never ever go to west coast british

[gobie desert]

if you live in the northern california area i can tell where not to go...some place called west coast british. a guy named mike runs the shop and he so far has called me an a-hole, dickbrain and apparently thinks he is going to kick my ass. oh and by the way i took parts there for him to work on and when i called to find out when they would be done he yelled at me and hung up, so when i called back he threatened me over the phone. now he has my parts and i am sure will try to reem me in money to get them back.
anybody got any good suggestions on how to handle a guy like this, i do not want to have to resort to beating it out of him so i hope i can do this in a way that i can get my parts back and not have to hurt him. boy customer service is not what it used to be. he thinks he is gods gift to land rovers....
-hawk

[PH4]

Write a letter requesting your parts back and for him not to do any work on them. Then you have it documented in writing. You can usually make things happen with a letter that will never occur through telephone because 1) it is documented and 2) many people who will spend all day arguing on the phone will never take five minutes to draft a letter.

[greenmeanie]

Would this be the same gentleman who has a short answer for any question on the land rover exchange forum? I believe he has just replied to a query looking for an excellent parts dealer and mechanic in Socal.

Cheers
Gregor

[thixon]

Write a letter requesting your parts back and for him not to do any work on them. Then you have it documented in writing. You can usually make things happen with a letter that will never occur through telephone because 1) it is documented and 2) many people who will spend all day arguing on the phone will never take five minutes to draft a letter.

Make sure you send the letter certified mail to insure you have proof he received it. Otherwise, excellent advice. If he ignores you, and won't give back the parts, take him to small claims court. That's the best you can do without the arse kicking, which in my opinion would probably be infinately more satisfying in this case. Good luck.

[thixon]

First attempt only printed the quote, so here goes again.

Make sure you send the letter certified mail, so you have proof that he received it. If he ignores you, and won't return the parts, then take him to small claims court. Tha'ts the best you can do without resorting to an arse kicking, which would be infinately more satisfying in this case. Good luck!

[thixon]

First attempt only printed the quote, so here goes again.

Make sure you send the letter certified mail, so you have proof that he received it. If he ignores you, and won't return the parts, then take him to small claims court. Tha'ts the best you can do without resorting to an arse kicking, which would be infinately more satisfying in this case. Good luck!

[gobie desert]

an arse kicking would be very satisfying in this case:) , but alas i must try to restrain myself from doing what i would really like to do. but if i ever saw him in a dark alley....:cool:

funny bit though..he called left me a pleasant message saying i could come get my parts. this guy is a piece of work. well i will let you all know how it goes...

[leafsprung]

Isnt this the guy you were avoiding using when you posted up looking for a shop in NorCal?

[gobie desert]

he's the guy. i thought well, i will just try with one thing...give him the benefit of the doubt...my bad. i thought i could it done and not have to really deal with him. so now i speak from experience, let my bad experience speak volumes to everyone out there and believe me i am going to spread this message like a cult leader. i am going to make sure a lot of people know what to expect from this guy. in the words of The Dude "this aggression will not go unchecked man, the dude minds".

[thixon]

believe me i am going to spread this message like a cult leader. ".

You're not a scientologist are you!? Watch out for Xenu!

Later,

[Tim Smith]

It's a shame when a bad mechanic gives people the wrong impression about their ride of choice. Lucky we series owners have these forums to let each other know about it. :thumb-up:

This is a little different but I used to have a mechanic (an old Italian guy straight off the boat) who had a shanty of a shop down in Brooklyn.

When I'd stop in with the old Fiat, he'd yell at me, make references to my questionable lineage and ask me if I was fighting with my "boyfriend" because I hadn't brought him along for the ride. Basically he was just trying to provoke me. :eek: After I'd return in kind, all was well again and we'd begin working on the car.

I wouldn't have kept going to him but man oh man could he make that little 4 banger sing.

[TeriAnn]

an arse kicking would be very satisfying in this case:) , but alas i must try to restrain myself from doing what i would really like to do. but if i ever saw him in a dark alley....:cool:

funny bit though..he called left me a pleasant message saying i could come get my parts. this guy is a piece of work. well i will let you all know how it goes...
It has been my observation that sucessful business owners usually do not get abusive to customers without a reason.

Not knowing what was said on both sides to initiate the argument (and not wanting to know) I just want to suggest that in most cases politeness and refusing to get into an argument can allow you to get things done and make progress on your project.

If you need to get something done, side stepping confrontation and anger is usually more effective than calling up an artillery barrage and a frontal assault.

[gobie desert]

i agree and i would not say he is successful. success is not just measured in how much money your business does or how long you have your business but in how you are perceived throughout your community by your peers. this guy has a reputation, i am finding out even more through various forums about him, and i do not care what a customer says you do not berate them the way i was. and by the way teri, i called to find out when my stuff would be ready. he would not come to the phone and told his lacky assistant to say he'll call when they are done and then he hung up on me. when i called back later to try to get a more exact day he finally answered the phone and said i was pissing him off and proceeded to yell, i on the other hand did not raise my voice or call him one name. i did nothing to provoke this verbal assault by this old man. and i am sure his business will continue without me but i have no worries because i will never have to see him again. so if losing customers is how he measures success then he is the donald trump at doing that.

[Daurie]

The guy probably has an established customer base that keeps him busy and doesn't care about a new customer. That is, however, no excuse for the way I hear he treats people. If hes not going to treat new customers with any respect then he needs to take down his website and cease all advertizing (if he does any). I'm temped to call him to get prices on some parts just to see how I get treated. :rolleyes:

[zayante]

Unfortunately, the classic British car business has more than its share of burn-outs. Every once in a while I meet someone who really should have gotten out years ago. The long hours, low profit margins and cheap customers can really wear you down. Some of 'em are at retirement age, and perhaps the kids don't want to take over/buy out the business and no one else wants to buy it either.

And then there's that "legend in their own mind" thing - pride run amuck.

[sayers]

If you think you might have trouble with him in retriving your parts have the police meet you at his shop.

[Momo]

Interesting, too bad. Not the first time I've heard of it either.

He was looking to sell the business last year. He had an ad running seeking buyers. Good advice by PH4 to seek a resolution in writing.

Also, CA law protects you from unauthorized work or fraud by mechanics if you haven't signed a work order that includes a detailed estimate of charges.

The CA Dept. of Consumer Affairs Bureau of Automotive Repair investigates fraud,unscrupulous practices, etc., including threats/intimidation by shady mechanics. Obviously he has intimidated you. If you haven't done so yet, you should document as best you can what was said on the phone.

http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/StdPage.asp?Body=/Geninfo/Factsheets/bar_Enforcement.htm

[gobie desert]

so i went down to west coast and picked up my parts. funny he mumbled something under his bad breathe while i was there when i stepped up close to him and asked him to repeat it he said "i didn't say anything". typical of people like that, they can yell all day over the phone but when face to face they somehow don't have the courage. so my saga with this moron is over, thankfully. i love land rovers, have owned 4 of them (d-110, d-90, discovery, and my series III), and would like to think restoring them is a pleasure and privilege. now i can pay some real mechanics to work on my vehicles. btw, just got my tuffy box from rovers north... whew! what sweet item.

so the moral behind the story...don't go to west coast british.

[Les Parker]

Glad to learn that the Tuffy arrived and met with your expectations.
Also glad to learn you and your Landrover parts have been re-united.
Best of luck on the restoration

:)

[IIA Lightweight]

Of having the power turned off.... phone changed.... ie close the bus. or my fav. change the mailing address at the post office... Think along those lines. But do discretly.
But you did not hear it from me
Cheers
david