Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/02/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I requested a custom body kit installation for my Mercedes C63S, with an initial completion deadline set for June *****, 2024. However, *** discovered defects in some parts, necessitating communication with the manufacturer, which delayed the project by approximately a month and a half. During this time, no work was done on my car, leaving it effectively on hold. When I inquired about progress, I was informed that the shop could proceed but that specific modifications would be needed to address the defects, which I approved.Despite two months passing since then, little progress has been made. I visited the shop several times to check on the status of my car, but it remained in the same condition. When I asked for updates, I received excuses related to other jobs in the shop and claims that the work was more complicated than anticipated, requiring additional time.Frustrated by the lack of progress, I requested a timeline for completion. The manufacturer offered a partial reimbursement in writing for the defects, but the shop insisted on waiting to apply this reimbursement until it was received. I did not understand why this should impact me, as the dispute was between the manufacturer and the shop. I asked for a revised work order reflecting the partial reimbursement, but the shop ********** this point, I decided I wanted my car returned to its original state. However, the shop chose to terminate the work instead of completing the job as specified in the original work order. They then presented a revised work order that included charges for reinstalling the original parts, which I contested, arguing that since they had not fulfilled the contract, they should not charge for reinstallation.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/12/2024

  The amount of time that's already been lost in this project makes it difficult to want to respond correctly, but here we are... This is going to be a long response... I don't know how to explain everything that transpired with few words.
  First, anyone that comes to MWM with a custom project is told the same thing; our priority is quality work and set deadlines are never discussed. Timeline goals can be discussed, but it is always left open to recognize the possible complications that are associated with custom projects. Anyone with any experience with custom car building knows this all too well. This was no different with **** and he agreed to those terms.
  Quickly after getting started on the job we collided with structural complications to the body kit that **** purchased. We contacted him to explain the issues and at that point recommended to put the car back together with his original parts so he had his car while we waited for the solution from the manufacturer. He chose to wait. In his defense, neither of us could have ever expected it to be so difficult to work with the manufacturer... Belder initially said he'd take responsibility for any extra costs incurred to correct the kit and take it up later with Darwinpro, then quickly retracted and made it very clear that the process needed to stay within a certain budget, citing that he'd be an excellent future customer if we'd work with him within his budget. Without getting into the countless, countless, countless.....hours of contact between manufacturer and ******, there was no clarity with how to move forward, and there was no one taking responsibility for who was going to pay the extra time it was going to take to make this very expensive body kit fit correctly. Plenty of text and email contact is available to back this up.
  Either way, when the manufacturer finally came to an amount they were willing to pay for correcting the massive errors in their kit, (a laughable amount compared to the work needed) it had been weeks, over 2 months to my recollection, which put his car at a completely different spot in our scheduling. We were booking over 2 months out for all jobs, let alone a huge full custom carbon fiber body kit with pinstriping, satin clear coat w/high gloss carbon on single piece carbon bumpers, etcetera.
  Regardless, I managed to work into my already ******+ hour work week to fit the rear bumper well over 20 times, each removal taking measurements and making cuts. Fully fabricated quarter panel bracket mount points, adjusting fitment around the impact bar, shifting and adjusting fitment between rear lights, wheel well arch, decklid gap, grille, diffuser, spoiler, side skirts... etcetera. All while moving his vehicle in and out of the shop twice a day and cleaning it every time it was a little dusty or if it rained I immediately stopped to wipe it down to keep from getting water spots. Mind you, this is a 150+ thousand dollar AMG, with a satin finish (factory frozen as people call it) being fitted with a kevlar/carbon composite bumper kit. One wrong move and the paint is scratched, which means respray, not just a quick cut and buff. So the quarter panels were covered with layers of masking tape and each time I'd even knick the tape I'd have to replace it to make certain no damage came to the rest of the vehicle.
  I could go on and on... The front bumper was fitted multiple times as well. After regularly demanding to give an exact date for completion, each time saying I can't because what needs to be done is too abstract; we're fabricating things that don't exist, he came into the shop with a friend, his friend gave a good idea for a mounting issue we hadn't figured out yet for the grille, (didn't use the idea, but it was helpful) we came to a conclusion, and he said he wasn't going to "bother" us until the end of the month. "You won't hear from me until the 29th." (Which still wasn't actually the end of the month) Then 2 days later he started sending text messages demanding proof of payment for the amount promised by the manufacturer. It was made clear that he'd receive proof of payment when payment had been made. Mind you, the amount had been promised weeks prior, and suddenly he decided that we were required to show him proof of a payment that hadn't been made. It's not strange to not be willing to show proof of a payment that hasn't been made? Especially when it was an acclaimed promise to the customer from an already proven unreliable 3rd party that's telling us it was still under approval. (To this day it hasn't been paid, even though it was applied to his final bill...)
  I'm rabbit trailing. Anyway, he said he wasn't going to keep hounding, but he did, and eventually we received a text over a week before the end of the month stating that if the car wasn't going to be done by the end of the week, he demanded it be put back together with the original parts, that he'd found another shop willing to do the work. As hard as it was to just let that big and cool of a job go, and that amount of time wasted, his demand was impossible so I agreed to put his car together and let him take it. Then he tried to backpedal, but now we're done. At his request his car was reassembled. Therefore fully in my right to charge him for removal and installation. Further, the well over 40 actual hours spent on his now nearly fully properly fitted body kit. If I wanted to adhere to book times, the amount would've been much, much higher. Then we applied a 50% discount to show understanding that he's disappointed and my reputation is important to me(when he picked up we gave each other a handshake, I said I wished it had gone differently and he said he could tell we were a good shop) the amount promised from the manufacturer was applied, a full vehicle detail before pick up was executed, as well as all parts carefully wrapped in special bubble wrap and helped load in a truck is more proof that my small business has the best intentions for all of our customers. The job was only incomplete because he demanded an impossible finish date or "wanted his car back together to take to another shop."
  He might not have been able to see how much effort had been put into his car, because it's not his trade. And I would've loved to spend more time on his car, but circumstances made that impossible and it turned into a huge job that was being completed in between other jobs.
  In the end, nothing we did was good enough for ****. All he wanted was the car done on a date he demanded. Now he wants his money back for the work put forth that he requested. That's not going to happen. This job has already been well over a 10 thousand dollar loss to our starting small business, and we're still dealing with the aftermath. It's a huge disappointment with black eyes all around, no doubt. I know and stand behind that we did the absolute best we could do in light of the situation but unfortunately it just wasn't good enough. If you're looking for anyone to blame, get ahold of Darwinpro.