Date: Wed, 9 May 2001 20:51:56 -0400
Reply-To: "Horace K. Sawyer" <firestream@mindspring.com>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "Horace K. Sawyer" <firestream@mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: Boston Bob
In-Reply-To: <19EF8965816CE64B9FA91085474FA4CF011485@acment4.intraax.acm
ex.com>
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
At 04:52 PM 5/9/01 -0400, Melvin Mudgett-Price wrote:
>I have been quoted a price by Bob Donalds from Boston engine for a rebuilt
>engine. As everyone has been obsessed these last 2 days with giving their
>opinions on other vendors, has anyone got anything to say about Bob? It's
>a lot of money to send to someone I know nothing about so some positive
>feedback via pmail would certainly help.
>
>Bob, you are barred from sending an opinion.
>
>Melvin Mudgett-Price
So your're unsure about whether to send your hard earned cash to Boston?
FWIW, I have heard nothing but good about Beantown Bob. (Bear with me
please, in this post) The man seems to know what he's doing, and seems to
be driven toward doing it right. Plus, there are reliable reports of good
results of his handiwork. So, you got all that going for you. What more
could you want in the way of a recommendation? We are the community that
counts on recommendations like these. Fear not, comrade!
Now Boston Bob is quite unlike Todd Hill, who espoused all sorts of wisdom
and didn't know squat in practice. A friend of mine was taken for a ride
and had to chase that bozo literally all over the country, from Washington
to Arizona, and Ohio. Ole Todd got around. : ) He got around, but he had
a particular aversion to honoring requests to give these things back once
in his possession. He was a master at giving grandiose and varied excuses,
however, which may be a trait of these types of individuals. What happened
in that case? Persistence paid off. He was tracked down. The
transmission and the funds were recovered. In the final hours, law
enforcement had to be involved.
Note: Todd Hill claimed to have rebuilt the tranny, but photo evidence
clearly showed it to be a botched job. Whether it was out of simple
ignorance or fraud, we may never know the real truth of lurked inside this
man's head.
Interesting development: I know Boston Bob is watching this thread, and
fully aware of the tendency of list members to libel, slander, and
decapitate in ruthless fashion. Yet, this has indeed produced a "common
good" from the ashes of those burned at the stake. Why? People are
watching and taking notes, that's why. Having made your request for advice
about BB, I genuinely believe that both YOU and BOB will benefit from a
mutual agreement for him to do the motor job. Why, specifically, you
say? Because his reputation is at stake to a far greater degree than
perhaps with the local customer who just calls from the yellow pages. He
is on the stage now. He has a motivation to build you the best Waterboxer
he can. He knows the "good" word will spread, and he will prosper -- as he
should. Excellent work should be paid an excellent price.
Likewise, he is under tremendous pressure not to deliver a product that may
fail. (Sorry Bob -- I don't know you, don't have any financial ties to
you, and certainly didn't mean to put you in the pressure cooker for this
job if it is to happen; I am really just trying to help all of us VW
followers with whatever small contribution I can try to make)
Not to say mistakes can't happen, or unforeseeable circumstances won't
intervene their ugly heads -- they are inevitable and unavoidable. But the
hallmark of a man or woman of character is the ability to take responsibility.
Horace Kimbrell Sawyer
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