Well I officially give up on Enviro-Tech of Houston. Nothing but lies, lies, and more lies. I went there today after being away for a week, nothing done. I have to rent a dang car to get over there. Truck looks the very same as it did last saturday except they moved the amp rack from the back sanding room and laid it in the cargo area of my truck. I have a picture but for some reason I can't do an upload, it says I am not a registered user. Seems like here lately everything that is gold that I touch turns into #$%^, I hope you can guess what those 4 letters stand for. I told them I had enough, they are fired. But you think they would put my truck back togeather for me? Heck no. Now I will probably have to hire a mechanic just to get it out of the shop. Can you say lawsuit? Yes, court here we go!!!
Just shows ya, 3K isn't anything to some people, and there word is even less. :nono:

Are they feeding you a bunch of BS or just ignoring you? I would go in there and raise some hell until something was done. You can't treat customers like that.

There is one thing wrong with going in and raising some hell. The job might get done but I am sure if you treat them like sh*t then they will treat your X like sh*t. Obviously they are to busy to work on your X so i say you take it as is to a different installer.

Both I am afraid. I can't get anything done now. When we had our last meeting, they told me that they wanted to "finish" some small jobs then he would get on mine 100% till completion. I do not know how long it really takes to build an amp rack, but 2 weeks is long enough. They tell me it needs to dry, well that is OK with me, do something while it is drying. Install the HU, the CD changer, the ZR3 radar, the 8500 radar, something. Don't go and work on other vehicles and me see you then tell me you are working on mine. In some of my pictures, there is a boat next to my X, that boat is long gone, they had to put in 3 JL amps and subs and some more speakers and a HU. But not mine. It sits like a lame duck, I can't start it, the alternator is off now and the seats are gone. Also look at my door panels. Sheesh, I will never recover from this. ;-(( I just want what I pay for, now I will not even get my deposit back without going to court. I feel this already. The max I can sue for in small claims is 5K, heck those door panels to be replaced are going to eat that up, with the 1500 deposit to get back. Plus, I also know they don't have to pay right away even if you win in small claims court. I am gonna lose on this no matter what. :fire:

Were they under any contractual obligation to follow a timeline?

Just verbally. The owner promised me the vehicle would be complete by Valentines day. He just didn't say what year!! I assumed it was to be this year. Remember I took this to them on January 6, 2004

Does this facility have a good reputation in Houston?

Have any other of our members used them? Satisified?

For the amount of money you are spending, I would think that they not only would be all over the install, but also be kissing your arse as well.

Did you do anything to anger them?

I only wished. I am too easy going for my own good. This job should have been grounded back in January when the initial installer I hired quit. That should have told me right then something was wrong. Enviro-tech has been in Houston for 10+ years, not many bad things about them at all, the only bad things I hear are really from other installers who didn't get the work. They cut prices for sure and give you the best deals. This is a big job. Allot of installation to be done. I just can't get it done!!

I assume you have a written contract specifying what is to be installed, the price, the lavor rate and a time frame?????

Everything but a time frame. But one law in Texas, makes a verbal commitement as good as any written contract. You have to watch what you say here, it is the law!! LOL.

Everything but a time frame. But one law in Texas, makes a verbal commitement as good as any written contract. You have to watch what you say here, it is the law!! LOL.

Do you have a/any witness?

Have you discussed this situation with your attorney?

u know i think maybe they might be swamped or something...i dunno but unless u want to tow the truck out of there ur kinda at there mercy..try and sit down with the manager and tell him just what u said to us

tell him u dont like how things are going yadda yadda tell him u will be suing for the rental car and anything over 3k when u have someone else fix there work tell him u will also be suing for the deposit to

then say if this is all a misunderstanding tell me now...that may either kick start there lame asses into working on ur truck...or u may find out that there is just a huge losse of comunication

either way its worth it to have one last chat..considering teh HUGE headache u are going to have when u try to yank the truck

They seemed pretty fast on putting that vinyl/sticker on your windshield more than actually getting the install done, just horrible.

Almost brings a tear to my eyes how sorry of a company they sound, best of luck to ya man.

Call up:

River Oaks Car Stereo
4129 Richmond 77027
www.installer.com
(7) 626-7627

Talk to Eddie (owner) and tell him I sent you.

Call up:

River Oaks Car Stereo
4129 Richmond 77027
www.installer.com
(7) 626-7627

Talk to Eddie (owner) and tell him I sent you.

Thanks Alec, you got it. :thumbsup:

As far as stereo shop installs go, this is pretty typical install. There is no excuse for this kind of service. Get a wrecker, and take your truck and all of your equipment somewhere else. Door panels don't cost 3,500. Sue them, and get a time frame worked into the contract. A verbal contract is next to worthless without a witness. I'm sure they have 2-3 people there that would testify against you.

I'm not sure I would want them to work on your truck even if you talk to manager and all things are good. So sad you can't trust anyone to do what you want right but ya cant do everything all the time and you HAVE to rely on other people to help you out. Ever think about tackling this yourself?

you should get the door panels back from them. Have another shop finish up where they left off. Shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Also, if you can start a thread that outlines your whole experience from start to finish, along with a couple photos - that way everyone can post it all over the net and multiple forums and ruin the companies reputation. It will spread quickly... trust me. I know I'll post it on every forum I know. Word will spread.

Shops don't like to finish the work started by a rival shop. They will probably want to start over.

Eddie is great at working with you so you get exactly what you want at a great price.

Eddie is great at working with you so you get exactly what you want at a great price.
Thanks Alec. I will call Eddie tomorrow and tell him in detail what all I have. This has been 1 horrible experience for me and my wife doesn't make it any better with the "I told Ya so's". She loves it I guess. I just hope I get not only my X back, but ALL of my equipment back also. Lots of little peices laying around there now, 10K worth at least. I really think if I sat and added it all up it is over that mark. You think Eddie will redo those doors are do I need to look for some new panels?

Ronnie

As yall can tell, I have had to walk away for awhile. This has really gotten me down. I still can't beleive it. After we had such a long talk about 3 weeks ago about them slow footing me. Can we post pictures yet?

Do you have the DIY experience to put some stuff back together? If you put your alt back in, would it run? If so, you can do it, its easy. Buy a haynes or chiltons, bring a set of tools, and put your own damn alt back in. Then, door panels are nothing but pressure clips. Who cares how much they have finished doing what they were doing, because it isnt going to get done. Line the clips up and pound them in, then drive the hell away. Around here, if you let shops do installs for you and they don't know/like you, they will sell your addy to theifs and have the equipment stolen back.... and that is a fact. I wouldn't leave my car there longer than I had to. It sounds like Alec has found you someone that you can trust! Take it there, and hopefully be done with it.

Well, while I may have the "knowledge" of being able to piece my explorer back togeather, I am disable now. No way am I able to lift a seat, or bend over a hood and put my alternator back on. Just physically impossible right now. That is what makes me so mad. They know this. My only options are to hire a wrecker, hire someone to put it back togeather, or they will do it. I expect a phone call today from the owner of the company. Or at least I hope he calls out of respect if nothing else. So we will see.

Just talked to Eddie. He said he doesn't do glas work, so I may have to put everything back togeather and start from scratch, which means replacing the door panels and some parts of the console. Going to call Enviro-tech now, they still haven't called me.

I can understand them wanting to do their own work, but if you're paying and choosing them over a rival I'm sure they'd be willing to do it.

send me your door panels? i'll fix em up

OK, here is the latest. Am I easy or what???
Talked to Lee, he is the actual installer @ 3:30PM CST. He asked me to give him a chance as he is working hard on it and understands my frustrations. He said he guarantees that if I leave it, it will have allot more that what I am paying for. Meaning he will go that extra mile for this install. But I must understand that he is in the middle and trying his best, just needs some time. I mean they do "owe" me and he said he wants to make it so that people will take notice and I will be happy I waited. He said he is only 2 to 3 weeks from completion and there is allot been done that I haven't seen. I do know they are doing something to the console, but I don't know exactly what. I also know they are re-doing the main power cables and upgraded to heavier cables for "free". This is killing me!! Oh, and we do need new door panels, I can get them and then collect at the end for them. What do you think?

I am afrade that your easy going attitude has bit you in the arse. A written contracr is essential in any deal like this.

Will these folks give you a written contract specifying exactly what is being done, the exact price, and an exact delivery date? If so, I think I would leave it there.

Good luck....

Get what the installer said in writing with a date and signature.

Get what the installer said in writing with a date and signature.

The installer is NOT the person to make a deal with, he works for a manager and an owner; get the contract signed by the top boss.

i was an HVAC insteal/reapair tech for about a year and it is VERY VERY VERY important to get everything in writing in triplicate...we were screwed so many times by not getting things in writing i finally saod F it and made each and every pearson sign on the dotted line

just take an hr or so sit at the comp and start typing..make sure u include everything u can think of that could come abck to bite u

and no matter what u feel it does not make u an ass to make someone put everything in writing (that was my problem i always felt bad..pfft)

2 or 3 weeks seems a bit long. If there has 'been a lot done that you havn't seen', and the original guesstimate for work time was for ~3 weeks, I want to know why it will take 3 weeks from the point they are at now.

Unfortunetly, you didn't go in w/ a set list of what you wanted done and exactly how etc. So you can't tell what exactly they are adding for 'free', etc. Make sure when they sign something, that there is mention of a refund if they dont finish.

Why do you need to get new door panels? You are taking this entirely too well. THEY should be going to the scrapyard and getting some new looking door panels. Aren't you the least bit concerned about not knowing what they are doing to certain things?

I believe that if I were to be spending that much money, I would be camping at the facility.

Well this old dude still has some tricks up his sleeve. I know if I do not like what they do or have done, I can make a note of it on there receipt at pick-up time after the job has been completed. The small claims court judge told me to do this. I will not personally buy the door panels. The court system is there for people just like me when you need them. It doesn't take a blind man long to realize he is in for a ride. At this point, I am too worried about "upsetting" them and they damaging my equipment. So I am to just going to sit tight and hopefully things will work out. If they are as responsible as they claim then I will be happy.

You have a lot of faith in Small Claim Court.

I imagine that the first document that the Judge will want to see is the written contract.

LOL, you got that right. I have it, even have a picture of it too. I have allot of faith in the "system". I have seen it work several times. Allot better than punching someone out and going to jail for assualt. But it's allot like rolling dice, some times you win, sometimes you crap out. But I honestly beleive that I have the loaded end here. A signed contract, of course it does not stipulate any freebies, but that is a verbal contract and then the judge rules by whom is the most credible. I will tell my story, and they will tell theres. How will they explain 3 months to build a box? I even want to hear this one, for 65 bucks I can. But I will not take them to court if I am treated right. That "WOO" factor has to be pretty high now.

i imagine the may eventually read this-

perhaps they should

i imagine the may eventually read this-

perhaps they should
LOL, well they know I am posting. Told them that the first day I arrived there with a camera. I wonder if they have ever looked here? I did give one of them an Explorer Express catalogue. So they probably know the link. ;-)

The sub box looks nice at least.........Hey sometimes you just gotta cross your eyes and look for that silver lining.

thats not good BBQ...if they read about u bad mouthing them that could be one of the reasons they are pissing in ur cherios lol

OK here was the picture I took last Saturday before I left. If you look at the other photos of the box and compare them to this, you can clearly see this is not a week's worth of work.
http://www.explorerforum.com/data/503/21512DSC00029.JPG

BBQ, given the situation you're in, I would try to reason with them somehow. Getting your truck out of that shop and into another is going to be a pain in the arse. By the pics you have posted, it looks like they are pretty skilled, they just need some motivation.

I am Hartman. They were given the OK to finish the project. Now all I can do is wait.

I am Hartman. They were given the OK to finish the project. Now all I can do is wait.

Did they give you a time frame?

Did they give you a time frame?
No, at this point I wouldn't expect one either. I am sure the hardest part is almost over with the glas on the box.