bmwguru, thanks for fixin' those that are lucky enough to visit you. As far as the Big E situation, sorry for your troubles, hopefully you won't re-encounter any.....
"In God We Trust" -- All Others Pay Cash
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12:07 AM
SOV3RN Member
Posts: 223 From: Smithtown, NY, USA Registered: Jul 2010
Just out of curiosity, what would be a total reasonable labor cost for doing the following work on a Fiero?
1. Replace both R & L transmission axle seals on a 4 speed Muncie 2. Rebuild the passenger side axle, ( new inner CV tripot and both the inner and outer CV boots replaced with new ones, clean and paint) 3. Replace the oil pan, (2.8 V6) 4. Replace both valve cover gaskets. 5. Inspect and repack the rear bearing hubs 6. Clean the engine block, transmission,starter, heat shields, suspension, axles and misc. wiring of approx. 5 pounds of accumulated grease, oil and dirt...
I'm very curious what others think this is worth, (not including parts). I just finished doing this on someones Fiero and I won't disclose what I charged them, but I suspect I basically did some "charity" work.....
For that amount of work, probably 1400$. @ 65$ / hr.
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12:55 AM
Arizona85GT Member
Posts: 1667 From: Glendale, AZ Registered: Jan 2003
Small claims court is easy and cheap, just to put the bas*ard off on his day. Also, if he has a regular history of doing this to merchants, it's criminal fraud.
[This message has been edited by weaselbeak (edited 07-27-2010).]
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09:11 AM
Francis T Member
Posts: 6620 From: spotsylvania va. usa Registered: Oct 2003
Bummer... one reason why we don't do many installs -only a few very select customers- of our headers, intakes or Lotus shifters etc. Just too many SOBs out there. But like someone said, most -maybe 99%- PFF members are cool. I would not leave the Fiero crowd if were you. Your pricing is not out of line at all. You should lots more Fiero biz.
BTW: We've had more problems with shops doing installs for our customers than with members doing it themselfs! Seems the shops just won't read the instruction sheets and make the jobs way bigger than they should have been.
Small claims court is easy and cheap, just to put the bas*ard off on his day. Also, if he has a regular history of doing this to merchants, it's criminal fraud.
Judge Judy!
Sorry to hear about your troubles man...
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09:59 AM
Dennis LaGrua Member
Posts: 15671 From: Hillsborough, NJ U.S.A. Registered: May 2000
Dave. Theres a bad apple on every tree and this hobby is no exception. I'm a firm believer in "what goes around comes around". You treated this individual fairly and he gives you the shaft. First thing is that I would turn this over to a collection agency. If you have his cell phone give it to them. They will badger him to death with repeated calls. They wil take 20% of only what they can collect but in the end its worth it to have this guy feel the heat. They will also put him on a bad credit list. Too bad he was not a NJ resident as you could take him to small claims court but I have a better idea. You have his credit card number, just charge him again and let him dispute, Then charge him again. That should soften up the azzhole.
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, 3.4" Pulley, N* TB, LS1 MAF, Flotech Exhaust Autolite 104's Custom CAI 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
I'd go with dennis's idea and let a collection agency hassle him if they only take 20% its worth it in then end if you got nothing from the agency back at least you had the enjoyment of knowing he got hassled to death by them. and it's true "what goes around comes around" god works in mystrious ways
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11:33 AM
sabooo Member
Posts: 859 From: Lehigh Valley, PA Registered: Aug 2006
I don't recall the exact breakdown of parts and labor, but I believe he did the chargeback for the labor and left me what I had paid for the parts. The merchant services that handles my credit card processing told me that the reason I wasn't notified was he stated that he tried to despute the charges with me numerous times and I wouldn't budge. That was untrue. His car left my shop a few months ago and this is the first I have thought about it.
He needed the rest of the front suspension to be redone, but he didn't want to pay for the tie rods, shocks, lower ball joints or bushings. He also wanted the clutch done, but he was very pushy about the price and timeframe I estimated for him, so I declined doing that repair. I'm very thankful that I listened to my instinct and did not lose more money.
At the time his car was here, I was running a 102+ degree fever for a week and was working solo. Joey was on the road, Nick was out of the country and I was looking for a third full time technician which Ryan filled in that spot recently.
The ironic part is my German car customers had no problem with me taking a bit longer than planned on their cars....and some offered to come and pick up and then came back the following week to get the repairs done after I was feeling better.
I have no interest in wasting my time trying to get back a few hundred dollars. A day in court will cost me more in lost revenue. BUT, if he pulls any more crap with me, I do have a lawyer on retainer that will make it hard for him to sit down for a while.
Dave
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02:01 PM
Hockaday Member
Posts: 2165 From: Clifton Park, New York, The States. Registered: Sep 2009
I'm sorry but if the work was done and he signed the credit card slip he can't just charge it back, you should call the credit card company and file a fraud complaint.
Maybe someone here has pictures of the owner and car. No reason to "key" the car. The car is not responsible, the owner is. Odds are the car is insured anyway. Banishment, and public exposure on the forum will let him know he is in the wrong on this.
Has anyone ever heard the saying "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?"
What I am trying to get at is that I am not so sure banning is the best thing for a member that does something like this. When someone is banned from this forum there is not much stopping them from signing up with another user name in fact I have seen it encouraged by Cliff in the past. So now when BIG E comes back to the forum he will have a different username and none of us will know him as "the forum member formerly known as BIG E." I personally would like to make sure I don't ever have any mall transactions with BIG E but I won't be able to do that now.
It is too bad that the feedback system in the mall couldn't cover these kind of situations or could it?
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06:24 PM
cjgable Member
Posts: 1198 From: Fort Worth, Tx, USA Registered: Dec 2001
I'm sorry but if the work was done and he signed the credit card slip he can't just charge it back, you should call the credit card company and file a fraud complaint.
bingo.. you shouldn't let this just "go" he has probably been screwing people like this for a while, also his credit card company needs to be looked into for doing such a thing without proper investigation. IE physical proof he tried to dispute the charges. please do not just let this guy go, you're gonna let him screw someone else.
that's what mods are for... IP match him... if he scammed someone using the mail.. then an IP ban would be in order... ban all the IPs in the area or block the IPs from sending PMs or using the mail... we need to keep scammers off the forum... banning does very little.. we need to keep track of them.
Also... users should make 100 post before using the PM system or to PM Admins ONLY, they should be blocked from using the mail till they have 100 post...
he made 30 post in 7 years... banning was kinda pointless... he will be back with a new user name to scam someone else..
quote
Originally posted by Jefrysuko:
Has anyone ever heard the saying "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?"
What I am trying to get at is that I am not so sure banning is the best thing for a member that does something like this. When someone is banned from this forum there is not much stopping them from signing up with another user name in fact I have seen it encouraged by Cliff in the past. So now when BIG E comes back to the forum he will have a different username and none of us will know him as "the forum member formerly known as BIG E." I personally would like to make sure I don't ever have any mall transactions with BIG E but I won't be able to do that now.
It is too bad that the feedback system in the mall couldn't cover these kind of situations or could it?
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12:23 AM
Cliff Pennock Administrator
Posts: 11847 From: Zandvoort, The Netherlands Registered: Jan 99
When someone is banned from this forum there is not much stopping them from signing up with another user name in fact I have seen it encouraged by Cliff in the past.
I never encourage signing up with multiple usernames for any reason.
I've only said in the past I disagree with that people should get banned because they ripped someone else off since by doing so, you are giving them a legit reason to stay silent. You are feeding them with excuses to not answer for their actions ("hey I tried to set things straight with you but I was banned so I couldn't respond", "sorry but I never received your PM since I was banned and had no access to my PMs", "I wanted to send you your stuff but I had your address in a PM and could no longer access them").
By not banning them, they don't have an excuse for staying silent. In fact, most of the time when they do try to defend themselves, they usually remove all doubt that they are in fact scam artists.
And the other way around is true also. If you are in fact one of the "victims", I'm not going to remove perhaps the only way you have left contacting this person.
So there you have it. That's why I will never do an administrative ban when someone has ripped someone else off. Not because I don't want to, but because it's in the best interest of the scammer's victims. Unfortunately some people don't see it that way and have called me a f****** a******** for not trying to protect my members by banning scammers (you know who you are).
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04:38 AM
Cliff Pennock Administrator
Posts: 11847 From: Zandvoort, The Netherlands Registered: Jan 99
that's what mods are for... IP match him... if he scammed someone using the mail.. then an IP ban would be in order..
Anyone can change their IP address in just a few minutes - even if you have a so called static IP address. An IP ban does nothing for someone who is out to scam others.
quote
Also... users should make 100 post before using the PM system or to PM Admins ONLY, they should be blocked from using the mail till they have 100 post...
And effectively cripple the community. I see you have 16 posts. So according to yourself, you should not be able to use the PM system and exchange information through PMs, effectively preventing you from buying/selling stuff in The Mall, exchange event information with others, ask someone a private question about his car, etc. You know, a lot of people come here not because they have a wealth of information to share, or wish to participate in pointless discussions in the TO/T section, but because they need a part for their car or simply wish to sell their car. Without access to PMs, they will not be able to do that.
And you really think that needing 100 posts presents any sort of obstacle for a scammer? Of course not. They'll just participate in any one of the political threads in TO/T and they'll have 100 posts in no time.
If someone is out to scam others, there is absolutely nothing you can do to prevent that.
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04:51 AM
TheRealShadowX Member
Posts: 1456 From: Milwaukee Wisconsin USA Registered: Mar 2010
Originally posted by Cliff Pennock: By not banning them, they don't have an excuse for staying silent. In fact, most of the time when they do try to defend themselves, they usually remove all doubt that they are in fact scam artists.
Cliff, I've asked this before, is there a way to un ban somebody? Can those who gave a negative take it back?
And as stated before, it's not the cars fault the owner is an jackass. don't be a punk and take it out on the car, confront the owner.
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10:00 AM
DLCLK87GT Member
Posts: 2714 From: South Jersey, USA Registered: Feb 2009
Also to BMWGURU, sorry to hear this person was a jerk. No matter what you do and who you deal with, there's always going to be somebody doing something like this. Assuming you continue working on Fieros, I have a Getrag out on my garage floor and before putting it back in, i wanted somebody familiar with them to give it a once over and replace anything needed (seals/bearings/whatever). I don't know much about the past history of it other than high milage. I assume its ok inside but while it's out and for peace of mind when putting it back in, what would you charge for this type of service?
Edit to add, you can take as long as you want!
[This message has been edited by DLCLK87GT (edited 07-28-2010).]
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10:07 AM
whodeanie Member
Posts: 3819 From: woodstock,Ga.,USA Registered: Jan 2008
this is why I take cash! if you don't pay I sell your car! credit card companys don't care if someone gets screwed as long as they get their part of it. i don't like them in any way and when I do take them I have to charge more because they take anywhere from 3 to 6 % from me.
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12:00 PM
PFF
System Bot
mptighe Member
Posts: 3321 From: Houston, TX Registered: Aug 2009
this is why I take cash! if you don't pay I sell your car! credit card companys don't care if someone gets screwed as long as they get their part of it. i don't like them in any way and when I do take them I have to charge more because they take anywhere from 3 to 6 % from me.
Technically, if you read your merchant service agreement, you're not supposed to charge more for a credit card payment. You're also not supposed to check id per the MC and Visa rules. It's not exactly business friendly. I will say now though if you don;t take credit cards, you're cutting your potential business in half. If you do business through the net at all, you're completely killing your business by not taking them.
There have been a couple comments made about keying this car or as 1 person said...
quote
Originally posted by windowlicker:
maybe we should key every mera in the area..
This has got to be 1 of the dumbest things/ideas I have ever heard. The car did nothing. If you have a problem with someone take it up with the person not their property. Destroying property is the cowards way out.
I don't believe that destroying a person's property is the proper way to handle this. I would not want this to happen to me as an act of revenge. He did send me an email yesterday simply telling me to call him, but I figure I'll wait until he can call me....he has my number. Besides, I've got bigger fish to fry......like trying to get a Porsche owner to come and pay his $5,000 bill so that I can stop looking at his car every morning. Dave
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01:20 PM
Hulki U. My-BFF Member
Posts: 5949 From: Back home in East Berlin, PA Registered: Apr 2008
I don't believe that destroying a person's property is the proper way to handle this. I would not want this to happen to me as an act of revenge. He did send me an email yesterday simply telling me to call him, but I figure I'll wait until he can call me....he has my number. Besides, I've got bigger fish to fry......like trying to get a Porsche owner to come and pay his $5,000 bill so that I can stop looking at his car every morning. Dave
Dave,
If that Porsche owner does no pay, let me know and I'll come pay the bill and take the car out of your way.
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02:15 PM
gmctyphoon1992 Member
Posts: 693 From: Lighthouse Pt, Florida Registered: Jun 2010
Sorry to hear that Dave, from what i heard your a nice guy and apparently you do nice work if you own a successful german auto shop. If you know what i mean.
------------------ 1988 Pontiac Fiero Gt (has every option available from that year including factory leather, 5-speed, and the rare T-Tops: Black w/ gray interior and blk wheels) 1992 GMC Typhoon #0203 1971Chevorlet Corvette 454cu/ LS5/ 4-speed/ convertible 1993 BMW 850 Ci 6-speed V-12
I never encourage signing up with multiple usernames for any reason.
Yes, I should have worded my statement better. Banned members have been allowed to re-register under a new user name in the past if they wanted a second chance is my concern.
If Big E wants to come back to the forum do you think you will allow it under his original username or will it be a new one?
Except, of course to protect yourself and do your best to keep others informed, which was executed beautifully in this very thread.
How do you think it was executed so beautifully? Big E is banned and now might come back to the forum under a different username such that none of us know who he is. How are you going to protect yourself from someone if you don't know who they are?
I don't like that Dave was screwed and don't blame him for starting this thread at all but I don't think that banning Big E was the best thing.
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08:15 PM
carnut122 Member
Posts: 9122 From: Waleska, GA, USA Registered: Jan 2004
that way i can come gawk at your work all day 
