garage had my vehicle now for 17 months

[Priscilla]

Hello everyone. I'm a newby so if i'm not following the normal pattern please 4give me.

Bought a collectors VW camper from friend in summer '09. It would have probs been good to go with a little work, but I wanted respray and tidied up. The chap had my van into workshop approx Nov '09, and said it would be ready for Easter '10. Me and my kids loved it, always wanted one, and named it. Very excited for easter to come round. That would be our family holiday (no man on scene). In November I gave him 2 payments, and have 2 receipts, for £1500 (16.11.09) and £2500 (30.11.09). In March '10 garage owner called to say he needed last installement to buy paint. So I gave him final payment of £2500. Heard nothing from him, so beginning of July called him, and he told me it was now going to be end August '10. Told him how disappointing cos the kids would shortly be back to school, with no holiday in our new friend. End August came and went, heard nothing. Went to see him October time, not in. Enquired in workshop next door to check still trading, and he was - just out on lunch or something. He called me later that avo, and told me that he'd taken on more work than he should, and that during the summer some key member of staff left, leaving him in the sh... He then told me of his strifes - working all hours, girlfriend giving him probs etc. He didn't seem to recognise my woes. In that phone call he assured me I'd have my van mid January 2011. I have amassed debts, and assured various that mid Jan probs sorted as I have a van to sell. I'm 3 months in arrears now, my landlord has been very kind and accepted my explanation. However mid Jan has come and gone, and he is now telling me first week in March paint job will be done, but needs new dynamo and battery to get it MOT station, which I can't afford. Please can someone tell me is there any law as to how long he can keep doing this. I'm in despair, have no back up, know nothing really about vehicles and need to get this sorted. I'm silly and had nothing in writing to say what work he'd be doing. It was all verbal, including the date I was supposed to receive it back.
Any advice kindly appreciated. Thank you if you took the time to read this and any questions answered, esp vital info if i've left it out. Many thanks, single mum of 3 kids, 5,10 and 12.

[volvodriver]

Re: garage had my vehicle now for 17 months

I cant help you legally, but there is a huge VW camper scene in the UK.

I suggest you ask the nice friendly people on the Volkszone forum the same question.

I suggest you register and post here

http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/forumdisplay.php?f=12

with more details of your van - air or water cooled, and how old.

You can post the same text that you posted here.

I'm sure someone on there will at least give you some pointers.

I'm also sure that someone on here will give you some legally based advice, which I'm sure will start with you sending a very strongly worded letter to the garage. I regret that I think you are being ripped off.

Lets see.

Vdr

[Guest]

Re: garage had my vehicle now for 17 months

Have you seen the van at all since you gave it to him to work on? Has any of the work that you have paid for been done?

In short, what have you got for the £6500 that you have paid?

[Priscilla]

Re: garage had my vehicle now for 17 months

Hello friend. I've seen it 3 times since he's had it, and the first time was March '10, when he was itching for me to pay him for the paint. He said it was at the stage where I had to choose the colour, so I met him at the garage to discuss colours. It looked like a shell, with the odd bits of grey here and there, which i believe to be filler. After I'd paid him the £2500, which apparantly was what the paint cost (only standard paint - nothing fancy), I popped round again maybe a month later, expecting to see a gleaming beautiful machine, but found it in the same condition as I'd last seen it. When I commented how he'd been so adamant that he needed the money for the paint a month ago, and yet had done nothing, he then told me that he'd found alot more filling that needed to be done, and then went through a process of telling me how each layer of paint needed a week or two to dry and would therefore take alot longer than expected. I know that the first 2 installements (3,500) were for body work, but unfortunately at the time, I had been with my fella 13 years, and more or less I was led by him and just went with it. He left at the end of Feb '10 and it is acrimonious and we don't speak. I know I must pluck up the courage to ask the man to put in writing what he has already done for the first 2 installements worth of money. I know with hindsight that this was what I most obviously should have done in the first place, but after talking to him in the beginning, he seemed so nice and helpful, I didn't. Foolish me. I could kick myself. I went round a week ago with my kids in the car for moral support to see why he hadn't contacted me as he had assured me that it would be with me by mid January. I couldn't even see it cos it was at the back of the workshop, with approx 5 other vehicles in pieces in front of it, and he was in the middle of working on another vehicle at the time (a friends car he told me).
The more I write, the more embarassed I'm feeling at how this all sounds. I've learnt a valuable lesson, but would like to know if there is a time limit on these things. I also thought I might write to 'Dont get done get Dom', cos he's pretty good with useless females like me. (most females aren't, but I appear to be one who is). I'll post again when I've got a list from him, or think of anything else. It's a VW splitscreen 1967, popup roof. all original interior, right hand drive and lots of other great stuff. I paid £11500 and was told by various sources that if it was done up to a better standard with MOT etc, as it is very collectable, it would be worth in the region of £22000 - £28000. Initially the man in the garage agreed that that would be the case, but now he's telling me it's a dreadful time to sell, and I'd be lucky to get £18,000 for it. If you've read through all that, well done you, and thanks.

[Caspar]

Re: garage had my vehicle now for 17 months

To be honest I think he's seen you coming and realised you don't know when he's lying. With the amount spent on filler, there should be significanly more filler than car (though good filler is very expensive).

As for paint, my nephew runs a minibus/coach company. He can get a transit van resprayed (admitedly a quick professional job, not 100% perfect, but certainly95%) and he pays under £500 for the paint (always either white or black!).

Watch out when it's finished he doesn't offer to buy it off you for £18000 - he sounds the sort who'd do it and then sell it on for a few thousand profit. TBH any collectors car is only wirth as much as the next owner is prepared to pay for it. If they love it they'll pay a lot, if they just like it, they won't pay so much.

Your biggest problem is getting the car finished and back though and I honestly don't know what to advise on that score. You've parted with a lot of money and unless you're willing to write that off and have the car taken somewhere else, then I'm not sure what you do.

As for each layer of paint taking a week to dry, spraying cars is a dreadful business as you've got to keep the environment as dust free as possible. A couple of specks of dust in the new paint work and you have a blemish. After a week how much dust etc... is going to be on there?

Treat this bloke with caution.

[pompeyfaith]

Re: garage had my vehicle now for 17 months

Can I direct you to a couple of VW Camper Van owners forums as they may have been there and done that.

The advice if anything will be more targeted.

You may have to register on these sites to use the forums.

http://www.vwt2oc.com/Forum/forums.aspx

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/forum-118.html

They are a wealth of info on all aspects of VW Campervans

Regards

[Caspar]

Re: garage had my vehicle now for 17 months

It doesn't answer your problem (except possibly for the court action), but shows you're not alone!

Garage had my car for five months, ripped off - so I am currently suing them

[New_Age_Biker]

Re: garage had my vehicle now for 17 months

I used to run a bodyshop for a main dealer.
It took 20 mins to bake the paint dry in the oven
We would then leave the vehicle to cool for a couple of hours
You could then do pretty much what you wanted with it.
Has this man / business got any assets? Not much point taking him to court if he has nothing to sue him for....

[Guest]

Re: garage had my vehicle now for 17 months

Send him a letter before action, demanding the return of the money spent, or a breakdown of how it was spent and a date by which the work will be completed.

Write it and post if here first for comment if you like, before you send it.