Some advice needed....

[trapin]

Well...I'm startin' to get concerned here. The last I spoke with my painter was back in the beginning of May. We had agreed on a tentative date of July 5th for me to bring the car out to him. I told him I would call him around the middle of June to see how it was going. I've left him 3 messages over the past 5 days and none have been returned. 2 on his home phone and one on his cell. His home phone is never answered and his cell goes immediately to voice mail. I can see if he's busy...but you don't have 3 minutes to answer a voice message? I don't know....but this might be a bad omen.

Faced with similar circumstances...what would you do?

1.) Don't panic...he's probably busy as hell.

2.) Very unprofessional, might be an indicator that there are problems beginning to mount at his shop. Seek another painter.

[TonyL]

I'd err on the safe side, and go with # 2. That, or I'd go see him and his shop myself.

[Steve68]

I agree with Tony, on both ideas, Give him a drive by,

[DeepBlue68]

Sounds kinda sketchy. It could very well be that he's just busy, but as someone else said, it wouldn't take him 5 minutes to return your calls. I would say don't completely write him off, but I would start looking for other painters as a backup.

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

story of my life right now man..

he ducks my calls and i just roll through and pop in on him..

[Damn True]

Id do the "drop in", unannounced. If the place is a wreck you'll have your answer. If the place is empty you'll have your answer. If he's busy but things look to be ship-shape, you'll need to sit down and tell the guy what your expectations are regarding updates on the project.

You may want to put some feelers out on alternative places in the event that the first two scenarios come to pass.

[Steve1968LS2]

Bad Omen.. flaky paint shops are everywhere.. if he is bad now imagine once he has your car and you're trapped there..

[ProdigyCustoms]

Bad Omen.. flaky paint shops are everywhere.. if he is bad now imagine once he has your car and you're trapped there..

Steve is correct. He will probably be twice as hard to reach once he has your car. Everyone runs behind sometomes. We are behind for the first time in some many years due to one cranky Project Prodigy that has continued to demand unscheduled attention. However, there is no excuse for not comunicating with your people and letting them know what is going on. I am certain if he just picked up the phone and told you his mother law dies, or he has a car kicking his ass, you would understand and feel OK about it.

[Motorhead]

Maybe he's on vacation. Some shops have a specified week, when everyone takes a week off. Just a thought.

[Stuart Adams]

Door #2. Just imagine if you have an issue after it's painted and he's paid!!

[trapin]

I am certain if he just picked up the phone and told you his mother law dies, or he has a car kicking his ass, you would understand and feel OK about it.
And I would be OK about it...that would be fine. I will test the "vacation" theory and give him until Tuesday to respond. If I don't hear from him by then, then I guess I'm going to have to find another painter. And I'm just REALLY looking forward to that. Took me over 3 years to find this guy.

Frank....I just might be towing this thing down to you after all. I'll pay the extra money. F*ck it. I'll meet you at Bill Howell's house for the hand off. I'll bring the beer.

[OHCbird]

In this day and age of 'modern communications', and competitive practices, that kind of stuff is unacceptable. A 30 second response is all it would probably take.

Those are also the signs of a guy who can't deliver the bad news when needed. What ever happened to being able to pony-up to your actions & words?

I'd say go with Frank; You'll kinda get a road trip out of it.

[MrQuick]

Its all about communication, I try to give constant updates to my clients, but then again if your a customer you have the right to ask questions and keep the ball rolling. If you ever have to deal with outside work try and keep daily contact. well yes, Orlando is nice this time of year...

[CDJr]

I agree. And even though its a long ways down to Florida, at least if Frank does it, youll know its done right, and it would eliminate all the hassle and the headache of worryin about that other shop. Youll have a lot more peace of mind getting someone of Franks caliber and reputation to take care of it than someone youre gonna be worrying about. Just my 1½ cents worth :)

[mpozzi]

Hey Tony,

I'd be very concerned and recommend you contact the BBB to see if there's any consumer "issues" you should be aware of. Lots of these shops (both body and mechanical) float the money and you're paying for the guy before you's job. The next car that follows yours will cover the expenses for your car's paint. Sooner or later it all catches up with the shop owner and either the shop's shut down or there's litigation involved, or both. Either way, if your car's in that shop while all of this is happening . . . good luck getting it out without legal action on your part. As the shop's a good distance away, that also needs to be factored in.

The other way a shop gets nailed is by failing to pay the IRS and state estimated taxes. Being problematic to contact, not returning phone calls, excuses when you do finally make contact are usually the start of business practices to be cautious of. Especially if you're the one doling out the money.

Stick with a known quantity and I give a solid second nomination for Frank!!

Mary Pozzi

[Steve Chryssos]

At the very least, visit his shop and confirm that the cars you saw during your last visit have been worked on. If some time has passed, look for significant progress. Better yet, you will hopefully see different cars.

If you see the same cars present all covered in dust--and no progress, you have entered the Twilight Zone. Get off at the next exit.

Do this BEFORE you bring your car there. Otherwise, the shop will have your car, your deposit, and your nuts.

[ProdigyCustoms]

Frank....I just might be towing this thing down to you after all. I'll pay the extra money. F*ck it. I'll meet you at Bill Howell's house for the hand off. I'll bring the beer.

<----- Willl work for beer! LOL! Seriously, before you fire him, let's compare schedules. As I said, we are behind for the first time in some many years. When I tell ya Prodigy has kicked our ass, it has kicked our ass. I have a few to knock out, and were working 80 hour weeks to catch up. See what happens, and if you need me, we can work a few more 80s.

To all other supporters, thanks. We really appreciate it.

[trapin]

Well, let me get this out....

WHEW!!!

I just heard from him, he called me here at work. Here's what happened. He said he got my message on Friday and tried to call me but the phone kept ringing and no answering machine picked up. So he figured he would just get in touch with me after the weekend being with Fathers Day and all. I know whay this happens, it's because my wife refuses to answer a "call waiting" something we've been arguing about for years. So it's her damn fault. He apologized for not checking his cell message but that he rarely does and needs to be better about that. But that's the message where I left my work number and he checked it today and called me right away here at work. But he said we are still on for the 5th. He has about another week to go on the 40 Ford and it's out of there. He asked if I could bring it earlier (which I might) but I'm waiting on my ATS spindles from FedEx so I can stitch the front suspension back together. Damn I'm gettin' excited. It's been a long time coming for this car. I'll keep y'all posted.

[Steve Chryssos]

Cool.
You should still go down there without your car and confirm that progress has been made on pre-existing projects. Pick his brain if you can. What's up with this car? How long did this one take? What is the worst case scenario timeline for my car? How many stars are there in the Milky Way galaxy? Why do Taco Bell Chalupas taste so damn good at 1AM?

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

Why do Taco Bell Chalupas taste so damn good at 1AM?


great question we got right there..

[Damn True]

Gotta agree with Steve-o. I think a drop-in is called for.

As for the Chalupa......I think it might be due to a combination of two of the primary food groups. Animal fat and fried food.

[trapin]

Steve, took care of that. I'm heading up there on the 2nd to check out his shop and ask some questions. I know of 2 people he's done work for and I've seen their cars and they both swear by him. The one guy (Gordie) is heading up there with me on that Saturday. Matt painted his '68 Corvette. If anyone is interested, here's his website address; http://www.mattspaintshop.com

As for why Chalupa's test so good at 1am....that might be a question for Captain Morgan and the good folks at Jose Cuervo.:)

[olds87]

Look like the guy dose a good job.

[zman1969]

seems like everone with a custom veh has gone throught the ready in 2 months then 4-6 months later its ready, case in point my 69 bird im building has little progress since he has had it in may
of 2005 ! and last time i went out to his shop he had moved a 70 chevelle in and past my car:hammer: I hate it but he is a long time buddy and he is good with metal so i wait :banghead: and wait if he would get done with the firewall id take and install the motor, trans if he would finish the mini tubs id install the rear end and springs , oh well it hapens alot and who can say its never happened to them?
my suggestion is get some refrences of his and see what they say
Good luck

[Dan Sherwood]

Man am I glad there are others out there addicted to chalupas....and then they went and made a chalupa supreme...so much for getting the driver below 200lbs. dang it

[MrQuick]

Good to hear Tony, see alittle communication and less paranoia goes along way. Its almost there isn't it?

Its all about the seven layer sleeping pill at 3:30am for me, oh and large coke.