Vega$Vette

I have followed way too many threads where a guy had a problem with a build or the builder did not use the specified parts or a bad tune on and on and on.

Yet they don't pursue restitution. In some cases we are talking thousands of dollars.

Sure they come on the forum and bash the builder but seldom use all resources available including but not limited to small claims court.

Why do most all of them just suck it up?

Vetteman Jack

I can't really answer that question - doesn't make any sense to me to just accept shoddy work.

jrose7004

I guess some people don't have the guts to standup for themselves.

Vega$Vette

Guess that's it.

Another current thread the owner was concerned over how the builder would react if he told him he wanted the specified parts installed!!

Other posters suggested just changing the parts himself and "moving on".

While I'm a big fan of General Pattons philosophy ie picking your own battles and making sure rewards justify the fight you also need to stand on principles.

Zilla

Hennessey is a builder who has ripped off many people.
NoMercy here on the forum was taken by Hennessey for $22000.

Hennessey Article in Autoweek

0331MARINE

Or they have no clue what they are taking about when it come to their car......

Marine One

From the article:
“If you were out of state, man you were fair game,” said Kyle Kent, a former employee at Hennessey Motorsports. When an out-of-state car came in it was sometimes parted out, with the wheels, tires and whatever else looked good going to other cars waiting to be finished or sold outright, according to Kent and others inside Hennessey Motorsports. Then Hennessey would call the car’s owner and try to sell him an upgraded kit. If the customer balked, Hennessey would take parts from other cars in the shop, or just let the job sit.

Kent described one typical disassembly on an out-of-state Viper. “The motor and transmission went into a Durango John was putting together, the brakes went to someone else, the hood went to a guy in Ohio, the rear bumper to South Carolina, man you name it. We had multiple cars like that.”

Sounds to me like Hennessey is a thief.

allen2m4

sounds like if i was having problems with hennessey and could spend 145,000 dollars on a car i would be at his shop with my foot firmly planted between his cheeks.

SSTG

Some people are just lazy, they don't want to go threw the hassle of a claim.

Chicago1

Not defending them but how do you know the owner said sell off the parts to help with costs of new parts and that's what Hennessey did. They parted it out. The verbage isn't very clear

AU N EGL

dont want to feel embarrassed or that they made a dumb choice so much so that they made a 5-10K dollar mistake

robert miller

Man is a piece of work for sure....

robert miller

May be true it will cost you $ for court and when you do get him in court and get the court to say you have your judgment on him. Then what he is self emp and if he dont just put the money out you are no better off. The only good thing if he has property in his name he cant sell it are get more money on it until your claim is paid. On a big amount yes do it. On a tuner for 400.00 to 600.00.

sfc rick

No matter how you look at it... where's there smoke, there is Fire!!!!!

With those high dollar amounts of fraud being aired out in public, it's surprizing he hasn't been found floating in one of those San Jacinto bayous.

Marine One

Perhaps not. And yes, I understand that the individual quoted is a former employee and it's quite possible that he might be disgruntled with his former employer. But I also expect that Autoweek took measures to verify the former employees claims to avoid potential legal issues with Hennessey. At a minimum, this whole thing calls Hennessey's integrity into question. That in itself is enough for me to not do business with him.

runner140*

I feel if you let a thief get away with something, they will do it again to someone else. There was a kid that was ripping off Forum members five or six years ago...he was arrested in Arizona...in Maricopa county and the guest of sheriff Joe Arpaio for six months.

manley845

Lack of knowledge, I think, is a big part of the customers trouble.

Assuming the work really was botched up, a customer wouldn't know what to look for and how to identify and explain their issues, let alone argue and debate the matter.

I think there are also times when a customer simply was expecting to much and "feels" like they had been the victim of crap work.

Or the customer picked up a perfectly good car and f*ed it up themselves and want to blame it on the workmanship.

But, having worked in a machineshop myself I have seen many engines come my way from nearby shops that were just all f*ed up. Sometimes a shop just doesn't do quality work.

John Shiels

Many probably get a verbal contract. How many here get a build with all the parts to be used in writing?

Vega$Vette

Very good point.

I get a written parts and labor sheet that spells out which parts we agreed on using.

I also go to the shop and lay eyes on the work in progress

I know this is tough when you shop out of state.

John Shiels

and if you don't it becomes he said she said and court sucks! You need witnesses and even expert witnesses if you head to court because likely the judge is not a mechanic.

If you get a motor built you should get it all in detail and also a dyno sheet when done. I would also want to know how much power it will make before I put up the cash at least a lowest number.


Then you could get to the "I forgot this or that and need to add this" Get a complete estimate for all work on your car. As everything is not known at times before it is torn down get a prices for what ifs. Then you car will not be disassembled on the lift while the shop rolls out the prices to you with their hands on your _uts!.


Plenty of crooks out there.