I have a major issue here. Back in March I made an appointment with a shop to have my car painted. It didn't need any major bodywork. We agreed to do paint, and they were going to install carpet, seats and headliner, which i was providing. I had visited the shop, they were a member of BBB and i saw some of their work. So we made an appointment for april 18th. The 1st month, they didn't so much as touch the car. NOTHING was done. I started asking for deadlines and they wouldn't give any. They finally stripped the plastic parts off, did some sanding and a little bondo, then quit again. I gave them several deadlines, which they said 'sure' and then totally ignored. Its now been nearly THREE MONTHS! They haven't progressed any further, and they won't give me ANY kind of date. I've heard every excuse in the book (some several times!) from they are sick, to they are busy, to they have other projects they need to get out, they had to fire people, and on and on and on. Ad infinitum. They told me 3 weeks ago they were finishing up a caprice and would do mine next. Today, when i asked, they said they were working on a sand rail, and would get to me next. We'll i'm fed up. They are obviously NEVER going to get to me. BUT, the car is in pieces, so isn't driveable. Therefore, i'd have to go get it on a trailer. And at this point i'm so paranoid, i'm afraid they'd sabotage it. All they'd have to do is put sand in the crankcase or sugar in the gas tank. I'm really stumped. Anyone ever had a shop do this? What on earth did you do? Where do i go from here?

 

Welcome to what some affectionately call "paint prison". If you're not happy with what the shop is doing, pull your car out regardless of its current condition, but be prepared to pay for what has been done.

 

I had this problem in Florida with the shop that did the rebuild of my 68's 350 (5 months) . I spoke with local police who sent me to county clerk. Posted a bond with court. Served the bond on the shop and took car away on flatbed. Went to court and judge decided amount shop was due. Not cheap, but shop was surprised and didn't mess with cops.

 

From the info provided I can't say whether they are in violation of an agreement or not.

Did you agree that they do this as a side project, or did you agree to pay for the full monty?
Did you agree on a deadline before you gave them the assignment?

 

Always....Always get a signed contract and put in detail what you expect, i.e how many clear coats, wet sand to be included..etc..etc. and a date for completion...I've heard so many horror stories, not just on how long the job took, but the quality of the paint job. I know of one person who had a terrible, very noticeable run in his paint on a 69 chevelle and the paint shop refused to fix it...

 

Sounds like just a normal day to me. Body shops have insurance contracts and priorities that will always come before single projects or restorations.
They probably want to get to you and everyone else but Allstate or Progressive will always come first.
Some day you will walk in there and see a bunch of work was done to your car but then it will be on the back burner again.
After a year or so it will be done in a hurry just to get it out and then you will pay more then agreed and over time find flaws and shortcuts to keep reminding you of your experience.

 

Exactly....My biggest problem was finding a body shop who would take the time...So many wasn't even interested....They all wanted the insurance work...

 

my car was taken in as a project, insurance work came first. Took 6 months to get it finished, but was worth the wait.

Like has been said, a lot of these shops do insurance repairs, and they have to be done quickly, so work like your will be put off. However, this seem to be a bit beyond that excuse. Best thing to do would be to just get the car back, pay whats fair and go elsewhere.

 

Tell them thanks for the work they did but your going to do something else, then write the check, pick up the car on a flatbed and be kind and curteous doing so. Call the bank and cancel the check, @#$% anybody who wants to screw around with other peoples time and money.

 

Pretty much agree with others. Just tell them your going to come pick it up because you need it done. They will try and talk you into leaving it. And you say I want it done by this date. I'll be there with a trailer. I am taking the car at this point and tim eregardless. Body and paint guys always seem to be kind of unreliable. But you dont know all the aspects of business. I run an auto shop. I wanna get everyone's car done today. But cannot always do that.

 

just an FYI sugar in the gas tank doesnt do anything. the sugar wont disolve in the gas so they have to put water into it too with the sugar and at that point it wouldnt start anymore.

 

Rushing a body shop is a fine line to walk, IMO.

It sucks, but what was the original agreement?

 

Paint prison. Thats good. we have a contract stating what was to be done. Including price range. But silly me, i never thought about getting a TIME frame. I asked them, and they kept saying, oh 2-3 weeks. Which is the line i'm still getting. This was NOT to be a 'side' item. I paid them 1/2 down! But it seems like everything else that comes in gets ahead of me. sigh. FYI - sugar in your gas tank WILL eventually gum up your filter, thus leading to a loss of power, and having to drop the tank and replace a bunch of stuff! And of course, by that time, try and prove who did it. Same with really fine sand in the crankcase. I'm torn at this point between letting them continue and just grabbing a flat-bed and getting her. But thanks for letting me know this is kind of a common thing.

 

Thats alot of work and its only been 3 months but i would probly go elsewhere

 

I would consult an attorney. Considering you've put a lot of money on the line and you made a BINDING contract of which they did not fulfill their end of the agreement - I think they should have to eat it and you retrieve your car back in it's current state. I understand how busy things can get. We do a lot of custom finishing, milling, and anodizing where I work at - but we never agree to a set deadline unless we know we can finish it at/before that timeframe.. otherwise that's just poor business and not fair to the customer, especially when they're putting their money up front. Doesn't matter if it's $2 or $2,000 - when someone hands you their money, you don't just "do things at your own pace". That's why you (the customer) paid money up front in the first place.

 

wont cost you much to get a lawyer to send them a letter with your intent-or if not a lawyer do things in writing from here on.This "you will have to pay for the work performed" is a line of crap depending on your state.They can subtract that from your cost to move the car and many other things should they feel the need to get payed anymore.Even if your contract doesn't state a time frame there usually is one implied in most cases.At this point I would say they had reasonable time,

 

Yeah you gotta act fast you cant sit around forever. I hope you get your car done soon.

 

Get the yellow pages out, contact a few lawyers, look for lawyers that deal with Civil suits because thats what you have.

BBB, and other similar sites can't do jack squat for you legally. They are all peer pressure. A civil suit is the only way for you to attain monetary compensation for their tardiness.