Trust Develops Into More and More Fraud

Be careful who you hire, or you could find yourself out of thousands of dollars just like many other people in the Pacific Northwest. Their Classics were destroyed, the parts sold as scrap and their money seems unrecoverable.

KOIN 6 News spoke to 8 victims who suffered a combined loss of more than $85,000 after responding to a Vancouver couple’s Craigslist ad for restoration body work.

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As a follow-up to another story, you may recall a Largo FL man, Jim Smerekar, who paid over $11,000 when he dropped off his Classic for new paint NINE years ago...


The shop owner, Fred Goldman, of Fred’s Auto Works, promised he would finish the work in 30 days. Here's the follow-up report


Take The Necessary Steps to Prevent Becoming a Victim of Fraud

RULE #1 - DO YOUR HOMEWORK
If you are about to send your Classic in for any major work, especially a lengthy restoration you need to do your homework. As noted in numerous previous articles, ask a lot of questions, ask for referrals, complete a thorough online search, look for details which confirm a history of satisfied customers and ask around at car shows.

RULE #2 - TIME SPENT IN PREPARATION IS VERY RARELY WASTED
Take the time to start a Garagistry account, then document everything you can about your Classic including a generous amount of photos...BEFORE YOU TAKE YOUR CLASSIC TO THE SHOP. Make sure they include clear close-ups of the VIN, build tag and other similar identification as these records may be all that's left to complete a thorough investigation.

Here are some additional articles, you may find helpful
 
Choose The Right Restoration Shop - Part 1 - Not All Equal

How to Choose a Restoration Shop for your Classic Car - Part 2 - Shop Selection

How to Choose A Restoration Shop for Your Classic Car - Part 3 - Time & Money

How to Choose a Restoration Shop for Your Classic Car - Part 4 - The Contract