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Powder coater destroyed my valve covers

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by lowrodderDon, Aug 21, 2009.

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  1. lowrodderDon
    Joined: Dec 7, 2007
    Posts: 257

    lowrodderDon
    BANNED

    I have a set of corvette valve covers I took to be powder coated, I wanted them to be coated to look like my ceramic coated headers, so this fella tells me he can do it. I went to pick them up ( after missed deadlines) and they are dark gray and have dirt and dry spots too. So he tells me he'll fix it right. So I wait about a week (originally told me he would have them the next day) and he tells me they will be ready at 4:00. I arrive at 4:20 at he tells me they are not done. I just drove a half hour to get there and I'm workin midnights so I really should be sleepin insted of chasing missed deadlines. So I'm a little pissed off and start to leave and the tires start to squeal a little so I mash it good now. this dummie calls me and start to rip into me about burnin rubber. I was in my 160,000 mi 95 Dodge ram w/318 not much spinnin goin on here, So after a little discussion he tells me he dosn't want to do business with me and that he will blast the covers to bare metal and I can pick them up. then he wanted to charge me for them too! well I go to get them yesterday and he completely destroyed them. they are warped and the fins are almost removed in places and knife edged. What kind of recourse do I have? I contacted BBB, but do I have a legal case? Anbody know? Do I call Harvey Wallner or go to Judge Judy?
     

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  2. carcrazyjohn
    Joined: Apr 16, 2008
    Posts: 4,843

    carcrazyjohn
    Member
    from trevose pa

    Smash the windows at his shop.For the replacement cost you will lose money. Im sorry to here about your loss. You could try to paint them .Flip them I think he ran into a problem they might be magnesium.
     
  3. vertible59
    Joined: Jan 25, 2009
    Posts: 1,058

    vertible59
    Member

    Probably nothing that you can afford, other than small claims court, if even that is possible. Knuckle sammuch would make you feel better, but would cost WAY too much in the long run. What will work is word of mouth. Best advertising you can get if it is positive, but a killer when not.
     
  4. belair
    Joined: Jul 10, 2006
    Posts: 9,013

    belair
    Member

    E-Bay is about all you have left. He screwed em up the first day he had em, and your exhibition of power gave him the weasles' way out.
     

  5. BlueOvalCertified
    Joined: Aug 6, 2009
    Posts: 99

    BlueOvalCertified
    Member
    from Minnesota

    This guy must be looking to build a good reputation. I love when people fail and then they try to blame someone else! I always shoot for exceeding the customer expectation then if something happens customers are still happy. I would understand if he returned them to you in the same condition that you brought them to him and no charge, but not after he damaged them removing the sub par coating he had put on them. I hope something can be worked out. Good luck.
     
  6. american opel
    Joined: Dec 14, 2006
    Posts: 1,222

    american opel
    Member
    from ohio

    i dont think that theres much you can do except let all of your friends know how he treated you and what he did to them.if he did ruin them it is really hard to prove it unless you have pictures of them proving that he warped and over blasted them!!also make sure you dont start bashing him too bad because he can sue you for slander.
     
  7. goatboy
    Joined: May 9, 2009
    Posts: 617

    goatboy
    Member
    from kansas

    rent a flashing sign & leave it in front of his place with a "witty" saying
     
  8. I feel your pain Don, hope you get it worked out, problem with powder coating is that anyone with a couple hundred dollars, gets a starter kit, and before you know it he is a full fledge powder coating business, yea right. I called one guy to do one of my high end chopper frames, and when I got there, well he never has done anything more than a wrought iron fence, next guy up. Then found a shop, MELBOURNE, FLORIDA, actually done auto parts, even frames, and his son was a self proclammed bike builder, yea right again. I pointed to where the vin number was, the friggin VIN number, and asked to have this area taped off with the silicone tape to leave the number raw steele and then I would shoot clear over it back at my shop, cops like that, and see I was a real bike shop/builder. He's all pissed off cause I am telling him his business, he say's I just run a lite coat of powder over the numbers no problem I do it all the time, yea right. Me, not wanting trouble said , O.K., do what you always do, get the frame back, and you cant even see where the numbers where, the dang powder was so thick just in that spot I could have died, what a spitefull prick, plain and simple. Hope you get your deal worked out. There have been quite a few of those type covers on E-Bay lately. Good luck with your project.
     
    Last edited: Aug 21, 2009
  9. onenew32
    Joined: Mar 11, 2008
    Posts: 126

    onenew32
    Member

    two words....... hillerich and bradsby :cool:

    (Louisvile slugger)
     
  10. Johnny1290
    Joined: Apr 20, 2006
    Posts: 2,834

    Johnny1290
    Member

    Belair nailed it. I work graveyard myself, I'd be mad too if I didn't get my valve covers when they were supposed to be ready but you kinda set yourself up for it by not calling ahead of time, bro, stuff like this is never on time, as you know.

    Odds are he's not a member of the BBB and they're pretty worthless anyhow, IMO.

    I'm not a lawyer but it seems like if he couldn't do the job there should be no charge, and the valve covers should be returned in the same condition they were in.

    It cost me in the $100 range I think here in so cal to file a case in small claims and have the sheriff deliver him the court papers(that was $50, but worth it I think :D )

    Once you win, you have to try and collect, which is a whole nother process, without any guarantee of getting a dime.

    That said, it's worth some time and money to fight back against someone that's ripped me off, as that kinda stuff chaps my ass for years.

    Good luck whatever you decide
     
  11. BarneyO
    Joined: Nov 8, 2007
    Posts: 134

    BarneyO
    Member
    from here


    1) Years ago a friend bought a new Corvette - a R E A L lemon. After the dealer refused to do anything he had large yellow lemons painted all over the black body and parked it in front of the dealership - in legal spaces. When the meter ran out hed move it and put in more money. About 2 weeks and the dealer caved.

    2) Similarly an elderly couple got a lemon from a dealership and the old man marched up and down in front of the building legally on the sidewalk for several weeks with a tree branch loaded with tied on lemon juice containers. That too worked.

    Advertising -IS- pretty effective both ways!! Let the local car clubs know
    in this guys town.
     
  12. You have told the story now tell everybody the name of the business,,,that's the only thing you can do besides doting his eye,,,and that would cost you a lot of money! HRP
     
  13. ApacheA
    Joined: Aug 13, 2009
    Posts: 9

    ApacheA
    Member

    First thing, tell us who it is so A. we never go to the bastard, and B. it may hurt his business a bit. Hell, do a write-up on Chicago's Yelp site and hurt his business even more. Send a letter to a local weekly(they will publish almost anything) saying what a scam artist he is. Etc.....

    Sometimes, just the threat of a lawsuit will get the ball rolling.

    Or, threaten to chew his nose off if he does not reimburse ya.
     
  14. HotRodBen1987
    Joined: Jul 29, 2009
    Posts: 691

    HotRodBen1987
    BANNED

    I don't know that going through all the pain of a lawsuit over a $200 set of valve covers is worth it but I wouldn't pay him anything, take my valve covers back, and talk bad about him and his business at every chance I could get. Sorry to hear about your troubles
     
  15. 57JoeFoMoPar
    Joined: Sep 14, 2004
    Posts: 6,138

    57JoeFoMoPar
    Member

    This is mostly correct. Do you have legal recourse? Sure... but why? It costs $25 to file a small claims suit in NJ, I'm sure your state has a similar fee. You don't need a lawyer, which saves you money. You could maybe prove that the valve covers are trashed with circumstantial evidence (why would you bring bad valve covers to get powder coated?) or if you had some pics to prove the damage.

    The reality is though that if you win, you still lose. What do those valve covers cost? $150 bucks from Pace? Cheaper used on eBay or at a swap meet? Even if you sue for costs, by the time you pay for gas to get to court, pay to park, lose a days pay/sleep... it's not even worth it unless you want to do it just to be a prick.

    This is not slander. This is simply using word of mouth to spread the news of a bad experience he had doing business. How many people have made their living on good word of mouth? No reason the opposite can't hold true. He's not on here calling him a homosexual or saying that he has sex with farm animals, he's simply stating that he had poor dealing with him and his work is not good.

    Burning out in front of the guy's business in no way precludes legal action on his behalf. The powder coater would have to bring his own separate action for that, which would be frivolous

    Lesson learned. Do us a favor and post the name of the business and the guy's name.
     
  16. lowrodderDon
    Joined: Dec 7, 2007
    Posts: 257

    lowrodderDon
    BANNED

    Complete powder coating & sandblasting in Crest Hill Il, He has a website completepowdercoating.com e-mail him some b.s. he answers everything on his I phone or blackberry or something like that. I didn't pay him when I picked them up, but one thing I did do is document everything. I saved all e-mails and voice mails and have pics of everthing. I'm going to try the legal route and maybee just a threat will get him to come off some money. but I've been tellin eveybody. Oh yeah he told me not to come back.....WTF? like I would do that when he's open......
     
  17. Fordguy78
    Joined: Apr 2, 2009
    Posts: 557

    Fordguy78
    Member

    What an ass. Sorry to hear about your valve covers.
     
  18. 8-Track
    Joined: Jul 26, 2008
    Posts: 396

    8-Track
    Member

    Have sombody bring him a bunch of parts that you do not want for powder coating have him powder coat them and never pic them up.
    See how he likes it.
     
  19. 48fordnut
    Joined: Nov 4, 2005
    Posts: 4,215

    48fordnut
    Member Emeritus

    They are alum, not mag. Drop his name here so some one else knows. then just forget it. I bought a set of damaged ones on the bay had them welded, then smoothed them down. look great.
     
  20. Da Tinman
    Joined: Dec 29, 2005
    Posts: 4,222

    Da Tinman
    Member

    Now email him a link to this thread!
     
  21. HotRod33
    Joined: Oct 5, 2008
    Posts: 2,570

    HotRod33
    Member

    Keep telling everyone about the problem and tell them not to do business with him.... You could get some of your buddies to take some cheap valve covers and other junk parts there and have him do the powder coating and never go pick them up... They can you some bullshit name and phone number and he will not be able to track them down..... Then you could call him and ask how he likes getting ripped off......
     
  22. skunx1964
    Joined: Aug 21, 2008
    Posts: 1,455

    skunx1964
    Member

    nice...... i didnt think of that......:)
     
  23. specialk
    Joined: Sep 28, 2005
    Posts: 598

    specialk
    Member

    IIRC, if you win in small claims court, there will be a lien against his name. When he sells his house (for example) if liens are checked, he will have to pay you from the proceeds.
     
  24. jimi'shemi291
    Joined: Jan 21, 2009
    Posts: 9,499

    jimi'shemi291
    Member

    57JoeFoMoPar has the best approach here. Burning down his building or poisoning his dog would make you feel better -- until you were sitting behind bars. The valve covers are physical proof the guy does crap work. Keep them in your trunk to back up what you say about the guy's work, and tell anybody who needs car work to stay away.

    When BP ProCare was new, I took my low-miles '76 Cordoba to them for what I felt was a carb issue. Several hundred dollars later, I got a bill, a piece of paper with a diagnosis, "Engine worn," and the car ran as bad or worse than it did before it went IN. I was out hard-aerned money, and I felt they had done nothing to help me.

    BUT, I could not PROVE the diagnisis was wrong without tearing down the engine, right? So, what did I DO?

    You guess it. Took the 400 completely apart, and YOU NEVER SAW A CLEANER ENGINE INSIDE! NO SLUDGE, NO RIDGES IN TOPS OF CYLINDERS, NOTHING. Well, by this time I'd already decided to put in a 440 for the 400 anyhow. But it still pissed me off. With NO spare room to stash the 400, it went to some poor guy who turned it all in for scrap.

    BUT, as 57Joe said, I had a STORY to tell, and TELL IT I HAVE, for about 20 years. Any time someone asks who to go to for honest, expert auto repair, I tell them who to go TO -- and who NOT to go to, and why. As long as you stick to the facts and can back up what you say, it's not slander.
     
  25. missysdad1
    Joined: Dec 9, 2008
    Posts: 3,305

    missysdad1
    Member

    It takes a lifetime to build a good reputation, but only a few vocal dissatisfied customers to tear it down.

    If he is at all reputable he will contact you and try to make it right.

    If he does not, speak out, loud and often, about your bad experience.

    You are not the only one he has burned. Word does get around.

    This may not be as immediately satisfying as some of the other suggested actions, but you will feel great when the next time you drive by his shop you see only an empty building.

    The free market system works.
     
  26. budd
    Joined: Oct 31, 2006
    Posts: 3,478

    budd
    Member

    my family rented a house for a week in florida, we gave a $200 dollar deposit, at the end of the week the guy wouldn't give back the deposit, my mother told him she was going to take out an ad in the local newspaper telling the story, he gave her the money back. make yourself up a sample ad by going to his website and pulling a few pics and info, tell your story and put the word crook in big letters across the top, have a local paper give you a quote to place the ad, take that to him and i bet you get your covers replaced.
     
  27. lowrodderDon
    Joined: Dec 7, 2007
    Posts: 257

    lowrodderDon
    BANNED

    Yo Shifty, my point in listing the facts of my truck is that it really couldn't be much of a burnout. this dude knows he clearly couldn't meet my expectations, I and I didn't expect any more than what he told me he could do. So he's taking the punk way out and tryin to put it on me.
     
  28. i would go back and ask to look at them again
    when he hands them to you you should smash them on the floor
    since they are junk anyway no harm no foul
    then you tell him to fuck himself and you walk away
    basically you vented your frustration, you only broke your stuff( which is scrap anyway) and he is out of his time and paint
    then you tell everyone that you burned him back and not to do buisness with him
    good deal
    tk
     
  29. skullhat
    Joined: May 30, 2009
    Posts: 892

    skullhat
    Member

    legally, if he messed up your parts, he has to pay replacement costs, and recieves nothing for his labor. unless you signed the standard work order in the business that states he isnt liable for your parts.

    you still may have recourse at that point, id file in small claims, and as others have mentioned, let everyone know how crappy his work is


    skull
     
  30. #### Ha Ha >>>>.
     
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