92heritageRS

I have a complaint with my paint shop and would like to know what you guys think I should do to handle this situation.

I dropped my car off on May 2 to get a full paint job and was told it would be a month project from start to finish. The shop asked for $1,000 up front, half in two weeks and the rest on final delivery in cash to tip the guys in the shop. I agreed to the terms and price of $4,300.

After the car was dropped off I never heard anything else from the shop at all. I called consistantly but got little to no feedback as to the status of my car. Actually most times I didn't get an answer when I tried to call. I went to the shop a few times when I couldn't get them on the phone and nobody was around. Most times it was a note on the door saying, "out to lunch" or "having shop meeting be back at 4:00" or something.

I didn't buy what I was hearing about the delay so I popped up at the shop and asked to see the car for the first time since I dropped it off 4 months ago and saw that my car had barely been touched. It had some trim pieces off and only the start of the sanding around some minor dents. The car was back in the corner behind three other cars with lots of dust on it. Worst of all they left the windows down in the shop so it was tons of sanding dust on my almost perfrct interior.

So to sum this all up, I dropped the car off on May 2 thinking I would get it back in mid June and here it is the 30th of Aug. On a suprise visit I had to demand to see my car and it has maybe 4-5 hours of work done. The windows were left down so its 1/4 inch of sanding dust from the shop on my almost perfect interior. They havn't called me one time in the 4 months they had the car. They have my $2,000. I am pissed off and they don't really care. I still havn't heard there plan to fix this situation or been told a date I will get my car. Its all


What should my next step be?



I almost forgot. The shop is J & J Custom motorsports in Upper Marlboro, Md.

Angelis83LT

go in and take pictures of your car with all the dust and such all over the inside of it.. that way you can charge them for the cleaning and detail job it will require to get all that crap out of it.. as for the time.. best thing to do there would have been to get it in writing. At the moment Iguess the best you could do is pull the car and sue them for the balance you gave them minus a reasonable amount for the sanding they did...

1989karr

IMO, get the money back (somehow) pay for what little they did, ahve them clean it, and go to another shop

hotrodln

I think that shop is run by dirtbags- you need to lay it out for them. Either they finsh the car NOW, or you want your money back. You SHOULD take the pictures as recommended above- you might need to give them to an attorney......is there a better business bureau where you live? if so you might need to file a complaint........I guess in the future, you should really check their references first.........I'm sure you are NOT the first guy that they hosed........Good luck. pat

2kflhr

iTrader: (1)

First thing is I contact the Better Business Bureau and file a complaint.

In our region one of our local TV stations has a segment where if a customer gets shafted or the run around. They go on location and attempt to get the business to right the wrong. Virtually all complaints are resolved in the customers favor to save face for the company.

Definately go in and take pictures.

92heritageRS

They may not let me in there with a camera. The owner didn't really want me to even go look at the car. I was the last person he wanted to pop up. I am looking into the better buisness bureau as we speak.

sprojam

yeah get the pics tell them your kickin the idea of sellin if you have to then after photos are takin let them know your kickin around the idea of contacting better business if they give you crap give them your attorneys name but remember give them the op to make it right they still have your car at this point if they are ****ty demand your car and dont be affraid to bring the police in gettin your car back in one piece without anymore damage an take them to the cleaners spread there good names to everyone you talk to

dr1

if you have any of this in writing, please sue them and run there business to the ground

maybe thats harsh but theres way too much of this **** going on, your just one of a bazillion people getting/gotten the shaft from shops like this
your exact story has been told by hundreds of other people already
im sure alot of you have used the same shop :P

these things dont seem to change.. my friend used to work at a shop where they did restorations and they had some 20 cars, and like 4 people.. and the shop manager would be on the computer playing solitaire or something all day.... too many people just suck it up and let these people slide.. they are barely making it as is, so sue these bastards and bury there business ;0

makes room for some respectable, honest people to get in and take care of there customers

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

Um....you need to find a different shop. They are refusing to let you see your car dude... Someone else is trying to say NO...you cant see your own property. Not to mention all that crap in your car. In the carpet, seats, vents... I had a small shop do some body work to an old bonneville. They let me come in and see it whenever I wanted. They wiped down the interior every couple of days to get any crap out that found its way in from sanding. Let me take pictures. Hell he even let me help out alittle bit so I actually learned alittle body work!

Definetly be ready the next time you visit. I would go in with a camera, and possibly someone who is an authority figure. Even if you do get them to do the work...do you really want them to at this point? They will probably do a crappy job just to spite you if you cause them trouble. Ide just pull the car. I wouldnt pay them a dime. Even without a written contract they still trashed your interior and took this long to do nothing. A judge will see that.

Damn places like this really tick me off. This is exactly why I wont take my car anywhere to have anything done to it. WHen the time comes to get new paint...Im going to learn to paint just so I dont have to trust someone else. WHen I go in for inspections...I stand there and wait and watch. I never leave it. Just too many retards out there. Getting paid way better than most of us. To sit around, and work on cars half assed.

Ok... end rant

Good luck with your car bro. Definetly try to seek a new shop...and some justice.

Justin

gcgarner

Dude, they're not even in the White Pages. Is this a new shop?

kubus_stroinski

the body shop that i go to, the guy wont accept a penny until the job is done to my satisfaction. i have numerously offered to pay him beforehand because i know he does all of the work himself and he has to pay for the paint and parts out of his own pocket. i dont think he has a very big buffer zone. his work is excellent and he warranties everything he does. if i have any concerns, he repaints for free. dont put a deposit on this kind of work, its not worth it.

92heritageRS

Well now its time for pickup.....or so they say. I'm sure they are gonna pull some ****. What do you think I should do now that they say its done. I owe them $2000 on delivery. They called me today saying I have to come get it in the morning or they will start to charge me $50 a day storage. This shop sucks.

Ironmahn

All I can say is Better Buisness Bureau = Attorney on your side. Photograph at or in front of the shop with date activated on camera.

Camaroguy18

almost the exact same thing happened with my car....agreed on a price did half up front and other half upon completion. When they started to feel that the work was more than they had bargined for and demanded more money, I basically told them to eat it - they were the bodymen and they should have known what needed to be done. So they threw my car in the corner and plugged away at it for over 5 months....when it came down to it I ended up paying 1000 more than we had orginally agreed on.

If you didnt get anything in writing, you're pretty much screwed....verbal contracts rarely hold up in court. I did however still fill out a claim to the BBB just so they get pegged for something.

sorry to hear that happened

92RS(real slow)

That sucks I would go in there, and start kicking some @**, but I guess if you dont have anything in writing then you don't have a case, but its still wrong