were held ransom for huge extra payments for work that was never carried out.
Sam the Man Car Care owner Sam Baravelli, 34, who was trusted to touch up their dream cars, has been accused of using their vehicles as a way to extort more money.
Dozens of customers claim that Baravelli held their car for weeks longer than expected and charged exorbitant amounts; some claim they were returned in worse conditions.
Baravelli was arrested by police last Tuesday after Consumer Affairs Victoria warned the public not to take their business to Sam the Man in January.
Police towed a dozen vehicles allegedly stolen from Baravelli’s car shop in Footscray, in Melbourne’s inner city, before charging him with 33 counts each of car theft and obtaining property by deception.
An allegedly shady car detailer, Sam Baravelli (pictured being arrested), has been accused of holding customers’ cars in order to extort them for additional payments.
One of those allegedly affected by Bavarelli was 19-year-old apprentice mechanic Josh Williams, who said his Nissan Skyline R34 was totaled by the mechanic.
What was supposed to be a four-week job quickly turned into a nearly two-month project that ended up costing Mr. Williams all of his savings, $17,194.50.
After spending all his money and still not getting his car back, Mr. Williams took matters into his own hands and found the car at the company in terrible condition.
“They’ve taken all the paint protection off, it’s got quite a few more scratches than it originally had,” he told A Current Affair.
‘My insides are absolutely destroyed. There are stains everywhere.
‘(Baravelli) said there is more to do, I told him I wouldn’t pay for it… If I stopped paying him, he wouldn’t give me my car back.
“In a way, they were holding me ransom and my car was bait.”
Victorian Consumer Affairs Director Nicole Rich warned the public to take their businesses to Sam the Man after receiving more than 70 complaints from the public.
“Not only were consumer laws violated, but there were also possible vehicle thefts,” he said.
“We were very concerned about Sam the Man Car Care due to reports we received from Victorian consumers about what was happening and thought we urgently needed to warn the public.”
The watchdog’s warning alleged that Barravelli made “false or misleading statements about the price of its services (and) increased the initial quote.”
‘(Sam the Man allegedly) failed to perform services within the agreed upon time or within a reasonable period of time and returned the consumers’ vehicles with additional damage while the vehicle remained in Sam the Man’s possession.’
The warning also stated that on three occasions, cars left with Sam the Man were not returned to their owners.
Apprentice mechanic Josh Williams (pictured with his Nissan Skyline R34) claims Baravelli totaled his car despite paying him more than $17,000.
Victoria Police allege the scam was much broader and involved holding “customers’ vehicles for excessively long periods and refusing to return them until they paid a substantially higher fee than initially agreed upon.”
“(Baravelli allegedly) requested payment for services that he did not perform and also drove clients’ cars for personal use.”
Police will also allege he continued to take customers’ cars and issue quotes after being evicted from the shop.
However, Baravelli said there was more to the story and that customers simply didn’t understand how he worked.
“I’ve tried to explain it the best I can because I feel like I owe the community a little bit,” Baravelli told the show while being arrested.
‘I never intended to take anyone’s car to do anything.
“All the cars that are there have had work done… they’ve had road work done.”
He has since been released on bail and is due to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on June 20.
A 45-year-old south Melbourne woman is also expected to be charged with theft of a motor vehicle and obtaining property by deception.
Police have urged anyone with information about the alleged scam to come forward as investigations continue.