I know what you are going through and I have been there on both ends of your story. I have been the one who was waiting on the body shop or engine shop to do work and it go 6 months beyond the time frame set forth up front. I have also had a company do body work and engine work and charge me $14,000, then 8 months later and $14,000 later the car was only in primer and engine was not even touched. Then they wanted another $10,000 to finish the car. Needless to say, I took the car away from them and lost $10,000 out of my pocket (which I could not charge the customer for) and moved on. The company went out of business so the law suit was dead in the water. That was an expensive lesson for me to go through. So I have been on your side of the fence. I have also been on the other side of the fence where I was telling people it was going to be a certain time frame and it ended up going alot longer. Sometimes the "gremlins" in the car put up road blocks that have to be stumbled upon to find. Now I will also tell you that if you rush them to get the car done, you will get the "rush-job" at the end result. meaning, if there is problems with the paint and you rush them to finish it, they will do it the cheap way to get it done. It will look good when it is done, but within a few months you will see that short cut come out in the paint. Meaning that if they take the cheap way out and just try to re-paint a small section and blend it in, then that layer of clear will start to wear away from washing and waxing and you will see exactly where they blended the paint. So, you really are at a "catch 22" and it is tough to get out of. Having a "sit-down" with the owner and going over everything in a civilized manner is what needs to be done and put everything down in writing of what was discussed and what is expected..... quality of work and time frame needs to be stipulated and written down. It is a tough thing to be in and leaves a bitter taste in your mouth when it is done, but the fact is, you are in the middle of it now and there is no easy way out. So, I feel your pain and you need to stick with it and follow it through to the end.
I think Hitman may be the only guy out there!
Jeff
I am out there, but even I am not perfect and have delays and problems. I try to do my best and try to be honest with everyone up front and tell them what to expect. I even do that with the parts that I sell because I am at the mercy of the parts suppliers. But I state up front "Hey, this could take up to six weeks" and if it comes in less, great, but if not, I let them know up front what it may take. So, like I said, I am not perfect, but I try to be honest with everyone.
