Some customers still haven't recovered parts from Jacksonville auto shop months after shutdown

Some frustrated customers said they’re still unable to get back expensive engines they dropped off for repairs at H&M Parts Warehouse in Riverside.

Their complaints come a month after an Action News Jax Investigation exposed that the Jacksonville business suddenly shut its doors with customers' property still inside.

Our investigation also uncovered that the business’ registration with the Florida Department of State has been inactive since September 2016.

A majority of the customers who reached out to Action News Jax in July were able to get their property back from H&M Parts Warehouse after our first and second stories aired.

But there are a handful who still say their pricey engines are locked inside the warehouse.

“How can I get my stuff back?” customer Ryan Smith asked.

Smith’s receipts show he paid nearly $3,700 for repairs to a Ford engine.

A month after learning from Action News Jax that the shop was closed, Smith said he still can’t get his engine or his money back.

“At the end of the day, I just want my property back. That’s really what I want,” Smith said.

Two days after Action News Jax’s first story aired, H&M Parts Warehouse started opening up its doors sporadically for customers to retrieve their belongings.

At the time, owner Alan Buchheit claimed he’d already called every customer.

“I’ll deal with my customers on my own, ma’am,” Buchheit said July 13.

Since then, multiple customers have said that wasn’t true.

“I have not received any calls since I’ve dropped it off,” Roberto Gallegos said.

Gallegos said his engine is still at the shop and he’s out $3,000.

“That’s the scary part. I know I don’t have it,” Gallegos said.

On Wednesday, Action News Jax reporter Jenna Bourne sent Buchheit a Facebook message saying Gallegos wanted to pick up his engine.

Buchheit said he would call Gallegos on Thursday.

By Monday, Gallegos said Buchheit still hadn’t called, even though Buchheit insists he did.

Action News Jax asked Buchheit for a screenshot of his dialed calls, and Buchheit said he couldn’t do that because he called from the shop phone.

Buchheit said he would not call Gallegos from his cellphone because he does not want to risk Gallegos giving Action News Jax his number.

Cox Media Group