A MAN was left without answers for over a year after he paid $3,100 for a lawnmower repair that never came.

James Atchison, who relies on a riding lawnmower due to mobility issues, took his machine to a hardware store in 2023 when it started overheating and shutting off.

James Atchison speaking to CBS affiliate about losing over $3,000 to a hardware storeCredit: KENS5

Atchison took his lawnmower to Helping Hand Hardware to get it fixed but the store said that he would need a new one insteadCredit: KENS5

The store informed Atchison that the new motor would cost $3,100 and an additional $600 to fixCredit: KENS

Helping Hand Hardware store charged Atchison $3,100 to order a new motor for the lawnmower in early 2024.

Atchison, a resident of Marion, Texas, approximately three hours outside Houston, was also informed that the final repairs would cost an additional $500 to $600.

But the motor never arrived.

After months of waiting, Atchison decided to ask for his money back when the lawnmower still hadn’t been fixed.

“I spoke to a man (at the store), he told me the motor was still on backorder,” Atchison, told CBS affiliate KENS.

Frustrated, he asked for a refund and told the store he’d pick up the mower himself.

He called the store in January, February, and March but couldn’t get answers.

He said in March, the store told him they couldn’t find a receipt for his $3,100 payment.

Atchison sent them his copy of the receipt in response.

After the store still didn’t give his money back, Atchison’s wife had enough with the miscommunication and warned the store they would go to the media with their story.

Only then did the store offer a partial refund, saying they would keep $650 for labor costs.

But the ordeal wasn’t over yet.

Atchison said that it didn’t make sense for him to receive a partial refund, and he again reached out to KENS.

When reporters showed up at Helping Hand Hardware, the owner claimed he knew nothing about the situation.

The store’s manager insisted they still wanted the $650 for their work.

KENS gave them two days to respond.

But just hours later, a different owner, Roger Scheffel Jr., contacted the station.

Scheffel said he had just learned about the situation and wanted to make things right.

He insisted that this isn’t how they do business.

Scheffel apologized to Atchison.

“He was very nice. He said ‘I’m so sorry you had these issues and I will pay you back all your money and give you back your mower,” Atchison said.

The next day, the full refund was in Atchison’s hands.

Scheffel later explained the store had struggled to source a working motor due to defects and backorders.

While they had spent nearly $600 trying to resolve the issue, they wrote it off as a goodwill gesture.

“I made the decision that it was best for us to proceed with ‘the customer is always right,'” Scheffel said in a statement.

Atchison was relieved to get all his money back.

Helping Hand Hardware didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment by The U.S. Sun.

By late 2024, the store still hadn’t fixed the mower, and Atchison wanted his money backCredit: KENS5