When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, it's likely the fault of the people that fucked up

So, things went wrong, all sorts of wrong, and I may not have been quoted for the job I spoke of, because the guy who told me how much he would charge me, MAY not have heard me clearly. OR he simply realized how much money he could make by choosing to decide that he can say he doesn't remember anything that wasn't recorded.

BUT, I still got done wrong, someone fucked up, and IF I am to believe that I was only quoted for one thing and not two? I was still over charged if math still works when no one agrees on what was said, heard, and the people that have the job and responsibility to write things down didn't. 

But that's where the facts, and the true story, begin. 

Mostly, because I was sure that my recollection of things was the way things went down. Well, I now can see no matter what I was expecting, and what I was thinking was going to happen, ever will. 

Hell, I've been wrong before, and it's even cost me money, and this is just another example of something costing me money, but I'm pretty confident I'm not wrong, the other person is, and there isn't a damn thing that is going resolved to my satisfaction because we don't see things the same way. 

Mostly because this involves me being a customer, and the other guy being a speed shop owner. But I'm writing this all up, because, I blog about car stuff

So, here's the facts, and some photos. 

I started this blog in 2006, about the same time I went and took the beater I was driving to get the catalytic converter replaced. I went to a garage that specialized in Fords. JBA. 

I was impressed, the whole job went fine, and I thought I get a bit more than I should have expected for what it cost me, and I have been a fan ever since. You know, good work, good price = good place and good people. 

From then til now, JBA has been on my "Recommended Shops" list, and have been posted about 27 times for a wide variety of reasons, like being at the races, showing up to car shows, putting on charity fund raisers, having customer appreciation days, a 25th anniversary open house, and a machine shop open house, and a grand reopening open house when it opened at a new location, and hosting a car club meeting... etc etc. 

This isn't unusual, I've posted about Galpin Ford 39 times for the same reasons, and Pure Vision 18 times. That's what I do. Showcase cool stuff and let you know who did it and where. 

So, I got laid off like so many millions of other people in March, and the govt paid me unemployment, at 375 a week, which is 1500 a month, right? Well, that's about half what I made when employed for the past 6 years at a car dealership as a photographer. Expectations of just how bad that would turn out freaked me out, as my bills are about 1600 a month. Now, that is bad. Rent, cell phone, car payment, car insurance, those alone are 1100, roughly. But renting two garages (one for the car in this post) totals 300 a month, and now, monthly costs are 1400, plus about 100 for gas a month... etc etc etc 

Allright, about a week after getting laid off the govt announced that extra 600 a week. Suddenly I was getting about 3900 a month. Damn, no worries until that runs out, right? 

So, the govt ordered everyone with a non essential job to stay home, take the pay, and don't go get sick, right? Ok, done. Then 6 months later, unemployment is over, and so is that 600 a week. Time to get a job, right? Right. Well, they did say there would be a 4 month extension of the 375 a week... but really, that won't pay the bills. 

Now I paid my bills, and put the rest of the unemployment and that 600 a week into the bank. So, now that I am back to work, I figure a couple things. Time to pay taxes on that income, probably 15 to 20 percent, because I was looking to make sure I would have money to pay bills, and rent, now knowing what the hell is going on with this flu that was freaking out the govt to the point it was ordering people to stay home. 

Probably political, as they come up with a vaccine, for a virus that some people don't even know they have (Listen to Kevin Hart, or anyone else that learned they had it) and the cure is to stay home for 2 weeks. Really? Not very dangerous if you don't know you have a disease, and the cure is to stay home. 

Anyway, after paying the taxes, I realize I finally can afford to get something done to make my 69 Dodge run better, and that is to have the MSD ignition parts that I saved my income tax returns and your tips (you peoples are terrific like that!) installed by some pros, because the right springs need to be installed in the distributor, in order to realize the performance potential of the advance curve. (you know what I mean, right?) Plus, hell, things could go wrong (see the title of this post? It was chosen deliberately) and if I screw up the damn ignition, or something else, well, fuck. I'd have to get the car towed to where some more experienced people could fix it. 

So, it's like that thing where mechanics prefer that you don't screw with stuff, just take it to them to get it done right the first time... you guys know what I mean. We've all had to fix other peoples mistakes at work... and when it comes to cutting expensive ignition wires to the right length, only one time, and crimping on the tip, you better get that done right the first time, every time. 

I bet we've all had to take one off then put it back on again, because that damn electrode center moved when we crimped on the tip. 

So, believing in the principle of "anything worth doing, is worth doing right the first time" I chose to have a shop that I believed in do the ignition. 

Then I realized, this would be the right time to get the headers replaced, as the passenger side collector has rusted a hole about the size of a quarter, and it makes the sound of the solid lifter lumpy cam - not nearly as impressive as it used to be before the rust made the hole. 

So, after deciding that installing headers wasn't too easy the last time I did it in 1993 with my 71 Challenger I had then, I realized, hey, I can actually get both done, at the same time, by the pros at JBA. 

A couple weeks after starting the new job, I drove a couple blocks more, as JBA is only a couple miles away from where I work, and popped in. 

Now, I've seen J Bittle at dozens of car shows, his shop (JBA) a dozen times or more, at SEMA, the Optima Challenge, Speedfest, cruises, the car club meeting he hosts, and his open house customer appreciation days, shop tours, and many times he's either mentioned that his shop would / could do some upgrades to my 69 Dodge, or me mentioning to him that when I get the money, he'd be seeing my car in his shop, I had already known for over a decade that I wanted to have JBA do the work that I couldn't to my Dodge. There are several things that you aren't going to do laying on your back, under your car, in your garage. Either you don't have the confidence to rebuild a transmission, engine, etc, or you don't have a dyno, or you don't have the tools to machine something, or remove something... whatever the case maybe, there are some things that you're advised to let the pros handle instead. Right? 

Like installing headers. Hell, I don't have a welder, so I'm not going to be able to match the exhaust pipes to the collector, or whatever other things might come up... like, I don't have an extra set of hands to help lift off the hood, I don't have an engine hoist... I don't have a car lift.. 

So, getting back to the point, right? I go over to JBA, where I have been before, but not in the last 5 years, as I've been too broke to waste gas going out to car shows, cruises, etc. 

Back in 2015:

So, I walk in, don't see anyone that I know as years go by and every one has moved on that I knew who used to work the front counter.

David now has his Mustang restoration and wiring business at his home, JR opened a speed shop in Escondido, etc etc. It's all fresh faces. 

So, I pop my head into J's office and say "hey! How ya been!" Because I haven't seen him since the Optima Challenge a year or two ago, and know he's not going to recognize me with my recent disaster of a haircut (I've had a flat top for the past 30 years, no one would recognize me without it) and I now have a beard down to my sternum, and not even my mom would recognize me with that. 

So I say hello, and get a kick out of slowly being recognized, and then say, well, I finally can afford to have some work done here, do you have a buddy ol pal discount price for an ignition install, and headers install? 

He laughs, says sure, and 

Now, right here I didn't realize that nothing was going to go right from this point on. 

tells me a price. 

Now, I'm not surprised by how much has says, cause it doesn't matter. Do you care? Why? A buddy price is always a deal to your buddy, it's always non-profit, and it's always going to be what you can do because you've got reasons. 

Some times it's free. Some times it's at cost. Sometimes it's simply flat rate half off the usual cost. It's always one thing though, it's always less than the usual cost. 

So, I say great, when should I bring my ol car? They consult the work load calendar, realize that the shop is busy as hell, and I tell them (J and the service writer he wanted me to work with on the time table) that I'm not in any rush, make it when it's convenient. 

Sounds fine so far, right? Well, I thought they'd order the headers, and install the ignition parts, and headers, and I'd pay the bill. 

I might not have a god damn clue how shops operate, but I'm willing to learn. It turns out, the service writer didn't want to order the headers. It's a speed shop, in business 35 years. Why not? I didn't ask as I wasn't too happy about learning that now I was working for free to get the headers for my car. See, I thought you show up, tell them you want to have them do the work, and you do the pay, and that was the sum total of your involvement. 

Now, I haven't had my ol Dodge into any shop since I bought it in 2002, as the 3 carbs and the dyno tune of them and the ignition, were exactly what the Dyno Shop in Santee specializes in, and I don't.

 Do you? Heck no. So you take your car, it's 3 carbs, and a credit card to the place that does, and you're happy to let them tell you what it is going to cost. That is why they are famous, and on my list of recommended shops, and I'm paying to have other car guys work on my car. Can you tune 3 carbs? I know I don't even want to try. 

And JBA is on my list of recommended shops because I've been welcomed in for over a dozen years

SO, back to the facts, and the story of what happened. 

I was informed of when to bring it in, and that's what I did, on a Saturday about 1pm. 

They had a guy walk around with a clip board to get a look at what was the situation with what worked, what was dented, and where it was scratched. That's typical of rental car places too, and Uhaul. You show up, or drop something off, they take a tour to see what they are dealing with, or what you've screwed up. Good time to get to know the car, and the owner. 

So, then some other guy, a young guy, come over, starts it up, and tries to figure out what gear it's in. This can be tricky, as there was a wall a foot behind it... right? No room for error there - but then again, this car comes equipped with a "you're in reverse" light.

 Right next to the shifter. So, you know you're either in a forward gear, or neutral, when you let the clutch out a little, and any one who has a tiny bit of experience can do one thing to know you're not in neutral....move the damn shifter. If it moves side to side a lot, or up and down, you're not in gear. 

That's just stick shifter 101. 

This kid needed a couple tries to figure out where 1st was. Well, that's a bad sign. Anyone's first time in a car with a stick will need a couple movements to find 1st. But shit... a couple minutes? No. 

So the car starts rolling back, toward the wall. Freaking me the hell out. I yell. Loud. You would too if YOUR car was moving toward a wall, piloted by someone who was proving they were new to the job of engaging a clutch. 

 Then I decide it's time to go, they've got it, and things will be just fine. I was wrong. 

About 5 weeks later, I pick it up... on Nov 25th. 

I'm going to point out, that the headers were dropped from the install, as TTI headers outsources the ceramic coating, and again, if you're going to do something, do it right. Get the right parts, the first time, and get them only installed once. It just costs too damn much to have work done twice. 

I covered this in a post last month. 

So, since the car was in a shop that can do anything... I realized I ought to have them do another job I can't do in my garage. Replace the torsion bar bushings. This follows with my replacing the shocks in 2019. It's a step in the right direction, replace the worn out suspension parts. Which made me realize I ought to have them replace the pitman arm. It was seriously wasted, and since I've heard that they need a 10 ton press to install on the steering box (I may be wrong), but they also need a pulley puller to remove, and I realized, get that done right now too. 

So, I had the car in for an ignition upgrade to MSD which I'd bought one piece at a time for the past 4 years, torsion bar bushing replacement, and pitman arm replacement. They called me up to let me know the idler arm needed replacing, and yeah, I knew that. I intended to do that myself, as I did it on the last car I had, my 69 Dodge Super Bee. 

Why do this other work? Well, the timing was right, as it's in a shop than can do it, and the stuff needed done, and I could finally afford it, based on the buddy ol pal price I'd been told for the ignition and headers install job I walked in asking about. 

When you're not going to have the headers installed, I figure you've just cut that price in half... right? You ask about 2 things, and one doesn't happen, so you're going to pay half that amount, right?

Well, way back at the beginning of this long post (hey, I don't write much normally, and I rarely just sit here and write for hours, and here's one example of that. 2.5 hours so far) I mentioned that there are 2 sides to each story, and here's the other half, as it was just explained to me a couple hours ago, when I asked... how come I was charged 975 to get the MSD installed, when I was quoted 850 for the ignition AND headers installed?

You see, this has made me upset for about a week now. 

Well, the other side of the story as it was told to me, was that he didn't hear me say headers. 

So, that may be. I mean, if you can't believe someone you've respected, when they now tell you that they didn't hear you say headers, then what do you do?

He also tells me that he doesn't remember telling me 850 either. Oh. Well. That's two things, that were said, in the same minute, about 8 weeks ago, that I was basing this entire situation, stress, cost, price, and expectation on. 

Now, summed up, I thought I would have work done for under a thou, then half that work when the headers fell out of possible things getting done, and half the cost.... then more because I was adding pitman arm, torsion bar bushings, and they talked me into the idler arm... easily to, as they didn't tell me what any of those parts cost. The way I figure it, you either trust people, or you don't

Most of you have seen everything I've posted for years. It's clear to you that I'm whatever you have decided, based on what I choose to put on this blog. 

I think I'm fair, believe in respecting the stuff that deserves it, and also likely to get upset easy about stuff. I think that this blog proves me out on those observations about myself, and my personality. 

So, as this is car guy 101, it's getting posted as I respect you all enough to not hold back something that went bad. I'm not trash talking J Bittle, as I can see where I may be in the wrong, and from his direction, I might be the nut job with some attempt at weaseling out of  what the work costs. 

Well, that's the start of a debacle, which gets a lot worse. Now, I don't know any way I could have prevented anything that follows. 

The decision was made to replace the 9 year old battery in the Dodge. No one notified me. 

No one kept my old battery (something about a law that was passed that says you will be offered all your old parts, as so much rampant fraud has happened where shops all around the world have ripped off customers, never replaced parts, sold off the parts that get removed, etc etc  - this is common knowledge. You can even have the old tires you want replaced) 

A battery was chosen, by someone who went with a battery that was not my choice to pay for. 

Now, I realize the following about the 9 year old battery that was in the car.... 

it wasn't going to last forever, it was still working, and was holding a charge of 13.7 volts when I drove out of my garage.

It was 12.7 when I took this photo to show Mike that such an old battery (sold date sticker on the top shows 3/11 , March of 2011) 

And it didn't hit the 52 year old air induction fiberglass under my hood. 

Guess what. 

The battery someone else chose, without telling me, was installed, with a wingnut on top of the post clamp... and it sat a couple inches higher than my hood would close over. 

Yeah, they closed the hood, about 2 inches lower than the wingnut would allow the 52 year old fiberglass to lower... and they latched that hood. 

That is a fact. Not an opinion. Not conjecture, not an assumption. 

here's the hood resting on the wingnut, photographed to save for posterity the fact that the hood won't lower farther without force, since it's a broad piece of flat metal, with springs on the hinges, yes, it can be forced to latch. And it was

here's what was installed without my authorization, consent, approval, or knowledge. 

here's what was put on my hood after I let them know I'd found this problem about two weeks ago, because I stopped by, curious when my car would be ready to be picked up

that's it, hood resting on 12 volts dc electricity, about 1200 amps of current. 

the wing nut, and where it chipped the fiberglass.  The 52 year old fiberglass induction

was I notified that someone fucked up? No. 

was I told that a mistake had been made and someone closed my hood and hit the battery post clamp wingnut? No. 

I discovered this all by myself. 

I think you'll agree, I haven't lost my mind and made shit up, haven't embellished the facts. 

I took photos instead, the day after telling my service advisor and Austin, who is acting manager I guess. He's J Bittle's son, and I figure inheriting the business in the next decade. 

here's the full under the hood equipment for getting the air from the hood scoops, and directing that to the carbs, via the pieces of fiberglass duct work.

with the hood raised a couple inches and showing how high that wingnut is, and how it is higher than the valve cover, higher than the inner fender, higher than the bottom of the hood hinge

and how that damn wingnut is going to hit the fiberglass. with the hood closed any lower, the camera cant take a photo under the hood, the yellow across the top of the photo is the hood

So... that happened, and I had to bring it to the attention of car mechanics, professional ones. I'm just a car guy. I've been a professional car mechanic, at a Sears oil, battery, and tire center. I've even been a mechanic in the Navy, got my E-4 in 1990

And along the way of working on things, being a knuckle buster, a knuckle dragger, a grease monkey, a tire changer, a bubble head, and other things, I learned to never close a car door or hood unless you do it gently, only with enough force to reasonably close it where it ought to latch. Never slam a car door, never slam a hood. Especially when it's someone else's car. 

SO I was VERY angry to find my hood closed, past the point where it was up against the wingnut that wasn't getting out of the damn way. 

I pointed this problem out, and left, without swearing, hitting, biting, spitting, swinging, crashing, or colliding with anything or anyone. I was trying to not puke. I was that angry. I was a sailor in the Navy for 10 years who went around the world, and picked up the knowledge of really offensive words and phrases, and the habit of using them as often as breathing. I'm still a bit upset. It's been 4 hours to write up this post so far. 

But that isn't the only thing that went wrong, it's a twofer! No notification about the need for a new battery, consultation about what replacement battery I'd prefer to pay for... and then someone making a big car battery collide into rare old induction I can't afford to replace or repair. 

Next, I went and talked to the owner of JBA, J Bittle himself. 

I figure you have no right to blindside anyone with complaints, even the justified ones. If you want to be respected, you also have to respect things. Like the responsibility that people have as employers, as company owners, as car guys and what not. All that stuff. So you have talk to them about what went wrong, so that they can deal with it, handle their business, and provide you with an idea of what they want to do to resolve an issue. Or two. Or 3. Well, frankly I have about a dozen. 

So, then I left. 

The shop got an earful, pretty civilized like, with composure. 

We shook hands, as gentlemen do who forget that it's covid whatever and we shouldn't shake hands, but seriously, I've been in a habit of shaking hands for about 40 years, and I'm still not over that habit after a couple encounters with people since getting back out into the world after being unemployed for 7 months. 

I came back the next day to get my car after they changed out that top post acid battery with my choice of an Optima. 

You know, I admire Optima. Have for a decade or more.... and that is the battery I want to pay for and have under the hood of my cool old car. 

I hope, sorta ridiculously, that I'll be able to have fun with my old Dodge in a parking lot with some autocross cones, someday. It's no where near ready to do that yet... but an Optima battery is a good step in the right direction. 

The next day I picked up my car, on Wednesday night, the day before thanksgiving. 

Then I discovered that my drivers side window won't roll up. It did when I dropped off my car to get the ignition replaced. 

That's another post  

But no one told me that they'd caused a problem and that my window won't roll up any more. 

No one consulted with me about the rev limiter setting on the MSD box. I can assure you it has one. 

I wasn't consulted about that, told what it was set to, nor was I given the instruction papers, or whatever MSD includes with the distributor, brain box, etc in case I need the warranty on those parts. 

I wasn't given my old ignition system. Not until I asked for it. 

I wasn't given my old battery. Yes, I actually have a good use for an old battery, and when I learned that they felt my wasn't going to work, you know, after I got upset that it was already replaced, I thought, hey, I can use that to power the old AM radio from a Cutlass that my friend doesn't realize I am going to make into a garage radio for her for xmas, (another post in a couple weeks probably) because it's the only part of the 442 her parents had, that she LOVED, that is still around. It probably works, but was likely replaced by an AM FM radio. 

Anyway, those car radios need 12 volts dc... you know, like from a used battery that can hold a charge, and a lot of current, for a long time. Like the 9 year old battery did. 

Oh well. I will use the old battery from my commuter, it wasn't doing so well, and a couple months ago, I had to replace it. By the way, new batteries cost more than 150 dollars, even for small cars. Even for small trucks. Mike said his Toyota Tundra needed a new battery about a year ago. Cost him about 300 dollars.

I wasn't given the paperwork from the MSD boxes on the distributor, or the brain box with the rev limiter. Which wasn't set to something reasonable. Not asking the customer what they want a rev limiter set to is not reasonable. It's also under 5000 rpm

I wasn't given the pitman arm, idler arm... you know, the wasted old ones. No one even mentioned it. Sure, it's only a matter of principle to mention them, but damn... after this debacle? If I was on the other side of this, I'd damn sure spend some time thinking about what the hell else went wrong, has been overlooked, unmentioned, etc. Then I'd contact the car owner and see if they wanted to talk about it. 

After all, since this whole thing began, and ended, I never was called, or emailed, or texted even, to be told a single problem ever occurred. I had to ask to talk to the manager, and the owner. I had to stop by to talk to the service writer. 

Sure, I have been apologized to, and though I actually can't remember what was subtracted from the bill, not accurately, it was free install of the battery I think.

You know the one that my hood was impacted onto. 

Oh yeah, and when I went in, and said, hey, when you're installing that ignition, I want to pay to have you put on spark plug insulation boots too. The good ones. You know, so headers won't touch the boots or spark plug wires, and burn them, short them out... as I've paid for the first MSD wires ever in my life, and they might be the most expensive spark plug wires I've ever bought, the good expensive ones, about 300 dollars worth, I sure want them topped off with the insulation boots. 

Well, that wasn't heard. 

So, when I was there about 2 weeks ago, to check and see when my car would be done? Discovering the hood to battery contact? I also found that they hadn't been installed. So, I pointed out that I was pretty angry about the battery to hood impact, and that the boots weren't installed. 

Now, I can understand, I was legit angry, and they (Austin and the service writer) probably weren't hearing me say... "insulation boots are missing, that's one of the things I said I wanted to have installed"

A week later? When I stopped by to pay up and pick up my car, they weren't installed. So, I had to point out, not just that I was upset about a lot of stuff, and how about getting that damn battery with a wingnut replaced by an Optima... I had to say, and install the spark plug boots too. You know, like so I can leave with my car as I mentioned when I arrived... with an ignition system is completely done right, the first time, the right way. 

So, I think I wasn't charged for the install of the spark plug boots. Pretty sure about that. 

 

When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill, 

When the funds are low and the debts are high, 

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, 

When care is pressing you down a bit, 

Often the goal is nearer than, 

It seems to a faint and faltering man,

And he learned too late when the night slipped down,

 How close he was to the golden crown. 

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit- 

It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit”

Just wait til you can calmly discuss what you're upset about, and you might see that there is another side to the story, and that other people might not be on the same page, as they didn't hear you, and brother, I know I talk a lot, especially when I'm excited, you know, as in, holy shit, I'm finally getting my car upgraded! 

So, I found that I'm the only one that thought I was getting a buddy ol pal discount that I asked about. 

No one wrote that down, and no one heard me say insulation boots, and they did reply, we have those on the shelf... but they didn't write it down. 

Oh, something else that made me mad. They wrote down on the bill to charge me for installing a new ignition coil. 

That was something they charged me for on the bill. They didn't install a new coil. In fact, I had a spare MSD coil because I was a bit happy when ordering the last part of the system, the brain box, and ordered a coil, even though I already had an MSD Blaster 2 coil in the old ignition system that I bought about a decade ago, to hope that it might make the car run better. 

So, when I brought over the ignition parts to get installed, I brought over the spare coil, brand new MSD Blaster 2 coil, and told the guys at JBA to give it to someone who could use it, who needed it. Just pay it forward. 

And that seems to me to be the better option than returning it to Summit... a year after buying it, and it sitting in my garage in the box, waiting for me to install the MSD system. I thought, hey, be basic. Do the right thing, be generous, be nice, pay it forward. Someone will need that, and where will they be when they find out they need a coil that will work in nearly all 1960s muscle car ignition systems? At a speed shop that specializes in upgrading 1960s musclecars. 

By the way, I talked to a couple people about this entire debacle, they all only heard my side of the story, but Mike said quote "I'd be in jail" when told about the hood impacted with the battery

If you can keep your head when all about you 

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, 

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, 

But make allowance for their doubting too;

 If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, 

Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

 Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

 And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise: 

 If you can dream – and not make dreams your master; 

If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim; 

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster 

And treat those two impostors just the same;

 If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken 

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, 

Or watch the things you gave your life to broken, 

And stoop and build ’em up with wornout tools:

 If you can make one heap of all your winnings 

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, 

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

 And never breathe a word about your loss; 

 If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew 

To serve your turn long after they are gone, 

And so hold on when there is nothing in you 

Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

 If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, 

Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch, 

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, 

If all men count with you, but none too much;

 If you can fill the unforgiving minute 

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run – 

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, 

And – which is more – you’ll be a Man my son! 

Kipling

So there it is, and I emailed J Bittle: I just wrote for 5 hours about everything that happened while your company was working on my car. Would you like to respond with your side of the story?

 If you do, let me know, and I'll email you a link, and you can reply in the same post, so people see that there are truly two different ways to see the same event, and that people can be respectable when caught in adversity, and talk about a problem, and not argue, but both have their say about the situation and move on from there without resentment.

Since he had all day, as here it is 6:25 pm, and he seems to leave his office around 5pm, so I guess he's not going to refute, complain, edit, change, or add anything to this post. 

(update Dec 28th, he never did, says he never got the email - so while standing there talking to him I did a test email, and of course it worked) 

So, having emailed and offered him the opportunity to give his side of the story, and finding that he didn't, I've went ahead and posted this. If I hear from him, which I doubt, as people who feel they are not going to change anyone's minds normally don't bother saying what they think, I'll post it. But since I want to get this behind me, I'm not waiting any longer. 

It's time to move along, having decided that this was a mess, not my fault, and maybe not the fault of the guy who owns and runs that speed shop, but, it's also his responsibility to hire the right people, train them to work like he wants them to, and proceed at all times in a way that brings credit and builds the reputation of his business.