Just wanting to get some input on my situation.I usually do all my builds my self.I decided I wanted an interior that was going to be outside of my abilities.Never having had some one else do this kind of work for me,I started checking around for local interior shops. Checked out a few, and finally found a guy who seemed like the right choice.Talked with him 3-4 times,finally put a deposit down and reserved my appointment last August for the April 1, 2011 slot on his schedule. Busted my butt to finish out my truck,delivered it to him 9:30am on April 1st.Went over the specifics,seats,headliner,carpet,interior panels,visors,floor mats,bed cover,etc.Picked colors,materials,made a plan,got a total price. He told me it would take a month to do.He was going to call me part way thru,so I could come up and check things out,before he cut any fabric.That way I could have him change anything I did not like. As of this morning,I had not heard from him,so I gave him a call.I was getting concerned that there was only a little over a week left of the month.He told me he was really backed up.He had a number of other clients that did not have there cars ready on time and he was playing catch up.He has not even started on my truck.He tells me to just come up next Saturday to check out the progress,he could have the panels done by then. So I asked him what he thought his time line would be to have the truck finished from today's date.He said the end of May would be tough to do,but that he could try to make it happen. Now I know what kind of time it takes to do custom interior work.I also know my truck is not the only thing in his shop.He told me he only does one full custom interior a month.He has a few guys do the "normal" interior work his shop does,so he can do the custom stuff himself. Now I have now doubt that the finished product will be better than I could have ever imagined.My frustration lies in the fact I made an appointment,got my truck on his schedule,and busted my butt to make sure it was there on time.I did not get a couple of things done I wanted to,just to make sure it was there on time. Now my truck has to be pushed back because some one else did not get there cars ready on time. I feel like I have lost 3 weeks of build time just so my truck could sit up at his shop untouched and collecting dust.I could have had the couple of small things buttoned up and had it back up there last week!I was wanting to go to Billetproof in May,but that does not look like its going to happen now. I guess I just curious if anyone else has had similar issues with interior shop dealings? Im probably just making a big deal out of nothing,but it frustrates the crap out of me. I guess I just need to vent about this,sorry.
Yea read my thread about my frame getting painted white instead of black from the painters!! it's just the way it is when you're relying on someone else, and you know your work ethic but not theirs!
He should of made the guys that were late wait. Get it out of there!! He'll string you along as long as he can. I hope you don't have any monet involved yet, and if you do for the material, take the material with you. BTDT Butch
it is the same for most all types of work done-you usually see a few cars sitting around a shop-this is because the money you give the guy toward your car is being spent to work on the car(s) in front of you. much of money is used to pay overhead-also, long time customers/friends get to bump the new guy-if you really like his work just wait-if not find another shop and get in line again
You had an appointment, you were on time. The interior guy should have told the late comers to hold off as you took priority. Take your car out of there and get it to a real professional and pass the word about this guy. He WILL take advantage of you...you will not see your car until June......
get your deposit back, or the materials he says he bought with the depo, and get the hell out of there quick. you'll be lucky if you see your car till october. since you ain't his buddy, or even his best paying customer, (that was proved by you getting pushed back for those other customers). you get to fill the slot of 'fuckee'. don't know about you, but i've never liked that slot. go find someone that will treat you like the valued customer you deserve to be.
Go get your car tomorrow. The handwriting is on the wall and you will be given excuse after excuse and end up pulling it out anyhow at some later date. When things start out this way they do not get any better..........been there, done that. If he doesn't return your deposit take it anyway and worry about that later. There is always small claims court. (You DO have a receipt for the deposit, don't you?) If it comes to it, get the Sheriff to accompany you and document it. I've had personal friends string me along and I have not hesitated to take the trailer in unannounced and get my stuff the hell out of there as soon as I started to smell a rat. Don
Golden Rule #1: Never, ever, ever get a mate to do a major job on your rod. It's not vindictive, but your car will be the first one that gets pushed back in the queue when a better-paying one comes along, liberties will be taken (again, not vindictive), hearts will be broken! Much bad blood ensues.
My next door neighbor restores cars for people (high dollar shit) and he had a spot reserved at a local place, last minute better paying customers came in wanting their shit doent the day before yesterday for Detroit Autorama in Feb.... He had to wait an extra month... Wasnt his car, so it wasnt a huge deal, but he had to stay and freeze in MI for an extra month instead of going down south when he wanted to.... I got fucked around by a wiring guy for a year..... It sounds like he is going to ruin your whole summer. Make it a driver, drive it this summer, do the interior next fall/winter.... You know we dont get much of a summer up here.... Good Luck, James
now that he is running behind schedule , you have to make sure that you still allow him to finish the job to a standard and not a time frame.If he feels under pressure he may cut corners to finish it quick.You will be more dissapointed than you would be if you got it a bit later than you wanted it
If he would care about his customer the least he could do is to pick up the phone and explain the situation. I would definetly get it out of there.
Sounds kind of typical for most interior guys I have dealt with. Last one was a head liner deal " Yup 3 days max." 4 weeks later I picked it up.
I hate getting strung along by shops. Thats why I take the money Id pay someone to do the work and buy the tools needed to do it myself. Youll need to confront this guy face to face and ask him what the deal is. If hes going to push you back then he needs to "adjust" the price for your trouble.. if not, pull the truck!
I would go get it and tell him to call u when he is done with everybody else's that way u can finish your stuff and use it till he's ready . That is if you decide to go back. I wouldn't. good luck.
I run my own upholstery shop and shit happens its life and business people turn up with stuff no where near ready for trim or keep adding to the job , I don't know the finer details but you guys need to be a bit more accepting , the guy may be pulling a fast one or he maybe completely honest and got in the shit through no fault of his own , if you pull the car now you'll have to find another shop and wait for another slot . Sit down and talk to the guy then make your decision
I'm going thru the same thing right now as well with my interior for my car. Bought and paid for the material already and now sitting around for a month and my car isn't even in the shop yet! I'm going to pick up my material this Sat and find someone else.
Thats what I going to do at this point,go talk to him and see whats actually going on.I know shit happens,so I want to get all the facts from him face to face before I do anything more radical.
It's your car and everyone handles things differently, but I would suggest that the next conversation you have with him be VERY firm and VERY specific with a definite completion date agreed to, in writing. Be sure to put the words "Time is of the essence" on the contract as that is what the courts will want to see if it should go that route. That phrase locks him in and if he doesn't meet it he has broken the contract and it puts you in the drivers seat as far as being able to recover damages. Here is why I suggest you use that phrase: "time is of the essence n. a phrase often used in contracts, which, in effect says: the specified time and dates in this agreement are vital and thus, mandatory, and "we mean it." Therefore, any delay, reasonable or not, slight or not, will be grounds for cancelling the agreement." I know stuff happens, but what is really disturbing to me is the fact he wasn't professional enough to pick up the phone and let you know. All of us have encountered shops that are less than professional and who should not be in business. I've been stung more than once. He knew you had a deadline, promised to meet it, and didn't. End of story. Hope you make out ok. Don
I would give the guy a chance. If he does really good work it will be worth the wait. I would rather wait for quality work vs push the guy to do a hack job. Maybe the guy will cut you a deal for delaying you if you explain your point of view respectfully.
I would also show up more often,(unannounced) you know..just to talk..maybe once a week maybe bring in some coffee and a lawn chair
Everyone wants their cars done for summer, sounds like he needs to get one of his "normal" upholstery guys to help out. I worked in an interior shop for 2 years doing exactly that, and clients come in the day we have the car ready to go then say oh by the way, I want this this and this and I need it by Friday. Shit happens, but the guy should have called to explain what happened. I agree with some on here on saying go in there unannounced and check up on the work being done.
Tell him you want to take it to that show, and it has to be done by then. Tell him in person, not on the phone-and tell him you'll be stopping by often. If he says he can't do it, then shit I don't know... It's not like you're going to find someone else and start the whole process over again and still get it done in time, right? Tough spot man... Put a little pressure on the guy, don't let him string you along.
You are not alone in your frustations. I know at least 5 guys in that business and they are all the same. It happens and most times out of their control if you figure a two day delay in materials employee screw up's and other back orders it does not take long to get burried in work and major delays. Not defending them, I am in the service industry and I know how easy it can happen. If it is a decent shop with a repuatable operator I would most definetly give them a second chance and try to work with him. Even ask if there is anything you can do to help, we know the answer will be no but now you have just made another conneciton with him without anyone getting pissy.
x2 Cut and run isn't always the best option. Talk it out. Custom work almost always runs long anyways. There are too many variables and unforeseen problems that need to be worked out for a quality job. I usually take what I think I need for time and double it. Most of the time its still not quite enough. I understand your frustration with it not even being started after 3 weeks. If he is really just that backed up it may be a good sign. People that do bad work aren't usually very busy.
Well I went up to check on my truck this afternoon.I did not let him know I was coming up there.Went up there with the idea of just seeing where he was at with the progress on my truck,and talk to him about my concerns. Much to my surprise I found him working on my truck!He had actually gotten a good bit of it going. I spent a little time checking it out, and what he had done is as nice, if not nicer than I expected.I spent a little time going over it with him,we still seem to be on the same page design wise.This made me feel much better. I talked to him a little bit about my concerns with the time line.I also let him know about my plans to go to Billetproof.He asked me when it was,so I told him.His response was that he could possibly have it done by then.He still wants me to come back up there next Saturday.He said he would have all the panels cut and fit,ready to be covered.He said that because of our discussions today,he could possibly have a few of them completely finished and ready for final installation.There will still be alot of work to do on the seats though.He is actually tearing them down to the bare frames.He's going to reshape,and re-foam them before making new covers for them. In any case,going up there and voicing my concerns to him face to face has at least made me feel better for now.So now I have to hope he can stay on track.Will most likely just make more frequent visits to check up on him.........
Gotta be careful but sounds like he's moving on it now-typically when I take a car in to be done, it's on schedule and if my guy says 4 weeks-it will be four weeks--has done 5 40 coupes for me--in the case of a 40 woody and 40 convert, he said 6 weeks-only one that didn't make it was the woody due to backordered top material. I stick with this guy-he is not cheap (one of the highest in the area)and there are other shops around but his work is top notch and he is honest and timely--hang in there and do frequent checks on progress-the guy may be honest and reliable--just a little pushed for time.
"Possibly" ready for Billetproof means it won't be ready for Billetproof. My prediction is six months from the day you dropped it off with a promise to have it done "at the end of this month" each month from now til then. You'll be happy with the work and upset with the time your truck spent in the shop. Interior, chrome, and paint/bodywork shops are all the same. They promise the moon to get you in and then make you wait. Good luck. It sounds like you're satisfied with the quality of his work. Be sure to post pics in October when you finally get it back!
That's a broad brush to paint, isn't it? I don't promise any more than I know I can do; yet the work still piles in... Every custom-oriented business will have unforseen issues, but it doesn't mean everone lies about it.
I honestly didn't mean to paint you with my broad brush generalization. I apologize. But you are an exception. That's just been my experience with shops I have used and guys I know. No hard feelings I hope!
The Jalopy Journal
