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BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER.... A's, G's & E's


5 posters

    What is fair?

    Lazarusvan
    Lazarusvan


    Number of posts : 1293
    Location : Charleston, South Carolina
    Age : 51
    Registration date : 2011-02-22

    What is fair? Empty What is fair?

    Post by Lazarusvan Wed Sep 14, 2016 9:28 am

    Long story short...

    The guy working on my van is moving in two months.  He won't finish the work, including paint and body.  Most of body work is done, but new paint shop wants to investigate what he has done and is charging me about $2300 more than the original guy had quoted.  I hadn't seen him in about 6 months as we hit a snag with the paint work spray out color and a crappy job on the dash area that he and I both agreed was not good, at all. It runed into me letting the van sit as a result until I could regroup.

    Paint and body turned out to be a lot more work than original guy had intended.  He admits he underquoted it. He blocked most of it, primed most of it, Frenched my licesnse plate at 75% of way and doors are prepped nicely.  

    On the bad side, they don't like some of the things he did in terms of filling seams that should not be filled, leaving rust bubbles around the window frame, etc, and he has let my van sit out in the elements almost the entire time since he did the motor work.  Brand new motor and shiny parts getting exposed and rained on.  Doors have been off entire time.  I asked him multiple times to cover up my motor and not let my van have rain pour in.  (He was supposed to be buffing it all up when we were done.) I didn't realize that the roof had not been primed, so it, along with the interior, all developed surface rust that never existed as a result of exposure. Not to mention letting my engine stay exposed all this time.

    There are other details, but the bottom line is he won't finish it because he is moving in two months and wants to spend the last month working on his own project.  I pushed him hard to finish and he said it would take 2 months and he had too much other work on his lot.

    I have paid for all the motor work, tranny hookup, custom power steering (been rained on for months) brake converstion, new brake line, etc.  None of this is tested or proven.  I did hear the motor run.

    We are wrangling on price that I pay him which is $1500 difference.  I am at less than half of his current bill.  The new paint work alone gets me to my number when I deduct what I would have paid him had he completed it.  He wants more than half but I don't think I should pay for work I can't verify will be good until he is long gone and for which I will have no warranty since he is now leaving town.

    He agrees with me on a basic level and is willing to negotiate.  But, he wants more than I am willing to pay and is softly holding my doors and parts hostage in the mean time.  A large part of that is all the extra time he said he spent for which he didn't charge or discounted the rate.  I already had the van towed off.

    No drama here as he is a good guy and an honest guy, but curious what the old schoolers think based on past experience.  He has a lot of value in my parts, including all of the door seals.  Not looking for what I want to hear, just honest info.  This is my first time restoring or paying for any custom work.
    samsvan
    samsvan


    Number of posts : 672
    Location : Sarasota, Fl.
    Age : 61
    Registration date : 2014-09-04

    What is fair? Empty Re: What is fair?

    Post by samsvan Wed Sep 14, 2016 4:31 pm

    Wait him out... What's he going to do, take it with him? Oh yeah, and go buy a tarp. $1,500.00 will buy you another van.


    Last edited by samsvan on Wed Sep 14, 2016 4:44 pm; edited 1 time in total
    vanny
    vanny
    Moderator


    Number of posts : 14778
    Location : Ashburnham, MA
    Age : 65
    Registration date : 2012-09-22

    What is fair? Empty Re: What is fair?

    Post by vanny Wed Sep 14, 2016 4:40 pm

    Tough call...like you said, he's got your parts but I question how nice a guy he really is if he uses the parts as leverage to get what he wants even though he didn't finish the job and some of it, he probably rushed through knowing that he was leaving like the rust bubbles, etc... Your call I guess. Let us know how the saga ends. Good Luck!


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    jrdunn96
    jrdunn96


    Number of posts : 691
    Location : Cashion, OK
    Age : 63
    Registration date : 2016-01-01

    What is fair? Empty Re: What is fair?

    Post by jrdunn96 Wed Sep 14, 2016 4:46 pm

    Laz,
    I have to confess, you are a better man than me. I'm afraid I would've already lost it. I will confess, that usually makes things worse and nearly never helps. We are all pulling for you. X2, on the tarp. Good luck!

    Jim
    Vanish
    Vanish
    Admin


    Number of posts : 5155
    Location : Hesperia Cal
    Registration date : 2008-05-02

    What is fair? Empty Re: What is fair?

    Post by Vanish Wed Sep 14, 2016 9:06 pm

    Really Hope this turns out well For You Laz .... Man I hate shit like that ... I have been in that situation my self ... Before !!!!! The twists and turns of Life !!!! Keep us posted .....

    Lazarusvan
    Lazarusvan


    Number of posts : 1293
    Location : Charleston, South Carolina
    Age : 51
    Registration date : 2011-02-22

    What is fair? Empty Re: What is fair?

    Post by Lazarusvan Wed Sep 14, 2016 9:56 pm

    I'm not usually calm about this stuff. No one is wrong or right other than he should have treated my van with more respect. I don't want the feeling that he thinks of me of not paying what is fair. He just bit off more than he could chew time and price wise. He chose NOT to finish at this point, and I think he is very happy to not have to. But that comes a price-a price I'm not paying. Not finishing is the issue. And getting a new person on board with the plan feels a bit like taking steps backward.

    It's under cover now, so no tarps at this point. New guys are going to completely do inside and out paint work to what they say "is like new." They talk a very good game for the reasonable price they are charging. I will be dropping off lots of six packs...

    Sam, I can't buy another van for $1500. I'm way too far in with my current one to be starting over...but your point is valid.

    I agree on waiting it out. My doors are no good to him, but he also has my gauges, NOS wheel and other misc. parts. I think I am just going to walk in and hand him the amount I feel is fair and say that's all I'm doing. If he was not an honest guy, he wouldn't even be trying to negotiate. He just thought after 6 months I was stiffing him, but that was never the case. Had he agreed to finish, he would be getting paid the FULL amount.

    Excited to know I will really have a much better quality paint job.

    This will turn out fine and it will be painted soon, so that will really motivate me to get this thing finished. Just hoping all the mechanical work is functioning.

    Appreciate the feedback.

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