I called MAACO last Saturday (08/16/14) and they said the car was almost done. They said that they were going to fix the windows come Monday morning. I gave them another week, and stopped by this morning. They had not done the windows yet, and they also had not fixed the crack in the clip above the tail lights. They also had yet to fix the door jams where the over spray ruined where they prepainted that area. I also noticed that the decklid was still crooked. Basically, they have done nothing in the past 3 weeks since I was there last.
Today Dominick apologized, and said that they were going to put it back in line immediately. He said that they were going to re-fix the crack in the decklid, fix the door jams, align the decklid, re-spray underneath the decklid where the paint had all bubbled up. They finally agreed to re-paint the black molding above the rear bumper after I was able to prove with photos that they indeed did paint it the first time it was in their shop. Both Geovani and Domnick agreed to this.
Supposedly it will be ready late next week..... I just have to wait and see.
Damn John, I hope this ends with good results.You have been more than fair with these people and deserve to be a top priority to see this gets done right and in a timely fashion.Good luck
[This message has been edited by davylong86 (edited 08-25-2014).]
I called MAACO last Saturday (08/16/14) and they said the car was almost done. They said that they were going to fix the windows come Monday morning. I gave them another week, and stopped by this morning. They had not done the windows yet, and they also had not fixed the crack in the clip above the tail lights. They also had yet to fix the door jams where the over spray ruined where they prepainted that area. I also noticed that the decklid was still crooked. Basically, they have done nothing in the past 3 weeks since I was there last.
Today Dominick apologized, and said that they were going to put it back in line immediately. He said that they were going to re-fix the crack in the decklid, fix the door jams, align the decklid, re-spray underneath the decklid where the paint had all bubbled up. They finally agreed to re-paint the black molding above the rear bumper after I was able to prove with photos that they indeed did paint it the first time it was in their shop. Both Geovani and Domnick agreed to this.
Supposedly it will be ready late next week..... I just have to wait and see.
Your car is not making money for them so they will push it aside every time a paid job comes in. You may not like this but I'm telling you this will continue for as long as you let it go. I can see Daytona show with your car still in that shop if they can get away with it. I know you want to give them chance to do good but every minute that car is at that shop there is big opportunity/risk for something else (or the same) to go wrong. New employee arrives and push it outside when it is raining. Throw away parts left scattered/unlabeled. Etc. etc. You should cut your losses and move that car out of there like right now. I'm just being brutally honest. Sorry.
I've been following up on this ever since you posted the video ..... I really think these guys are stalling you ... I would get a laywer in there before this whole things blows up in your face .... the time is up my friend you have been OVERLY patient with these numbnuts.... I agree with the previous post .... they are really laughing at you or think your a softy ... Hope all turns out right for ya ... greatest regards my american friend
Well, I went to MAACO yesterday to get the car, Again..... and they had not touched it during the week from what it looked like. The owner, Giovanni said that they will be open tomorrow (Saturday) from 9am to 1pm, and I should come back tomorrow and it will be done. I asked if noon would be good and he said yes. So I asked again just before I left, are you going to call me, or should I just come by at noon..... He replied to come at noon and get it.
So, today I stopped in at 12:15 to pick it up, and they were putting the deck lid back on the car. They said they had to take it back off to repaint underneath, where the paint was all bubbled up. I looked underneath to see the newly fixed paint.....It was not really a shocker to see that the paint is still 100% bubbled up, as you can see clearly in this photo:
It looked like absolutely nothing had been done. He tried to assure me that they had completely sanded down the area and repainted. I asked how, if it was sanded it could still be bubbled up in the same exact same way and spot. If the bubbles had been sanded, even poorly, then there would be small circles, (craters) and not bubbles with domes on them. He said if I want to pay for it, they can re-strip and paint it! Seriously! ! ! The crack was still above the tail light,, and the door jams are still a mess, Overspray, and where there is no paint all the way down to the original color, where it looks like someone attempted to remove the overspray, as you an see:
I had taken off the headlight doors, and made it very clear that they forgot to paint underneath of them last time. I showed them pictures of them on a table (not hung up next to the gas door assembly), but laying flat when they were painted. He assured me they would take care of that. Well, they decided to put the headlight doors back on for me, looking like this:
Both the drivers and passenger doors are warped where the Mr. Mike's lower door panel cardboard had gotten wet. Again, as you can see:
Luckliy I had typed of a list of 15 things that they were to do to the car when I left it there almost 3 months ago. Most of the items on the list were not done. I gave the store manager Dominick a copy, and had him sign another copy, that I have here in my safe
One of the items on the list, was to fix the belt line molding on top of the back bumper. When they originally painted it, the did not prep it at all, and the paint literally just flaked off. After going back 4 to 5 times, they finally painted it in the past few days. Well they DID paint it, however they did not sand, or prep or anything at all, other than take a spray can to it. Here is an example of the quality craftsmanship of their work..... So sad..... (The white you see, is the original color that the previous owner painted it, and is still that way after being "painted" twice by them now)
I told him, enough is enough, and I want the car back now, and I am going to have to get a lawyer to get this resolved. He said he can't do that as it is blocked in. I said well move the other cars then, and he refused. I actually had to get on the phone with the Sheriff's Office to get him to move the cars blocking mine in, and the then told the guys to get the piece of crap out of his shop. They pushed the car around (the battery dead due to leaving the trunk and doors open) and half pushed it into a parking space and said there. It was 12:25 at this time, and they closed up the shop, and all left me there with the dead battery.
I had to go back to the house, and get a pair of jumper cables. While I was jumping the car, someone that works in the same plaza was telling me that they left my car out in the rain with no windshield. I was like Yea, I know, the interior of the car was soaked, and they denied ever leaving it out in the rain. He said..... ready...... Seriously.... are you ready for this? "But I have a video of it! ! ! ! ! Wow, I never have good luck like this. He blue-toothed me over the video, and sure enough... the car was left out in the pouring rain, no sunroof, windows down, and no front windshield. He said he was watching them, and they hurried when it started raining and pulled a few other cars in, and left mine sitting there. In the screen capture below, that I took from the video, you can see an employee just standing there with his hands in his pockets looking at my car in the rain. Clearly they 100% knew it was out in the rain, and not just an oversight. Here is a screen shot from the video:
This does a few things, first I have them on video saying over and over and over again that the car was never left in the rain. This little video now proves without a doubt that they were lying. Secondly it shows sheer negligence on their part, and total disregard of one of their customers property. I forgot to mention that the rain shorted out a couple of the gauges in the dash. The speedometer now shows the car doing 100 MPH with the engine off. In the picture I posted a month or so ago, of the car covered inside and out with dust, you can clearly see the speedometer reading at 0 MPH as it should.
[This message has been edited by JohnWPB (edited 09-10-2014).]
I figured it would come to this. I'm sorry that it had to, though. Seems like it would have been a lot easier for them to just suck it up and do the right thing.
Burn them and bury them. (Legally speaking, of course.)
I'm sorry the mess Maacco made of your car. There is no excuse for such shoddy performance from a "reputable" franchise". I can only hope that some legal action can eliminate that franchise from continuing business.
Ok. So you have a lot of evidence. Call corporate and tell them they have a last chance to send you quickly a check (better a wire transfer) for the amount you want. Otherwise on top of your legal case you will post video and pictures on every car forum and media out there and that you will also call the news channels. Tell them that you are a teacher or trainer with access to hundreds of people which you will tell the story and show pictures. Since they were a little freaked out with the first video maybe they will listen. Good luck man.
Well my friend your car is back safely with you ..... get legal council and SUE THEIR A$$ES OFF !!! You have ALL you need to get a satisfactory compensation to have your car COMPLETELY redone interior and exterior and a financial settlement for prevoked grief and lost of your car for MONTHS
regards my friend .... better days headin your way Danyel
i agree with Alex, call corporate and explain your evidence. you saw how quickly they reacted when they got wind of your last video. imagine if they know you have worse
i would tell them to get their check books ready.
I am telling you every news station in the state would be chomping at the bit to tell this story !!
[This message has been edited by exoticse (edited 08-31-2014).]
After following this post constantly Im VERY pissed for you. I would grab that video the guy has and hold onto it. The people at this place are obviously a joke and should be shut down and pay for a brand new interior, and a proper paint job by someone professionally. Please keep us up to date.
------------------ Every fiero has a story, It's our job to keep that story alive.
Go get them and be sure to use these terms when speaking to your course of action! 1.INTENTIONAL INFLICTION OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS
The tort of intentional infliction of emotional distress has four elements: (1) the defendant must act intentionally or recklessly; (2) the defendant's conduct must be extreme and outrageous; and (3) the conduct must be the cause (4) of severe emotional distress.
2. negligent infliction of emotional distress
The tort of negligent infliction of emotional distress (NIED) is a controversial cause of action, which is available in nearly all U.S. states but is severely constrained and limited in the majority of them. The underlying concept is that one has a legal duty to use reasonable care to avoid causing emotionaldistress to another individual. If one fails in this duty and unreasonably causes emotional distress to another person, that actor will beliable for monetary damages to the injured individual. The tort is to be contrasted withintentional infliction of emotional distress in that there is no need to prove intent to inflict distress. That is, an accidental infliction, if negligent, is sufficient to support a cause of action.
Well, since getting the car back, I have had all sorts of problems with it starting. I had this issue before I went to MAACO, so I unfortunately can not blame them for the ONE thing LOL. I started another thread for just the problem, to keep this one more on track with just the build. I have have yet to find a solution to the problem. I will be getting new Pick-Up coil in the mail tomorrow, and will try to get that installed this coming weekend.
Yep, lawyer time. I think they're just screwing you around. Sorry to hear about your bad experience.
BTW, doesn't JimmyS paint the whole Fiero, panel-off, for a reasonable price? I know you two know each other, and are just on opposite sides of the state.
BTW, doesn't JimmyS paint the whole Fiero, panel-off, for a reasonable price? I know you two know each other, and are just on opposite sides of the state.
Originally posted by tshark: No. And he probably wouldn't thank me for it, either. Just not a fan of MAACO. What's funny?
We talked about painting my car some time back, and he said he could do it. We never got into serious negotiations or anything. Since the MAACO disaster, he has dropped a couple "I told you so's" It seemed like you were in on the joke when I read your post hehehe
John... any updates on what direction you will be taking with these clowns. Any pics on the status of your car since it is now back home? THX Danyel
Lawyers want a few grand to get started on something, and I found that even small claims court here in the US needs $350 up front cost to file the paperwork. I have been cut back at work, and money is a little tight to go throwing $350 towards filing paperwork. Hopefully things will be on the upswing financially here soon, and hope that there is no short term time I have to file a suit against them.
The car is not running right now, and not in the best spot to take pictures.. I will get some posted soon as I can get the car to move
Lawyers want a few grand to get started on something, and I found that even small claims court here in the US needs $350 up front cost to file the paperwork. I have been cut back at work, and money is a little tight to go throwing $350 towards filing paperwork. Hopefully things will be on the upswing financially here soon, and hope that there is no short term time I have to file a suit against them.
The car is not running right now, and not in the best spot to take pictures.. I will get some posted soon as I can get the car to move
All the more reason to lawyer up. Leaving your car out in the rain with all the glass removed like that could have caused damage to many things. You'll need to prove damage beyond "moldy interior" probably, but from my POV, they basically owe you a whole new Fiero at this point. Gauges, fuel pump, and ECM could all have been damaged (and causing your intermittent woes) from the rain, as well as the damage done to the carpet, seats, and the rest of the interior.
I would try to work something out with corporate first, you have another damming video. I'd ask for the car to be repainted at another location and some money for the interior or just a good sized check.
Dont USA laywers go on percentage won for their rates or salary??? This is ALOT more than a small claims .... I would send a copy to corporate ... you could even post on Facebook... that way I can post on MAACO Canada Facebook too !!!
Please dont let the time run out my friend you and your fiero deserve BETTER
Danyel
[This message has been edited by Danyel (edited 09-09-2014).]
You need to go to the news & better business bureau. Maybe talk to someone at Angie's list. They might want to know about such bad business. We have Clark Howard here in Georgia who helps people. Do you have a talk show personally that helps the community? Talk to some talk radio shows and morning shows. The video caused a stir the first time... try that route again. I still say the news will be interested. You have enough concrete evidence. If they have done it to you they have done it to others. Go to local insurance agents. They have to use shops. See if they can give you some advise. At least see if any insurance company uses that Maaco. Go tell the insurance rep the truth about their practices.
Drop the terms I mentioned to corporate. Tell them you have all the evidence right now to go to a lawyer and win so what can they do for you? You tried it their way and their shop just made it all that much worse.
Do you know anyone who is friends with a lawyer who might be willing to at least write a nasty letter for $100? Look online for a Draft of letters? Maybe if corporate thinks there will be a lawsuit they will settle for something fair.
Was just thinking. Have you kept corporate in the loop this whole time.
If memory serves.... a rep came down right? They initially agreed that everything needed to be fixed and fired folks from the first paint job. Then they let the shop and current crew handle it. Do they know the crap that this new group has been pulling? They can't fight you on your wonderful documentation of every step. Maybe just pulling them back in will work. Is each store a franchise? They should take the franchise from them.
Ok, I just did something I have never wanted to do.... ask for financial help. I set up a GoFundMe.com page. I thought long and hard on this over the past couple weeks. I do NOT like asking for handouts, and have always enjoyed giving far more than receiving. I really do, from the Tyler Build in MN, the Joel Build in Georgia, Flying out to Dallas with InfinateWill to get Stu back on his feet with the dew wipes. It is very gratifying, and I always try to help where I can. It feels wrong to be on the opposite side of things......
Honestly, It just came to the point where I can not afford to try to resolve this myself. I have the car back, and can eventually get it all back in shape over time. That kills me though, as I know 100% that MAACO should be responsible for this! I called a few attorneys, and it seems only the personal injury lawyers (ambulance chasers) work on a contingency plan. Every other lawyer wants money up front to do anything.
I do not have high hopes for the GoFundMe page, as I know times are tough for a lot of people right now. I am just in the hopes that it will help a little bit, and I can come up with the rest to get this into a courtroom.
With all of the photographic, and video evidence I have, I can honestly say with 99% certainty that this would be an open and closed case in my favor.
Anyhow, if anyone is interested, and could help at all, it would be SO MUCH APPRECIATED! If you can not help, DO NOT WORRY ABOUT IT! I KNOW times are tough. Maybe you could just post the link to the page on your Facebook page, that would be a big help.
The limit in small claims court in Florida is $5000. The cost of filing in small claims court is very low, a filing fee and the cost of service by certified mail. Sounds like you have ample evidence, I would take this matter to small claims court. If no one shows up for MAACO you will be awarded a default judgment. You might want to send a certified letter to corporate stating your intention to file suit and giving them 10 days to make you whole.
Small claims court is $350 to file the paperwork in Florida, and can award up to $5,000. I am thinking to get this car painted correctly, all the stuff fixed, and replace the interior parts is going to cost more than that. That is the reason I am wanting to get a lawyer, and let him work his magic on the numbers.
Ok, I am biased against lawyers because of the way they robbed us when handling a divorce we helped our daughter pay for, hopefully your experience will be better.
That was just freakin' disgusting. How the hell can any business operate in that manner?
It seemed like you were in on the joke when I read your post hehehe
