SiknesOn24
+1y
Edited: 9/5/2007 11:51:48 PM by SiknesOn24
Edited: 9/5/2007 11:41:29 PM by SiknesOn24
I don't get on this site as much as I use to, but one of my friends gave me the heads up on once again, another shop screwing someone. Well, if you need a good read and care about how morally correct people are treated, read on.
Some of you guys, mostly from Houston, know that my truck has been down for the past 3 years. Now, we all know that it wasn't from lack of me spending the money on trying to get it done. However, it was from 2 shops in particular that screwed me over.
Lets start with the first, short and brief. Dropped off my truck to Trikin out Trucks (no longer in business) in Nov. of 04 for a chop. Ran into some extra money and asked about a bodydrop. Owner said can do stockfloor, suicide doors, paint, bodywork, Titan clip and have it done by July of 05. Alas, never did, not even close. Picked it up in Jan of 06 with the truck not running. Took it to Gator Drag of 06 and a big piece of bondo fell off. Unfortunately, there was bondo from the top of the cab to the bottom. Not suprisingly, the fenders and hood was filled with bondo as well. All in all lost on that including parts around 9 grand or more. Don't remember.
Ok, lets fast-forward to another shop in Spring, Mind to Metal. These guys knew about my past situation. They swore up and down that it would never happen if I went to their shop. They supposively meet there timelines and would get it done right. Well read on my friends, read on.
Everything, just like before is the truth. I don't fabricate lies to make people feel sorry for me, better yet I feel like a dumb idiot for holding up my end of the bargain. As my previous Rise to Glory thread indicates, I dropped my beaten up truck off at MIND TO METAL in August of 06. Plans:
Chop Top, Suicide doors, frame work, "Sponsored paint job," finish up front end work, control arms, tubs, etc. Anyways, we made an agreement to get the truck finished by April for Gator Drag and I was to pay X amount every month until the truck was finished in April. RAY completely swore up and down it can and will be done because remember, he wouldn't do to me what the other shop did.
I bought a new cab and MIND TO METAL completely tore the truck down quick, which is apparent with the majority of their long term projects so the owner can't come in and drive it away, or quickly put it on a trailer. Couple of months went by and a bunch of talk as well with nothing getting done. December comes and I'm done with school and have time to check on my truck. Well to my surprise, it was out in the rain getting wet. Nothing had changed on it since Sept. Talked to Ray and told him that he did not hesitate to take my money, but he is about working on it. That sparked a little fire. JAMEL, the man who claims to know how to chop a top, finally started the chop in December and finished all of the major work that he did to it in January.
Minor pieces of sheetmetal got welded on from Feb. to March.
let's sum this up quicker. After NUMEROUS MEETINGS, PHONE CALLS AND WORRYING, 1 month after the truck was supposed to be done, what you see below is what got done. 10 MONTHS at this shop. RAY admitted to me, after I picked the truck up, that he does not know how to run a business and that they ran into problems with the chop and did not know how to correct it without calling in some "old skewl hot rodder 2 hours away to come and look at it."
WoW! Here's the truck I spend 6,700 dollars with Ray. I have a truck that is completely stripped, a cab that no REPUTABLE shop in Houston will touch, no front end, which we made a deal since they were taking to long on the bodywork to get me a 05 hd front clip, no suicide door hinges that I paid for (he said I picked them up, but I didn't).
I bought another cab, but it's just sitting because I ran out of money. 15-17 g's I dunno. I lost count. See the pic with the truck on the trailer, that's how it currently sits.
Ray's defense: I picked up the truck so he doesn't owe me anything. "I should be thanking him for, after talking to him about it, for still willing to work on it." He won't get me my 05 hd front clip that I paid for and told me "I have to see what I can do."
O and here is a kicker, I gave him a week to finish the frame work and a month to finish the cab, if he didn't finish the frame, not to worry about the frame. If he didn't get the frame done I was picking it up and taking him to court. Came in a week later at 7pm and he had some younger guy starting the frame work. He told me, after truck was on the trailer, that he still had time and it was my fault. Wow he thinks he can get, what he didn't get done in 10 months, done in 5 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm writing this in hopes that people will see how I got treated at this shop. I would love for people to learn off of my stupid mistakes. please to go reputable shops that have been in the biz for a LONG TIME. I hope that no one will go through what I did. Shops can talk a big game, but fail when it comes to getting it done. Some might think I over reacted about deadlines, but I know I was getting treated wrong. Especially after I was told that: "what do you want me to do work on your truck or ones that will pay my bills?" My money already went to pay previous bills. Not making money off of mine. Please all beware. here are some pics of the work.
January of 07
May of 07. Sat here for a good while.
No reputable shops will touch it. Side windows don't roll up, front glass wont fit. But, ofcourse it's my fault because I picked it up in the process. o btw after quartering the roof Jamel told me that he needed to re do it and lean the window pillars back. That was an excuse from March-May.
Here is MTM bodyguy. Say's he didn't cut off the braces to screw me and have the cab flex out of place. Ha. then why did he do it?
Truck as it sits now
Frame work from August-May (with exception of motor mounts included
cab mounts, bed mounts, z in frame, fuel cell bracket, shock tabs, bumper mounts, 2 battery trays, comps moved with brackets. there is more, but I'm getting tired. along with that was trans tunnel) this is what i got in 10 months for frame work.