Howdy,
So I evidently have the worst luck dealing with shops. One of them had someone (who didn't even work at the shop, and off company time) take my former Cobra out for a joyride, another one closed up shop and held onto a vehicle (the giant ironhand racing thread) and now I've got another vehicle in a shop and just got contacted by the estate of the owner.
This was a "3 week to 2 month" job that has been going on for a year and a half. I'm not really sure what happened behind the scenes, but obviously this guy was battling some demons. I never really got him to be "on the level" with the build, but I had other priorities in my life. Had our second kid, business to tend to etc etc. I always just figured it was free storage while they dragged their feet. They were well known locally so this is really the last thing I ever thought would happen. I was there maybe a month or two ago and it was about 80% there. Really just needed a couple things buttoned up, put back together and sorted out. But I figured whatever, when they finish it they finish it. I had gotten so busy in my life that I couldn't devote the energy to trying to motivate them to finish it. Shops dragging their feet are nothing new.
So today I get a frantic call to call "them" back. I call back and basically "they" were asking for payment which caught me off guard because I was pretty clear I wasn't paying for anything till they got it done, they had lost my trust a long time ago. It didn't really make much sense to me at that moment because that was the one thing that was clear to both parties. You'll be paid when you finish this and I get a perfectly running truck back. I refused to pay for an incomplete project that was going to require me to put money back into the truck to get it where it should be. After that he dropped the bomb on me that the owner took his life. He seemed like a good guy that maybe was just overwhelmed, but I guess in retrospect he was likely battling issues much greater and darker than a shop behind schedule or even underwater. I refuse to believe his motivations were financial in nature.
On the one hand it makes me feel like a jerk that I don't want to pay this bill, but on the other hand, I expected to get a fully working and complete truck back. Not pay a bill and get back a potential nightmare.
Here is where I have to figure out quick what to do.
* The warehouse storing the vehicles has given them 1 week to notify the owners and move the vehicles
* A family friend right now is running the business, but I don't know at what legal capacity. I think he's just helping, but the business is probably more or less bank owned. This person has talked about being from "the estate" but really I don't think he's in that legal capacity yet.
* They are attempting to collect outstanding debts from customers for vendors.
* My truck is incomplete and sitting at this location
* I believe this company will be put into bankruptcy by one or more of their vendors, at the very least by their landlord.
This makes things somewhat problematic for two reasons
* I am unsure my truck is even in still running condition. It is a GMC Syclone, so the engine\running gear are expensive. I have concerns that the truck isn't in the same running condition. I've been told to "send a check, then you can come pick it up."
* The project is in an unfinished state and it was agree'd upon that it would be finished
* There is now obviously no guarantee to the craftsmanship of the work
So I expected to be picking up a perfectly running, immaculately transformed truck for roughly what I'm being billed for, and instead am expected to pick up a truck of unknown running condition, incomplete and pay the bill and never look back. With literally "parts in the bed."
I'm wondering what the legalities are here if this company gets put into bankruptcy, if they even have an ability to enforce a mechanic's lien without first completing the project etc. Or if I can just show up with a police officer and demand my vehicle back. I honestly just want my truck back and don't want to deal with the situation anymore. It couldn't possibly be more messed up than it is right now.
It is my understanding a mechanic's lien would only apply if I had signed a written estimate and they had completed my vehicle. They have neither. I dropped of my truck with the expectation that this was a shop that was capable enough to "just get it done." That proved not to be the case, but for reasons outside of everyone's control.
So I evidently have the worst luck dealing with shops. One of them had someone (who didn't even work at the shop, and off company time) take my former Cobra out for a joyride, another one closed up shop and held onto a vehicle (the giant ironhand racing thread) and now I've got another vehicle in a shop and just got contacted by the estate of the owner.
This was a "3 week to 2 month" job that has been going on for a year and a half. I'm not really sure what happened behind the scenes, but obviously this guy was battling some demons. I never really got him to be "on the level" with the build, but I had other priorities in my life. Had our second kid, business to tend to etc etc. I always just figured it was free storage while they dragged their feet. They were well known locally so this is really the last thing I ever thought would happen. I was there maybe a month or two ago and it was about 80% there. Really just needed a couple things buttoned up, put back together and sorted out. But I figured whatever, when they finish it they finish it. I had gotten so busy in my life that I couldn't devote the energy to trying to motivate them to finish it. Shops dragging their feet are nothing new.
So today I get a frantic call to call "them" back. I call back and basically "they" were asking for payment which caught me off guard because I was pretty clear I wasn't paying for anything till they got it done, they had lost my trust a long time ago. It didn't really make much sense to me at that moment because that was the one thing that was clear to both parties. You'll be paid when you finish this and I get a perfectly running truck back. I refused to pay for an incomplete project that was going to require me to put money back into the truck to get it where it should be. After that he dropped the bomb on me that the owner took his life. He seemed like a good guy that maybe was just overwhelmed, but I guess in retrospect he was likely battling issues much greater and darker than a shop behind schedule or even underwater. I refuse to believe his motivations were financial in nature.
On the one hand it makes me feel like a jerk that I don't want to pay this bill, but on the other hand, I expected to get a fully working and complete truck back. Not pay a bill and get back a potential nightmare.
Here is where I have to figure out quick what to do.
* The warehouse storing the vehicles has given them 1 week to notify the owners and move the vehicles
* A family friend right now is running the business, but I don't know at what legal capacity. I think he's just helping, but the business is probably more or less bank owned. This person has talked about being from "the estate" but really I don't think he's in that legal capacity yet.
* They are attempting to collect outstanding debts from customers for vendors.
* My truck is incomplete and sitting at this location
* I believe this company will be put into bankruptcy by one or more of their vendors, at the very least by their landlord.
This makes things somewhat problematic for two reasons
* I am unsure my truck is even in still running condition. It is a GMC Syclone, so the engine\running gear are expensive. I have concerns that the truck isn't in the same running condition. I've been told to "send a check, then you can come pick it up."
* The project is in an unfinished state and it was agree'd upon that it would be finished
* There is now obviously no guarantee to the craftsmanship of the work
So I expected to be picking up a perfectly running, immaculately transformed truck for roughly what I'm being billed for, and instead am expected to pick up a truck of unknown running condition, incomplete and pay the bill and never look back. With literally "parts in the bed."
I'm wondering what the legalities are here if this company gets put into bankruptcy, if they even have an ability to enforce a mechanic's lien without first completing the project etc. Or if I can just show up with a police officer and demand my vehicle back. I honestly just want my truck back and don't want to deal with the situation anymore. It couldn't possibly be more messed up than it is right now.
It is my understanding a mechanic's lien would only apply if I had signed a written estimate and they had completed my vehicle. They have neither. I dropped of my truck with the expectation that this was a shop that was capable enough to "just get it done." That proved not to be the case, but for reasons outside of everyone's control.
