Paint help

[1hot68]

From Carrots
I left them with a $2900 deposit for parts.

I believe that is illegal to take the money before hand(to purchase materials to do the job, in my common sense mind, this is what they are doing.)  I know you can leave deposits when you get parts and such but they are nowhere near the halfway mark.  Sounds like that shop is running on empty and uses customer money to get by.  Not Good! I will be corrected if I am wrong on this.


From Hemi-H
I see it all the time is people like to cut corners, take short cuts & crank out a Piece of crap & cross thier fingers & hope it turns out ok

There are no shortcuts in bodywork, and I learned a lesson myself not 1 day ago on a spot in that i did as a favor for my buddy Gene(it's fixed right now.)(yes, i took a few different routes with my charger but knew what I was doing and know it will always be a driver)  Any shortcut will be a comeback eventually.

Go in there and tell them you are getting a lawyer if they don't agree to make it right....FOR FREE!!!.   
I'm guessing some of the issue is that you are new to this country and if you have an accent and they are in the good ole' boy crowd, they are taking advantage of you.

This story made me sick and floored me thinking this stuff even happens.  How can anyone with a conscience even consider treating another human being like this.

My buddy Danny runs a small in town collision center and although we do things off the cuff(cash deals, etc...) every now and again, he would never not make it right if a customer was not happy.
I'm pissed off just reading this.

Make sure your lights just aren't unplugged or something although I don't know if they had a reason to go back there, also they could have crimped/clipped/broken/burst/ruptured/torn/cut/a wire in there causing this as well.  I seem to remember a similar thread a billion years ago about getting a car back from the body shop, and the rear lights not working.

Keep us abreast of the situation, ain't nobody here out to screw you or take your money.

Where is 1hot68(Brian) on this one, he owns a body shop and I bet he'll have some sound advice as well as Hemi and others.
v/r
Mike

Thats , for the most part pretty dang well said Mike!


Although , at least in Iowa you can accept a deposit on the parts and labor if both parties agree to such.

I also see this all the time with body shops in my area , WAY too many people doing what the think they can get away with instead of simply doing the job right the first time!! This also goes for many other fields of service these days!! " do the least for the most amount you can get away with" seems to be the trend! 

I personally would give them 1 final chance to get it right (which is highly unlikely to happen since they obviously aren't capable) PERIOD and let them know that its their only chance and that the next step is the lawyer (you should consult one ahead of time on the details of the deal in you're local)

Also , dont be afraid to mention the Better Bussines Bureau.

Go get 'em Tiger ....Don't let them get away with it!

[mikepmcs]

Oh, by the way, what part of Texas you in?  I got some cousins down there that would be happy to do some damage for a quick buck.  Not the proudest part of my family.

v/r
M

[Carrots]

Thank you all for your kind words of support. This is such a downer. I'm kinda resolved to having to give these guys a final chance but as we know its highly unlikely to get things sorted. The thing that boggles my mind is the fact that if they were out to completely rip me off then why even do some of the work? Some things have indeed been done, although at what quality only time will tell. Why include items on an invoice that patently haven't been touched? Just to get me out the door maybe. Why not just throw me the keys yesterday instead of spending time talking about 4th July plans and other unnecessary small talk . Why even answer my calls at all? With a shop full of mechanics I don't really want to try and become Mr Nasty on site with them, especially as I will in effect need to trust them with my car for a period of time once again. I have thought about hanging round whilst they do the work but I doubt thats got legs given the circumstances. Its also very impractical given that the shop is a 70 mile round trip, I have no other car and a cab there yesterday was $80. I have composed a very calm email (below) which I may send. Or I may call. Or I may wait and see if they call me as we have agreed. Right now I'm not sure. As I've said I am very aware that rocking the boat and being all confrontational may just make things worse but having been Mr Nice perhaps I have no other option. I've had to rewrite this more than four times to try and keep it objective, I really am very pissed off.  I'm in Houston BTW, and I may need to borrow those heavies before this is all worked out so I appreciate the offer Mike (if I were back home in London this would already be on the table as an option). I'm no thug (quite the gentleman actually) and I'd rather just have these guys step up amicably but given the above my goodwill is rather thin to say the least. I also wondered if I have any chance in having the payment transactions reversed by the bank. Have them disputed perhaps? Probably doubtful given that I did Ok them and signed both the invoice and CC slips yesterday. I really am not happy or hopeful about continuing to deal with these clowns though and if I could just get some money back I'd probably just walk away. I think I have more chance of having the car fixed (yeah right!) than that though. I'm a journalist by trade and so once this is done with boy will these folks be getting some coverage. Sadly that won't get my car fixed or my money returned though and so for the time being revenge is on the back burner. My wife's father is a lawyer and I'll be speaking to him next week. The thing that makes all this the worse is that I'm not allowed to work for what is in effect the rest of 08 and so I have no money coming in to replace what's already nearly lost. Welcome to America eh!    (sorry just sounding off)

------
xxx,

Numerous problems I'm afraid:
 
LIST
 
Given where we are I'd like you to revisit all of the above next week as well as finish off the paint. As a gesture of goodwill I'd like you to remount the speaker and replace the motor mount (as we discussed) but at the least I'd like what I have already paid for to be done done and done properly please.
 
Please give me a call when you get this Monday as I guess we're now talking more than an additional couple of days. I can't drive without lights so it may as well head back to you sooner rather than later and with the leaky fluid issue it's just as well you have a transporter to pick it up.
 
Hopefully these oversights are the result of a single sloppy mechanic, but this is not what I expected after being car less for five weeks and being 5.5k down. I'm a good guy and have been patient and understanding throughout and I really would like to think that I deserve better here. Please make good on all this, my 4th July has now been ruined.
 
xxxx

[mikepmcs]

That is an amicable email.  You can't be a gentleman at this point though. 
As a side note...I knew you were from England.   Not a bad thing, just the dialect.  Hope you get what you deserve and you definitely don't deserve this.  Please don't base your opinion on the USA on what you have experienced thus far.
I wish you the best!!
v/r
Mike

[1hot68]

.......what form of payment did you use?

[Carrots]

Debit mastercard from Wamu. Four payments - two in person, two in my absence that I signed for yesterday. If it was a straight CC then I may be able to wing it but debit card is probably a no go unfortunately. Aside from the one yesterday all have long since cleared and been debited from my account.

[1hot68]

Debit mastercard from Wamu. Four payments - two in person, two in my absence that I signed for yesterday. If it was a straight CC then I may be able to wing it but debit card is probably a no go unfortunately. Aside from the one yesterday all have long since cleared and been debited from my account.

 you are probably right,but I would call Wamu and check into it anyway....ya never know! maybe they can provide some recourse.

[mikepmcs]

They advertise a bunch now so maybe(sans all the naked guys.... )

Contact us
(800) 788-7000

24 hours a day, 7 days a week

[Carrots]

Yes it is indeed worth a call, probably one to take care of before battling with the shop next week. I'm not sure how that would work though - even if they did credit me back could they actually withdraw funds from the shop? Or would they just cover it until it was resolved? If they could actually take the money back then whatever they actually say it could be a potential string to the bow when I call. I doubt the shop guys would have inspected the actual card to much, so maybe I could claim it was a CC. All a bit of a fairly tale probably, but trying to put the brain to good use. As Mike has said being nice should kinda be over with now but an empty threat is pretty worthless ("big gun talk from a little water pistol" as one of my old teachers would say). Ho hum

[mikepmcs]

empty threat is pretty worthless

What i mean is it ain't an empty threat.

show them stones and make em feel the whirlwind

Make the shop teacher proud, you are in the right here!!!  Give em the balls and tell em to make it good.

You are the victim, not the other way around

v/r
Mike

[Carrots]

Crossed wires I think my friend. Empty threat as in me saying "I'll just have the credit card company withdraw the funds and return them to me" whilst knowing that even if they would credit me they wouldnt be able to withdraw funds from them. Believe me I know I'm in the right here, it's just a question of how to go about eeking something favourable out from these Neanderthals that I'm trying to wrap my brain around.  A solution that hopefully results in neither of us having to take a kick in the balls.

[hemi-hampton]

If you could somehow get half your money back & say you dont get the rest until all the work done to my satisfaction then that would/should work. Or if you could get half back & pay someone else (more competant) to finish it. Bummer story, Good luck. LEON.

[Carrots]

That would be a God send Leon, but the prospect of that happening seems all rather distant right now. A very kind local guy from here has offered me some assistance which I hope to take him up on tomorrow.

[1hot68]

That would be a God send Leon, but the prospect of that happening seems all rather distant right now. A very kind local guy from here has offered me some assistance which I hope to take him up on tomorrow.

Thats great, you found someone willing to help nearby!!