Charging me ridiculous amount for body work on my car

[svtcobra2k3]

I was deciding on painting my daily driver another color, so I had my friend's friend do body work on my car to make everything perfect before re-paint. I kept asking them how much would it cost? They were like "Don't worry about it." blah blah, giving me the run around. So I figured, Okay, these people might just want to make a few hundred bucks on the side. I ended up buying all the Paint materials, the base coat clear coat, Hardener, etc.

So they stayed in my garage and did work to my car. Fix all the imperfections and whatnot. I dropped my car off at their body shop for paint. The next day I asked them how everything is coming along and they tell me "Alright, It's going to be $1300 for Body Work and $600 to paint your car" I was like WTF? Then they start saying like "Yeah IM not gonna do any more work to the car until I get paid in full.." and they have my car now.

Legally, do I really have to pay them anything? Cause there was never any contract and they never disclosed a price up front. I told them, if I was going to spend almost $2,000 to re-paint my car, I would've took it to a professional and got it professionally worked on. Not worked on in my garage. I told them you used all my equipment, all my electricity and you charging me $1300 for body work? And then they're like "Well it's supposed to be like $2,000 but I'm only charging $1300" So what should I do now? I mean they have my car. But if I don't pay them the $1300, can they do anything to me as I never really authorized them to do the work for that amount and it's their fault for giving me the 3rd degree when I asked them before they even worked on it how much would it be.

 

[!!!PainTrain!!!]

Contract either written or verbal > You

 

[Ryan]

Dude.....
Seriously?

 

[AAG]

:burn: :nonono:

 

[SUPERCHARGEDV8]

thats why u take it to a pro the first time...sux

 

[Zinc03Cobra]

suckaz, they are born every minute.

 

[DomesticAbuse]

should of got a price quote from them, something saying the price.

 

[Common]

I was deciding on painting my daily driver another color, so I had my friend's friend do body work on my car to make everything perfect before re-paint. I kept asking them how much would it cost? They were like "Don't worry about it." blah blah, giving me the run around. So I figured, Okay, these people might just want to make a few hundred bucks on the side. I ended up buying all the Paint materials, the base coat clear coat, Hardener, etc.

So they stayed in my garage and did work to my car. Fix all the imperfections and whatnot. I dropped my car off at their body shop for paint. The next day I asked them how everything is coming along and they tell me "Alright, It's going to be $1300 for Body Work and $600 to paint your car" I was like WTF? Then they start saying like "Yeah IM not gonna do any more work to the car until I get paid in full.." and they have my car now.

Legally, do I really have to pay them anything? Cause there was never any contract and they never disclosed a price up front. I told them, if I was going to spend almost $2,000 to re-paint my car, I would've took it to a professional and got it professionally worked on. Not worked on in my garage. I told them you used all my equipment, all my electricity and you charging me $1300 for body work? And then they're like "Well it's supposed to be like $2,000 but I'm only charging $1300" So what should I do now? I mean they have my car. But if I don't pay them the $1300, can they do anything to me as I never really authorized them to do the work for that amount and it's their fault for giving me the 3rd degree when I asked them before they even worked on it how much would it be.

You are pretty much done for and all by your own doing no less.

Your only way of resolving it with your "friend" is trying to maybe talk to him and maybe attempt to lower/negotiate" the price down a bit. Or you could just pay the full amount.

Good luck.

 

[Blackness03]

$2000 for a color change is CHEAP if they did a good job

 

[TERMIN8TR]

sounds like a great price for all the metal work and repaint/color change

 

[ScareCrow]

I kept asking them how much would it cost? They were like "Don't worry about it." blah blah, giving me the run around.

:bash:

Seriously man , why would you need to hear anything more than that before walking away on having them do it ?
Im sorry to see you in a bad situation , but you and you alone are the sole one to blame here for accepting " dont worry about it " as a good enough answer when your car and money is at stake here.

 

[svtcobra2k3]

should of got a price quote from them, something saying the price.

I know. I thought they were just some people who were looking to make a couple hundred bucks you know, doing the work in my garage. The amount they charged me is something a professional company would charge. But they kept telling me "Nah don't worry about it, I'll take care of you" and all that bullshit beforehand. Maybe I'm in the wrong here. But I just think there must be some kind of way to get them to drop the price or something. But it just doesn't seem like it's going to happen because they kept hitting me back with "The job is like over $2,000 worth but I'm only charging you a fraction of that!" It just seems so shady and unprofessional. I told them Maaco had quoted me $1500 for everything and paint job and that was way out of my budget which is why I looked at other options.

 

[blinelaxd27]

sorry man... u gotta learn to get things in writing... can't trust people like that... sounds like ramen noodles for you for a while...

 

[txyaloo]

I told them Maaco had quoted me $1500 for everything and paint job and that was way out of my budget which is why I looked at other options.

This should have told you something. If you can't afford the cheapest of the cheap paint jobs (Maaco), maybe you shouldn't try and change the color on the car or get a paint job at all. You put yourself in this situation by not having a firm contract and expecting someone to cut you a "deal". At this point, they have your car, and you don't have a leg to stand on.

 

[LuDamiKE81]

Guaranteed if you take it to a real paint shop its going to be more then 2000$ for a color change. Are they doing the jambs, engine bay or trunk? Maybe talk them into doing that if they wherent already.

 

[FordSVTFan]

$2000 for a color change is CHEAP if they did a good job

sounds like a great price for all the metal work and repaint/color change

It sounds like they did a lot of body work to get rid of all the "imperfections." Even paying for materials, $600 is a very fair price for a quality paint job.

 

[yellowbra]

yeah your screwed unless you beat your way to your car. Isn't it in your garage though?? If so tell them to stand outside and shut the door. Your car won't be repainted but you also don't have to pay them shit then.

Mark

 

[czwalga00gt]

Hell I have a complete color change on my rx7, I sanded down the entire car to the metal and it's still costing me $4-5k for paint. They are doing a lot of body work finishing the fenders that I molded in though.

2k for a color change is FAR from getting ripped off as long as it's a decent job. Most of the work is in the prep anyway.

 

[svtcobra2k3]

The car is at their shop, they have my spare key. I bought the paint, hardener, thinner, etc. and everything for like $300. I was going to just get it painted in my garage, but then they came along and said they have a shop where they can do a "better job"

 

[PSUCOBRA96]

if you think 2000 costs too much to have your cars color repainted you know nothing about real world prices, thats 4-7 grand at any other shop, get over it and pony up the cash cuz you got a deal