Are my expectations too high (that my exhaust tips are kinda close to lined up when I get it back)? New plugs arrived today and tc button should be in tomorrow, so will align the exhaust this weekend as well.

Derpy exhaust

 

Shop - "That's how it was when it came in"

haha

 

what? this is how you got it back?

 

yep, and it didnt go in like that

 

It's a shame the owner of that shop has no pride in his work!

 

After the clutch incident & now the exhaust tips looking like that, I would never use that shop for anything ever again

 

No, I wont be going back.

I wouldnt agree that he takes no pride in his work. He had some real nice cars there and I assume he earned their trust/business. I honestly think he was just done with me and wanted this whole nightmare to be over...

 

Fixed TC button then jacked it up to align exhaust and when I crawled under there I saw he just left an exhaust hanger undone. I still adjusted the over axle piece a little to get a little more clearance from the body. Tips still arent perfect but close enough at this point.

then I slapped in a fresh set of AC Delco 41-104 plugs (z06/zr1...1 step colder than stock)

all is well, now just need to break in this clutch and not break anything else!

here are old plugs and busted tc button, it broke in half when I unplugged it. Notice how high the button sits above the bevel? That is what clued me into it being not right

 

From a shop owner's perspective...
They lost their asses on labor for a big, unpleasant job, and had almost no parts profit to help cover it.
Tied up their shop for 3 weeks to correct the mistake
Spent the time on damage control to convert you from pissed off to OK again, only to throw that away in the last 20minutes.
Regardless of the circumstances, the car should NEVER have left like that. The switch might or might not have been their fault, but they should have advised you instead of letting you discover it.
Whether the tips were straight or not when it came in, they should have been when it left (clamps tight, too...). You take it apart, you put it back together the right way, or you're a hack.
Loyal customers are sooooo important to shop success. They come back, and refer their friends too, which I assume you'll be doing the opposite!
He might have easily recouped his losses, and been able to view the misadventure as an 'investment' rather than a straight loss.
They just hit a f*cking-up home run. Actually, it was a grand slam.

 

The center polymer portion inc the glove box, shift arm and etc must be removed

It's delicate operation without breaking off plastic tabs, switches, and wiring connectors..

 

So my thing is I know **** happens and I can tolerate a lot of **** if you just keep me posted.

Say I might have car back on Monday but no later then Wednesday. And you know Saturday that you are not gonna finish, shoot me a quick text and let me know, give me a best guess at when it might be ready. Dont let me wait til it should be ready and then when i ask tell you havent even started yet. Now it is a shock and I am pissed.

He didnt take immediate responsibility for the destroyed clutch, but Monster verified the only way that could happen was if the TOB fell off during install. Then made it sound like he was doing me a favor by saying it was his fault so we could move forward.

then he just wanted to order slave and billet bearing and replace those and install the damaged clutch. If something would have broke in a few thousand miles, I am out a grand for the clutch and have to have the work all done again.

He should have said he would take care of everything, he did, but never fully expressed that til the end and I was the one who said “we need to discuss how this is gonna be handled.” I honestly felt like the bad guy in all this but wasnt gonna get bent over when it wasnt my fault.

The TC button was obviously not right, it sat way too high. I have only been in 1 other C6 and I knew it was wrong. He HAD to know it was wrong, but I felt he just hoped I wouldnt notice? It is a $17 button. I replaced it quick and easy. It is a 2006 and it is plastic in an area subjected to significant heat. Things are gonna get fragile. He should have just told me. I didnt expect him to pay for the button...but the perceived deception, pisses me off.

The exhaust...just NOPE! At that point he didnt care.

There are other things I cant prove but suspect. My car is not pristine by any means but it seems it came back in worse shape than I dropped it off in. And after everything I am more suspicious about everything.

That being said, I am using this thread to vent and I have grumbled to family, but I have only told 1 person the shop in question in a PM. I am not writing a google or yelp review as I dont think this is indicative of his shop or his work. Think it was a series of unfortunate events that was poorly handled.

If he would have handled it better, I would have wrote him a 5 star review. It is easy to provide good customer service when things go smooth, but when **** hits the fan...that is your opportunity to step up and really shine!

 

^^ You, sir, sound completely reasonable in your assessment.

"It is easy to provide good customer service when things go smooth, but when **** hits the fan...that is your opportunity to step up and really shine!"
-H.J.

That's pretty much word-for-word what I've been saying for years. Alas, sh*t does happen in a repair shop, despite our best efforts.
After the initial pissed-off phase, most customers prove to be very understanding about things.
1.) Own up to the mistake, no matter HOW stupid it makes you look. Best they hear it straight from the source than discover the truth later.
2.) Make sure they understand that you will do everything possible to minimize their inconvenience.
3.) Make sure the %$@!^ is fixed and fixed right before they come to pick it up.
Even if they're still pissed, they'll at least still respect you (and probably stay customers too...).
Or, lose a good customer and turn him into your very worst advertising agent.

 

Exactly! People are already suspicious of mechanics due to some bad seeds ripping people off, so you would think you would go the extra mile to gain and keep their trust.