spoolit

It boils down to this:

If parts have not been ordered yet for the project and a shop gives you a hard schedule for the build to be finished, there's your first sign of possible problems. They have no idea how long parts can be delayed or back ordered. Even if they tell you that everything is on the way right now, until the parts are in the shop, don't count on them.

If all parts are in house and NOTHING more has to be ordered, and the shop gives you a hard schedule for completion, there's absolutely no reason for it not to get finished by the date given. (barring death, injury, fire or terrorist attack, etc) If a shop is professional/experienced and not the type that just cares about getting deposits and filling up their shop with work, the job should be done on schedule.

Unfortunately, I think most of the problems comes from builders that really just want that job/deposit, and they already know damn well they will not deliver the project on time.

Have a legal contract, that outlines what happens if the job goes way over due, nothing wrong with that. If a shop argues about a contract, go elsewhere. Or have the ***** to go to the shop if they don't call you or if they don't return your calls. Be nice, at first of course, but if things don't get resolved according to the contract, take the next step swiftly, whatever that may be.

I've learned that if a shop says 4 weeks, I don't even bother them till about week 5 if its not done. I simply call for an update, I don't freak out on them. If shops would just call their customers when there are delays, I think the high majority of customers would just wait patiently, but shops alot of times just don't stay in touch, and thats what pisses people off the most.

But I also wouldn't wait too long without stopping by and seeing my items. Shops in the past have damaged my things and my frieds things and they try to cover it up and it never works. They get busted at some point. Nothing wrong with popping in from time to time.

JBM

iTrader: (15)

A little heads up is all I'm looking for. I dont want to call daily and harass the shop, but I don't want to be kept in the dark either. At what point do I become concerned? 15 weeks? 20 weeks?
Anybody who sells anything for a living should learn to underpromise so they can overdeliver. The opposite leads to pissed off customers.

2000_SS

iTrader: (24)

pretty much how i feel too. i feel like if i constantly bug people about what's going on, it'll get put off or rushed to completion. you never know who's on the other end of the phone, maybe a nice blue-collar guy, or maybe a short-fused vengeful psychopath...so i try to let them get it done when they can, so long as there are periodic updates.

...but i also think that, under normal circumstances and all things being equal, there is line that must be drawn. if you've shelled out money, and they have no excuse for the motor not being done as promised, i would reclaim my property and money and take my business elsewhere, ESPECIALLY if there was no communication. i would make a personal appearance at the shop (if possible) before i did anything rash, and if there was little or no progress made, i'd be taking my stuff with me when i left.

i'm totally sympathetic to businesses that are swamped with tons of work or have been affected by unforeseen events. that's just something you have to be prepared to deal with as a customer. if the shop doesn't keep assembled ready-to-run engines on the shelf, or if they do but yours is slightly different, you should expect the worst and just hope for a quick turn-around.