Folks Of Interest Reputation rant

Reputations are a fragile thing… A RANT.

I have never screwed anyone on a deal... EVER.

Yet, recently, a fellow club member was looking at a car to purchase that he saw online for sale and the seller mentioned that he knew me.

I didn't know this guy by name, but as it turns out, I sold him a FE engine (complete, carb to pan and all accessories and with real chrome t-bird rocker covers) and C6 about a year ago.

I knew this to be a good engine and I EVEN PUT A GUARANTEE ON IT. It was in a truck that I drove, and would lend to people that needed to haul stuff, because it was dependable. The engine had no noises, it didn’t smoke, and it never overheated.

I sold it to him for a really good price (600 bucks for engine and trans) with the guarantee.

I never heard from him again so I assume he’s happy; ‘til my friend was speaking to him and he said that I sold him a junk engine. REALLY.

He said there was water in the oil. There wasn’t any in there when I sold it to him. So either he left it out in the rain, or it was condensation. Either way, this pisses me off. The local hot rod community is a small one, and I’m always ready to help folks out.

I’m not in the business. I’m just a fellow hot rod guy that has too much stuff lying around. I’m not out to make a buck, I do fine at my 9 to 5. My personal reputation is extremely valuable to me and it’s not worth any amount of money to jeopardize it, or the reputation of my club.

So if anyone ever hears differently, let me know.

 

At the very least if this guy was pissed off enough to badmouth you and drag your name all over town, he should have had the balls to confront you first about the situation. To not give you the oppurtunity to make it right or give your side of the story was wrong, assuming that you didn't know there was an issue with the engine or didn't sell it as anything it wasn't.

 

Since the buyer had some recourse when you sold him the combo, either it got rained on and in, or someone pissed down the oil fill tube when he wasn't looking.

Conclusion, your reputation is still golden.

Bob

 

Sold out. That's what I call it. One of the reasons I won't EVER do a "ghetto" body job. Also why I won't cut corners because that prospective customer can't afford it. 1st day out at a show they'll mask their penny pinching ways and say that's the best you could do. No thanks. Good, bad or indifferent, tell it like it is. I've been sold out a few times, once even for a job I didn't do. A guys car went off the end of a dragstrip and when his back bars broke the fucker that did the job said I did it. I hopped on the rollback at the track and announced in no uncertain terms that I would permanently cripple the next fucker that said I did it and made the owner's buddy tell everyone the truth. The prick who did do the job slithered away.

3 months ago a jerkoff selling a tubbed Camaro was using my name for bragging rights as to who tubbed his car. I hadn't done one in 12yrs. I went and saw the car and the guy was a bit fearful as he'd recognized who I was. Didn't hear about it any longer. You're right, this is a small world and your reputation is everything. I feel your pain dude but you need to count on those who truely know what you're about and be ready to lay the smackdown on those who'd lie for their own reasons.

 

It's tough dealing with people you know. A friend of mine gave away a Chrysler 440 to another guy that was going to use it in a project. Instead of using it, the guy sold it and kept the money. It can be argued that a gift is a gift, but that doesn't mean your wife can sell her wedding ring and buy shoes with the money either.

One friendship down the drain......

 

Swirly in a public restroom, feet in the air.

 

Thanks guys. It's nice to know that I'm not alone..

By the way Mike51Merc: that is a whole 'nother story brother! AMEN.

 

I hear ya... BUT, if I was you, I'd be on the phone to this jackoff to see what his deal is. NOT griping about it on here. Don't take it too hard, some people just like to run their mouths for no apparent reason. This guy is obviously a liar, who buys an engine with a garauntee and when it's bad, doesn't collect?

 

Some people run their mouth to cover up their own stupid mistakes. Your golden - sounds like he did something to it.

 

Well if I didn't know before I do now.

I don't recall if I ever bought anything from you so if I did it must have been alright.

Remember this one thing and you can quote me if you like, " people say a lot of things"

Life goes on friend. You treat me well and I'll do the same by you.

 

Seems like a pretty lame deal and lame for the guy to say stuff like that. Obviously we don't know his side of the story, but none of this sounds too unlikely.

 

1983, when I had my shop, my nephew and I went to this "50s nite" in San Jose, parked my truck, and were standing in a small circle of friends talking about Bonneville, (when we were leaving, etc)
Some stranger was standing there talking about his 'roadster'. He said it was "in Mike's shop, paid for in advance, and no work done on it in 2 months..."
He even named the shop. MY shop! I asked, "What does this Mike look like, do we know him?" The guy described some large, hairy cave-dweller, (I didn't look look that THEN!)
like a fat Nick Nolte. (I was a thin Tom Cruise type then, LOL)
Asked exactly where the guy's shop was, this character verbally drove us right up to my door! Perfect directions!
I had a large shop, so my nephew and I jumped in my truck, he was laughing out loud.
Not me. I was headed to the shop to see if there was a '29 Roadster underneath something...and to look for misplaced money I might have been handed...
Never found out who this idiot was, but some others said they heard I had a shop full of pre-paid, unfinished jobs...
Unfinished jobs were never pre-paid, some had to be paid on installments, per the contracts. Some finished jobs were never paid, but those were from "friends".

 

sometimes people arent happy unless they have something to complain about. probably just a blowhard who likes to spout off to anybody that will listen. if you know in your heart you did no wrong, don't loose sleep over it.

 

So mike could you look around your back yard etc and see if I left my '33 Bugatti there? I know its a little OT but I have been expecting you to finish it up for quite some time now.

If you're gonna lie about someone or something lie big, make it worth the angst.

 

One of them stories" I heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend" It's all gossip and don't pay any attention.The guy who bought the engine probably said "I left it out in the rain and water got into the engine" In a year this becomes the line of shit you heard.
Of course,you may have sold a bad engine......just kidding

 

"You can please some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time". The people who know you, know you. Life is too short to give this person a second thought.

 

I'd be upset too. This guy didn't even give you a chance to respond, just took a cheap shot at your reputation with a third party.

If someone comes to me trashing a person's reputation, I stop them right at the beginnig and say "why are you talking to me about it, let's go see x (person being maligned) right now and settle this". Shuts them up real quick, and they usually never bother me again.

 

Was that the Bugatti, Pork? All I see back there is a Testarossa, Oh, and I found this money...

 

I'd take it personal too and would (even against better judgement) have to call him out if I ever saw him.

Just seems like a cheap shot. If there were really any problems at all, he would've called and complained a long time ago. I know it is easier said than done but - don't worry about it. The more you stir it, the worse it'll stink. No matter what action you take, you can't keep a guy from another town from running his mouth.

 

this is why from now on i only do cars for people i know, in all the years of doing cars i have only been screwed once , did a 41 sedan for a guy i didn't know before hand, POS car he wanted me to "fix", new SBF, wiring, paint and interior, car turned out really nice.First time he came to drive it he bitched " doesn't drive any better, guess the interior looks a little better than before" Had a heart atack wife threated to sue me , blamed me, stiffed me out of 1500 skins. if i don't know ya i wouldn't work on your car.But unlike a lot of you guys i just do it on the side.

 

Sounds like the guy probably screwed something up himself and then wanted to place the blame on you for his mistakes. The fact that he may have run pass the car wash on the way home and spend five bucks spraying off the engine whether or not it needed it was forgotten when he pulled the oil plug and found some water or started it an ran it and found a milkshake. And most likely he heard the engine run in the truck and may have even ridden around the block in the truck before you sold it to him and pulled it and he has forgotten that.

I sold a 62 Impala coupe with a 283 glide for 250 running and driving with tags to a kid in the early 70's in Texas. a few days later he and his dad pull up to my house in the car and his dad is having a fit because they had gone to put tires on it and the tire store told him it needed A frame bushings. I finally had to tell the guy that if he went to the parts house in town and bought the bushings I'd put them in right there in my driveway. Two hours later he was on his way with new bushings and happy but it took doing the work to make it that way. Bad part is that I did front end work for a living and I actually thought the front end of that car was in pretty good shape.

I'll agree 100% in that if you have a bone to pick with someone go to that person and do the bone picking and not run the guy down when you never talked to him about the alleged problem.

 

It sucks but there are a lot of knuckleheads out there. Some years ago a buddy of mine put together an older OT Camaro, 350 4-speed. He sells the car to a young local guy. Flash forward several weeks and the young guy is back at the shop saying he was sold a shit car, the motor blew up and he was only driving the car "normal". My buddy tells him to pound salt. A couple years later the buyer finally comes clean and (laughing about it) admits that he was beating the shit out of the car, blew the motor and just couldn't afford to fix it. Some folks will do and say all kinds of shit to try and get over. There's not much integrity out there anymore and it's getting worse not better. Just chalk it up to experience and move on. The people that know you are a stand up guy won't let one jackass change their minds.

 

And people can't understand why I don't have friends. Crap like all this happened to me one too many times

 

I know what you mean. I built a 406 sbc for my self, later some one else wanted it and bought it. Saw the guy a couple mos later,and asked about the eng. said it ran good for 80 miles and spun a bearing. I ask who diagnoised it, and he told me. I said lmk when you take the pan off. they didn't,just pulled trans back and started eng, noise still there. Long story,short, it was carried to a shop, they found the flex plate loose. I had told them that, and they saw me finger tighten the bolts on the plate. they told everyone I built a bad eng. its still running today, no problems. My fault I didn't torque the flex plate bolts. reputation ruined over that.

 

hey gang, my name is Sean Murphy owner of SMI(sean murphy induction). appearently some a-hole is selling carbs at long beach claiming to be me. i guess he really tall(like 6'8") and has cards with my business name and address and a fake ph#. anyboby see this guy at the last meet or worse yet buy something from him?

thanks, Sean

 

I know the feeling. A local guy was telling everyone that the car he bought was a pos, even telling guy the wiring I put in was junk and how he had to spend all this money for a wiring kit. I had just rewired the car for the previous owner with an EZ wire kit right before he sold it. When I questained him about it face to face, turned out the wiring WAS junk. After HE smoked my harness trying to put in a new headlight switch!
BTW, Real SMI, wrong place, wrong time to jump in here, especially for your 1st post.
Might want to figure thing out around here first, then try.

 

I understand being upset about crap like this. I try really hard to provide the best job or parts and as honestly as I can. Some people are just either straight up crazy or down right assholes. You can't win with either one so just laugh and know that you did the best you could. Keep your head up. I'm sure there's lots of good stories about you out there too.

Atwater, You should have led the whole cruise night over to your shop telling the guy you would all kick the guys ass and get his car and money back. Then opened up the doors and asked him "which one of the cars was yours again?". He would have shit the bed on the spot.

 

Was that before or after he overheated it?

Hey Mike, where's my '57 Chevy convertible i left at your shop 3 years ago? You know, the pearl white one with red tuck n. roll.

 

I agree with that. The least he could do was say he wasn't going to use it and if he wanted it back. I would have told him that it was his and sell it if he could, and I suspect that most would do the same. Hell, my dad gave me his old truck when he bought a new one. Years later when I bought a new one, I didn't sell it. I gave it back to him so he could sell it.

 

I practically gave a 29 Chevy Coupe body to a fellow club member and tossed in two grill shells and a few boxes of other part he needed to put it together. Said he was going to build it.

The next swap meet, there it all was for sale. I was pretty ticked.....