I’m probably going to snoop around other shops and get their opinion as well. The sign-off waiver will be in the works.
the kid is coming tomorrow, we’ll see how that works out.
Just be honest and give your insight on clearly what happened. still a kick in the balls that his car broke, anyone would be disappointed.
or just look at any receipt from any other shop at ntb we have a good one its on the front and the back of the recipts
if you need a copy of ours let me know i can get it to you some how
honestly, it is reasons like this that i wanted out of hybrid. too much BS with doing this kind of work on these kind of cars. taking on all of the jobs that other people won’t do is only asking for trouble. one of the last straws was an engine swap we did for some kid who had his father doing all of the talking. he bought a 170K mile engine, that burned a ton of oil, let it get low, spun a bearing, then expected me to cover it even though we didn’t get him the engine. then we rebuild it, but he wanted it built, it was a GSR motor, but he wanted big cams, high compression, etc. etc. and wasn’t happy when the car had a few glitches that needed worked out when we were done. then we got it done and he was bitching about it passing emissions. in all honesty, that shit just isn’t worth it most of the time.
isn’t small business ownership fun?
had a meeting tonight. some peoples kids, i’ll tell you what.
didnt really work anything out per-say. im fixing it, he’s paying half. he started talking about an attorney, and i just didnt feel like dealing with it. it aggrivates me, but for now i’d just like to get it overwith.
get an upfront payment and tell him to quit being blue about an attorney
exactly. DON’T TOUCH IT until you have half of it in your hands or the little shit will play games. i’ve dealt with similar stuff to this before and hell try to get out of paying once it’s fixed.
dude. don’t. you trying to fix it is only going to make it worse. you will never make this kid happy. once you give him an inch he will know that he’s shaken you and try to take you for a LOT more. You GOTTA tell them that you’re sorry about his luck, but the problem was pre-existing, it was not your fault, and send him on his way. If he sues you, defend yourself in court. The worst thing the judge can do is rule in his favor, which means you have to fix his car. Which is what you are doing anyways. You already know what kind of people these are. No reasonable person would act like this. Be nice, be courteous, be apologetic. But don’t give them an inch.
But if you do, A-MOTHERFUCKING-MEN on the getting the money up front. I have signed legal contracts with companies that are now over 3 months overdue on payments cause of shitty managers. I could take them to court, but I know it wouldn’t do me any good. Same deal with these people. They know they won’t win. Threatening legal action is a LOT easier than actually following through with it.
i agree with darkstar. my pops owns his own home remodeling company. hes been doing that for about 15 years now. there has been plenty of times people try this kinda shit with him.
oh i need a new roof. ok then you go up there and there is this and this and this that need replaced. after you tell them that and even put it in the contract they STILL try to bullshit and say i never agreed to that. im not paying, that wasnt the price you quoted me ect…
its all the same shit really. this kid knew his shit was gonna break and break soon which is why he came in there. when it broke and you were driving it he probally got happy as hell to say welp looks like im gettin my car fixed for free!
take your chances in court. i know my old man has gone a few times and always won. i know it might be a lot of hassle but its gonna be worth it when you win or at least have a judge give a decision on what EXACTLY will be fixed. like darkstar said this kid is gonna come back on you and want a million things. its gonna be a pain either way at least there will be a judge ruling that states in a legal document what will be performed by you and what he will pay. otherwise this kid is gonna say “oh its not right” “this is fucked up now” :bash: free free free!!!
from what i heard your a really nice guy and helpful. sometimes that bites ya in the ass. tell this kid to take you to court. maybe by the time his dad talks some sense into him he might just decide to pay you a full amount to fix it or take it elsewhere. g/l either way
yea jay this kid is tryin to get something for nothing, its probably tough to say no because you are a small business but you cant kiss everyone’s ass.
good luck man, hopefully everything works out
Its easy to be angry big balls on the interweb, but i’m not trying to make enemys, which is where this kid was at for sure. I’ll use it as a learning experience and just move on, get this done and gone as soon as I can. Hell, this is probably the only real dinger i’ve had in 2 years, so I dont think thats too bad.
I will change things alot… there are actually other things I want to do as well, so this will help put things in motion. The slow winter months should give me plenty of time to figure it all out.
Good luck in getting it taken care of swiftly.
I’ve seen enough People’s Court to know how this COULD OF turned out. (still pending I guess since its not out of the shop yet…) Be thankful he is only asking for a repair and not a completely new car! 
It is your business and name on the line so I can see why biting the bullet and fixing it ASAP is the route you opted for. But doing the NICE thing and doing the RIGHT thing doesn’t seem to coincide here. You know what they say about nice guys…
I hate to piss on everyone’s concept of what would happen in court, but judges/magistrates are not nearly as predictable as everyone is making them sound.
Does it seem reasonable to penalize Jay for what happened? No. Do I think it’s entirely possible that a judge/magistrate would do it anyway? Yes. I’ve worked in court rooms and around lawyers for the last 4 years and I can tell you, especially with magistrates, the judgment that gets handed down is often just what they perceive as being “fair for everyone,” even when it seems clear that the wrong person is taking a hit.
Jay, get down onto paper exactly what you are fixing and exactly what condition things will be in when you are done (does this sound familiar?). When it is fixed, get him to sign off that he is taking delivery of the car and accepting it to be in satisfactory condition, so that once he signs and drives away, he’s not back in 2 weeks with it blown up. It doesn’t have to be in legal terms, just get it down and get it signed with a witness.
i have dealt with this too. the funny part is the work isn’t bad. it is the people. people tend to ruin the work. it is funny how this experience will change your whole concept of how you approach cars/customers to protect yourself. don’t be afraid to turn down jobs. it is hard to do but sometimes it is not worth it to take the job.
i would call the bluff. some people think threatening attorneys will get things done. all it does is piss the owner of the shop off. sounds like a shit for brains kid that thinks he can get somethin for nothing.
you know even after the head is repaired and car is back together their is pre existing problems that he is gonna say that weren’t there before you touched it.
Exactly…don’t make the same mistake twice. Make sure the deal is documented at this point before starting repairs. It is good of you to cover half since you didn’t have him sign a waiver - learn from your mistakes, BUT, don’t make the same mistake twice. Type a document with the current situation and the resolvement plan and don’t do the work until it is signed by both him and his father since he seems to be a part of this at this point. Goodluck.
Good advice Caleb. Jason, as much as i think it would be the right thing for you to do to tell this kid to go fuck himself, i think that you are doing what is best for you. Not sure how many hours you will have into this job when you are finished, but it’s possible that you could have that many or more hours into court appearances(and waiting around and delays etc etc), and STILL possibly lose. I think your solution is pragmatic. I DO agree that you need the $$ up front, and if he refuses, then tell him to come and get his car. The LAST thing you want to do is spend your money on parts with the possibility of him trying to stick you. Plus, i hope you are getting more than “half” for your work.
I would leave the POS in front of the assholes house. if you are going to fix it, make the prick wait as long as you possibly can, and by that I mean fix it at your leisure, and once you have it done just let it sit there. he’ll probably call every other day asking if its done yet just tell him your waiting on parts or something at the very least make him wait until next year to get it back
lol what awesome mix of responces :tounge:
I think yoru doing the right thing. Customer service can make or break a company since most small businesses run off of referals. I know he seems mad now but if you do a good job and satisfy both him and yourself then he may end up a happy customer and give out your name to some of his freinds/family. It doesnt matter what happened up to this point…the only thing that matters is how you go about fixing the problem. Im not saying let him walk all over you, but i think half is fair and if he ends up happy it could result in more biz for you.