Hey guys, I took my gold '66 GS convertible to a guy named "Bob" near Austin, who agreed to do it right for 7000. I found out recently that he had dumped it off on a local bodyshop called Ernies Autobody in Buda, TX, just south of Austin, 8 months ago after removing the trim and doing a little grinding. It turns out that Ernie Valdez Sr. has a large shop in San Marcos, and this satellite shop in Buda, which he put Ernie Jr. in charge of. I got the news about the switcheroo when I got the news that the car was finished, and was told that the price was now 8500, and that they had strightened it all out and used very little bondo. With some trepidation, I got a cashier's check and a trailer and headed down. When I got there, no one was at the shop. Ernie Sr. said he had forgotten, and Ernie Jr. wasn't answering his phone. The first guy I had brought it to said he was sick.....(get the picture?) After an hour and 45 minutes of twiddling my thumbs, Ernie Sr. sent another son, Paul to open the shop and show me the car. It was a mess. There was bondo everywhere, including filling all of the Buick letter holes front and back. They had painted over paint chips on the doors. The inner 1/4s looked like the surface of a golf ball, and the outsides were bondoedtop to bottom so a refrigerator magnet wouldn't stick. I could go on and on, but they also lost the rear trim, door handles, lower door hinges(which they were supposed to replace) and almost all of the screws for the trim. Yes, they also lost the bumpers with housings and lenses, and rear taillight assemblies. Needless to say, I very slowly and politely and calmly showed Paul what was wrong with it, and that it looked like a rush job that would be embarrassing to put their name on. I said it was a barely passable 3500.00 job, and his father would have to completely redo it for the proposed 8500. I then left with an empty trailer, trying hard not to begin thinking about what I'd like to do to the two Ernies. I then called the first guy and told him about it, while he coughed to show he REALLY was sick, and told him that he's still responsible for this mess and the finished product, and that I didn't care what he says or does, as long as I get the car finished as I expect. He said he'd make it right, even if he had to get the car back and do it all over. I said, that was a good start. I then called lawyer, who said I'm on solid ground, but to try to get them to redo it right. Today, I get a call from Ernie Sr. that the car is ready, and to come get it. I told him it was amazing that he could completely redo it in such short time, and that I would let the first guy inspect it to see if it met my approval. He got snotty and said the car was done, and it took eight months, and he wasn't going to do any more to it. I told him I'd let Bob decide that, ad that he's not getting any money until it's done to my satisfaction. He said"it's a rustbucket." I corrected him and said it isn't. He said again it's a rustbucket, so I told him "then you AREN'T finished, are you?" I told him I was at work, and would call him when I got home. I got home and got out my lists of shoddy work, and missing parts, and called Ernie Sr. He said"The car's done. We fixed all the 'little' problems. I said, "for 8500, none of these is little to me." I then asked if he still had the list that his son had made. He said yes, so I said, "OK, let's go through the list, and you can tell me what you did to correct each problem." He said"You want to go through the list?" Yes, I do. He then said it was somewhere up in the office and he had a customer and could he call me back. I said sure. Well he didn't call back, so I am beginning to get my strategy together. So far.... I will not pay him to screw up my car, just to have to get it corrected by someone else. I will not come to look at it, as he didn't correct it to my satisfaction I will put Bob on the stick-tell him to get it out of Ernies and fix it, and I will pay him the total amount once it satisfies me(7000 was the agreed price) I haven't decided if it's worth pursuing fraud charges with the Attorney Generals office, or to get the local news after him like they do with tranny shops and air conditioning guys.I can't tell you how much I want to meet him face to face in a dark alley, but that isn't a viable option. How ow do I put the fear of the Lord into someone who should be scraped off my shoe? Iknow some of you guys have had similar experiences. PLEASE give me some advice. PLEASE give me som moral support. I feel awfully cold right now. Thanks, Dan
That really sucks. I've heard other horror stories like this. If your lawyer won't go to bat for you, find one who will. Perhaps the news is a good choice. Either way, it may take a while for you to get it back. I wish I had better advice to offer you, but unfortunately I don't. Have you tried the Better Business Bureau?o No:
Wow. Thats terrible. I'm speechless. Good luck Dan. I'm glad you kept your head on your shoulders through all that. You could have made it much worse by losing your temper. I don't think I would have been able to control myself as well as you did. I hope you're able to get it all straightened out. :TU:
I've never heard of anyone having much luck with the BBB. They seem more interested in promoting businesses than in censuring them. I wish people would just do the right thing. It's always the right thing to do. Dan
Many years ago a friend of mine wanted to redo a 67 chevy he had since it was new. He took it to a fellow that really messed it up (sound familier). After he got it back he brought it to my shop. It had bad sanding marks, runs, door dings, you name it. He wanted me to fix it but I was up to my butt in vetts. I knew he could do it himself with little a help. I showed him how to strip the old paint off, sand, fill and paint. He purchased all the equipment and took his time and did an absolutly beauiful job, in black no less. The plus, he spent less for everything, equipment, paint etc. than the original jerk chagred him. What did he do about the bucks he was out? Took him to court and got his money back. Short version of court think as it to was a pain. You can too, if you don't have a garage rent a large storage unit and go for the gusto. Ted
That's why I do my own work. But that doesn't help Dan. I don't know him, but some people just don't have the talent and patience to do bodywork and paint. I think the suggestion of taking this clown to court and suing for the money back (plus damages) is a good idea. In small claims, you don't need a lawyer but one could advise you first before going in. Some set a limit on how much you can sue for, perhaps $2500. Your lawyer can advise you. Perhaps the missing parts can be used as a reason to get him to reduce the price so you can at least get the car back. Possession is 9/10 of the law. I'll bet those parts were stolen from you and were sold. How can you lose a bumper? If it makes you feel any better, you aren't the only person this has ever happenned to. Good luck, Dan.
Dan, You need to start preparing a major case for your attorney to persue. It sounds like they lost a lot of money worth of parts and you can't just waltz on down to the dealership and order the stuff. I hope you have pictures of the car prior to them getting it. Hopefully you have an agreement in writing. Perhaps you can backtrack and locate the missing parts...they are somewhere. Is there evidence of the shop being capable of doing nice work? I would try to get the car away from there and into another shop. I doubt you will ever be happy and either will they want to work on it. Keep us posted and try to keep your chin up. Sorry to hear of your woes. Matt
Dan you must be a very patient man..i would be coming unglued over something like this. I have been screwed by body shops 3 times now..i am just going to learn how to do it myself and eliminate the bodyshop factor all together..Bob
Dan, sorry to here about your problem. I have not had any body work done lately. I have found you have to baby sit the projects. I am not very good at body work but have done some years ago. The next one I do will be the 66 and I will do the body work and get someone to paint it. In the past when I took one out I always took off all the chrome bumpers and interior and that way none of it got lost. Let me know if I can help with any parts you lost. Bill
Dan, would you be interested in unloading the name and location of this place so that I can add it to the "blacklist" in my parts directory? adamm@buickpartsdirectory.com
Did you get a written estimate or contract from this shop showing in detail what was going to be done and how? Also do you have photos before the car was taken there say no more than a month or so before the drop off date? I see and hear these stories all the time and it piss's me off to no end because some of us really try damn hard to do GOOD work for our customers but clowns like this make us all look bad....the only possible idea I could have to get your car out of there is, and I hate to say this, but just take it, if the car is inside a fence, go in at night and take it, if its inside and will run, go in there like you want to check things out and just leave...your gonna end up in court over this either way but you can't be charged for anything by taking your car, I know that sound very extreme but if things are this bad and very VALUABLE parts are already lost, its only gonna get worse until you get that car out of there........If you have a estimate or contract stating what was to be done and how, then your gonna be okay in the long run, if you don't then its gonna be tuff but I would hope that if you left your car with someone and agreed to pay that much money to them for their work that you have something in writing to protect yourself, I tell ya, that sounds like ALOT of money to me if all they had to do was paint the car, good lord!
Dan,If the shop could lose all these large,small,and rare parts and fill emblem holes for a classic collectible musclecar it would give me the impression that they are not anywhere on the same page as to what you were to be paying for and lacked concern for the job they were doing. How could you lose or throw out a set of bumpers to a car you were working on in the shop??????I think James is right;maybe you need to get your car out of there before they lose it!!!
Dan, sorry to hear of your bad fortunes. It sounds like you are handling the situation very well, but procede carefully. Seems like you are doing everything correctly...keeping your cool, trying to work out the differences in a rational manner. The shop wants their money, you want your car done right. Work it out. Hang in there bud! The advice of a lawyer would be recommended. There may be technicalities that may bite you in the a$$ if you're not careful....the last thing you want to happen is for them to sell the car for you not paying the bill. That's worst case scenario, but you get my point... There may be another clause that says if you remove the car from their premises, you are then 'accepting' the car, and will be liable for all monies owed... I believe those laws vary by state.....you need someone knowlegeable to guide you. Unfortunatly, sometimes 'Laws' protect the 'rights' of criminals... That's BS in my opinion, but it's reality. From what you stated, 'Bob' is the one with his butt on the line. You had an agreement with HIM to perform the work, at an agreed upon price. If he hasn't met his obligation, he shouldn't be paid....and it would be his problem to pay the Ernies....not yours. He also owes you some part$$! Deal with those with the cooler heads....Paul at least listened to you, and seems to actually give a damn, unlike his pop, and bro. Paul will get things done for you. The Ernies won't even listen.... Only thing I can suggest.... is to insist on your being able to do periodic inspections during the work. And especially, that the car not be painted until you give final approval. While a drastic measure, you might want to consider having the paint stripped, and start from scratch. Good luck...
Dan, so sorry to hear about your body shop problems. Something that worked for a friend of mine-He paid three "bikers" to move into the house, it was rented, that the body shop guy lived in with his wife and kids. He got the full refund on the shoddy workmanship. It only cost him a few cases of beer and a C-note.
Well...I hate to say but this "type" of bodymen are a HUGE pain in the ass, its like this, they feel that they have done their part, and done it well, heres what its gonna happen, Bob is gonna call Ernied tell them, look, the guy aint happy, do the car over, Ernie gonna tell Bob to go to hell, we made this "rustbucket" (as they call it, not me) look as good as its gonna get, pay us our money or the car can set here and rot as far as we care.....Bob is gonna be the middle man, when he's talking to Erie, Erie is gonna say that Dan just expects to much from this rustbucket and when Dan talks to Bob, its all Ernies fault...my hands are tied and so on and so on, I've seen and worked with guys with this attitude and they can do NO wrong in their little minds......If Bob never said anything in the first place about the car going to Ernies shop of Hell in the first place then you figure it out, Bob charges Dan 7000 grand but pays the Ernie brothers what?....4,500? Bob had short cuts and screwing on his mind from the start, I agree, Dan K has a HOLE lot cooler head them me....I would go get my car one way or the other and then let THEM try to get their money from ME!!....when a judge (if it goes that far) see's the car and the estimate to replace the parts lost I believe it will end up going Dans way. I'll bet you money that if a stranger walked in that shop and walked up to Dan's car and started talking about it, the 2 guys (the Ernies) would tell a story about how bad the car was, how hard they worked and that the guy that owns it is being a ass and is to picky.....thats how these guys think, its very sad for Dan....I hope it works out some how.
All I can add is that sucks and I feel bad for you. Even tho I have very little clue what I am doing, I am tackling the extensive bodywork on my car by myself. The only thing the body shop is going to see is a bare shell that is prepped and ready to paint. I will keep all my trim safely in my garage. If it comes out looking bad I can blame no one but myself. If it comes out nice I can then take all the credit = )
Get a compressor.....and a cheep spray gun.......and a mask.......and some lacquer primer. If you can shoot primer, you can paint it too. Just takes courage and practice. Learn to wet sand. Lacquer primer is cheap, sands easily and is perfect for the beginner. You can always chicken out and give it to the body shop in prime.:bglasses: Oh yeah, always paint during the day when the bugs aren't out.:grin:
Guys, I sure appreciate the wisdom, advice and sentiment. The natural inclination is to think,"if these guys think I'm a pushover, I am gonna break it off.", but I think that my best hope is sticking it to Bob for dumping the car without giving me the choice of the next move. As I told him, he got me into this mess, and he's going to get me out. Supposedly, he took it to Ernie because he said they do good work. I said, they didn't do it for me. I think the idea about dealing with Paul is a good one. At least he has the guts to show up when his dad and paint sniffing older brother run and hide. I told Bob, that it was fine with me if he has to go over there, climb in the car and redo it himself. If Ernie wants 8500, he's going to have to give me an 8500.00 paint job. Patience only takes so much... Unfortunately, my agreement with Bob was verbal, and he came well recommended. I have no agreement with Ernie, and I guess, the sword cuts both ways. Because I never agreed to let him work on the car, I owe him no money for working on it without my permission. Interesting angle. I wonder if I could get the local sheriff to go with me to liberate my car from these guys....Dan
Here's a quick question. How did they transport the car from one shop to the other. Did they trailer it or drive it themselves? I have no clue on these things, but I wonder if the "moving" of the car and method of so could help you in anyway since you in noway authorized them to move your car to a whole different town.
I think they drove it, but I'm not sure. I did just now register a complaint with BBB. Amazingly, they are a member, and it appears mine is the first compolaint in three years. We'll see how it turns out....Dan
