you were doing ok until this; "I pleasently told him that I disagreed with his decision and would let him finish the job. But bet your behind it will be his last. " no reason for him to finish it any time soon OR give a shit about his work....
Nothing has changed. That is why I got it to him six or seven weeks ago for a two week job, he has a tendency for procrastination. No complications with the child, he/I were well aware of the situation and he set the date not me. Also the child didn't intefere with him dropping me cold and doing a house call. Lastly he has never done a job for me that a price or even a estimate was made. It has always been open ended. I never have a clue as to what it is going to cost, and have never changed words with him on the cost. Again thanks for all of your positions on this matter. I do feel after reading your comments that I did take the correct path. And hopefully this discussion will help someone in the future.
Well i hate that it happend but you handeled it better than I do. people like that need to be taught a lessin in life. First I would have got my truck then told eveyone about him and would have made it my lifes work to put him out of biz. I've done it. But thats Me I hate assholes that are star struck.
trucked up . you handeled it much better than i would have .i never have understood the take on all the work get none of it done attitude. i also dont understand all the replies on here telling you to cool youre jets good work takes what it takes no dedlines and soforth,thats just a joke hopefully none of these guys with these replys work in the industry.
The check's in the mail. You know I was going to mail the check then my wife had a kid. You know just as I was about to write the check the pope came in and asked me to write him a check. Here's a check but, I've cut the top 2/3'rds off it, I'll send it to you later. Sounds like you handled it better than I would have so don't listen to me. If you like dealing with this guy and this is the first time he's messed you up maybe you shouldn't write him off just yet. It sounds like he has a pretty good track record with you. I wouldn't hesitate to very calmly and clearly state your grievances and let him know that you don't appreciate how this job went and that he's about to lose dependable repeat business
I think you handled it very well. I'm only 35, but find myself mellowing more and more as I get older. I have been in situations where I took control and flew off the handle-badmouthed that person to no end-only to find myself needing that person again down the road. I've been in situations where I was the person that took all the licks-and regretted those decisions too. I guess the proper way to handle this one would be to check in on the progress every day and keep reminding him that he promised it for that certain date. I would try to motivate him somehow to finish. You already know he procrastinates, so let him again how important this is. This scenario is exactly whats wrong with the world we live in today, nobody has integrity and their word means nothing. I've been in business for several years and on quite a few occassions almost killed myself trying to meet a deadline. I think you are on the right track. When the project is finished to your taste, pull him aside and have a calm talk. Let him know that you have given him 7-8 weeks for his 2 week worth of work. If you miss your debut, let him know you expect some discount. Steven.
AH, See, more of the story, several details have been released since the first post. This presents a different light on the subject. When you ask for an opinoin, you need to at least give your whole side to the story. Maybe he will step up and get the job done in time yet. Good luck. Gene
Best post in this thread. If you want to be in BUSINESS then if you agree to a deadline then suck it up and meet the time you agreed to if you can't be at least that professional then go back to doing work as a hobby not a business.
If I had to drive 4 hours, and had done that 4 or 5 times to get work done,,,, well, I wouldn't. I'd buy a machine and learn how to stitch myself.
if the guy does good work and its worth the wait, then wait. otherwise, tell him he's going to lose a good customer and go somewhere else. he's not the only place you can get the work done.
Seems like the responses here have either been "Well, if he's good, you just have to put up with that stuff sometimes." or "Never call him again." There should be a middle ground. Communicate with this guy. Don't confront, but explain to him, in great detail like you did with us, why you're so disappointed. That you made the effort to work around his schedule, make sure he was ready and willing, the amount of work you've given him in the past, and that price has never been an issue. Ask this guy, why you shouldn't go find someone else after he treated you this way, and ask him what HE thinks you should do, or what HE is willing to do to fix this problem... since he created it. Put him on the spot, let him squirm a little. If at that point, it's clear that he's not willing to do anything to fix this problem, then you go find someone else. But I always hesitate to walk away from someone who's done a good job for me in the past.
How would i handle this? This is why i try to do everything myself. (And for me, this is an extreme uphill battle as my mechanical/automotive knowledge is spotty at best; i can't even weld) It takes alot longer and brings untold amounts of frustration and despair, but i think in the long run it's worth it as i learn as well as avoiding b.s. from shops. When it comes to things that i, for all practical purposes, cannot do; For instance i really dig the gasser front ends that alot of people posting here are doing. In this case, i would do alot of research as far as which shops are good and who isn't so good professionality wise; i think here is where web forums really shine. But even here, i think i would wait until i have the ability to perform such a modification myself. 2) i work in healthcare at my other job and i am using this as a true analogy: NO ONE GIVES A SHIT ABOUT YOUR HEALTH BESIDES FAMILY AND VERY CLOSE FRIENDS. a) Yes, there are good doctors and people that do quality work. But, in general for most part, the situation is sad. b) By close friends i mean people who would give their life for yours. i can analogize and make a similar statement about cars. Mechanics and shops are like healthcare providers and professionals in many ways. NO ONE REALLY GIVES A SHIT ABOUT YOUR CAR EXCEPT YOU. a) Yes, indeed, there are good shops and mechanics. But, in general, mechanics today suck. To be fair cars have gotten more complex. But what's really missing from the scene is the older guy who smokes a pipe while working on the car and cusses every other word but really knows his stuff. This type of guy is vanishing. Again, the internet is a powerful tool for information as far as weeding out who sucks. Here is an excellent thread about this very topic: http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=9327 In closing i would like to state that: PEOPLE, IN GENERAL, SUCK. Myself included.
This is a really interesting one based on the responses, a couple things to remember about people, George Carlin said it best, "ever notice how your shit is stuff and other peoples stuff is shit". Thats how life is, the attitude that he had, ( at least at the moment ) was that whatever he had going on was more important than whatever you have going on, to bad, but that's the bottom line. The fact is that if you make one customer happy, well, you've made one customer happy, but if you piss off that customer, well, you've not only pissed him off but you also piss off everyone of his friends, your trim guy needs to be aware of that. I'd get my " stuff " and move on. And that is my .02 cents worth.
Well first off did you pay everything up front? Ive learned in life to never ever pay the full bil up front. Once someone has your money you are now on the back burner. and most of the time you really have to get on their ass to finish what they started. I would let him know how you feeel and move on. Tell him straight out I gave you 25k over the last few years and this is how you treat me. take a hike while I take my money elsewhere Hope it was worth it to you. People are assholes and bad news spreads 1000x's faster than good news. Im sure this one thread has been read by more people than you told what a great job he did in the past and that one bad story you told will keep alot of people from ever going to him.
I'm with you Rusty, i read most the whole expectin a final ending. As usual i missed something along the way.
My Daddy always told me; "Son, life is like a shit sandwich; the more bread you got, the less shit you have to eat."
Again, this link is probably the most accurate and useful writeup of similar situations: http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=9327
Seriously, for $5k per job times five jobs in the last five years, I'd buy a sewing machine. I'd read up on the interior threads by the stitch guys here, and I'd sew my own stuff. Just like anything else, how hard can it be? Practice makes perfect, etc.. That's why I like learning how to do stuff myself. No hassles with being hampered by someone else's tight schedules or laziness or hangovers or whatevers. Granted, I've not sewn an interior before. But I'm going to on my newest truck. And if I fuck it up, I'll do it over. It'll still be less than your five grand guy if I have to do it over five times. Probably quicker too.
i totally agree with you and that kind of mentality; However, some things cannot wait; For example i had a bad vibration in a EFI car i use for daily transportation---to get to work among other things. In this case, i used the internet, mainly discussion boards, to find a reputable shop. And it worked out just fine.
Well, since the thread came back up,,,,,, did that upholstery guy ever finish, and if so, how good, and how much??? Inquiring minds want to know....
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