capndick
04-04-2003, 08:26 AM
I'm posting this in the hopes that no one else makes this mistake.
I took my Shammy to Weis Choice Marine in Mathews Va on the recommendation of Engineman,Tim gave me 3 to choose from,I seem to have made a less than wise choice.
Started out as a valve job,Weis recommended an electronic ignition @$200 installed which never was done and he later stated wasn't available for that engine and new manifold/riser if needed and he would magnaflux mine to be sure for $1200 IF I needed manifold/riser.
He found a bad piston which morphed into a rebuild of a 4 cyl chevy block.
The man quoted $2200,not to exceed $2500 to rebuild engine and all of the above.
A week later he has the engine apart, no damage, asks for $1500 to cover the parts,the head is done so I gave him $2000 to cover it & work done so far, shows me timing cover rusted through quotes $40 which later became $90 to replace recommends spin on gas filter @ $33 which later never was installed,I said OK.
My wife asks how much when it's done,he says $500 and we leave,she questions difference,I say probably tax and consumables.
Mr Weis calls,says job is done price is $1167,I question how he arrived at that figure,he says he changed the starter,alternator. I stated mine were fine and why no phone call. he changed the flywheel which he did out of the kindest of his heart at no charge but later charged $100. I asked him to recheck his figures and I would be down to pick up the boat.
When we got there,boat isn't ready after all, he can't find my old parts or the receipt for the parts I paid for, the carb is off for a second rebuild but it will be ready next day or day after.
Finally get him on the phone after 2 weeks,he demands $1167 CASH and launches into a tirade of verbal abuse,even after 20 years in the Navy I didn't think anyone could use F#$% that many times in one sentence.
I called my lawyer, have to file a warrant in debt and fight it out, made an appointment to do so and called Tim to see if maybe I was wrong and to let him know what happened.
He agreed with me that the guy couldn't mark up prices after I had paid for the parts and that he should have called on the other things and volunteered to call him as he felt responsible, he'd known the guy for years and that they were friends and that this was out of character, said the $2500 was fair and we agreed that the only winners would be the lawyers.
He said the guy may not be home but he'd try and would get back to me, never heard from him or got a reply to an email so I filed the warrant.
Called Tim again,went over the whole thing and he again agreed with my position,volunteered to call him and get back to me, mentioned that this guy could hold me up for the whole summer before we ever got to court, never heard another word.
Rather than lose the summer we went down yesterday with a deputy to keep things cool to once again attempt to arbitrate with Weis and retrieve my boat. Rather than fight me in court, he had removed the parts, manifiold/riser, starter, alternater and carb from my boat and it cost me $500 to get it back, torn apart.
The old parts he returned do not appear to be off my boat especially the starter, I now have to persue this in court which will be done vigorously but my boat sits half finished with no degree of confidence in what was really done and no warranty.
I leave you to draw your own conclusions, but this could have been avoided, the days of a man's handshake or word meaning anything are gone listmates, get it in writing, cross the T and dot the I's.
Comments are solicited.
Dick
I took my Shammy to Weis Choice Marine in Mathews Va on the recommendation of Engineman,Tim gave me 3 to choose from,I seem to have made a less than wise choice.
Started out as a valve job,Weis recommended an electronic ignition @$200 installed which never was done and he later stated wasn't available for that engine and new manifold/riser if needed and he would magnaflux mine to be sure for $1200 IF I needed manifold/riser.
He found a bad piston which morphed into a rebuild of a 4 cyl chevy block.
The man quoted $2200,not to exceed $2500 to rebuild engine and all of the above.
A week later he has the engine apart, no damage, asks for $1500 to cover the parts,the head is done so I gave him $2000 to cover it & work done so far, shows me timing cover rusted through quotes $40 which later became $90 to replace recommends spin on gas filter @ $33 which later never was installed,I said OK.
My wife asks how much when it's done,he says $500 and we leave,she questions difference,I say probably tax and consumables.
Mr Weis calls,says job is done price is $1167,I question how he arrived at that figure,he says he changed the starter,alternator. I stated mine were fine and why no phone call. he changed the flywheel which he did out of the kindest of his heart at no charge but later charged $100. I asked him to recheck his figures and I would be down to pick up the boat.
When we got there,boat isn't ready after all, he can't find my old parts or the receipt for the parts I paid for, the carb is off for a second rebuild but it will be ready next day or day after.
Finally get him on the phone after 2 weeks,he demands $1167 CASH and launches into a tirade of verbal abuse,even after 20 years in the Navy I didn't think anyone could use F#$% that many times in one sentence.
I called my lawyer, have to file a warrant in debt and fight it out, made an appointment to do so and called Tim to see if maybe I was wrong and to let him know what happened.
He agreed with me that the guy couldn't mark up prices after I had paid for the parts and that he should have called on the other things and volunteered to call him as he felt responsible, he'd known the guy for years and that they were friends and that this was out of character, said the $2500 was fair and we agreed that the only winners would be the lawyers.
He said the guy may not be home but he'd try and would get back to me, never heard from him or got a reply to an email so I filed the warrant.
Called Tim again,went over the whole thing and he again agreed with my position,volunteered to call him and get back to me, mentioned that this guy could hold me up for the whole summer before we ever got to court, never heard another word.
Rather than lose the summer we went down yesterday with a deputy to keep things cool to once again attempt to arbitrate with Weis and retrieve my boat. Rather than fight me in court, he had removed the parts, manifiold/riser, starter, alternater and carb from my boat and it cost me $500 to get it back, torn apart.
The old parts he returned do not appear to be off my boat especially the starter, I now have to persue this in court which will be done vigorously but my boat sits half finished with no degree of confidence in what was really done and no warranty.
I leave you to draw your own conclusions, but this could have been avoided, the days of a man's handshake or word meaning anything are gone listmates, get it in writing, cross the T and dot the I's.
Comments are solicited.
Dick