Repair shop NIGHTMARE!

[Brewman61]

Re: Repair shop NIGHTMARE!

If you did cancel a check he could sue you for the money. This is a civil matter and the police won't be able to do much for you.
He probably isn't going to give you back the boat unless you either pay him, or work out something.
Small claims court is an option, the burden would be on you to prove that you didn't get what you bargained for.

The reason some are advising you to pay and move on, is because your options really are limited here. The first steps would be to try to work out some type of arrangement with the shop. That'd be up to you and them, perhaps if you hinted at suing they might be willing to compromise. Failing that you can sue in small claims court, and if you did get a judgement you'd still have the burden of collecting it.
And if you hired a lawyer you'll pay them more than the cost of this repair, there is no money here for them so you'd have to pay them hourly or something.
Or you can pay the bill take the boat and hope for the best. Yeah, a $1000 is not a small amount of money, but chalk it up to lessons learned.
Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

 

[m.qualls89]

Re: Repair shop NIGHTMARE!

pay with a cheque, then go to the bank and cancel it.

obtaining goods and services by false pretenses. Nice.

I said i wasnt doing it. But hes the one trying to screw me over here.

 

[jkust]

Re: Repair shop NIGHTMARE!

I've heard similar stories in the past on this forum. This to me is 'life isn't fair' moment. I'm struck that you were willing to put a grand or even 700 into that boat.

 

[m.qualls89]

Re: Repair shop NIGHTMARE!

I've heard similar stories in the past on this forum. This to me is 'life isn't fair' moment. I'm struck that you were willing to put a grand or even 700 into that boat.

well i figured it was cheaper than another boat... Im honestly disgusted with the whole situation! Im to the point of just sayin hell with it he can keep the giant mess hes made.

 

[Solittle]

Re: Repair shop NIGHTMARE!

well i figured it was cheaper than another boat... Im honestly disgusted with the whole situation! Im to the point of just sayin hell with it he can keep the giant mess hes made.

If you give him the boat now you still have an obligation to pay the bill. Lawayers love this type of crap. Their fees will far exceed your loss - - and my guess is that you still will loose - - cut your losses - - sorry.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Repair shop NIGHTMARE!

1978 glasstex apollo tri-hull 18' bowrider.

Honestly, how much is a 70's tri-hull worth, $2K tops? My 72 tri-hull had a bad transom/deck/stringer and instead of fixing it, I hauled it to the dump, not worth fixing it.

Im to the point of just sayin hell with it he can keep the giant mess hes made.

That might be the best option, tell him to fix the problems correctly and you'll be happy to pay him, but you are not paying him until the boat is repaired properly IE: "paint" the transom instead of undercoating it, etc. etc. He'll probably think, I'll just wait it out and the guy will eventually pay to get his boat back. BUT, is the boat with 1/2 azz repairs worth $1000, how much are you going to have to spend to make it right? $1000 could go towards the purchase of something else.... The tough part will be, what is their level of "fixed", your level of "fixed,,, and a lawyers level of "fixed".

(If anyone gets a lawyer involved, it's going to get expensive quick.)

 

[Alwhite00]

Re: Repair shop NIGHTMARE!

Got any pictures of the job he did?

LK

 

[m.qualls89]

Re: Repair shop NIGHTMARE!

No pics except one i snapped of my rear seat and floor covered in filth. He said the trim was because a wire was off of the battery. If it works im just gonna go get it and hope for the best i guess.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Repair shop NIGHTMARE!

He said the trim was because a wire was off of the battery

That would be the normal mistake. I've missed that wire a couple times when putting the battery back in at the beginning of the season. Is the dirty carpet his fault, or just all the sanding debris/chunks?

 

[m.qualls89]

Re: Repair shop NIGHTMARE!

My carpet was spotless

 

[Don S]

Re: Repair shop NIGHTMARE!

What exactly are you wanting to hear from the forum? There seems to be an answer that you want to hear but aren't getting it.

You chose the lowest bidder and got burned, it happens all the time. Deal with it. If you think you still have problems, then take it to another shop and have them check it out and fix it. Have them document everything they find. Then, maybe you can go to small claims with some documentation from the other shop and may get some of your money back.
The court is not going to give you anything because "You Think" he didn't do something right.

 

[jkust]

Re: Repair shop NIGHTMARE!

well i figured it was cheaper than another boat... Im honestly disgusted with the whole situation! Im to the point of just sayin hell with it he can keep the giant mess hes made.

I just hate when a professional does a poor job...and I think that a lot of us can empathise with you. I've gotten to the point where I'll figure out most anything just so I can avoid 'professionals'. I've been ripped off on $1000 jobs as well.

 

[Don S]

Re: Repair shop NIGHTMARE!

'professionals' wouldn't have left the mess.
'professionals' would have sealed things properly.
'professionals' would have charged a lot more than 1000 to pull everything, rebuild the transom and put it all back together again.

There is nothing professional about the guy that did the work. He is the kind that gives true 'professionals' a bad name.

 

[89Donzi]

Re: Repair shop NIGHTMARE!

'professionals' wouldn't have left the mess.
'professionals' would have sealed things properly.
'professionals' would have charged a lot more than 1000 to pull everything, rebuild the transom and put it all back together again.

There is nothing professional about the guy that did the work. He is the kind that gives true 'professionals' a bad name.

Agreed!

 

[jkust]

Re: Repair shop NIGHTMARE!

'professionals' wouldn't have left the mess.
'professionals' would have sealed things properly.
'professionals' would have charged a lot more than 1000 to pull everything, rebuild the transom and put it all back together again.

There is nothing professional about the guy that did the work. He is the kind that gives true 'professionals' a bad name.

Don, you hit it on the head. I avoid most professionals where possible because of a few bad apples.

 

[m.qualls89]

Re: Repair shop NIGHTMARE!

I agree he is nowhere near a professional if he was I would not be in this boat but he had originally presented himself and his show up as a reputable professional business and I seen no evidence to state otherwise but obviously I missed something because he is not a professional

 

[generator12]

Re: Repair shop NIGHTMARE!

Wow. This guy sounds like a perfect candidate for a visit from my cousins, Vinnie and Dominick. They could have a little "chat" with him - take maybe fifteen or twenty minutes. He'll be happy to fix everything to your satisfaction.

 

[vintageglass]

Re: Repair shop NIGHTMARE!

Not to be contrite, but I'd be willing to bet he was the "cheapest guy in town", right? It wouldn't surprise me to find out he was significantly less than other bids. $1,000 for a transom replacement is very cheap and the fact that he had the time to even do the job in a month during the summer is suspect. Caveat emptor..."Let buyer beware". If it's "too good to be true", it usually is.

On the bright side, take what you paid this guy and subtract from the next closest bid, and that's the money you have left to finish this job. Odds are you'll still come out ahead.

I have to agree here, I can't imagine anyone doing a transom for that cheap. The last quote I heard around my way was over $2,500.

Since its an old boat, and from what I read it wasn't useable or safe the way it is, if the guy simply made the transom solid and useable for that money, regardless of cosmetics you got your moneys worth by far.

I wouldn't sweat the fact that its a bit dusty or that he didn't match the paint. I do have some concerns if the reason he painted the transom with undercoating was to hide the fact he cut the outer skin rather than doing the job correctly from the inside or top.
Did the original transom give way and tear the outer skin? Did he actually replace the transom or just patch it up or add bracing?
A real transom job just don't happen for only $1000, unless he's working for dirt cheap or losing money. He'd have to have nearly a quarter of that in resin, glass, and plywood. Add in labor by the hour and that leaves only about 7 hours or so to do the whole job. That just isn't going to happen if he did it right.
It sounds to me like he took the job to help cover costs at the time, then worked on it only when he had spare time and rushed it out the door to be rid of the headache.
I also have concerns about a boat that age needing only a transom job, its not often the stringers and deck aren't affected as well.

Legally your most likely bound to paying him. If he didn't actually replace the transom or if the boat is now worse off than it was before, you may well have a case in small claims court, but I'd get the boat out of there first. There's no telling what a guy like that may do if he finds he's being sued while the boat is still there.
Take the boat to someone who can professionally assess the repair. If it's done safely and your only issue is the undercoating on the transom and some dust to vacuum up, you did good.
I'd be leery of the undercoating paint job, that stuff hides things far too well. I'd be fearful of what I'd find underneath.
I'd be very tempted to wash that stuff off to get a better look at what was done. If he simply spray bombed the transom in black that wouldn't bother me much, but the use of undercoating has me puzzled.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Repair shop NIGHTMARE!

Since you did not have time to remove things yourself to get it down to just the transom then you are kind of stuck with having someone who does not care for the boat like you do getting all the stuff out of the way so he could get to just the part he was contracted to fix.

 

[m.qualls89]

Re: Repair shop NIGHTMARE!

Well heres the story now. I went out there last night because his mechanic didnt show up (found out he only pays them $10 an hour no wonder his help sucks). I finished what was left because i wanted the boat for my wifes bday. Well i filled the power trim with the specified 5w-30. Finished up hooking up the gas tank on the bottom (didnt notice that the dang hose going to the motor was unhooked and laying on the deck so when i filled it i lost half a dang tank in the bilge). Got it home and cleaned it up. I was there until 1:30 a.m. and didnt get home and in bed until 4. Get out on the water today boat fires right up. go to turn it off the motor wont turn off with key, I had to manually choke it but it wasnt a runaway rpm situation. So I decide to take it out to test out his work. get out there running around for an hour or so everything seems ok except I have to choke it to kill it. Then all of a sudden it wont start, think its a dead battery I call my friend he comes out tows me in (now I'm taking on water like I was before I took the boat in but at a slower rate). Get to the dock which wasnt far and grab a fresh battery, no dice. so obviously something is shorted out now. Bad part is I had to pay the arse hole to get my boat. I did charge him $100 for me finishing repairs and clean up though. So where do I go from here? Take it back to him? Call a lawyer? or just say hell with it take the motor off and junk the boat?