So, you engaged a restoration shop to take on the project of restoring your classic car; and now you have been waiting months or even years with multiple promises with little work done except for taking your pride and joy vintage car apart. The wounds are even deeper that you have handed over tens of thousands of dollars for truly little work as your classic car project gone bad.
I have seen hundreds if not thousands of cases that follow this same pattern; with classic car owners handing over even more thousands of dollars for promises to work with little work being done.
So how does this happen? The shop owner is so nice whenever you speak with him or even worse, they start yelling back at you to make you feel like an idiot. These people are professionals at taking advantage of people by knowing that your pride is on the line and they seem to know more than you do about old cars, the classic con.
The first step to solve this misery is understanding the con itself.
What are they playing on to take advantage of you? Embarrassment
Embarrassment can be personal, caused by unwanted attention to private matters or personal flaws or mishaps or shyness. Some causes of embarrassment stem from personal actions, such as being caught in a lie or in making a mistake.
Shame/embarrassment as the sense that “There is something fundamentally wrong with me, that I’m unworthy.” Here is an example of shame, typical of the shaming experiences most men endure.
One day, a long time ago, I went to shopper’s club to get groceries and a few other things. On my way in, I passed the tire center, and I thought to myself, “Geez, I need some new tires.” There were these two big burly guys behind the counter. I stood there for a while until finally one of them turned his attention to me. I said, “I think I need some new tires.” He said, “So what size does your car take?” My mind went blank; I did not have the slightest idea what size fit my car. I said, “I don’t know.” The guys looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Then the larger of the two said, “So, do you know what kind of car you have?” I died a little bit that day. My conclusion: clearly a real man knows the tire size of his car, and I must not be man enough.
Fear of Shame
So, many of us not only have been regularly shamed, but we live in the incessant anxiety that we will be further shamed. We live in fear of embarrassment, intimidation, humiliation. We are watchful, guarded, vigilant, we keep their distance, we act much more confident than we really are to avoid further shame. When we are shamed, we act out in our own bullying, abuse, and violence to deal with it or avoid it.
We go through life as if we are on patrol in a war zone, and we never know when we might get ambushed. Because we are so frequently ridiculed and mocked and bullied in our daily lives, we come to see the world as a deeply unsafe place.
Some phrases that should raise your eye-brows; does what you see match what you hear
- “We will bring your car into the shop next week to start work”; this phrase used rather frequently
- “Get us another $10,000 and that should be enough to get your car done”; how do they know before the old car is actually finished?
- “If you pay us the full amount left to finish your car (IE $50,000), we will discount your labor rate to get the job done”; never going to happen and now your out even more money and what is their incentive to finish?
- “The parts you paid us for are back ordered, and may include that they don’t know when they will arrive”
- “Things are really tight and if you bring in some money we can push to get some work done on your car”
- “We ran into more work on a section than we figured and it took more time”; did they give you a heads up on the delay?
- “Your next in line for some ______ work, but we need more money first”
- “If you pay us cash up front we will discount the rates”
Get it out in the open
We know what the “not reputable” shops are trying to do to make money so what can we do about it? Realize that the best course of action is to rip the band aid off quickly, or you will suffer the pain of a thousand cuts.
- The hope is that our blog will help you to understand the process better, and be prepared to handle a classic car restoration project and choose the right shop
- But if you find yourself in this type of nightmare then the first thing is to swallow your pride and realize that you are not alone in this; be strong there are options
- Do not make any further payments; it does not get better and the hole will only get deeper
- Make arrangement to get your car and all the parts either to a safe location or another shop
- Get an attorney involved as needed to send the shop notices and protect your interests; most of these bad shops do not like attorneys and public awareness. It may cost you some money, but not as bad as it could get without legal support
- Do not buy into their further promises or even their threats; stay calm and look ahead for a fresh start
The origin of our blog was our observation that so many people were being taken advantage of by “shady shops” on vintage cars that have sentimental origin or even family roots. We hope that you will find these posts as a helpful tool in the classic car world to make owning an old car a happier time. As an old ad slogan used to say; “An educated consumer is our best customer”.
Please realize that thousands; even the best of us; have fallen into the same dismal world in attempting an old car restoration so do not let your pride stand in the way of making good decisions when the time comes.
You do have options to have a rewarding success in restoring and maintaining your classic car; so, stay tuned.
A complaint filed against Brian Hall and Michele Hall for
1) DEFAMATION PER SE
2) TORTIOUS INTERFERENCE WITH PERSPECTIVE ECONOMIC ADVANTAGE;
3) INTENTIONAL INFLICTION OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS; and
9) HARRASSMENT. Owner of Defenders Northwest. Business Address at Gig Harbor, Washington,
residing at 6515 43rd Avenue Court, Gig Harbor, WA 98335. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVxb6XQmyaY&t=22s
Washington Land Rover Restoration Shop Faces 7-Figure Fraud Charges
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/washington-land-rover-restoration-shop-faces-7-figure-fraud-charges/particle-1
Washington State Auto Restorer Defenders Northwest Sued For Fraud
https://pledgetimes.com/washington-state-auto-restorer-defenders-northwest-sued-for-fraud/
Multiple lawsuits Filed Against Defenders Northwest LLC, Brian Hall and Michele Hall ”Automotive Restoration Fraud” https://youtu.be/30h_NSiTXWA
A complaint filed against Brian Hall and Michele Hall for
1) DEFAMATION PER SE
2) TORTIOUS INTERFERENCE WITH PERSPECTIVE ECONOMIC ADVANTAGE;
3) INTENTIONAL INFLICTION OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS; and
9) HARRASSMENT. Owner of Defenders Northwest. Business Address at Gig Harbor, Washington,
residing at 6515 43rd Avenue Court, Gig Harbor, WA 98335. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVxb6XQmyaY&t=22s
As legal Findings Alleged against Brian Hall and Michelle Hall for Defenders Northwest LLC and its owners, Brian T. Hall and Michele A. Hall are being sued for car restoration fraud. The copy of the complaint is here. There are various news stories about the scam. https://intpolicydigest.org/a-lawsuit-roils-the-defender-world/ International Policy Digest. A Lawsuit Roils the Defender World. Land Rover Defender enthusiasts pay top dollar for fully restored vehicles so when one company engages in shady business practices people take notice.
Washington Land Rover Restoration Shop (Defender Northwest LLC.) Faces 7-Figure Fraud Charges
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/washington-land-rover-restoration-shop-faces-7-figure-fraud-charges/particle-1
I had my car restored at Defenders Northwest LLC Gig Harbor, WA, but the service was unsatisfactory. The work was delayed, and some of the parts were still not functioning correctly. When I raised my concerns with the shop, they were dismissive and unhelpful. I would not recommend this shop for car restoration services.
The car restoration service I received from a local shop (Defenders Northwest LLC. Gig, Harbor, WA) was unsatisfactory. The work was delayed, and the final result was subpar with some parts not functioning correctly. When I contacted the shop about my concerns, they were unhelpful and dismissive. I strongly recommend avoiding this shop for car restoration services.
A local Car Restoration Shop (Defenders Northwest LLC. – Gig Harbor, WA): According to the promise they made, the repair work was supposed to be completed within a week. However, it seems like the process is taking longer than expected due to the unavailability of certain parts required for the repair. It is quite frustrating as it would have been better if they had communicated the delay upfront, so that we could have made alternative arrangements accordingly.
Defenders Northwest LLC has been been accused of running a multi-year fraudulent restoration scheme. A 63 page lawsuit naming Defenders Northwest LLC, Brian Hall and Michele Hall, and AUTOHOME USA has been filed and can be accessed here or through an online search.
I recently had my car restored at a local shop, but unfortunately, the service was far from satisfactory. Despite paying a significant amount of money, the work was delayed by several days without any explanation, and when I finally received my car back, the final result was disappointing. To make matters worse, some of the parts were still not working properly. When I contacted the shop about these issues, they were dismissive and unhelpful, leaving me feeling frustrated and angry. If you’re considering car restoration services, I strongly advise against choosing this shop. Save yourself the time, money, and hassle by choosing a more reliable and trustworthy service provider.