Rookie Mistake...

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This '68 Barracuda convertible was rescued by the guy i picked it up from (he sold it to a friend of mine, but I picked it up). The "resto" shop owner was about to skip with everything in the shop, including this car. This is what the resto shop called a finished body and paint job. It disgusted the guy so much that he just decided to sell. And, no, I don't know the shop or shop owner. Just because a shop puts out some quality looking job doesn't mean it will always be that way. It you haven't yet, go get your car.

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MICHAEL A SCUDDER said:
I'm giving him until Mid-February to make some sort of progress. If not, I've already decided to do just that. I'll either just take the car or tell him to stop when he reaches $10,000.00 of material and labor on it.
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You are not the only one with one of those T shirts.
Just go pick up the car and parts before he sells parts.
Was involved in a court case in Calgary involving a rod shop. He had screwed a number of people. If nothing else came out of it, he shut down with his reputation in the basement of the outhouse.
 
I've participated in a few successful car pickups.
The crew consist of the car owner that does inventory but doesn't do any loading.
Six workers for loading.
And one attorney that does all the talking representing the car owner and makes sure everyone plays nice and de-escalates any heated moments. The attorneys are very good at thinking fast, talking slow, making everyone aware of their rights, not putting up with any **** and not getting hoodwinked.
If the shop owner doesn't willingly cooperate, then the attorney makes the call to the sheriff early in the game.
The standard hardware is one car transport trailer for the car and one large enclosed moving truck for the parts.
Alot of wood crates for disassembled engine, trans and other hard parts.
And a lot of moving blankets.
Show up in the morning unannounced at shop opening hours. The whole thing takes about 4 hours on average for a completely disassembled car because of a complete inventory accounting. The cost runs fifteen hundred to 2 grand.
Plus, the destination.
 
I could see taking the fender tag for restoration purposes, but drilling the dash VIN would have pissed me off royally and sent a red flag you were in the wrong place with it. Report that to the police and tell them you would like some assistance in retrieving it? Take your proof of ownership to the police as well. I don't know if this applies in other States but in Ma. it is legal to charge any price per hour for restorations and if you sign a contract for any amount per hour you are bound to pay it. Lesson learned? Always get a contract. As said, best is to supply material and make payments with it stated in your contract you can remove vehicle at any time so long as payments were paid up.
 
He can't afford to report the VIN removal issue to the cops or they will confiscate his VIN tag and he will get a state issued VIN sticker stuck in his door. Then it will no longer be a GTS, but a danged ol Dart with a lot of nice parts attached to it.
 
diymirage said:
;I would let the local sherriff when you are getting your car, and why

They will make sure you can take it, while it is still there

And do it soon
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Lawyer will handle that.
Little update. I've been in SC hiring in at a new job the last few weeks but still home on the weekends. Filed the NCDOJ online Complaint on Christmas Day. Body Shop coward got the NC Department Of Justice Letter via email this Tuesday January 2nd while he was still out of town.(They cc'd me on it). He has 15 days to address the complaint and financial request I made for a partial refund of my deposit. I've texted and emailed him since Tuesday to tell him I'd be at his shop yesterday, Friday the 5th. He replied back late Tuesday night that he just got back in to town and will be at the shop Wednesday to catch up on emails.
Texted/emailed him Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to verify he'd be in the shop Friday after 10:00AM. Crickets. Texted him again 8:30 Friday morning to let him know that at 10:30 I'll be there to load my small parts and a rollback is scheduled for 11:00. Crickets. I called the NCDOJ case officer to verify I am in the right to go get my car and that he still has 15 days to respond to the financial request I made. She agreed and said that it is totally my decision and that he still has to address the money issue.
We got there at 10:30. No Coward. He wasn't at work. Myself, my brother and two LEO's were hanging around outside, talking and bullshitting in plain view of his cameras for 45 minutes. I made a phone call to my attorney while we waited. Body Shop Coward never showed. I canceled the rollback. Here is where the Coward part really comes in. As soon as we all depart his body shop around 11:15, which he most likely watched from home, he replies to my text from 8:30 Friday morning. Keep in mind his business hours are listed on his Facebook page as Monday-Friday 9:00AM-6:00PM.

Millennial Hipster Coward- "I will need notice much sooner than "day of". The email states that I have 15 days to reply. Given the circumstances I am speaking with my lawyer. I understand your position and apologize for there not being as much progress done to your car."
Me- "I have been contacting you for three days regarding Friday and let you know yesterday(Thursday) that that I'd be here this morning. You do have 15 days to respond to my complaint but you don't have the right to keep my property from me, especially since I'm certain that I don't owe you money on the work that you have done. Since you have chosen to retain counsel, I will do the same."
After that I went to my lawyers office and gave him my formal retainer and ended all contact with The Coward. On my way there:
Millennial Hipster Coward- "I'm just running things by him. I'd like this to go as smoothly as possible. I do want to give you back your car but three hours notice is not enough."

I guess this idiot thinks I don't have email and text messages going back to March of 2021 when I first asked him to look at my car up until yesterday, but I do, and now my lawyer does. I also have all the pictures of the car in his shop, with the VIN and Fender tag still attached prior to his media blasting. He's gonna get a letter from my lawyer in 10 days demanding the full $5000.00 and release of my vehicle and all parts related to it(#1 on the list are VIN, Fender tag and Mopar Rosette Rivets) or it's on.
If he showed up yesterday like an adult and gave me back my property (car and parts) I would have made an agreement with him to accept $2500.00 to $3000.00 and he could reply to the DOJ complaint with an offer of a $2500.00 refund and I'd accept it. No lawyers. No court. Just us mediating. But, he chose to blow me off for three days, no-showed yesterday, lied about how many days notice I gave him and then tried to bluff me with all the "I'm running it by my lawyer" talk.

I'm 100% confident I'm going to get my car back. I'm also pretty confident he doesn't have the $5000.00 since he doesn't know how to run a business. My attorney tried to look him up and The Coward's shop isn't registered anywhere in NC, local, county or state, that he should be if he were a legitimate business. He's using someone else's building and basically running it as a sole proprietor with a Facebook page.
So if he doesn't have the $5000.00 to give me, he'll be taken to court for illegal conversion of funds, deceptive business practices, price gouging for the $3000.00 I got charged for media blasting the top side only of a fully disassembled car etc....all the lawyer stuff.
 
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Bennoel 10 said:
I agree with the majority. Go unannounced and ready with truck trailer to get your car and all belonging to you. Having the police there is also good advice. It unfortunate that this is happening to you and the big thing we cannot recoup is time lost. When you finally find another shop to do what should have been done you certainly won't fall into the same trap. Sorry you have to go through this but I wish you smooth sailing from here on.
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Yup. I didn't give him three days notice but I just wanted to be sure he'd be there. He bailed.
 
Jim Lusk said:
This '68 Barracuda convertible was rescued by the guy i picked it up from (he sold it to a friend of mine, but I picked it up). The "resto" shop owner was about to skip with everything in the shop, including this car. This is what the resto shop called a finished body and paint job. It disgusted the guy so much that he just decided to sell. And, no, I don't know the shop or shop owner. Just because a shop puts out some quality looking job doesn't mean it will always be that way. It you haven't yet, go get your car.

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Damn
 
MICHAEL A SCUDDER said:
Lawyer will handle that.
Little update. I've been in SC hiring in at a new job the last few weeks but still home on the weekends. Filed the NCDOJ online Complaint on Christmas Day. Body Shop coward got the NC Department Of Justice Letter via email this Tuesday January 2nd while he was still out of town.(They cc'd me on it). He has 15 days to address the complaint and financial request I made for a partial refund of my deposit. I've texted and emailed him since Tuesday to tell him I'd be at his shop yesterday, Friday the 5th. He replied back late Tuesday night that he just got back in to town and will be at the shop Wednesday to catch up on emails.
Texted/emailed him Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to verify he'd be in the shop Friday after 10:00AM. Crickets. Texted him again 8:30 Friday morning to let him know that at 10:30 I'll be there to load my small parts and a rollback is scheduled for 11:00. Crickets. I called the NCDOJ case officer to verify I am in the right to go get my car and that he still has 15 days to respond to the financial request I made. She agreed and said that it is totally my decision and that he still has to address the money issue.
We got there at 10:30. No Coward. He wasn't at work. Myself, my brother and two LEO's were hanging around outside, talking and bullshitting in plain view of his cameras for 45 minutes. I made a phone call to my attorney while we waited. Body Shop Coward never showed. I canceled the rollback. Here is where the Coward part really comes in. As soon as we all depart his body shop around 11:15, which he most likely watched from home, he replies to my text from 8:30 Friday morning. Keep in mind his business hours are listed on his Facebook page as Monday-Friday 9:00AM-6:00PM.

Millennial Hipster Coward- "I will need notice much sooner than "day of". The email states that I have 15 days to reply. Given the circumstances I am speaking with my lawyer. I understand your position and apologize for there not being as much progress done to your car."
Me- "I have been contacting you for three days regarding Friday and let you know yesterday(Thursday) that that I'd be here this morning. You do have 15 days to respond to my complaint but you don't have the right to keep my property from me, especially since I'm certain that I don't owe you money on the work that you have done. Since you have chosen to retain counsel, I will do the same."
After that I went to my lawyers office and gave him my formal retainer and ended all contact with The Coward. On my way there:
Millennial Hipster Coward- "I'm just running things by him. I'd like this to go as smoothly as possible. I do want to give you back your car but three hours notice is not enough."

I guess this idiot thinks I don't have email and text messages going back to March of 2021 when I first asked him to look at my car up until yesterday, but I do, and now my lawyer does. I also have all the pictures of the car in his shop, with the VIN and Fender tag still attached prior to his media blasting. He's gonna get a letter from my lawyer in 10 days demanding the full $5000.00 and release of my vehicle and all parts related to it(#1 on the list are VIN, Fender tag and Mopar Rosette Rivets) or it's on.
If he showed up yesterday like an adult and gave me back my property (car and parts) I would have made an agreement with him to accept $2500.00 to $3000.00 and he could reply to the DOJ complaint with an offer of a $2500.00 refund and I'd accept it. No lawyers. No court. Just us mediating. But, he chose to blow me off for three days, no-showed yesterday, lied about how many days notice I gave him and then tried to bluff me with all the "I'm running it by my lawyer" talk.

I'm 100% confident I'm going to get my car back. I'm also pretty confident he doesn't have the $5000.00 since he doesn't know how to run a business. My attorney tried to look him up and The Coward's shop isn't registered anywhere in NC, local, county or state, that he should be if he were a legitimate business. He's using someone else's building and basically running it as a sole proprietor with a Facebook page.
So if he doesn't have the $5000.00 to give me, he'll be taken to court for illegal conversion of funds, deceptive business practices, price gouging for the $3000.00 I got charged for media blasting the top side only of a fully disassembled car etc....all the lawyer stuff.
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i hope it all works out for you

sounds like you did all you should have, with the exception of showing up unannounced
hopefully he wont make it worse by having the car disappear, were you able to see it when you tried to get it?

did you ever put his name out here so we know who not to deal with?
 
I feel like Han's Solo on this one, I have a bad feeling about this. I do hope it turns out in your favor, but you warned him.
Absolutely, best of luck.
 
diymirage said:
i hope it all works out for you

sounds like you did all you should have, with the exception of showing up unannounced
hopefully he wont make it worse by having the car disappear, were you able to see it when you tried to get it?

did you ever put his name out here so we know who not to deal with?
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Nope. Motherfucker was hiding at home. Shop was locked up.Total Ponzi.
 
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CRUZE 418 said:
I feel like Han's Solo on this one, I have a bad feeling about this. I do hope it turns out in your favor, but you warned him.
Absolutely, best of luck.
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He didn't know I was coming to take the car. I just wanted to verify he'd be there and he ghosted me deliberately for three days.
 
CRUZE 418 said:
Go get him!
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Planning on it. My car, all associated parts and $7000.00 refund since he and his crook buddy charged me twice what every other blaster in the area does. Never got put on a rotisserie, just what they could reach on my car dollies
 
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MICHAEL A SCUDDER said:
at first in Greensboro but now in Arizona.
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Hopefully not in Tucson.

I've been following this saga and man, I really hope it works out for ya. Kudos for remaining level-headed and going about this the right way. I can't imagine how frustrating/infuriating this must be.
 
Righty Tighty said:
Hopefully not in Tucson.

I've been following this saga and man, I really hope it works out for ya. Kudos for remaining level-headed and going about this the right way. I can't imagine how frustrating/infuriating this must be.
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It's frustrating for sure. I just got caught up on emails. Lawyer has made contact with him. Body Shop Clown sent me a letter,which I promptly sent to my lawyer, saying that he has $1200 in material on the car, 100 man hours and the $3000.00 for media blasting. Car is in cheap Lensol/Lysenol whatever entry level Akzo Nobel stuff he has and he had the balls to say that with a greatly reduced labor rate he's at $13k on the Dart but when I was there on the 14th of Dec he didn't say **** and was talking like we had money left to use. Never said he over bid it one time or that he blew through the $10k already.
******* Hack/Wanna be
 
man, at this point it almost seems like you're lucky to get the car back and (hopefully) all the pieces.

the money aspect of it is a real kick in the sack, but i suppose you could do an easy 10k in bad publicity and he could mysteriously catch several grand worth of flats over the next few years.
(i mean that would just be terrible if he caught two flats on the morning he had to be in court)

but you've got a lawyer, so let it ride and hopefully he can make you whole or at least make that little shitbird's life more difficult.
 
oldkimmer said:
Good luck with everything. Hopefully u get everything that your entitled to from that shop. Kim
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My attorney is on it pretty good. Body Shop Infant came up with a totally bogus explanation but the key is my car is fine and intact and he's willing to pay me a partial refund of my deposit on an installment basis which is better than going to war over a lump sum payment and risking getting nothing.
 
junkyardhero said:
man, at this point it almost seems like you're lucky to get the car back and (hopefully) all the pieces.

the money aspect of it is a real kick in the sack, but i suppose you could do an easy 10k in bad publicity and he could mysteriously catch several grand worth of flats over the next few years.
(i mean that would just be terrible if he caught two flats on the morning he had to be in court)

but you've got a lawyer, so let it ride and hopefully he can make you whole or at least make that little shitbird's life more difficult.
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I'm going to get it back. After wasting 3 years on this asshole the whole project may get sold. I'm just fed up. Waited a year then almost 2 years on a rust free original Black Plate California GTS 340" to have body and paint. Aggravating as hell.
 
That's good news. Mark it as a learning experience and get it quick. Sit on it a bit before you make a rash decision.
 
MICHAEL A SCUDDER said:
I'm going to get it back. After wasting 3 years on this asshole the whole project may get sold. I'm just fed up. Waited a year then almost 2 years on a rust free original Black Plate California GTS 340" to have body and paint. Aggravating as hell.
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Of all the cars I've had my 69 GTS was the closest to being a perfect transportation device.
And yes, my 1970 440 six-pack Super Bee was faster. But it wasn't near the suburban cruiser the GTS was.
And all those monster big blocks? Very few of them were immune from the GTS if they didn't have a spot-on tune or the same rear gear. If they were 400 cubes or less? The smart money was on my little yellow GTS automatic with the 3.91 gear.
Hope you get it the way you want it.
 
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