Vendor review -- Pardue's Custom (LONG POST)

[XXL]

Pardue's Custom
2712 Pardue Hill Rd.
Jonesville, NC 28642

w. (336) 835-4237
m. (336) 244-2232
h. (336) 527-4237

parduescustoms@wmconnect.com

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Project: Full cab makeover, including chopped top, suicide doors, and paint.

Start date: 2-2003
End date: 2-2004*


It seems like so long ago that I bought this old cab to fix up and swap out with the one currently on my truck. In August of 2002, I first talked with Tony Pardue of Pardue's Customs about doing some work on my cab. I sent him some pictures of the cab along with detailed information on what I was trying to accomplish. It was around mid-December when we finally worked out all the details, but he said he'd be busy until January, but then he could start on the cab. I arranged to get the truck down to his shop, and after battling some bad winter weather, it arrived the first week of February, 2003 (Thanks again, Old Rusty C10).

Early on it was clear that Tony was not sticking to the schedule he had committed himself to. We had agreed that he would keep me updated weekly, and that he would take lots of progress pictures with his digital camera and send them to me regularly. He sawed the roof off the cab within the first 6 weeks, but then nothing happened for some time. I understand the hassle of having a customer call all the time for updates, but I think the cab would still be sitting in his shop in sawed-up pieces had I not started calling him regularly. At the 6 month mark (we had agreed that I would have the cab back no later than 7 months) I was deeply concerned that he was so far behind in the work-- I had just lost my job (everything's going to India, folks , and might have to relocate for a new position... so I would need my cab to move with me.

XXL wrote on 09-05-2003 11:29 PM:
That was supposed to happen last week per our phone conversation. It sounds like my truck is getting pushed to the back of the stack again... I noticed that you posted that you're starting work on somebody else's truck. It seems reasonable that you should get mine finished first. We're a whopping _3_ months past the email I sent telling you that I was disappointed in the pace of progress, and what appears to be false commitments from you... "2 more weeks" , "2 more weeks" and so on. I can safely say that I'm moving well beyond the irritated stage on this.

Here's what I said then...

---begin---

Sat 6/7/2003 2:40 PM

Tony, as I mentioned in my phone call to you last week, I'm getting frustrated with the pace of this project, and of the apparent lack of communication on your part. From your PM's I get the impression that I'm being blown off, but from our phone calls I begin to think that you're trying to get things done. I suppose it might just be the way you communicate via PM that's throwing me off... I don't know.

But what I do know is that you've said a lot of things (I call them commitments) that haven't happened, which is really what bothers me most.

Way back in October, you told me...

"I have done 3 chop top and i get 600.00 a top and if you could send some pic . and of the area that need work and of the area that you have done allready i still thank we could stay around 1500.00-2000.00 with a chop iam trying to help"

I'm not completely sure how we got from $2000 to $4000 but I realize that I'm asking for more work, the rockers needed fixing, and the windshield and side glass need to be cut. Maybe that's where the difference comes in... but what I don't understand is how we got from me getting the cab down to you in early February, to you saying that you were going to jump on it in March, to 1/4th the way through June and it's not even being worked on. What about March, April, May? On May 10 you told me 4-6 weeks to completion. Well, it's been 4 weeks since you said that. Do you think you'll be done in 2 weeks?

What needs to happen to get you focused on THIS project and get it completed?

If you prefer phone conversation, feel free to call. I'd like to get this resolved before it becomes more of a thorn in both our sides.

Thanks,

Kenneth
508-740-9630

---end---

Part of what I do is "project management" stuff so I 'took over' in that regard and started doing daily status assessments, organizing To Do lists for Tony, etc. That worked for about 2 weeks, and then he stopped answering his mobile phone or returning voicemail.

When I finally contacted him, he had a laundry list of excuses as to why he had not kept in touch and why he had not progressed-- sick relatives, computer not working, lost phone, dog ate homework, and on and on. Aside from the absurdity of so many excuses, I actually gave him the benefit of the doubt and moved forward.

I had prepaid Tony $1000, and our agreement had been that I would pay the balance on completion of the project.

Pardue'sCustoms wrote on 05-08-2003 01:43 AM:
i thank by you swinging the wrong driction will stop you from doing it that way he can put the motor in beind the cab piller where the jack used to go i have just about got both post done i took a wreck in this week and will have to work on it if i get the cab top done in next week could you send a 1,000.00 of the 4'000 and then i will not need no more untill i get it done i just figur sinec i got the top done you might would not mind me doing that and the show was nice and lot's of fun thanks Tony

The first solid indication that he was changing the rules was when Tony said he was going to make my cab his top priority-- working on it nonstop until it was done. But that I would have to send him more money. I communicated my disapproval over changing the payment terms we had previously established, but began sending him regular payments (by USPS money order**). But even with the influx of money, Tony wasn't providing progress information or pictures as agreed. This time he had a broken camera, email virus, he forgot, he had pictures in the camera but it was at home, etc. I now believe this was his way of avoiding the honest answer that he had not been working on the cab.

In January Tony and I had what I would describe as a "knock down, drag out" over the phone. I had accepted a job offer that would have me relocating in February, and so would need the cab to be completed and here before then. Tony committed with his pseudo-religious "I swear to God it will be done by the end of January." Two weeks later he called to push the date out to February 7th. On February 5th he called to push the date to the 12th. (Each of these changes, aside from the obvious "swearing to God" nonsense, required that I trouble Old Rusty C10 to rearrange his schedule yet again.)

The day before the cab was to be picked up, Tony called and attempted to "renegotiate" the amount due. He now claimed that I owed him $700 additional for the glass in the cab. I sent him PDF snapshots of emails and PM's proving that the glass cost had been included in our final agreement oh so many months ago. After quite a bit of yelling on my part, and my indication that we could resolve this in court, he "acquiesced," making it sound as though he was doing me some kind of favor by sticking with the agreed upon amount.

As Old Rusty C10 was preparing to load the cab and bring it to me, Tony called and insisted that I not hold him liable for any damage to the cab while it was being loaded. Sure... whatever. I just wanted my cab back.

The cab arrived yesterday, and 3 of us offloaded it without breaking a sweat (thank you Archimedes!). We rolled the cab into my well-lit garage and, voila...

[more to follow]



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* Job wasn't properly "ended" and so this represents when the cab was returned to me.

** USPS Money Orders offer a great deal of protection from "non performance" by a seller. Since they are official instruments, a seller may be culpable under Postal Fraud regulations for failure to perform. (Tony, are you reading this?)