Hey AWR68 Tell us about what happened!

[Flash68]

Originally Posted by race-rodz

wow, i log in after a couple days to find several pages of being called a low life POS that is just out to take advantage of people and screw them outa their hard earned money..... thats great.

soooooo not that it really matters i guess i should point out a few things.

#1 yes, "race rodz" is no longer, i am done working on anything that i dont own. while i had big dreams of becoming a top notch shop on the west coast, several factors stopped this from happening. i bit off way more than i could chew agreeing to do jobs way too cheap for the time involved to do the job right....and then sticking to the prices i gave up front. lesson learned is i have no business trying to run my own shop.

#2 anthony's car was to be the first of many high profile projects, as such i agreed to do the car for a grand total of $7300 including materials, knowing i would have way more time in it to make it to the level tony and i wanted the car to be at, but figured it would be more of an investment into the shops future.... while i dont think i intended to take advantage of him and screw him, apparently this is how it sounds to everybody else hearing one side of the story.

#3 as we talked on the phone the night before, i told him the car would be in his driveway by 3:30 when he got off work and headed home, because he had plans and no time to spare. as i said it would be there before he got home, the car was there at about 2:30. i did leave it so i could make it out of pdx before the traffic got bad....i guess i was expected to sit around for an hour and a half and wait for him to show up.... however i didnt feel there was anything to talk about, since a few days earlier the conversation was he was burnt out waiting for it, and "just wanted the f***ing car home"

#4 i think neds cuda should be addressed here also, again i dont feel that i set out to screw anybody, i didnt even charge for alot of the add ons, and knocked his final payment in half.......as he was unhappy with point of "finishing".... again, i just wanted to make a guy a deal and have him be happy with the end result.... which obviously isnt the case.

i really dont know what else to say, an appology at this point is pretty meaningless to the bridges burnt. if i had the means i would gladly give refunds on labor charges....but the bottom line is im piss broke, in debt up to my eyeballs, and contemplating bankrupcy other than i cant even afford to do that. im looking for work and just trying to keep food on my families table and a roof over our heads. according to the general concencus, is exactly where i deserve to be.

so for what its worth, i am truely sorry to both tony and ned, i never intended to take advantage of anybody, nor did i want to screw anybody out of a single dollar.... i was just trying to make an honest living doing what every single person on this site is so passionate about, building bad ass cars.

i think i have said everything i need to say,

chris deshane... former owner of race rodz

I guess you can be commended for coming back on here and posting something. I'd call it a 3/4 apology myself.

And I don't see where anyone on here has accused you of planning to defraud these guys of their hard earned money. I haven't read that. You are right about the fact that it just didn't work out and you were not up to the task of delivering said product. If you had any spare money, you should give it to Anthony.

But the leaving the car in his driveway part with scratched up parts laying in it is just unacceptable and you damn well know it. You should have faced the music then and there and parted ways. Hell, he tipped you and filled your tank with gas the 1st time you didn't deliver. Anthony is a well respected member of this place and has been for a long time. You? Not so much.

What a bummer for Anthony..... and Ned. And everyone.

I'm done. I'm sure others will be piling on shortly.

[Vegas69]

__________

[Spiffav8]

Chris I am so angry with you it actually surprises me. Mainly because I liked you and thought you where a stand up guy. The kind of guy that takes care of those that take care of him. I want you to know that I'd be just as pissed if I didn't know Anthony or Ned.

All of us can understand hard times and the stress that life some times unfairly brings, but this isn't about any of that. The one thing no one here will accept is the way you handled the situation. Anthony was more than patient and understanding. He repeatedly gave you a second chance. Even towards the end he defended you, he believed in you, guarded and trusted you. How do you repay him...by spitting in his face. You can take your sob story and shove it! You know, that had you been honest with Anthony when the car came back or at any time after that, he would have understood. Instead you dump his car in his driveway? WTF! Super low, especially for a guy that claims to have a passion for hot rods. Your lucky Anthony is such a nice guy. He's refrained from telling everyone all the details and wouldn't have even posted if I hadn't pushed him. You have no idea how hurt and upset he and his FAMILY are. You made his wife cry! UNFORGIVABLE! You have no idea what they've gone through to accomplish this project...none.

It's time for you to take a serious look at where you at in life and realize it's time to stop screwing around and grow up. You are the cause of your current situation and have no one else to blame. Your a father...time to start acting like an adult you dick.

[DOOM]

Curtis well said ! I do'nt think there is anymore that could be said on this.This guy had a great chance to make a name for himself and BLEW IT!!! If I had the chance this guy had I would of worked 24/7 to make this happen. $7300.00 is a small price to pay to get the attention these two cars would have gotten him. Its called PAYING YOUR DUES!!!!! And im sure if he called Tony and said it was going to be a couple grand or so more I do'nt think it would have been a problem,if Tony was seeing some consistent progress on the car. It always amazies me how people have to justify to them self they did nothing wrong. So saying you never intended to wrong these people or screw them all I have to say is ITS YOUR LIE YOU CAN TELL HOWEVER YOU WANT!!! So to Tony my offer stands whatever you need im ready.
Mario

[Steve Chryssos]

Broken dreams--all around, for sure. Shattered is a better word. Paint and body is neither cheap nor easy and the same holds true for starting a business. Running a business is hard, starting a business is damn near impossible.

There IS a way to find a little positive result from this. Create a sticky with sage advice on selecting and managing an outsourced project such as body and paint. Choose one established shop with a proven track record to lead the discussion and then allow other shops to post follow up advice, tips, suggestions. Many of us have been burned by outsourced labor--be it paint, engine, or fab work. Let's help those who follow in our footsteps to avoid the same pitfalls. Those suggestions should also help budding entrepreneurs to get it right the first time as well.

My favorite suggestion?

Twilight Zone Syndrome: Visit the shop 1 year ahead of project drop off date to inspect shop. Then visit again at six months prior to have another look. If the same projects are present and progress has not been made, RUN AWAY!

[rich-allen]

Opening and successfully running a small business is a huge feat and not for the faint of heart. You must understand that the business is more about the client and the product than yourself, that's where people always fail.

I think lurking around throughout the day and finally posting a defensive half assed excuse at 12:00 PM shows the lack of respect and unwillingness to confront the situation.

A person with any morals would have stopped the bleeding long before he did.


Rich

[XcYZ]

Jennifer asked that I would post this on her behalf:

Dear Lateral-g Members,

I can not begin to express how much all of you mean to Tony. He has kept his head up after this last blow with the paint issue by not allowing himself to feel the devastation. This site and all its members have carried him through the hard times, the low times and now this black hole of despair.

We treated Chris with the respect, patients and understanding. We sent him our Shell card to pay for his gas on his first trip up and filled up his tank for the trip home. We gave him tons of baby clothes, toys, two car seats and a play pen in an effort to subsidize the great deal he was giving us. And as you all have seen from his track record, no thank you was ever spoken.

Tony takes so much pride in helping others. All the late nights spent researching and working at getting the correct answer to what ever questions was asked of him. When the car came home he just could not understand why this was happening to him, what had he done to deserve this. Well, maybe we wasted a year and $8000 to learn that being a good guy does pay off. Karma will come back to you. You all have proven that with your kind words and out pouring of help. Again, I can not thank you enough for your offers to help him fix the damage done to his dream. You all have really brought out the strong emotions he has been trying to hold back.

Thank You,
Jennifer Rose

[Young Gun]

Nothing has changed in my mind. My deepest condolences to Tony for having to deal with something as horrible as this. You are way too good of a guy to deserve something like this. You go out of your way to help other people and while you have been screwed over, something good will happen. People like you have good things coming to you Tony! We are here for you and feel for you.

[Jimmy Sean]

[radrambler]

wow
after reading all of this thread its a terrible story that can happen to any of us.some here have already been through it before.
all of us spend our extra money on our cars/dreams and all of us share the hobby via this great forum.
feeling the emotion of this and knowing the money you cant get back
i would hate to be left in this position....ive seen several offers to help with
getting car .
nothing will get done by beating the dead horse with are own feelings getting posted . it does suck beyond words .thats my 2 cents
LETS GET TOGETHER AND TURN THIS INTO A POSITIVE thread.we can make this happen if the focus is turned torward getting this car refinished.
im willing to chip in (couple hundred dollars) torward some transport cost to help turn this situation around.thats the best i can do personally.
i dont know this man but being apart of this forum kinda makes it like a family.we all usually help family...
hope others feel the same way.

radrambler