How may red flags did I miss?

[Zymurgy]

OK I wasn’t going to admit being this stupid but here is what happen. I was looking for a local chroming business, I found one not far from me with a web site and toll free business line. See if you can count with me how many red flags were thrown before I cancelled the work.

1. If you pre-pay 80% you can get my half off sale. 2. We will use pay pal so you can buy with confidence. 3. I grossly underestimated the estimate. 4. My wife yelled at me for extending the sale, but would you like your bumpers done too. 5. My brother died need to pay for funeral. 6. I’m an ordained minister 7. Check with any chromer I am offering you half off, but I need the money tonight for the sale. 8. I’m using my Farmer Brown PayPal account never set up one for the chroming business. I usually get paid in cash. 9. I’m here late tonight to finish up the bicycles I’m powder coating for the police department. 10. After he finds out I’m a farmer too, maybe we could trade some farm equipment for the balance. 11. I'll pick up you stuff for free

Ok here is the unbelievable part, it was late and I was sick and I actually sent him money. I didn’t sleep well that night. I checked with my MGB club no one ever had heard good or bad about him. OK I didn’t feel well before now I’m sick. I’m going to cancel the work and ask for my money back, but first I tell him I’m going to deliver my stuff myself so I can see his business. Here is the actual e-mail he sent me.

12. We will not be in our shop. Here is the scoop we are going strictly wholesale chrome and powdercoating. So we are not open for retail sales or retail traffic anymore. Sorry this was already in the making and we decided to drop the hammer on it. It helps us make a little more business; but under the criteria we will only be doing pickups and then shipments to our location in pickerington, ohio. We will be glad to come to your location and pick up your parts or you are welcome to ship the parts to us. thanks for your business and hope to hear from you soon. Thanks again

I cancelled the work and Paypal said they can't cover for services but I put it on my credit card and they reversed the charges. I guess all I’m out is my time dealing with this piece of work.

I found out later that his Farmer Brown PayPal account is in CA, I live in OH.

So stay away from: http://www.luxurypowdercoating.com/ now if you want to call him or drop him a line to **** with him you are more than welcome.

 

[jake]

You are one lucky guy, could you imagine not getting your chrome pieces back ontop of lossing your money! I am glad you did not lose any money and just your time. A-holes like that need to exterminated!!!!!

 

[Stormer]

Hindsight..... The red flags are obvious in hindsight....

He's not the Dayton guy from your other thread?

 

[Zymurgy]

No the guy in Dayton is a different guy. I actually e-mailed him the same night and he got back with me a couple days later. After the first Bozo I checked this guy out completely and feel very good about leaving my stuff with him.

 

[1978 NYB]

The home office is probably in a country in Africa. When I worked for AAP, we use to get phone calls wanting to buy 500 or more high priced platinum spark plugs (or other items that fit a common car in Africa) and pay for it over the phone with a credit card. Of course the credit card info was stolen. They would try to catch a young person working the parts counter and the young person would think they scored a great sale. The DC (Distribution Center) would call me at home and let me know about the scam if I wasn't at work.

 

[Zymurgy]

I actually looked him up on Angie's list one positive for powder coating probably one of those police officer's bikes. I didn't look up the address initially, if I would have thought of that I would have discovered there is none listed.

 

[Stormer]

Don't even get me started on Angie's list.....

 

[jake]

Business ReviewsCharity Reports

• Business Reviews
• Charity Reports

• Business Reviews");
• Charity Reports");

[h=3]Results for: Business Name "luxury powdercoating" in "OH"[/h]

Business Name / Address	Type of Business		BBB Accreditation
[h=5]Luxury Custom Powdercoating and Chrome[/h][h=3]Luxury Custom Powdercoating and Chrome[/h]117 Jackson Street West Jefferson, OH 43162 BBB Review | File Complaint Try filing a complaint!!!	Auto Customizing		No

 

[Stormer]

He's not accredited so he won't respond to the complaint & the dickless ham sandwich eaters at the BBB will do nothing. Watch the 20/20 piece on the BBB if you want to see what they're all about.

If you really want to go after him, attorney general is the way to go. Sounds like the credit card co will take over though.

 

[Zymurgy]

I checked out the address with google earth. No actual address. The even addresses are small homes and there is a big storage units on the other side of the road. Maybe he lives in a 8x12 storage unit.

 

[bluefury361]

Chrome plating

I used Ogden chrome in Ogden Utah to replate the front bumper & four pot metal pieces on My 69 300.
Thay will pay the shipping cost both ways, even if you decide not to do the job. Not cheap but fair pricing and pre quoted upon inspecting the piece.
Everythink was done flawlessly and on time. I plan on using them again for the plating on my 61 Fury.

http://ogdenchrome.com/

 

[has2bmopar]

For anyone else a little farther west, Sioux Plating (Sioux City, Iowa) has done nice work for me, and does a pretty nice job repairing/straightening bumpers also, but last I knew they did not plate pot metal.

I think the biggest red flag that gets my attention the fastest, is when they add in that they are deeply religious, or involved with some church, proving that they are honest and trustworthy.

The worst people that I know personally, are always deeply rooted in some small church, and play this holier than thou status and slander anyone (people they F**ked over) that they feel could shed light on their true colors. Creepy, make your skin crawl type, that would be 20 years younger and under ground by crossing the wrong people if we were 50+ years in the past. I just wish they would scam someone out of a new zip code, and life would be better for many in my area.

 

[detmatt]

I have found that people who claim to be "born again" seem to be the most judgmental people, that's messed up. I guess most just have that character flaw after being born the first time and can't shake it after the second.
I met some brothers that are carrying on the family business of dechroming pot metal and doing the repair and prep for new chrome but they send it out for the new chrome. They had examples of the different stages of the process displayed and it was really quite interesting. I was happy to see that it's only the deepest of pits that usually make its way down to the base metal. They use a process that is very old school although there may only be one way to go about it. Ray LaBrecque, here in the Detroit area, 586-573-3840.

 

[1978 NYB]

I have used this place in Milwaukee in the 1970's. They have really expanded their business and services tenfold since then. I have had them plate small orders such as 10 bolts. No job is too small for them. I've never ever had anything come back from them that wasn't perfect.

http://www.milwaukeeplating.com/index.html

 

[70NPORT]

"If you pre-pay 80% you can get my half off sale". First....and should be last red flag IMO.

Not judging.....been there, done that. I've made my fair share of some supremely stupid mistakes in the name of love for my car(s) as well.

 

[CudaChick1968]

I know this is an old thread but GEEZZZZ, that place sounds like a bad nightmare instead of a professional shop. Ya'll are in good hands now -- Joey's hooking me up with a Vendor tag here too.

 

[commando1]

That's great. That means we'll see more of you around here...

 

[tallhair]

I know this is an old thread but GEEZZZZ, that place sounds like a bad nightmare instead of a professional shop. Ya'll are in good hands now -- Joey's hooking me up with a Vendor tag here too.

What's been the holdup Joey

 

[CudaChick1968]

He's a busy guy LOL!!! It's okay though -- if you're that anxious I'll just go ahead and start honoring the labor discounts I'm planning on giving to FCBO members.

 

[Big_John]

Chrome platers are kinda weird and can be hard to deal with. I had one lose a bumper... then try to tell me I lost it and then try to sell me another bumper... which turned out to be my bumper to begin with. Another sent me back my dash bezel in a plastic bag. The bag had sand in it and the bezel was scratched. He tried to charge me more to fix it.

And these were guys that were recommended highly!