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***Warning On Leather Repair - Barnacle Bill***
- Thread starter MPH 200
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You know duct tape now comes in colors.
12 O Clock
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unfortunately, those are my leathers. I always heard "you get what you pay for" so after he had my leathers for a week and said $305 I felt like I got a swift kick to the side of the head but then thought...it'll be worth it. I was wrong. I did call him back to reason with him and he said what I paid was fair and how he even discounted the shipping back to me but he refused to budge on his price even after I mentioned that all my friends said it was a horrible job...he also wouldn't take them back to fix them properly. Thanks for posting this Michael. I would try small claims court but I am paid buy the hour and it wouldn't be worth it in the end :-( so now I will warn ppl and NEVER promote his business.
Boy Howdy, that is an ugly job. I am having a hard time believing Bill had anything to do with that piece of work!
We have had Bill repair several suits as well as patches etc. and I'd recommend his work to anyone. Was always first class. I know others who have had great results as well. Bill makes custom suits as well. This is the first time I've heard of anyone getting poor workmanship. I know he is slow sometimes because it's just him and his wife that do the work.
Whoever did your repair certainly didn't do you any favors.
We have had Bill repair several suits as well as patches etc. and I'd recommend his work to anyone. Was always first class. I know others who have had great results as well. Bill makes custom suits as well. This is the first time I've heard of anyone getting poor workmanship. I know he is slow sometimes because it's just him and his wife that do the work.
Whoever did your repair certainly didn't do you any favors.
12 O Clock
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Well I got a phone call this morning at 8AM from Bill (very upset) asking why I didn't tell him I was so upset over the suit repairs. I explained to him that when I called back after getting the suit I expressed my concern about the patches rather than the whole panel being replaced. He also made mention that he put 2inch cuff extensions on my suit (these are effective but still lack luster and they were priced at $40 for both) and sewing of the knee (about 10inches of stitch) and a 4-6in line at the hip (all decent seems that follow the original stitching and not cross stitched like the shoulder). Now he also mentioned to me that Alpinestars is one of the hardest brands to work with to try to repair but that he quoted me on a repair and not a restoration so I shouldn't expect a perfect suit again. After about a 20 minute talk he agreed to refund the $50 for the 2 sleeve patches in the keprotec. I'm getting a small portion of the investment back because of this thread and for that I am glad but I am sorry that it came to this board. Before I sent my leathers to Bill I had heard nothing but good things about him and maybe for $305 I was expecting to much in return. I do know that the work he did on the speed hump($75) was good, the cuffs($40) were acceptable since the gloves hide them and zipper($70)is lacking luster in being attached but also hidden so I guess can't argue with $185 of the cost. The $50 refund (for the keprotec patches) is to be sent out in the mail to me on Monday.
I actually contacted Bill and directed him to your thread. I have delt with Bill for a long time and he is a first class stand up guy. As I said earlier, I have never before heard a complaint from anyone concerning Bill's work or prices.
I also tip my hat to you for stepping up to the plate and admitting you may have been expecting to much for the amount of money you spent. Not even the infamous Barnacle Bill can make an old crashed set of leathers look new again but he can make them useable. We have had suits that have been crashed in multiple times after Bill repaired them and not once have we had one of Bills seams seperate.
I'm happy to see you feel better about your dealings with Bill!
I also tip my hat to you for stepping up to the plate and admitting you may have been expecting to much for the amount of money you spent. Not even the infamous Barnacle Bill can make an old crashed set of leathers look new again but he can make them useable. We have had suits that have been crashed in multiple times after Bill repaired them and not once have we had one of Bills seams seperate.
I'm happy to see you feel better about your dealings with Bill!
Barnacle Bill sent me this note and ask me to post it up on this thread:
b bill >> this was a case of spending too much on an old skinned up suit. I call James Y from texas and told him so and what I could and could not do to that particular suit. I told him I could repair the shoulder and arm and that it would be kevlar material glued over the holes and stitched into place not a total sleeve panel replacement and that that would cost 50.00 for it was a time thing. we also restitched the velcro on the knees and replaced stitching in the seat and thighs and a few otherplaces for an additional 50.00 and gave a good measure of time on that . we also extended the sleeves cuffs I think 3 inches with a simple leather cuff and a velcro closure for 20.00 each . on the waist zipper the one he sent would not match so the 30.00 fix would not work so we went ahead and installed the new brass zipper on both the pants and jacket making the pair join together though they are mismatched in size . we had to install the extenders up in the jacket to carry the extra length. it's not pretty but it is out of sight and it worked and that was 75.00 ( regularly 80.00) but we had discussed that too. then he added the aer0hump for 75.00 which brought the total to 290.00 plus 15.00 UPS and ins. and that was a lot to spend on that old suit and told him so but he OK it and we did the work. he called to ask about the zipper 75.00 vs 30.00 and I explained that and then about the patches on the kevlar and i told him usually patches run 20-25.00 on average depending on where they are and he seemed satisfied . I thought we were on the same page but it looks like we were reading different books . I talked to him this morning and I have already mailed him back 60.00 . I wished he had just called first and made his true feelings known before lauching this attack. what you write on the internet stays on the internet. I'm afraid this posting will haunt both of us for a long time to come but hey he's only 22 yrs old. he has a lot to learn . the best to all on the board. barnacle bill and darethea
b bill >> this was a case of spending too much on an old skinned up suit. I call James Y from texas and told him so and what I could and could not do to that particular suit. I told him I could repair the shoulder and arm and that it would be kevlar material glued over the holes and stitched into place not a total sleeve panel replacement and that that would cost 50.00 for it was a time thing. we also restitched the velcro on the knees and replaced stitching in the seat and thighs and a few otherplaces for an additional 50.00 and gave a good measure of time on that . we also extended the sleeves cuffs I think 3 inches with a simple leather cuff and a velcro closure for 20.00 each . on the waist zipper the one he sent would not match so the 30.00 fix would not work so we went ahead and installed the new brass zipper on both the pants and jacket making the pair join together though they are mismatched in size . we had to install the extenders up in the jacket to carry the extra length. it's not pretty but it is out of sight and it worked and that was 75.00 ( regularly 80.00) but we had discussed that too. then he added the aer0hump for 75.00 which brought the total to 290.00 plus 15.00 UPS and ins. and that was a lot to spend on that old suit and told him so but he OK it and we did the work. he called to ask about the zipper 75.00 vs 30.00 and I explained that and then about the patches on the kevlar and i told him usually patches run 20-25.00 on average depending on where they are and he seemed satisfied . I thought we were on the same page but it looks like we were reading different books . I talked to him this morning and I have already mailed him back 60.00 . I wished he had just called first and made his true feelings known before lauching this attack. what you write on the internet stays on the internet. I'm afraid this posting will haunt both of us for a long time to come but hey he's only 22 yrs old. he has a lot to learn . the best to all on the board. barnacle bill and darethea
2Wheels2Live
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Sounds like he oughta be called Bendover Bill, or Barnacle Bulls**t. His business does sound pretty crusty, so the names right on. It'll be easy to remember for spreading the warning around the net 
I just read the above post from old crusty, sounds like a bunch of excuses to me. A good job for a fair price is the way to go...not a hack job for a big price, then debating and varying amounts of money being refunded. Sounds kinda sketchy for a supposedly upstanding business??
I just read the above post from old crusty, sounds like a bunch of excuses to me. A good job for a fair price is the way to go...not a hack job for a big price, then debating and varying amounts of money being refunded. Sounds kinda sketchy for a supposedly upstanding business??
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12 O Clock
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He did his best to make it right for me this morning...that's enough for me to gain my respect back for him and his business. Keep in mind he didn't have to refund me anything and he refunded me more than the amount we agreed upon.
Question is would you deal with him again???
I think you wouldn't
And I know I am not
b bill >> this was a case of spending too much on an old skinned up suit.
I love it, Old skinned up suit. Yeah it was old all right... about 3 weeks old.
Say what you want, but this was unacceptable work. Photos don't lie. James is being a good guy by not telling the whole story. I guess Bill didn't mention that he threatened James w/ a defamation of character lawsuit at 8:00 am this morning.
hey he's only 22 yrs old. he has a lot to learn
Like who to do business with? Glad thats not a discriminatory statement.
All I have to say is SYED LEATHERS for quality work, customer service, & quality repairs.
I love it, Old skinned up suit. Yeah it was old all right... about 3 weeks old.
Say what you want, but this was unacceptable work. Photos don't lie. James is being a good guy by not telling the whole story. I guess Bill didn't mention that he threatened James w/ a defamation of character lawsuit at 8:00 am this morning.
hey he's only 22 yrs old. he has a lot to learn
Like who to do business with? Glad thats not a discriminatory statement.
All I have to say is SYED LEATHERS for quality work, customer service, & quality repairs.
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I have to say the pictures are pretty SHOCKING!
You know the old saying: "A picture is worth a thousand words." Well maybe about 10,000 in this instance.
You know the old saying: "A picture is worth a thousand words." Well maybe about 10,000 in this instance.
The pictures are bad ... to see the shoddy workmanship in person is even worse. But the VERY WORST are the excuses from BB ... his complete lack of customer service AND the bullying that went on at 8:00 am this morning. BB says it's because James is 22 that he's upset ... I say BB tried to capitalize on this fact this morning to scare James into shutting up with his threat of a defamation lawsuit. The pictures don't lie ... and James isn't either. Had BB done the right thing in the first place, this board would not have ever known there was a problem. I believe this is called ACCOUNTABILITY. I appreciate this type of warning and hope it serves members well and keeps them from happening into the same ****ty situation. 
I sent BB the thread link as soon as I saw the thread yesterday.. you did what you were supposed to, you called, got blown off and nothing happened until it got a bit more public.. not sure how the thread would "haunt" the guy "spending" the money myself..
Still boils down to a service business.. and they are all very hard to run and even harder to maintain 100% satisfaction with customers.. A lot rides on how you deal with a problem case.. he screwed up initially and sounds like he came back around and fixed it for you..
Still boils down to a service business.. and they are all very hard to run and even harder to maintain 100% satisfaction with customers.. A lot rides on how you deal with a problem case.. he screwed up initially and sounds like he came back around and fixed it for you..
Bill has always done good work for us and I'll continue to send him our business with confidence he will continue to give good service. Like Bogus says, no one in the service business will keep everyone happy.
If the man who owns the leathers is giving Bill the benefit of doubt, I don't see why the rest of us can't as well?
If the man who owns the leathers is giving Bill the benefit of doubt, I don't see why the rest of us can't as well?
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