MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Imagine taking your car in for repairs and two years later you still don’t have it back, or even worse, you aren’t exactly sure where it is.
All Kathy Lofton wanted was to keep something that meant so much to her late father. She inherited the 1993 four-door 190 E Mercedes when her father passed away.
“I promised him I would try to hold on to the car because I knew what it meant to him,” said Lofton. “I decided that I wanted to get it shined up, maintenance and everything. I wanted to get the ignition fixed because I knew it had been problematic for years and only my dad knew the trick to get it to turn over.”
She took it to a shop that was recommended to her for vintage cars.
“I called the business, which was Gasoline Alley, and I talked to the gentleman about the problems with the ignition,” she said.
That was July of 2021. He accepted the job and asked for a deposit upfront.
“I gave him a deposit of $1,500 for the labor, the parts, and the assessment and inspection,” Lofton said.
She says he cashed the check, and she kept in touch anxious to get her car back, but months started to go by, and then came excuses.
“And so I called, I texted. I would occasionally drive by, ‘What are you doing? What’s the progress?’ And he told me, you know, ‘We only have a few people on staff. The parts are slow due to the pandemic, and waiting on parts to come in,'” said Lofton.
She started growing suspicious, and he stopped taking her calls. Then, she drove by Gasoline Alley.
“When I went, it was empty. It may have been a few old remnants from cars, like maybe a bumper, a hood,” Lofton said.
She says at that point she believed she was “being duped.”
She called several attorneys and the Department of Commerce, who wrote her saying there was nothing they could do, and to call the police because it sounded like theft. So, she called the police.
“Someone did come out, but they said it was not theft. And the reason they said that is because you gave him the car. So it was not theft,” said Lofton.
Lofton says she also learned there was a tax lien on Gasoline Alley, showing the business had been sold. The new owner had cleared the property out on Scott Street.
She then contacted NewsNation affiliate WREG. The station got on the case trying to track down owner Hugh Jamieson.
“Kathy Lofton, one of your customers, she had a 1993 Mercedes 190 E over at Gasoline Alley, and she has been trying to get it back from you,” said April Thompson, a WREG Investigator, during a phone call with Jamieson.
He told us he had spoken with Lofton about her car on the first of the year, and then he hung up.
We went to his home in East Memphis. His wife was there and didn’t want to talk but was adamant everything was being overblown.
She said Gasoline Alley had closed down and she thought Lofton had the car.
Minutes after leaving his home, we got a phone call from a man who said he was Jamieson’s attorney. He told us Lofton’s car had been towed to D’s Wrecker Service on Shelby Drive and had been there for months because he said Lofton would not come get it from wherever it had been.
“I am taken aback that someone who alleged he was a reputable businessman would play these kinds of games and go through all this trouble when he could have just returned the car,” said Kathy at D’s Salvage.
We met Lofton at D’s Wrecker, where they confirmed they had the car, and had been sending certified mail to her father’s old address.
WREG put up our drone and got a video of what appeared to be Lofton’s Mercedes among high weeds. It had been painted, but she later confirmed it was the vehicle she inherited from her dad.
“I am angry, but I am also relieved that my story is now making sense to people. I have been telling the truth all along. That my car has been taken,” she said.
But, that was not the end. Kathy soon learned she still could not drive off in the car she had been waiting years to get back.
There were daily storage fees she had to pay.
“It is over $5,000 at this point. That’s probably more than the worth of the car and what it would cost for me to try and get it repaired from someone else reputable,” said Lofton. “I shouldn’t have to pay that. It is not my fault.”
WREG found a Federal IRS tax lien against Hugh Jamieson filed on April 16, 2021, for $104,000, just months after Lofton dropped off her car and paid the deposit.
The Midsouth Better Business Bureau says it does not have any history on Hugh Jamieson or Gasoline Alley, but they say there are lessons to be learned here.
“You know, kind of look out for the red flags right? You never want to pay all the money upfront. That would be something if they’re requesting all the money upfront before you even know what’s wrong with the car,” said Daniel Irwin. “That would be a huge red flag. But you just got to vet as much as you can before you take a car.”
Kathy Lofton says she has learned the hard way.
But, a few weeks after WREG helped her locate her missing car, she sent us a video of a tow truck finally bringing it back to her home.
She was able to get the police to meet her at the lot that had it. She says when the cops showed up, the lot owner quickly let her leave with the car – minus any fees.
Now she hopes a lawyer can help her get back the $1,500 deposit she paid Hugh Jamieson to fix it.
“It’s about Integrity and good business practices,” said Lofton.
Kathy Lofton is also hoping any other people who had cars at Gasoline Alley will come forward with their experience.
The Better Business Bureau says it is also a good idea to file a formal complaint with the BBB if you have problems.
