[JSH]

First, it's common in the auto, construction and other industries to provide a 50% deposit up front and the balance at completion. The vendor should have done that.

I assume you have some type of written contract or agreement that specifies what he will do for a certain price, the schedule for the work, addresses any warranty, etc. An email chain would be better than nothing.

Every vendor should be willing to return the unspent deposit and parts purchased minus reasonable labor charges.

If the vendor refuses to so after say 3 written requests, check the website of the county court having jurisdiction in his area to see the maximum small claim amount. Yours will probably be under that amount.

File your claim and it will likely take several months to hear from the court about scheduling a hearing wherein the judge or magistrate will likely walk in and ask you about settlement.

Originally Posted by zaimer

Why would you ever put 80% down on something like that, at minimum before the majority of the work had been done? Second of all, there was no discussion at the time of the transaction, of a refund possibility?

Outsiders can't really give an appropriate answer on something with a brief overview (of your side). Talk to a lawyer or start chewing a$# at the shop until someone budges.