new paint or cash back!

[deanj309]

I wasn't sure where to post this but what would you do.my car has been in a shop for a year now for roof. skin and rear channel.paid up front 3g and they keep putting off the car.so they call me and say we are backed up and won't be able to get to it.and they said come get the car and we will have a ck for you,so pi pic the car up no ck and they say next week for ck and so on. Well today they say I have no money to pay how about I paint your car for the money instead .well the car that was being fixed was 68 charger.the car he offered to paint is my 66 charger .how can you be backed up with work have no money to pay and can offer a paint job? But the 3g is the budget for roof skin repair and window channel and I already bought the new amd parts that's with the car!

[69finder]

What's a CK?

If anyone lies to me or can't hold up their offer, I get out of there AS FAST AS POSSIBLE.  Get a truck and  trailer and go get your car!  And your cash!

Forget the 'free' paint and forget that place.

[deanj309]

sorry check! Cash!

[Indygenerallee]

Screw that guy, That is a bad deal all the way around.

[Ryan]

get the car out of there ASAP and take him to court.

[DREDILSKI]

    What he said.

[Charger-Bodie]

Sounded to me like you already have the car back. I would insist on the refund and move on to someome who wants your work.

[nvrbdn]

  demand the money or sue. they made a deal, you had the car there. they need to pay. if they are too busy, they have money coming in. take the check.

[bull]

There's no way I'd let that clown paint my car. Get the cash and go elsewhere.

[440]

Definitely demand your money back. If that clown painted your car he'd take every shortcut possible to get rid of it as quick as he could. He already has your money so he'd have no incentive. You'd probably have to spend another 3k to fix his work. Bad deal, he just doesn't  want to hand the money back.

[69finder]

Next time; pay in installments for WORK done.  So tell the guy, hey, how much do you need to start and what are you going to do?

Check it out, verify, take photos.  Pay the man for his time.  Repeat, every week, every month whatever he wants.  All the good shops around here do that ('Thursday Clubs', they invoice/collect on Thursday, if you're late, your car is outside, or at least they threaten that).

It's good for the shop, it's good for you. 

[Scaregrabber]

Take some buddies with you and repo his air compressor. You'll never get any money out of him.

Sheldon

[NHCharger]

Did you pay him with cash or a check? Do you have a receipt? If so send him a registered letter demanding your money back in ten days or you will turn this matter over to your attorney. He basically stole 3k from you which I believe is a crime in most states.
Call your local PD. See if you can press charges against him. I bought a car hauler last year and the seller tried to screw me over and have me pay for the state sales tax that he didn't previously pay and it held up the title. I had a friend on the local PD that told the seller he committed fraud by selling me a trailer with a defective title and was going to start an investigation. You wouldn't believe how fast the seller fixed the title issue.

[hemi-hampton]

Sounds like most of the dump body shops I've worked in. I can tell you he took your $3 k to work on the cars in line ahead of you & other crap. Comes time for your car & the 3k long gone. Seen it many times. Also check would probably bounce. My Paychecks every Friday would bounce at these type of shops. Best to insist on cash. If I had to guess you'll take your car, Will not get any money & then have to take to small claims court. See it all the time. LEON.

[B5charger]

Get your cash ASAP.  If he does work for you instead, you know it's gonna be the crapiest, fastest work he can do to get rid of you.

[jaak]

Don't let him touch your car, just be happy you got it back. Don't be surprised if you never get your money back. I was in a similar situation, when I finally got my car back, I got some of my money but never got the full amount. Wound up doing all body and paint work myself.

Jason

[ACUDANUT]

yey, court time. No lawyer needed. Take him to small claims court, with your cashed check and plenty of pictures.  Did you get a written statement of work to be done. ?

[deanj309]

where to start to make a long stort short.....well I received 500.00 bucks and told me I would have to take payments...? If I wanted my money back! Sooo I went down to court house and put leins on his shop building.by the way he dosnt uwn it, he rents!and then on his house and the storage place where he stores the cars for clients.he also rents.so now all these people he works  with are now involved by having leins on there property! So after I left the court house I went and delivered copys to al partys involved with him! After pissing a few people off I guess will wait and see what happen! And I will wait for my court date.the crappy thing is my buget is shot and I guess I will have to do the work myself.....the good news is I picked up a year old hobart 140 welder for 125.00!.buck...score! Thx for listening

[resq302]

sounds like you did the right thing!  If he wanted to do payments, you would have never gotten your car painted since it seems like he was using "borrowed" money to finish up other cars ahead of your stuff.

[33yeartoy]

  sounds like that guy in kentucky?

[six-tee-nine]

Get your money back and cash only.

Tell him if he wont refund you something bad is gonna happen to his shop at night.....

[resq302]

Get your money back and cash only.

Tell him if he wont refund you something bad is gonna happen to his shop at night.....

I wouldn't go saying that!  Around here, that would be considered a threat and should something happen (and I wouldn't put it past the owner of the body shop to do it either) the police would have you as their prime suspect since you made that comment!  Would give the owner an excellent way to collect insurance money on his business and have you take the blame.

[nvrbdn]

true 

[superbirdtom]

yey, court time. No lawyer needed. Take him to small claims court, with your cashed check and plenty of pictures.  Did you get a written statement of work to be done. ?

   small claims is the best!  sue him for twice the ammount  when he recieves the notice to show up  he will pay up in cash.     or any lawyer will charge a couple hundered bucks to send a letter ststing he will be sued for twice the ammount, he will think damn now i have to hire a lawyer and give your cash back.  ive gone both ways and it has worked for me.

[69finder]

yey, court time. No lawyer needed. Take him to small claims court, with your cashed check and plenty of pictures.  Did you get a written statement of work to be done. ?

   small claims is the best!  sue him for twice the ammount  when he recieves the notice to show up  he will pay up in cash.     or any lawyer will charge a couple hundered bucks to send a letter ststing he will be sued for twice the ammount, he will think damn now i have to hire a lawyer and give your cash back.  ive gone both ways and it has worked for me.

How do you collect if he wins?  Here in Canada you can take people to small claims, win and then what?  They don't pay and there's not much recourse.  What do you guys do in the US?