Project CMS

GT4times2

Moderator
CMS-GT4":2ri81vbj said:
Yeah, this is bullshit, and I it has gotten very ugly. Details will come once I get more sorted, but I have already spoken to the police.

Hold on a minute!! :shock: I thought you were being patient with the car getting done. I never rush a good paintjob, but you mentioned POLICE.....Gotta hear this!
 

CMS-GT4

Active member
I am talking to my dad on getting a trailer to me, and a truck so I can go with the cops to get my car.

This is a draft of what I will be posting on the forums he frequents when I have the tools to get my car back. Should be within a week. I will also video this so he can't pull any bullshit on me like he did with one person.

Painter Forum complaint
:
I hate that it is coming down to this, but 96tangcobra (Leslie McCroskey) has had my car for 14 months, and I want it back. I have kept every PM, email and text message from this dealing. I always keep all communication records until a transaction is complete, in case any questions or issues arise, the documents can be referenced. I will keep this brief as I can. I joined this forum because he would not answer my calls, texts, emails or PMs on the other forum. Hopefully this warning will save you the grief of doing business with him.

I met 96tangcobra on Streetcarforums.com where some other members of the site had given him good reviews for paint, but these reviews were a couple years back. He got my car in April of 2009. I met him at "his shop" but he claimed he forgot his keys, so he would just come back later and put my car inside. So I left him my car, the list of things we agreed he would do to it, a Toyota shop manual and any of the parts he was going to have to fiberglass, and work on. I was leaving to Malaysia for all of May so I told him I don't need it before June. I thought a few months would be fine for a unrushed paint job. By mid-July he told me he was in Myrtle Beach and would be back the next week. He told me he would be back the "next week" continually through August. When he got back he claimed he had not touched it but would start working on it. I do not feel a craftsman should be rushed, so I did not push too hard at first.

He then ignored me pretty much through November when he told me he was stuck in Europe for work with Swine flu and he would contact me when he got back. I know that people get quarantined with Swine Flu, so it was believable but he quit contacting me once again. I begun to have the concern if something happened to him I need to be able to get my car back. I contacted some people I knew who have worked with him before to see if they could get me in contact with him or knew where he lived. I was able to find his GF's name who I found through facebook. She seemed to not know anything about him being sick, and that made me a bit concerned. I started pestering a bit more to get to see my car. I finally got to see it mid December. He told me to bring $600 for materials and paint. The car was supposed to have been prepped at this point. I came out there to Greenback where he keeps the car. He claimed he keeps it there so he can work on it on his free time and he would have the guys at the shop do a few things. He said the place he gets paint did not have enough to do the whole car but he had enough to the do the jams. He said the next week he would do the Jams and get the rest of the paint Monday then wrap up the car. I took pictures of the car to show its progress to my friends on the forum I frequent and for record of it being there. The fishy part of the meeting is he refused to take my check for $600. He told me he wanted cash. His reason was so none of the check went to child support. I thought that was a bit shady, but I just wanted my car back at this point and I was hoping the money would get the ball rolling so I paid him cash, that I will likely never see again.

I left him alone over Christmas and New Years even though he claimed he would wrap the car up, but it was the holidays I did not want to take him away from his family. Mid Jan I started asking for updates and would send an email, or text over the next few months till march. In March I finally got a reply. He claims he can't work on my car till it warms up but as soon as it does he will.

I gave him 2 weeks till it was in the 70s and started to ask again. He ignored all my communications till I joined this forum and the last communication was this in April.

04-27-2010, 07:05 AM
96tangcobra said:
cms-gt4 said:
I have had no luck reaching you via phone, or email so I figured I would try here. I was hoping we could figure out a plan for wrapping my car up. Hit me up via email or whatever please so we can sort this out and get it finished.

As I have said before, When I get it done you'll be the first to know. If I need anything from you I will get ahold of you.

I sent him another email two weeks later telling him to scrap all my fiber glassing (which was just two parts) just so the project moves along. After a month of no reply I explained to him how patient I have been and this project has been going too long and if he was too busy to work on it, I wanted it back so I could find another painter. Of course there was no reply. I decide the following Monday to go to the shop where I first left my car. I went before five because I started to consider that he may have nothing to do with them. I asked them if they knew him, and his involvement with them. They knew him, but he was not associated with their shop at all. He rents a booth with them when he paints cars. They said this is not the first time he has told someone that was his shop, and this is not the first time someone got burned by getting their car painted with him. They said he was a talented painter, but he tends to take on more then he can chew and someone gets burned. Of course after learning this I was a bit frustrated. Not only about him pushing off my project, but by also lying to me. If he was a guy that worked out of his house I could still respect that as long as he does a good job. I am a small business owner and I can respect someone making it happen from home.

I then went home, and called my Brother in law who is a local police officer to find out my rights. I have the right to take my car back, and he and other officers would come out with me. So then I sent Leslie an email explaining the lies I discovered and that I am giving him once chance to make this right. He of course never replied.

I then got in contact with his now, ex girlfriend. She was ready to spill everything about him thanks to him being a jerk to her. He does not respond to her either, and they are in a custody battle. She explained that he never owned a shop, he was not sick in with swine flu, and there he has done this to at least three other people. One other also had to take him to court.

I have compiled all my texts, PMs and Emails into text documents to show the courts. This guy has issues and all business should be avoided. I know I do not have any posts here but my integrity is very important to me. If you look up references of me at alltrac.net, celicatech.com, 350zforums, my350z.com, and ebay. I have never had a bad dealing or anything unresolved as my honest reputation is very important to me.
 

GT4times2

Moderator
Wow!! :x

This is sad, and this happening to decent people like you, irks me to the core. I'm so tired of shady, mechanics, technicians taking people for rides. I hope you first, get your car back, then take him to court. I had a recent negative experience with a bodyshop. He made promises of good work, but mediocre describes it. I, at least got my car back. Not as I wanted, but still got it back. I'm trying to correct some of his mistakes on my own. I'm very weary of body shops these days.

I'm so fed up with stories like this. I hope you can get things done ASAP. At least you didn't give him that much money, and can take him to small claims court, if it's worth your time.

Sad to hear. Hope you get the car painted sometime. If a trip to GA is worth it for you to have your car painted, send me a PM. My ST185 may be getting shipped or driven to GA for a paint job. (That's how weary I am of body shops :x )
 

CMS-GT4

Active member
Unless its in my budget, I will likely get it painted here. My Dad is trying to talk me into painting it, but I am not huge on that.
 

GT4times2

Moderator
CMS-GT4":2wf9wana said:
Unless its in my budget, I will likely get it painted here. My Dad is trying to talk me into painting it, but I am not huge on that.

If you have the skills, space, patience and tools to do it, why not? These days, I'm so wary of shops, it's sad. Hope it all works out for you man. Update us on what's happening.
 

CMS-GT4

Active member
I am just waiting to find out when my dad's truck and box trailer will be here from FL, then I will get the cops to go with me. That is when I will publish that message I posted to the boards he frequents. I don't want to do it too soon, in case he decides to screw with my car. I am should have my file complete this weekend. I have pics of my car there, pics of the odometer when I left it, and all communications. I also will print off all the communications with others about him.
 

Droptop93

New member
sorry to hear this Josh. hope you get it back an not all screwed up. i have a local painter here i town that does awesome work ill talk to him and see he will work with you if you cant find a local painter... keep us updated
 

CMS-GT4

Active member
I just finished an email to the police in his area, so hopefully they can go through it and get back to me with a solution.
 

Nitro_Alltrac

New member
Damn Josh, sorry to hear this has gone so bad. Unfortunately it seems like there are a lot of shady people in the paint business. There are many top notch, very honest craftsmen in the game, but working in the autoparts and body shop business in the past, there are a lot of scum balls in the business.

Hang in there and good luck. Keep us updated on how things are going.
 

darthripley

Moderator
What a shame to read about the whole saga with your car & the painting :(

I'm a lot like GT4times2 as far as being wary of any shops, especially body/paint shops - it's unfortunate but I have a really hard time trusting people.

I wish you luck in getting the car back, hopefully unmolested.
 

bridge47

New member
Your story is all too common. Hope it all works out.

At work I'm responsible for keeping our fleet looking as good as possible. When I need to gauge a shops competence, I'll ask to walk their jobs in progress. Then I'll point to a few and ask for permission to call owner or can owner call me. This way I don't get "canned" referrals.
 

GT4times2

Moderator
Always remember to have everything written on paper. I will never take the word of any bodyman for future projects. You're right, these things are getting all too common. Lots of shady people in the bodywork business. Some talented, but shady characters.
 
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