Although it is BS.. you have to keep something in mind.. it's Florida. My mom lives in SW Florida and the last time I went there in a winter month (January of 2009 or 2010, i forget which).. it actually got to like 33*.. it was so cold, that the powerlines froze, the airports shut down because there was ice on the wings of the planes, and they didnt have the equipment to remove it... when I talk to her (or friends from Florida), I ask how the weather is..they say "It's so cold out! It got down to 50* tonight! We had to put sweaters on and everything!".. it's not Colorado, or up north here, where if it gets to 35*, we put t-shirts on. So although it may be BS to all of us (aka, the normal people), to them it may feel legitimate

 

I live in SW Florida and we just had a few nights that were around 32 degrees, but on the east coast, Ft. Lauderdale didn't get that cold.
I attached a link from the weather channel.
I call his excuse BS also.
http://www.weather.com/weather/monthly/USFL0149?month=0
Tom

 

It was in the 40's a couple nights this past week in Ft. Lauderdale. High the past few days only around 70. It is now starting to warm up;they predict upper 70's here in Tampa bay for the next week. I rode 8 blocks a coupla days ago & froze my bag off. I can deal with alot of things, but cold ain't one of 'em. Neither is a toothache.

I used to work for a top motorcycle fabricator & painter in Clearwater about 10 years ago, and I would always bitch because there was no heat in the shop. He finally went out & bought me a heater, but then I hadda drive about 5 miles every coupla days to make a kerosene run. So my guess is--the guy ain't bullshittin' ya! Very few industrial places here are heated, 'cause it rarely gets THAT cold.

 

I learned a long time ago, don't burn the bridge till its time to.

Did he give U a date when they were supposed to be done at the start.

Anymore when I do business with anyone I will tell them to just be honest with me and tell me how long the job will take and when can they get to it.

Most all businesses want the jobs but some will overbook knowing they cant keep deadlines dates. Then blow U off when it takes longer.

Just ask for an Honest date when he'll have them done, then if it goes past the date, then I'd be calling him back.

This is the reason I do all the business I can locally. I just don't like to buy online or send work out where I have to use the mail, UPS, etc.

 

The "half up front and half when done" rule doesn't apply to tin painting?

 

they were supposed to be done middle of Dec. Then he said that the big south florida toy run caused the painter to get backed up with a lot of guys wanting paint done before the toy run. Then the painter was sick for a week. Then the guy was on Christmas vacation. Then he said they'd be ready on tuesday of this week. Then on wednesday he said they only had one coat of black done and he was having the temperature issues. Now he says they will be done Monday or Tuesday of next week. I just told him, dont bother sending them if they arent perfect because he'll be getting them returned. I also bought the hardware and latches from him in mid dec which he hasnt shipped yet. So today, I left him a message that I thought he should assemble the hardware on the bags for me before he ships them as a good faith gesture for having my money for 5 weeks. He hasnt answered my message. Doesnt help that since I bought these bags ive read several guys say bad things about "Fairing Factory". Hopefully all will end well. But my patience is about out. I appreciate everyones responses. At least I have something to read while I am waiting and hopefully he isnt jerking my chain.

 

I'm just going to play Devil's Advocate here. I can tell you that I live here in South Florida (West Palm Beach) and it has not been above 70 for a few days and is dropping into the 30's at night. Although that may seem great to most of the country (and trust me I'm aware as I am originally from Boston, MA), it feels much colder here due to the wind currents, etc. However, I have no idea if that is in fact why your paint is not done, I am just confirming that he is telling the truth regarding the weather.

 

Being in the auto refinish business for over 30 years I have heard pretty much every excuse that a painter can think of. If he has no heated booth that will surely slow down his production, but if thats how he makes his living, and not just a hobby or side job, he'll find ways to get the job done. My guess is that he's already been paid for the job, and then fell behind, and now he's putting the money jobs ahead of yours, and since your not local, its easy for him to blow you off by not answering calls and messages. Contact him and demand a completion date. be firm, but don't lose your cool.
Hope things work out well for you.

 

Modern automotive paint does not "cure" per se ...you put hardener in and use the correct reducer for the temp you are painting in....the biggest problem is it drying too fast in warmer weather. They probably don't have the correct reducer for colder temps, and don't want to buy it for one cold snap. I have painted in 30's temps with no curing problems. Cold weather will cause fisheyes and adhesion problems...I have seen paint jobs painted in cold, that looked perfect ...but would peel right off...so if you put the rush on them... you will just wind up with a sub-par quality job. NEVER pay in full for any labor up front...if they insist go elsewhere.

 

I totally agree. I'm a painter myself and I gotta tell you if it takes that long for paint to "cure" he did something wrong. Once you add hardener the paint has no choice but to get hard or "cure". Some painters can be the biggest bs'ers you could ever meet! And +1 on the half down half when it's done idea! My opinion's that he may have had an undesireable result because of the cold and doesn't want to tell you about it and by the sounds of it he never took anything off your bike to prep and paint it. You mentioned that he had to cover the intake to do the prep. Which tells me he's making it a lot more work than it needs to be. That just adds more variables to how a job turns out.