Am i justified??????????

[67 coronet]

once you get your other stuff back you should do a max small claim at least!at $12 k plus and you have picture evidence of negligence,it should be a slam dunk.if i paid that much money someplace and they gave me results like that.then,they called me names on the phone,i would burn down his shop!you must be kidding me.you gave him replacement parts and he retuned them while painting over the rusty originals.wow,just wow.

 

[Bruzilla]

I'm betting Dako hit the nail on this one. I think the problem here is both sides went to DEFCON 1 right out of the gate and when that happens no one wins (ever see War Games?). I'm guessing you were pretty pissed when you found that rust and got in touch with the shop owner while still in that mental state, and he naturally got defensive because he probably had no idea what had happened because his guys had told him something different and his first instinct is look out for his side. He escalated, you escalated, and before you know it you're both throwing down gauntlets that don't benefit either of you.

Are you justified in doing that? Absolutely! But what did you gain from it? You're going to have to pay more for someone else to do the repair, and now you've got to get your other stuff and go through the process of finding someone else to do that work. In short, you lose. Was he justified in what he did? Maybe, depending on how abrupt and accusatory you were on the phone. And did he gain anything from it? Nope. He's losing your business plus the business that would have stemmed from you in the future.

A better way to correct the situation would have been to call him, tell him you have a concern about the work he did, and ask him to come by and take a look or if you can run the car over to him (assuming you can drive it). This does two things: first, you get time to cool off, and he'll likely go out and talk to his crew about what could have gone wrong that is resulting in you having a problem. If he's like most owners, he'll create far more major problems in his head that what yours actually is, and by the time he sees the problem he'll be happy it's something relatively minor, realize his crew screwed up, and fix the problem.

Even the best shops make mistakes, and shop owners who do good work, as you said this guy did, usually back their work. But but an irate caller can turn even the best shop owner into a defensive monster and you'll never get anywhere except through the courts, which tends to be more of a moral victory than a financial one.

 

[moparstuart]

i wonder like others what else he skimped on and just skipped over

 

[idrivemopar]

I'm betting Dako hit the nail on this one. I think the problem here is both sides went to DEFCON 1 right out of the gate and when that happens no one wins (ever see War Games?). I'm guessing you were pretty pissed when you found that rust and got in touch with the shop owner while still in that mental state, and he naturally got defensive because he probably had no idea what had happened because his guys had told him something different and his first instinct is look out for his side. He escalated, you escalated, and before you know it you're both throwing down gauntlets that don't benefit either of you.

Are you justified in doing that? Absolutely! But what did you gain from it? You're going to have to pay more for someone else to do the repair, and now you've got to get your other stuff and go through the process of finding someone else to do that work. In short, you lose. Was he justified in what he did? Maybe, depending on how abrupt and accusatory you were on the phone. And did he gain anything from it? Nope. He's losing your business plus the business that would have stemmed from you in the future.

A better way to correct the situation would have been to call him, tell him you have a concern about the work he did, and ask him to come by and take a look or if you can run the car over to him (assuming you can drive it). This does two things: first, you get time to cool off, and he'll likely go out and talk to his crew about what could have gone wrong that is resulting in you having a problem. If he's like most owners, he'll create far more major problems in his head that what yours actually is, and by the time he sees the problem he'll be happy it's something relatively minor, realize his crew screwed up, and fix the problem.

Even the best shops make mistakes, and shop owners who do good work, as you said this guy did, usually back their work. But but an irate caller can turn even the best shop owner into a defensive monster and you'll never get anywhere except through the courts, which tends to be more of a moral victory than a financial one.

Interesting that you mention it would have been better to call hiim and express my concern, and well, thats exactly what i attempted to do and he immediately went off the handle with out even looking at the situation. So yes, i was being very reasonable in my apporach, but he was just too short tempered about the situation. I dont think it was his crew that screwed up, it was him that screwed up, because he does the majority of the work. I think he is just being unprofessional in that he does not or cannot handle criticism of his work.


This is not the first time he has gotten sideways with me. He did about a month ago when i showed him my mirrors, and the finish was rough on the underside, and he said thats how it was from the factory, which was entirely false, the factory finish was smooth, but he didnt want to correct it, because he didnt feel that it was an issue.

Regarding other things he may have skipped or skimped on, i have been over the car in great detail, and this is really the only issue, aside from some minor points (the mirrors) and a few unpainted bolts, the rest of the work was reasonable.

 

[67 coronet]

take it from me.i run a large shop(16 bays of auto repair)and if any of my employees called someone a name,FIRED!competition in todays markets are far closer then in years past,so"the customer is always right"is more relavent then ever before.for someone to treat you as this owner did is not only inexcusable,it is unlawfull.missrepresenting service performened is a sueable offence.

 

[Bruzilla]

Interesting that you mention it would have been better to call hiim and express my concern, and well, thats exactly what i attempted to do and he immediately went off the handle with out even looking at the situation.

I obviously can't say who did what to whom as I wasn't involved. What I can say is most people remember a conversation the way they would have liked it to have been more so that how it actually went. I've done performance reviews on call center people who would honestly swear up and down they never said anything but the nicest things to a customer, and then you replay the tape and there they are verbally punching the customer without even realizing it.

That's why my suggestion is not to express your concern, but rather to tell him you have a concern that you want to discuss with him. Don't go into specifics, that'll come later when it's most advantageous to you. Just tell him you need to show him something and you think it would be better if he saw it himself and set up a place and time to meet. That gets you the advantages I mentioned earlier.

 

[idrivemopar]

What you say is absolutely true, and I agree. I always approach a situation calm and typically like to show or explain the issue at hand. However, as i mentioned before, when i had the issue with the mirrors, i brought them to him, and showed him, and immediately he went on the defensive, stating that he gave me a good paint job for the price. I say, he got so defensive the first time, and then again the second time, because he knows he didnt do it properly and he didnt think i would call him out on these issues. Now, i have sent him pictures since then, and asked him to return the rest of my stuff, and so far, no response from him. Its unfortunate that he has to be a jackass about the whole thing, and cannot handle these types of problems. I was extremely patient with him in that it took about a month and a half longer then expected to 'complete' the work and i paid him on time when he asked. Now that the sale is complete, he doesnt want to honor any warranty on what he has completed, so he is entirely in the wrong here.

 

[Mesopic]

I would be Demanding he pay for it to be fix correctly also i be telling everyone his name and showing them those photos. Don't forget to let him know you are doing it to

 

[Donny]

I hate reading about this stuff. I am SO glad that I can read this, and see the horror stories, and, when you all want some honest brokers, I'll never do anyone wrong, nor will my partner Steve @ paintshop101.com Hope you get this straightened out!

 

[moparmarks]

I've met idrivemopar in person and he seems to be a real nice, level headed guy and yes, a guy that wants his car done right. Too picky? Not when your writing the checks. No excuse for the shop owner to behave like that. 1st he lied to you and then name calling. Yes I'd be at his door yanking my car out of his shop. Go get your parts and file a claim with the BBB. Then get some quotes from some other shops as to what it will take to fix his screw up. Document everything.

 

[JacobEXE]

if you payed him for work that he didnt do you are 100% justified to call him out. if you pay for someone to do something you expect it to get done not half-assed i would have done the same.

 

[99ss]

Sounds to me like the guy is used to doing subpar work and having people complain about it. You dont go on the offensive right away when you are a shop owner unless you are used to dealing with it.
By attacking the customer the owner is trying to minimize the customers expectations.
I'd take him to court and recoup some of my money as well as post his name here so we can roast him up good

 

[pabster]

Post his name! Let's hear it!

 

[idrivemopar]

So, its been a while since i updated this thread, but here is the latest. I sent the car off to another body shop for complete respray. After going over the car in extreme detail under natural lighting and direct sun, i found that the entiere paint job was hosed. Not only was the paint way to thin (only two coats of color at best), which i think explains why it just looked odd overall and on the entire car, but there were so many mistakes that i have 3 pages of notes, most dealing with transparancy issues, where the primer was visible, but also bright spots, runs, fisheyes, etc.

The good news is that the trunk extensions have been replaced, the entire car has been sanded back to into the color, with only a couple of break throughs into the primer. It should be finished end of next week from my new body shop. I am excited because their painter is absolutely thrilled that he gets to paint the car, and i like that someone is excited to do a job.

 

[snakeyes]

well good luck hope all comes out for you this time

 

[roadrunnerman]

Keep track of what you've paid the new shop and get statements from them if you can and take the first body shop to court. Take the other guy right wher it counts (his wallet) $12k plus is a lot to let go under the bridge. Glad you found another shop to satisfy you.

 

[idrivemopar]

I am documenting everything!!!! and not about to let anything go under the bridge, thats for damn sure!!!!!! New shop are great guys so far, and even with the extra things they found and are fixing they are sticking to their original quote!

 

[Red63440]

In all of this it isn't the fact that you paid him 12 grand.....the point is that you paid him to do a job that he agreed upon...no matter what the cost. Money is money and no one wants to throw it away and the plain and simple of it is that he tried to do the least amount of work for the most amount of money and he got caught. Once the car is completed call yourself a lawyer, provide the documentation and get your money back...plus!