Rider dissatisfied with service from ATV Specialties

People who own all-terrain vehicles expect them to take on trails. They don’t want one to just sit, un-drivable, in disrepair. Especially one that’s only a year old.

"It smoked a lot, and it sounded almost like a sewing machine. It knocked like 'ne, ne, ne, ne,'" said Brittany Lane, as she described the mud-splattered ATV sitting behind her Kenly home.

The four-wheeler broke down during a trail ride last February. Lane took it to ATV Specialties repair shop in Benson. Two months and almost $1400 later, she said shop owner Kenneth Allred told her the ATV was "completely ready, good to go."

"We rode it that Sunday for 2 hours,” Lane said. “It was smoking 10 times worse than when we carried it up there (to ATV Specialties) and knocking worse. It was so bad when he pulled it in our garage, the entire garage filled up with smoke," she added.

So Lane took it back to ATV Specialties. Weeks later, Allred told her another part was needed, for another $400. She told him to stop work, and got her ATV back with a box of parts. She believe some of the parts don’t even go to her ATV.

Lane was beyond frustrated.

“I asked him for our money back, and he told me no. There's no way you're getting your money back when we did the work,” Lane said Allred told her.

Monica Laliberte of 5 On Your Side went to talk with Allred at his business in Benson. “So you're saying everything you say you did, you did?” Laliberte asked.

Allred replied, “I did. But it needed the crank changed and I gave 'em the option: We can try it this way, but I don't think it will work. And they ran with it. It was cheaper."

"We weren't given any options,” Lane told Laliberte, adding, “Actually, we told him to do what it took to get it back to brand new."

Lane sued Allred, and brought stacks of records, including printed text messages, as evidence. She won a $4,500 judgment.

“The judge told me, he said, 'I'm sorry. We've seen individuals like this. We've seen him before,'" said Lane.

5 On your Side is aware of at least two other judgments against Allred involving his ATV sales and repair business.

An online review from a customer accuses Allred of taking money and not doing the repairs. And on Allred’s business Facebook page, multiple one star reviews are posted.

Laliberte asked Allred about the complaints.

“What do you say to the people who are saying you're taking their equipment, charging them and not fixing it?” she asked.

Allred looked to the left and right, and gestured toward all of the vehicles sitting on his lot.

“All these people keep coming back. I don't know. I can't please everyone. I try. I really do. I just haven't found a way to please them all,” Allred said.

“I’m just here turning wrenches. Am I perfect? No. I get it wrong sometimes. I'm not perfect. I make mistakes. But I try to cover it though. If I make the mistake, I fix it if they let me," he added.

Allred has yet to pay Lane any of the judgment. 5 On Your Side did not find any legal registration or license for ATV Specialties.

Lane said her end goal is to save others the hassle she experienced.

“His personality, when you're talking to him at first, is very nice,” Lane said. “But once you start working with him, you can see the real changes. And I don't want him to be able to do this to anybody else.”