Like the title says, They are located in Genoa Illinois off of route 72 and South Emmette Street.

A brief overview of there business practices.

I brought my 1969 Camaro SS to them in December of 2004 to have a complete new motor, TH400, 8 point cage,etc put in. They did the motor, trans, roll cage.
Then they decided to spend the rest of the money(8 grand) I have given them to finish the car to spend it on tools, welders, pipe bender etc.
My car sat off to the side while they continued to bring in other work and finish it. I have heard excuse after excuse from them on how they will order the rest of my parts and get the money they need to finish my car.
As of today almost 2 years later the car still only has the motor, trans, and cage in it. Im missing the whole ignition system, ring and pinion, posi carrier, Painless wiring harness, March serpentine upgrade kit, alternator, battery,shortened driveshaft,nitrous kit, complete fuel system. The 8 grand I had given them was to buy the parts I mentioned and install them. I went to get the car today since I found out they just leave it outside in the weather.
After I called them and told them Im coming to get the car, they said I now owe them storage fees and they wont release the car to me.The major problem here is they are paid in full for all the parts and labor, wont let me take my car.

A word of warning to anyone who might think of having work done there.

 

call the police, start looking for a lawyer, and call the BBB that is fraud and theft, the owners are going to be looking at jail time, theft of over $1000 is a felony, keep us updated

 

I agree with above. Get your title and call 911. the car will be released to the rightful owner, file charges and go to court. Fraud comes in all forms. I hope you kept all records and copies of payment made. They were not 'storing' it was left to get work done. Thanks for heads up on business. How did they keep for 2 years? I start bitching after 2 days, and visiting car daily. Especially if I had given over 8 grand.

 

It's seriously time for you to set a court date. A friend of mine got screwed on a motor he paid for in advance. After going to court, the guy who screwed him still can't get a loan or any credit until he pays full restitution. It was the original, numbers matching motor to his 67 Camaro, and the guy accidentally overbored it to .080, so the judge ordered him to pay the sky high price to have the whole block sleeved so it can be used again. He also prepaid the guy to purchase all the performance parts going into the build, which he never bought. Don't wait any longer, take that jerk to court!

 

I had the cops come with me to there shop when I was going to bring it home. But they wouldnt come outside and had to talk to the cops over there cell phone.
They told the cops I owed them storage fees, and the cops told me even though I had my title, reciepts proving I had paid them in full they couldnt release the car to me. They said I would have to go thru court to get the car back since I owe them supposed storage fees.
I have all the reciepts from day one, and even phone records of everythime I called them to check on progress. After each phone call I made, I wrote down the time of day, month etc and what the call regarded and the excuses they gave me, and finish dates they kept changing over the past 2 years.

When I first gave them the car, they said I would have it in March of 05 which would have been 3 months after they got the car. I gave them money to do the motor, once that was done and I saw that it was finished, I gave them some more money to move on.
At the last amount of money which was the 8 grand, they spent it on what they wanted for there shop. The car sat off to the side of the shop, while they brougt in other work and finshed it one after another for almost a year.
I would go in and bitch, they would get 2 or 3 small things done to make me happy and to think they were working on it. Then it would sit again, and they would say they have to order parts or there other vendors were backed up with work etc.
It ran out to almost 2 years, ( 2 years this Dec 14th). I had enough after I saw my car sitting outside with dried rain and dust all over it.
For one the car has all the original metal etc and was appraised at $73,000 in the condition it is in. The car can be eaten off of. After I saw it outside I wanted to take it home so it wouldnt be damaged by either people walking by, or by weather. Then they started the whole you owe us storage. How? The car isnt finished, the work is paid for, and they need it there to finish the work.

I will keep updating as progress happens. Hopefully I will get the car back this Monday after my lawyer goes down there. And then off to court I go to get my 8 grand back.

 

I would ask for more than just my 8 grand back, you just don't sit a 73000 dollar car outside and not work on it. I would want proof of the delays.


Sue for extra money for all your trouble there no since in taking a 3 month job and turning it into a 2year job. That is the exact reason I try and do everything on my car even if its something ive never messed with.

 

After lots of thought, you dont want them to mess up car. Also, they could sell car, you go to court, win, they declare bankrupcy and start anther business under another name. If you can pay the fees, get the car.......THEN file suit and do your best to close business down. You should have gone to magistrate that night and filed GTA charges. They might not have charged him but it would shake him up. Good Luck.

 

they can't legally sell it, he has the title, and if they try to put a vehicle up for sail W/O a legal title it's another felony, also go to the DMV and make sure they didn't try to do lost title paperwork on it, that is another felony, if they do sell it that would be an illegal sale, and you can track down the new owner and the new owner has to give you the car back, or could be charged W/ receiving stolen property, which depending on your state is a felony or misdemeanor.

 

I have some input on this. I used to work for a parts supply company as a driver. While I was working for them a shop i delivered to got sued and shut down, with the owner and one employee going to jail. They had kept a car ( a 1960's Mustang) for 3 years telling the owner that they were waiting on specialty shops to fabricate parts and for backordered parts. When the owner went to the shop to check on progress ( he paid $15000 up front) they would tell him the car was in their storage facility, or at anoher shop getting "specialty" work done to it. Finnaly the customer hired a Private investigator after the police refused to help (like stated before the police cant really act in this type of situation without a court order). The Private Investigator found the car at the storage facility untouched. Further investigation showed no parts had ever been ordered for the car at all. There were 4 other cars in the storage facility with similar issues. After the owner of the mustang got the police and his lawyer involved 7 customers turned up testifying that it took years (5 years in one case) for the work to finally get done on their cars. One customer even had his car checked out at another shop just to find that a lot of the work requested to be done on his car had not been done and just faked (aka, removing rust and rewelding in new metal. instead the shop rino-lined the undercar and removal of the carpeting showed rust in the floor boards), and also the heads, cam, crankshaft and pistons were not the parts he requested, but they instead put cheaper parts in the car and charged the customer for the more expensive ones keeping the extra money. Yea, some shops can be really amazing in what they will do to get extra money.

 

I think the word is theft by conversion, and it carrys a hefty jail sentance, You should progress rapidly and ask for mental anguish as well. Thats great you kept track of all you conversations, did you ever maybe have a witness that went with you and could testify to the fact of your conversation. GOOD LUCK.

 

I have had a ton of witnesses come with me and se the cars progress, and hear there excuses several times. I literally have 6 or 7 people form where I used to live, and then anotyher 6 or 7 people after I moved who wanted to see the car.

 

I got the car back today with the help of the police and saying the car had been stolen. When I showed up, the shops owners decided to try and close all the doors down, then they saw the cops behind me and changed there mind. My car was sitting outside with water, bird ****, and leaves all over it.
Anyway, They didnt want to give the car to me, until the cops told them then choose who wants to go to jail for Theft. They stopped and gave me the car. Needless to say, I got the car home, washed it, and found 3 dents in the hood, 4 gouge marks out of the paint down to the metal, they left water in the trunk which caused it to start to rust, and a nice long scratch in the hood.

The main thing is, the shop owners agreed while the cops were there, that the parts on my reciepts were paid for and They did not order them. I had the owners put asterics next to the parts I am missing, there signature, mine and the cops, to verify once court comes along.Cant wait for a judge to see that and have them try and say I owe them money.

Hre are some pics of the damage and of the car.__________________

 

Here are some damage pics.
The first one is of a gouge taken out tof the paint,the second one is a small part of a scratch that almost runs the entire length of the hood. The third one is of one of the 3 dents in my hood.

 

The last pic is of the trunk floor after they let water stand in it for who knows how long.

 

If that's an original SS hood and not a repro, you can nail them for quite a bit of cash on damaging that part alone. Man this brings memories back. I had some clown do a hack job on replacing the quarter panels on my 69, and had to go through the same B.S. to get my car back. The quarters were warped all to hell, had holes in them, and pieces of mig wire sticking up from them, and he was demanding $500 for the "work" he had done so far. Needless to say, after I got the cops involved, I got my car back for no cost, but I should've sued him for making it look worse than it did with the original quarters. Needless to say, I know just about every gearhead in town, and after I got done spreading the word around, his shop went under in another couple of months and he hasn't opened another one since. He's just lucky I was a naiive 18 year old at the time. With my temperament nowadays, I would've beat him within an inch of his life and gladly gone to jail for butchering my baby like he did! I hope you nail those jerks for every dime you can. Sorry for the long rant, but it just reminds me of the hell I went through with mine when I was restoring it. Keep us posted!

 

, defiantly look at a lawsuit, U have very grounds and a very good chain of evidence, make sure you bring proof of value before U brought it to them and after, and you also want to try to get your attorney fees and appraisal fees back...you prob won't get pain and suffering, but it's worth a try, and also bring witnesses.

 

Yes the car is a all original numbers matching car. Ever panel on the car is original, everything inside is original interior. The only thing that isnt original is te paint on the car. The car was appraised at 73,000.

 

Any updates on this?

 

^Yeah, any updates?

 

I "spoke" with him via PM back in October and he said he would update the thread once there was any new news.

 

Thank you. I am most curious to see how this turns out. I love to see the bad guy get his!!

 

Update....

I found a lawyer and he has everything in order as far as, all my reciepts, what Im suieng for, andthe approach he wants to take.

He is going to send them a letter stating the lawsuit and to give them the chance to settle this now.
If they settle this now, they will give me my money back that wasnt used, my stock parts they have and didnt give back.(power steering pump, overflow tank.)
Also they will have to pay for the roll cage to get fixed since I cant open the doors from the inside since the cage is in the way.

If they dont respond, they will be summond to court, and will be sued for the following above, and the cost of the increase in parts/labor over a 2 year time.
They will also have to pay for the overall completion of the car the way it was supposed to be. Folk race cars will be doing the work.
I am going to be selling the whole bottom end, cam etc.
I will be ordereing all new internals as the ones I have now arent what I wanted and paid for.

My machinest is getting a quote together for me, of what it will cost to re machine the motor, clean up, replace etc what has to be done. They will have to pay for that as well.
Now Im just waiting on my lawyer to give me a shout and let me know what Barrington's plan is.

I will keep updating as progress continues.

 

Thank you for the update. It has information in it that will help any of us if we find ourselves in your situation.

 

I have another update...

I just got the letter that my lawyers sent to BPS. It states this....

Dear Mr. Sommer,

Please be advised that Michael Boyk has requested our firm to intervene on his behalf with regards to a contract/consumer fraud dispute he has with you regarding repairs that were not made to his automobile. Mr. Boyk is currently in the process of assessing actual damages incurred by you. In the mean time we would like certain original parts from his 1969 Chevrolet Camaro that were left at your shop by him returned to him. The items include:

A stock GM power steering pump;
The original winshield washer tank, and;
the original radiator overflow box.

Please be advised that this letter is a formal demand for recovery of the above listed items as requested by the rules of replevin.
If you refuse to cooperate in returning these items to my office I will be forced to file a lawsuit against you to compel your cooperation. Filing a lawsuit will result in additional damages including attorney fees and costs of suit. Please telephone me immediatly upon reciept of this letter at the above listed number to schedule a time when we may meet and recover the listed items.

I will have to see what happens from here, A lawsuit will still be in affect to get my money back, and to fix what they screwed up. Also to pay for the car to be completed, as it should have been.

 

It might be worth it to give them the money for the storage fees to get the car back and sue them for that too. At least you would have the car and it can no longer get damaged.

 

He aready got the car back.

 

Guess I should have read more than 10 posts.

 

Another update....

BPS contacted my lawyer after they recieved his letter. They agree that they have my missing parts as power steerring pump, overflow canister, washer fluid reservoir.
I am going to pick these up on the 1st of the new year.
BPS didnt say anything about trying to work this out without a suit. My lawyer filed suit against them.

BPS think that this is all a joke on my part as I had friends pretend to be a lawyer etc. They still dont have a lawyer.

Things are starting to speed up slowly. Only time will tell.

 

I think the people at BPS are in for a rude awakening when they find out this is for real.

 

wow, i read the whole thread and i really hope u give that ****er hell.
And will be happy for you in the future when u finally have a finished beauty of a 69.

 

Go get em, thats a load of BS they've given you. I think if it was my car I would have taken it back by force on the first confrontation, good for you for using better thinking.

 

they could have tried to get a salvage title for it... you did the right thing by getting the car back QUICKLY.

 

unreal....get them for what their worth! I don't know where you had the patience to wait 2 years!!

 

Another small update.
BPS decided to forget to give me the original washer fluid etc as in the last update.
On Jan 3rd I drive 30 miles to there shop thinking I wil be reunited with my MIA parts they forget to give me. I get there and what a Surprise there not there. The truck and trailer are gone. The only thing in the lot was a customers car that has been outside for over 2 years( nice car too, 64 Impala in mint shape for who knows how long). And there other truck. I try and call them, the number is dis connected. I call my lawyer, let him know what the deal is. He is going to write them a letter stating They were informed and gave me permission to come get my things within the first week of the year. Now my lawyer told them they will pay me for my time and gas to drive back out there, as he agrees that they most likely left intentionally to **** me off.
Looks like they are off to a bad start, as they dont even have lawyers yet.

 

But, they don't need a lawyer.

Not when they are going to just fold up shop, and disappear. I'm betting research will show that they have other peoples stuff, and this isn't the first time they've pulled this off.

They got you to wait for the first of the year, which gave them them the time they needed to pack up and run.

 

I was writting the same post and wass pulled off computer. Sounds like they are outta there. Phone disconnected is not a good sign. I hope you have some home addresses. Are they a corp or llc?

 

I doubt they left as they still had there show room full of parts etc, and left there own vehicle behind.

I do not have any addresses. They arent a corp, they are a small business as for now. Im hoping they didnt pack up and beat feet.

 

Thats good. If they are a corp or LLC they can get out of personal liability. Being a sole proprietor they except personal liability. You should send them this thread so they can see the free advertisment they are getting.

 

Sounds to me like they have multiple problems. Yours may not be the only one.

 

I decided to drive by there to settle my mind. They are still there. the shop lights were on, and there trailer and truck are back.

I wish I could send them this thread but they dont have a computer. Even if they did, I doubt they would know how to even use it.

 

Another update.

I called my lawyer this morning to see when I would be able to pick up my Original Power steering pump, over flow tank, and windshield washer fluid tank. My lawyer calle dme a few hours later and said he spoke with Clayton and asked about my parts and when I could pick them up. Clayton blatently said "I threw them out".

My lawyer said you have one hour to get these parts as I know you didnt throw them out, I will be expecting your phone call. Clayton never called back.
Now the lawyer filed suit against them.

Does anyone know where I can find these original parts for a 69 Camaro SS, or atleast prices on what it would cost to get ahold of them?

 

If any of you ever saw that movie walking tall. I would have to go beat some *** like that with a 4 x 4 post. That would seriously **** me off.

 

I know your lawyer is documenting everything. These guys are really digging themselves a deep hole. They don't appear to be to bright. Someday they will wake up to reality and it may be after the judge gets through with them.

 

Is your Camaro numbers matching?

 

Yes, the car is all numbers matching with all original metal etc. I am just sick over those original parts being gone. Im sure they didnt throw them out, I bet they either sold them or just wont give them back to be dicks.

 

cant you go there with the poilce your lawyer and maby a court order to get your stuff back i dont live to far from there man would i do some crazy sh9t if i was in your position

 

anyone else try and look them up on the BBB and not find them? I didn't fnd them under Barrington Performance and Speed

 

I got good news, Clayton called my lawyer this afternoon and told him he mysteriesly found the parts he said he threw out. I am going to go get them on Friday morning.
I was about to ask the lawyer if I could go to the Genoa PD and file a report for theft, and try to get a summons to have the shop searched.

You wouldnt believe the thoughts I was having, But If I did do something I would destroy my case and be left without thousands of dollars. So I decided to stay home.

 

This is the message I got for BBB's site.

No records were found, based on the criteria you entered. If there is no BBB reliability report on a company, it may mean the firm is new to the area, or that the local Bureau has not had sufficient activity to develop a report.

They did recently move a few months ago to Genoa.

 

I was re reading the whole thread and came across a post where someone said hope they dont file for bankruptcy to get out of the lawsuit. My lawyer is filing a class action lawsuit against them. He told me that even if they try to go bankrupt etc that wont hold any ground on the lawsuit, and they cant weasel out of it.