5 Months and counting (long post)
 

So here's the story... I occasionally sell at the Long Beach Swapmeet and if I dont sell I just go to browse. The May 10th swap was coming around and I decided to sell the extra stuff laying around, rented a spot and had a good time. The neighbor vendor was a chrome and polishing guy that I have seen around before. I had about 10 pieces of aluminum that I need to get polished so I decided to give him a try. He gave me a price of $180. So we agreed on the price and he said they will be done for the next show. This was where we went bad.

At this point my truck was in the paint shop so there was no rush. I went to the next show and he told me he didn't get a chance to finish them but he will have them at the next show. I said ok, that's fine. No need for them yet. The next show I see him again and he says he has my parts. So i open them up to check them out and i notice the connectors for the paint divider moldings and the center upper window trim are missing. I point that out and he says I never gave them to him. I show him the picture I took when I dropped them off and he said "oh, they must be at my shop" I said ok at this point I still didn't need them. As I open the rest to inspect the parts I get to the hood and fender moldings, (truck is a 68 chevy btw) I notice some parts on the hood molding had not been polished yet. I pointed the out to him and he said he will fix it. So when I look at the eyebrow moldings they are not even the correct pieces. They belonged to a totally different car. He says he must have gotten them mixed up. He will call me during the week so i can go to his shop to pick them up. I say ok pay him $140 ill pay him the difference when I get the rest of the parts.

No call at all until i see him again the next Long Beach show he says he sent them to the wrong guy and hes all the way in Arizona, Hes gonna meet up with him at Pomona the next week. I said I'm gonna be there too so I will pick them up then. I go to Pomona the next week and he said the guy never showed up. I said I already bought them because that was all I needed. He said don't worry Ill get them.

Up until this point I've been cool with him, never asked for money or anything i just wanted the parts back. I got busy and missed the next 2 shows. Finally last month I got fed up with it.

I went up to him cool like always and asked him if he brought them... he looked me and told me the last time he talked to me I said i had bought new ones and he thought I didn't need them any more.

That's where I lost it. I kinda got a lil loud and thought about getting even. I thought about either flipping the tables where he had all his chrome on display or walking away with some wrap arounds and we can call it even. But things like that will get me banned from the show so I thought against it.

I ended up going the trailer in the front and talking to the guys that run the show and told them my situation. They went up to him and he was told either he have my stuff or give me my money back. He said ok.

Well yesterday was the show and I ran into the guys that helped me out last time. We walked up to him and he said he had my stuff. I checked them out and the first thing I noticed was the eyebrow moldings are aftermarket. The ones i gave him were original. So i pointed that out and said at this point I don't care I just want the stuff back. I told him ok and I'll just give him the $40 buck I owe him. That's when he pulls out an invoice and said I only paid him $100 and I owed him $80. I laughed at him and asked if he was serious. He said yea and shoved it in my face. I looked at the invoice and I'm pretty sure he just wrote it up. I looked at the name and It wasn't even my name or phone number. I just threw the invoice on the table and said Ill come back with the original invoice I had at home and for him to come back with original parts.

So that's where I'm at now. 5 months and counting to get 2 parts back. It seems harder than what it should be. And im really thinking about doing something I shouldn't lol. Sorry about the long post but it is a long story...lol

Re: 5 Months and counting (long post)
 

Prior to this, I would have brought him to Small Claims court and sued him. Pictures were the best thing you did when you dropped of the original parts. Have to love the new phones for just that reason, you can document anything anywhere!

I'm not a West Coast person, but I'm sure many here are and would like his name/address/phone number/website.

If I ever need this, I would hope someone like you outs him so I can see it online. As it stands, this thread will NOT show his info so nobody will learn from you getting screwed around with.

Bill

Re: 5 Months and counting (long post)
 

Post up his name and name of his business and hopefully the word will get out about him. Internet is a powerful thing:smoke:

Re: 5 Months and counting (long post)
 

Go back with the prigional recipt and your picture, get the other guys you talked with earlier and confront him again, don't do anything stupit but try and settle the issue with people on your side. then if all else small clames court.

Re: 5 Months and counting (long post)
 

The company is called Mega Bumpers out of Vernon,Ca I believe... One of the excuses was he was moving to a new shop so I'm not sure where hes out of now. I never bothered to ask. He's the guy at the swaps that drives the short blue bus.

Re: 5 Months and counting (long post)
 

What a Shyster..really gets to me when there not a lot of hard working trusted people out there.... AMG. I would have done the same exact thing. but im a big believer in carma..... people like that usually tend to screw up there own lives and business.. because this people are supposto get a good reputation from there work... when there no work theres no money.. its just one of those things that already happened to good people..

Re: 5 Months and counting (long post)
 

Well that figures...he drives a short bus. Sorry for your luck.

Re: 5 Months and counting (long post)
 

Is this him?
Ultra Mega Bumpers
2414 E 56th St, Vernon, CA 90058
(323) 587-0274

Bill

Re: 5 Months and counting (long post)
 

This is everything that is wrong with some people now days ... from mass shootings to doing stupid stuff like taking a guys trim and promising to do a job and not delivering the goods ... Sorry bout your luck with him hope you get what you need back if its a 68 i have some trim i think and if i do your welcome too it ill check tomorrow !

Re: 5 Months and counting (long post)
 

LOL, I was gonna say the same thing.

Re: 5 Months and counting (long post)
 

At this point if he said something like he lost the parts how much do I owe you or if he said I lost them but I'll find some and get it all back to you that would be cool... these 2 pieces are not hard to find and are fairly common, I would be cool with that... but he looked at me like, well youre SOL... what do you want me to do about it now? That's what got me mad... I work in the auto parts industry and whenever I have an angry customer, my line is "what can I do to fix the problem?" I might lose some money but in the long run, that customer is gonna come back...

Re: 5 Months and counting (long post)
 

that sucks I know how you feel I lost my original drivers side door in similar fashion.