Emilos Beetle

Ti

Guitar1979 wrote:

Yea man i think i was pretty out of line regarding this post. IN NO WAY WAS I TRYING TO HURT THE REPUTATION OF EMILO'S.

I have mailed Ti to let her know that i was a total di*k and awaiting her response..

I would also like you all to know i knew nothing about Sisters and brothers in Emilo's, nothing.. you can imagine my shock when i heard back that she was actually a sister of the guy...

Sorry everyone... i was a dic*...

Did he actually READ anything I wrote? Does this grovelling ridiculous excuse for an apology actually MEAN anything considering no attention was payed to my reply? Where did you hear anything, or where did I write anything about sisters and brothers in our buisness? [Totally off topic and not in itself an issue]

This does not constitute an apology, in my estimation. This person has no real interest in making amends at all, in light of the fact my reply was read in an obviously cursory manner and no attention whatsoever paid to it. What the poster is actually saying is, it would be o.k. to post inane derogitary comments as long as you're not related to the person being slandered. Does that make it better? No, it does not. It still stands that it was a personal attack instigated by ignorance.

You would have to go a long, long, way to 'hurt' the reputation of Emilios Beetles.

rover-v8

Guitar1979 wrote:

I have just got in touch with Emilos regarding a price on a new lick of paint for a 1974 VM Beetle. I swear it was like pulling teeth. The guy wouldnt give me a straight answer. In order words the was a dick.. Sorry but its true..
He said i would have to bring the car into the garage for him to look at. Now all i wanted for him was a ball park figure on how much this would cost.

That's the last time i will ring them. I only wanted to know roughly how much it would cost. I am thinking of buying a particular Beetle but it needs a total respray.

Is this the norm when ringing around for re-spray quotes? i am pretty new to this..

hi there i know of someone who will paint your beetle and he is very good and will be at a good price but he is in co roscommon let me know if i shall ask him for a quote for yee

Adam

maidhc

Ti wrote:

You would have to go a long, long, way to 'hurt' the reputation of Emilios Beetles.

Come on, get over it! People in business should have a thick skin and be able to take a bit of wanton personal abuse now and again. I know I certainly get it, and so long as the signal/noise ration is good as regards complaints and compliments there is nothing to worry about.

Anan1

maidhc wrote:

Come on, get over it! People in business should have a thick skin and be able to take a bit of wanton personal abuse now and again. I know I certainly get it, and so long as the signal/noise ration is good as regards complaints and compliments there is nothing to worry about.

+1. I had a lot of sympathy for Emilios, until I read Ti's responses. So the OP doesn't know much about paintwork. Last time I checked, that wasn't a hanging offence.

ianobrien

I can understand how Ti feels. You couldn't quote on the job without seeing the car.

When I was getting a Mk2 Escort touched up, I didn't ask for a quote. I got what I felt was the best person to do the job, and the person was interested in the job. I left them at it, as I knew that the more they dug, the more rust was likely. In the end, there was no more rust, but I was lucky.

The only thing I said that I didn't need the car done straight away, and they did it between jobs to keep the price down.

I was delighted with the job, and it was reasonably priced considering the work involved, BUT they were interested in doing the work, which helped.

I have no connection with Emilos, not even as a customer. I don't even own a beetle (yet!)

Anan1

We're all agreed that Emilios couldn't quote without seeing the car. The OP, however, clearly doesn't know much about bodywork and didn't understand this. He's hardly the first person to make this mistake - i'd imagine it happens to bodyshops up and down the country every day of the week. Part of running a business is managing to deal with this sort of stuff without getting personal. The customer is, after all, paying the bills.

RoundyMooney

It was the insulting manner which was the problem.

Ti, we were with you all the way until your second post.

--amadeus--

RoundyMooney wrote:

Ti, we were with you all the way until your second post.

Seconded - the OP acted like a moron, no arguments. But while he may have to go a long way to harm your reputation you don't. If that later post is in any way representative of your attitude then I personally wouldn't go to your shop.

lightening

Ti wrote:

You would have to go a long, long, way to 'hurt' the reputation of Emilios Beetles.

You just went that long long way!;)

The fella apologised.

cantdecide

BOOOOOO!!

Called it wrong, Ti.

Guitar1979

Ah no i think Ti does have a point there. I should be banned!! totally. Man i think everyone who has a bad consumer experience and posts it on any forum should be banned. If i rang HP over a Laptop and found thier customer service dept lacking, should i be allowed share this with anyone? NO. i bet your a really nice person....

Ti your right, ban all people who come across sad phone manner and complain.

Seth Brundle

Guitar1979 wrote: »

I work in IT too but if some guy asked me a black and white questions regarding, say how much a case was for a PC i think i could give me a quote/ballpark figure.

You wouldn't ask any questions? Colour? Size? etc?

lightening wrote: »

You just went that long long way!;)

The fella apologised.

Not in my opinion.

Guitar1979 wrote: »

Ah no i think Ti does have a point there. I should be banned!! totally. Man i think everyone who has a bad consumer experience and posts it on any forum should be banned. If i rang HP over a Laptop and found thier customer service dept lacking, should i be allowed share this with anyone? NO. i bet your a really nice person....

Ti your right, ban all people who come across sad phone manner and complain.

Unless you can give the apology that Hulla requested then I agree about the banning.
You came on here giving out that someone would not offer a quote without knowing what exactly was involved (your first post varies the work from a "lick of paint" to "a total respray". If you aren't sure, how is Emilio or his wife to know?
As for posting bad consumer experiences on a public forum, you are telling one side of a story which is unverifiable. This could be used in a libel trial against the site upon which you post (in this case boards).
Lastly, if you want to get a beetle then common sense would suggest against getting the on the wrong sife of (one of?) the main Beetle restorers in Ireland!

Anan1

kbannon wrote: »

Lastly, if you want to get a beetle then common sense would suggest against getting the on the wrong sife of (one of?) the main Beetle restorers in Ireland!

Not really. If I ever bought a Beetle then (based on Ti's posts) I think i'd manage to get by without darkening their door.

kbannon wrote: »

Not in my opinion.
Unless you can give the apology that Hulla requested then I agree about the banning.

Administration are scared of being sued, and that's understandable. To abuse the OP out of fear of litigation is, however, is quite cowardly, IMO.

cantdecide

Anan1 wrote: »

Not really. If I ever bought a Beetle then (based on Ti's posts) I think i'd manage to get by without darkening their door.

Administration are scared of being sued, and that's understandable. To abuse the OP out of fear of litigation is, however, is quite cowardly, IMO.

There has been a distinct lack of diplomacy.

lightening

kbannon wrote: »

Not in my opinion.

He said "Sorry everyone"...

alastair

six of one and a half dozen of the other if you ask me, but...

The guy did apologise, and the comeback from Ti paints a picture that supports a couple of previous comments about Emilios that I've seen over the years. I've never dealt with them, and am not in the Beetle market, but if this is how they deal with troublesome punters I'd be wary of them.

spidersonmars

The guy was wrong but I know his frustration. I'm only relatively new in the classic car scene. I'm self thought about my own cars as 90% of the time I have asked about things with regard to my classic on this forum and at clubs etc my questions were ignored or I was given a short you should know sneer. My own club sec didn't even bother to look at my car when I needed help even though he works in the same town as I live. I am sorry to say this but I been on the forum for a year and there seems to be a bit of a divide. Some of the younger car fans that like classics have a different knowledge base that many of you because we grew up with the electronic age not the steam age. I can speak for myself when I say that if anyone had an say for example an IT query I would be able to give an outline regardless of the problem. I AM A PROFESSIONAL. I certainly try to explain my answer so as my client understands better the price quoted. Rust is Rust gents it aint rocket science you can leave that to us.

maidhc

spidersonmars wrote: »

The guy was wrong but I know his frustration. I'm only relatively new in the classic car scene. I'm self thought about my own cars as 90% of the time I have asked about things with regard to my classic on this forum and at clubs etc my questions were ignored or I was given a short you should know sneer. My own club sec didn't even bother to look at my car when I needed help even though he works in the same town as I live. I am sorry to say this but I been on the forum for a year and there seems to be a bit of a divide. Some of the younger car fans that like classics have a different knowledge base that many of you because we grew up with the electronic age not the steam age. I can speak for myself when I say that if anyone had an say for example an IT query I would be able to give an outline regardless of the problem. I AM A PROFESSIONAL. I certainly try to explain my answer so as my client understands better the price quoted. Rust is Rust gents it aint rocket science you can leave that to us.

True, but but sometimes jobs like restoring a car (particularly restoring a car) can take on a life of their own. I get grief sometimes from clients because I can't say how much a particular file will cost. But all you can do is explain why you can't quote, but you will always give a outline of how you charge.

--amadeus--

I partially agree with Spiders. There is a very cliquie (soelling?!) feel to a lot of clubs and (to an extent) on here. While a lot - probably the majority - of classic car fans are a friendly bunch happy to talk about anything there is a hard core that will sneer if you don't know the manufacturer of the overdrive in your classic. We're not all steeped in oil at birth and we all have to learn at some stage. It's a bit like drivers getting irritated with learners, we all stalled at a junction once upon a time so cut some slack!

Likewise a ballpark figure for a job - any job - isn't an unreasonable ask. Continuing the IT anaology if I was asked to create a database I couldn't give a price without asking for much more detail but I could say that hourly rates are X and typical jobs might range from Y days for something very simple and off teh shelf to Z days for something much more customised. By now I am sure taht a company like Emilios must have seen it all and be able to say that restorations take from X to Y days / weeks and that the labour charge is €Y with parts on top.

The OP sounds like he acted like a div on the phone - it sounds like he wanted the impossible, a concrete price sight unseen and he wouldn't listen to sesnible advice fropm someone who knows better (how hard is it to pop in?). But the reaction seems a little OTT and I personally wouldn't go there having seen this thread.

hellocrazy

Emilio has been restoring cars along time in DUBLIN, he can be expensive but at least when i brought my karmann cabrio beetle into him, i knew it would come out in tact, as vw is his passion, also where else in ireland was i going to find a replacement quarter window for a karmann bug without having it posted in from UK,.... answer NO WHERE.

Emilio i dont think does cheap resprays, because the last thing he want is to do a shoddy job and have people bad mouthing his company for a crap job. If you want him to do the job properly pay the money.

He might even come and see the car for you if you ask him nice enough.

Few guys I know get there cars done at ashley motors spray shop in chapolizod, they do a fab job too, bit cheaper, but might not but near sure emilio gives a guarantee with his work.

Dustpuppy

hi,
the problem is, that the people most time think, that they can buy a classic car and then only need some little jobs here and there and they get a perfect car back. I do the same then Emilo did, but with all kind of classic cars and motorbikes. A lot of, most young, owners ask me, for helping them, because they think a bit pollishing or paint is enough. But if i tell them, what they realy need, they don't want anymore, that i do their cars. I never will weld a heater channel if the floor and the body are not seperated, because i don't want to weld them together, that's unprofesional. **** work like this would cost a bit money and that's what most of them want. A full strip down, welding and reassembling cost a lot of time and much more money, but it's the right and profesional way to do it. If i tell them the price, many of the people telling me, that i am mad and i send them home. People like this have their classics only to show others, how cool they are, i think. Only people, who realy love their car and who have realized that a classic is never cheap, will understand. I know Emilo from phone and from his workplace in Dublin. I am agree with Emilo and his wife. He also did a perfect work on bringing old beetles back on the road. I also would never take a car just for put some paint on it. Even if it's fillered and striped down. Jobs like this will look like **** when they are finished and it is my name i destroy if the owner is asked who did it and tells it to others.
Had a guy in Wexford, like this. He asked me just to put the engine back into his beetle. I've asked him, if he has all parts and he said yes. After starting, i've asked for the bolts which holds the engine. Importand bolts. If they crack, the engine will be damage, the gaerbox or more thing could happen. He gave me old bolts which are much to long. I said that i want to use original once, because these are to long and he shows me box with old washers and tells me i could use them between. I took my tools, turn around, told him never to ask me again and get home. Four Simple bolts, each 2-3€, and the job ended. Idiots like this you find every where, just tell them to go and don't think about.

Dusty

lightening

Dustpuppy wrote: »

I took my tools, turn around, told him never to ask me again and get home. Four Simple bolts, each 2-3€, and the job ended. Idiots like this you find every where, just tell them to go and don't think about.

Dusty

You wouldn't consider explaining things to him in laymans terms taking in to account his youth, inexperience and probable excitement, getting his car on the road?

Could you have sent him off to get the bolts, done the job, patted him on the back and had the pleasure of him trundling off in his pride and joy?

Of course not, he is an Idiot, you find them everywhere. :rolleyes:

Nice attitude.

MercMad

I'm sorry but I've never felt the "clique" thing going on here, I hope I am not part of it, I have no desire to be.

I think for the most part people here offer sensible advice and encouragement, where there is no answer its because nobody knows !

I am involved with a Club and sometimes I feel that other members or potential members treat the Club like its a business, they can be very demanding, and dont seem to understand that most, if not all, Clubs are run completely by unpaid volunteers, just like this website !

lightening

MercMad wrote: »

I feel that other members or potential members treat the Club like its a business

All clubs have that element. People who are now adults and were never in sports clubs or general clubs as kids don't understand the dynamics. Often they want to make their stamp, make a bit of noise, get noticed.

Often they don't get recognition in work or at home. Their new "club" is where they can exert a bit of authority and make some noise.

spidersonmars

lightening wrote: »

All clubs have that element. People who are now adults and were never in sports clubs or general clubs as kids don't understand the dynamics. Often they want to make their stamp, make a bit of noise, get noticed.

Often they don't get recognition in work or at home. Their new "club" is where they can exert a bit of authority and make some noise.

I'm not sure if the above is directed at the younger members or not, but it certainly reads that way. I can only speak for myself but as a member of many clubs both sporting and social. I leave my "making noise" to my efforts on the pitch or the sound of my V8. You would be surprised to know that younger adults because gents thats what some of are do understand the dynamics of clubs. What problems we do find is that fresh blood is not always welcomed. It's sad but true. My club which I will not name has two younger members if we feel we don't fit the dynamic and leave the club, the club will die sooner or later. I offered to update the website etc but it fell on deaf ears. Suffice to say the web page is no longer up on the web. In order for a club to survive and therefore the cars themselves into the future new blood is needed just like new oil for an engine.

lightening

spidersonmars wrote: »

I'm not sure if the above is directed at the younger members or not, but it certainly reads that way.

You picked me up wrong. Usually its the over 45 individual fits in to the club bully, demanding type of person (still young men by the way;)). The younger ones are usually more in to the activity rather than the club and who is better than who.

If you read above, I am defending the young guys who approach Dustpuppy. Mind you, he is in fairness running a business... I just think he could have been nicer.

mountain

Hi all,

even though i have often looked through these posts, until now i didnt feel the urge to contribute.
With regard to getting a price on the work for a classic, (in my case a 1963 volvo 1800) it is impossible to know what will be involved.
There really can be no such thing as "just a respray" if there is rust.
The rust has to be taken out, and once you start digging it is impossible to know what is underneath. I think emillo is perfectly right to not put a price on a job, without seeing the car, and also adding the condition that anything not quoted for will be extra.
This also applies to the customer as well. If you get a quote for work done on a classic make sure that it is quite clear what is included in the price, materials, parts etc. Also, agree a proper time scale with person doing the work, and make sure that it is kept to.

lightening

Yeah, back on the subject. You are right mountain, but the OP didn't know, he unreservedly apologised, sent TI a pm apologising...

Ti reacted in a way true to form from what I have heard!

Seth Brundle

Lockage time methinks.