Powder Coater lost my wheels. What would you do?

[HeloCrewChief]

So, I scrounged around for the last few months and came up with 7 15x8 steel 6 lug wheels for my truck and a future project. I dropped them off at Les Schwab Wheel and Tire Center as they offer a powder coating service. I went in today to pick them up and the guy that had helped me told me that they accidentally threw them away in the scrap bin. He said he was sorry and would replace them. I told him they are not reproduced and they are impossible to find. I do not want the wheel vintiques version as the hub bore does not fit snug on the hub like the originals. He doesn’t even know what my wheels look like as he brought up a picture of a rally wheel. I know to non truck guys they look like plain steel junk wheels but, they’re really hard to find. What recourse do I have and what should my next steps be? Give him a few days and then what?

[rsavage]

Sounds a little fishy to me. How many guys bring in 7 steel wheels for powder coating. How could he forget about the wheels when he was the one who helped you initially? Maybe he sold them. Did you get a receipt/estimate for cost when you dropped the off. Perhaps you should make a report to the police. $100 a wheel plus $ 50 for each two would be appropriate, but it won't solve your problem of finding them again.

[HIGHWAY BY THE SEA]

I will tell you what I would do:
I would inform this loser-of-wheels that he has until the end of May to come up with seven of the EXACT type of wheels in the EXACT condition as the others. And that he owes you a discount on the original price for this inconvenience. This is under the warning that if he fails to deliver on this that you will take him to small claims court and make him pay your attorney fees.
This may sound tough, but I have also dealt with sorry excuses for businesses before, and you have to stand up to them.
This is indeed fishy, because my tire/wheel places write my name on all my wheels in large white chalk markers, so I am not buying the "threw them away" excuse.

[volksworld]

if he isnt full of crap i'd find out who picks up his scrap metal and where it goes...there's a possibility they may still be laying on a pile somewhere

[robs71]

Hello my friend from the other end of the country.I would pull up some old threads from here with pictures of the wheels and prices maybe more than one so you can show what they are worth...if the scrap was hauled off site maybe you could find where it went and possible find them if not to much time has elapsed..long shot i know..hopefully he will be a stand up guy and at least pay you the value of them...If not you can go to the local magisterial district office and file a claim,,,sucks the are hard to get but you need to be reimbursed the fair value of them.Then put out a wanted add on here and maybe you can round some up....good luck..Rob....

[bill3rail]

First, ask him how he is going to make good on the accident. If he has no plan or nothing to your satisfaction, then small claims is your next option.

Give him the opportunity to make good first. He may surprise you.

If you need to go to court, make sure you have receipts for your seven wheel purchases including shipping charges.

Bill

I assume there is some sort of receipt that shows that you actually dropped off 7 wheels. If that is the case, then I think counting on them to replace the wheels is not the best option. Instead, I would provide the shop with information from various sites (here, Ebay, etc) that proves market value. You would then present the information to the shop and demand payment; if they refuse, have a lawyer do a threatening letter to them (he will know what to say). If they still refuse to pay then you can sue them. Given the small amount of money and the fact it is not economically feasible to use a lawyer to pursue your claim, you could purse the claim yourself in small claims court.

[saxart]

I would contact their corporate office and let them know what happened. This sounds very fishy, as in, this guy knew that they were worth something and either wanted them for himself, or sold them.

Nobody just "throws away" 7 wheels....

[jocko]

Recommend get info on an example of what a similar condition set costs as Rob mentions (doesn't have to be a set of 7), and calculate the per wheel cost, multiply by 7. Also, get a rough shipping cost, per wheel, and add that in, x7. Then let him know the total number... He'll cry, but that's what he gets for being a moron. If it was truly an accident, he should be more than willing to repay in full, incl shipping - because you still have the hassle of finding 7 more. You could also show him the total and give him the option of letting you actually find 7 more and then he repays you, incl shipping, once you've received them - in which case it MIGHT be less $ for him. Personally, I'd go for cash up front and never set foot in there again. If he says no - then file a claim, for that total, incl shipping, + pita cost... and you've already got your homework done. Either way, unfortunately, you'll need to locate 7 more, which sucks, they are hard to find. I wouldn't trust the shop to find the right thing. Idiots just piss me off and, quite frankly, I seriously doubt they were lost.

[71gmcC15]

What? Steel wheels are hard to find? Is it becouse thare six bolt. I have 4 5 bolt ones. Not shure if thare 7 or 8 inches wide. They came on my 71 gmc

[67_C-30]

Originally Posted by 71gmcC15

What? Steel wheels are hard to find? Is it becouse thare six bolt. I have 4 5 bolt ones. Not shure if thare 7 or 8 inches wide. They came on my 71 gmc

8” steel wheels are hard to find. Stock ones, not so much.

[flashed]

I will gladly tell him how much my 5 Powder Coated 15x8 6 Lug wheels are listed for or if you are on FaceBook you can direct him there to see what they are worth to me . I have those 5 that are Powder Coated white and 4 that need to be Powder coated that I had planned to use on my 72 4x4 until I killed it . They truly are hard to find . I would have had mine sold several times if shipping wasnt so high . I would insist they replaced them with originals .

[halfstep]

You already know that If you have no receipt you're going to have a much harder time legally. Regardless I would not get too agitated with the guy but be firm and confident. Make a clear, documented declaration of the value and present it to him in writing.
I would also begin looking for new wheels -I just did a quick search around me and found one set of 4 and one set of 5 in my area $ 200, and $225...
Additionally I would immediately document EVERYTHING related to the transaction regardless of how nice and sincere your merchant seems to be.
Aside from the obvious receipts, put down in writing the process and costs associated with getting the wheels and delivering to them for powder coating. If not clarified on the receipt(s) spell out what transpired, date, time, representatives names and promises or intentions made by them and by you.
Add any phone calls and or subsequent conversations - and be honest. Also establish who the owner of the company is and who/what "rank" the person you have been working with is. This way the "situation" is neatly contained in a document and any party can get a read on it without the distortions of a verbal exchange.
This will save you time and money with lawyers and it will be necessary for the police and courts. Beyond that it will strengthen your position, allow you to be more consistent and save you a lot of repetition and conversation.
If you don't do this now you risk forgetting and/or mis remembering and your "story" will begin to lose weight.
I would also consider stopping by a police station and speak with someone there and or someone at better business bureau and/or small claims court. This will give you some additional perspective - I would not ask them to initiate contact with the powder coater at this time.
If you use a half competent lawyer you may be able to get it resolved with a single letter or worst case probably three for four times the cost of the wheels depending on where you live.
Social media "comments and reviews" also carry a lot of weight these days...so if you don't get satisfactory movement you might consider some postings.
Sounds to me like it has a good chance of working out.
Good luck!

[jocko]

Originally Posted by 71gmcC15

What? Steel wheels are hard to find? Is it becouse thare six bolt. I have 4 5 bolt ones. Not shure if thare 7 or 8 inches wide. They came on my 71 gmc

5 lug steelies came on every half ton from 71-late 80s - they are a common wheel. Six lug prior to 71 are not exactly sought after either. But the 71+ K5/10 wheels are absolutely hard to come by. 15x8 six lug with 4 nubs for caps. They are the only stock GM 6 lug wheels that clear disks and were only an option on 71+ K5/K10. They are highly sought by the 60-66 crowd and the 67-70 crowd for disk brake conversions. Even the narrower ones are getting hard to find, though not quite as hard as the 8" wide ones.

[tj1970cst]

I believe the lost story. They probably have a mindless idiot that cleans the shop out throw them in the scrap bin.

When I was a dealer mechanic, we had a slow fella the cleaned the shop and emptied the trash. He always meant well......
We also had one of the lube techs that collected all the scrap in the shop. He would ask first, but if you said ok, it wasn't coming back!

[CG]

I guess if he said he will replace them you gotta at least give them a chance. Less Schawbs is pretty well known in the PNW for having a very good rep. I and several buddies have used their powder coating service many times, luckily with no loses.

[cornerstone]

Man! That would make me angry enough to have to walk away from the guy, for fear of saying or doing something I would regret. Especially if he hadn't called me ahead of time to let me know there was a problem!

Personally, I don't think it was intentional. This outfit is a large chain, not a mom and pop...He may face discipline or some sort of wage garnishment ( as he should ) from his higher ups. He has offered to pay you back for them, and I'd bet it may well come out of his pocket. Although it REALLY SUCKS, I think it best to bill him actual cost for the wheels and shipping, take the money and move on.

Now, if he was the owner of the place that "let this happen" then I would say he was trying to pull one over on you... thinking you would be happy with wheel vintiques. This is assuming that he actually has a need for that specific wheel, or he had some weird master mind plan to buy you replacements just so HE could have these originals. Doesn't that seems like a stretch to y'all?

Sure hope you get compensated fairly. Maybe, if he really is trying to make it right, he will offer to powder coat the next batch you can find for free... That is if you can stand the thought.
Brian

[71gmcC15]

Originally Posted by jocko

5 lug steelies came on every half ton from 71-late 80s - they are a common wheel. Six lug prior to 71 are not exactly sought after either. But the 71+ K5/10 wheels are absolutely hard to come by. 15x8 six lug with 4 nubs for caps. They are the only stock GM 6 lug wheels that clear disks and were only an option on 71+ K5/K10. They are highly sought by the 60-66 crowd and the 67-70 crowd for disk brake conversions. Even the narrower ones are getting hard to find, though not quite as hard as the 8" wide ones.

thanks for the information. Learn somthing new today. I gess I should of saved the stock wheels from my dad's 81 k10. And the 88 burban. Well maby they got made into a new rim.

[Grumpy old man]

Go back in and ask what their plan is to replace them ASAP ,If they want you to wait to see if they can find replacements get it on paper with a time frame . At the very least you should have a police report filed so you have recourse if they don't come thru . It's not going to come out of the guy's paycheck .

[jcramsey]

So they knew that they threw them away, but didn't inform you of that until you came in to pick them up?

Hopefully they have a work order or something that will prove you dropped them off and what they were.

[toolboxchev]

Originally Posted by HeloCrewChief

So, I scrounged around for the last few months and came up with 7 15x8 steel 6 lug wheels for my truck and a future project. I dropped them off at Les Schwab Wheel and Tire Center as they offer a powder coating service. I went in today to pick them up and the guy that had helped me told me that they accidentally threw them away in the scrap bin. He said he was sorry and would replace them. I told him they are not reproduced and they are impossible to find. I do not want the wheel vintiques version as the hub bore does not fit snug on the hub like the originals. He doesn’t even know what my wheels look like as he brought up a picture of a rally wheel. I know to non truck guys they look like plain steel junk wheels but, they’re really hard to find. What recourse do I have and what should my next steps be? Give him a few days and then what?

That Schwabee for ya. I would drill em to the wall.

[michael bustamante]

Originally Posted by saxart

I would contact their corporate office and let them know what happened. This sounds very fishy, as in, this guy knew that they were worth something and either wanted them for himself, or sold them.

Nobody just "throws away" 7 wheels....

I agree with this. He`s a wheel shop. he knows exactly what wheels are worth money and which are easily replaceable vs. hard to find.
someone saw them, offered maybe 200 a wheel and it was too good to pass up. chances are he was going to buy aftermarkets with his discount, coat them and hope you wouldn't know the difference but you beat him to the punch,
scrap pile sounds like a blow off to me. sorry this happened man.

[rechinca]

Instead of speculating follow through with him. Find the wheels and show him the value of them. Take him paperwork proving and get the branch/location manager involved. Then if they do not seem to be standing up to pay the cost (make them pay upfront to order them you should not have to put the money out to be reimbursed. Most large chains have a claims for lost/damaged property. File it and have them either locate and purchase them or cut you a check for replacement value you can prove. That is the easy part. Then take the money and go replace them. If the store is not taking care of it properly, contact corporate. It’s an easy case for small claims too. Whatever the case is, stay calm and be reasonable with them. They are more likely to take care of you by starting calmly giving them every chance and then escalate. It also helps your case should you end up at small claims. Having worked on the other end or corporate/store claims, we were more likely to work with you quickly when reasonable demands are made. It sucks for sure, but it’s very unlikely the PD will take a report other than a miscellaneous lost property. His disposal of them without proof of theft will get zero traction or results.

[54blackhornet]

I’ve been dealing with this company for thirty years without a single issue. Had numerous wheels PC also. I would suggest you contact their corporate office in Prineville OR and explain the situation. I’m sure they will fix the problem...

[69Tom]

Originally Posted by 54blackhornet

I’ve been dealing with this company for thirty years without a single issue. Had numerous wheels PC also. I would suggest you contact their corporate office in Prineville OR and explain the situation. I’m sure they will fix the problem...

I'd second this. Definitely contact corporate asap and apprise them of the situation. When talking to them, I would recommend that, because they are difficult to find and identify, come up with a solution where you locate them, they then either reimburse you or pay for them outright upon finding.