Originally Posted by 55/Rad
I see the bike every couple of weeks if not more frequently. It is 90% complete and awaiting final detail. Calendars, schedules and deadlines are useless - no less than 10 promised completion deadlines have fallen by the wayside in the past 2 years.
That's good to hear. My impression had been that at the most you had been calling and not gotten any results. Your constant checking on it is probably the best way to go. Your timing is probably good to; go too much, and it might irritate him. He's taken a long time, but you still want him to 'take his time' and not rush his actual work, or have him do an intentionally crappy job. That last scenario is probalby not likely anyways, because the end result reflects on his work which might affect future business.
Originally Posted by 55/Rad
-I can demand my deposit back and take the frame. Maybe take him to small claims court. But getting the cash out of him would likely take a court action and then I would still need to get somebody else to start over with it. No reputable painter would want to touch this frame in it's unfinished state - it's a concept piece.
-I can threaten to not pay the balance. But we've already agreed that due to the delays, I'm not paying another cent beyond the deposit.
-I could tear him a new arsehole on the forums. While satisfying, I think I'll just continue to try to be fair and report the facts as best as possible. Besides, I've found that if I just tee up the story, a lot of you guys will do the ripping.
-I can continue to be patient and hope he gets it done. In the meantime, I'll work on other projects.
55/Rad
He may be taking a long time with this, but he seems like a good enough guy. Especially in light of the fact that he's basically doing it pro bono now. Your restraint in tearing into him is also probably a good idea. Again, you don't want to go pissing the guy off when he's still got your baby.
Keep up the good work, I guess. Keep us updated, to the extent that the situation changes. God speed.