Roger Upton - RU Car Crafters - Up to his old tricks

[jayhawk261]

This will be a bit long winded, and I apologize for that, but this post has been 2 full years in the making.

Roger Upton of RU Car Crafters wants to be in business again. Be VERY wary of his business practices.

I have known Roger for 13 years, and I've even spent time on this board talking up him and his product as his reputation had become less than positive. Summer of 2014 at the Mid America Ford Meet in Tulsa, OK, he makes noise about wanting to get back into building cars again. I said great, I'm happy to be your first customer as I've always wanted an RUCC car!

October of 2014, we work out the details and agree to a scope of work and a price. Then I begin to wait. Wait, and wait, and wait, and wait. I knew the plan was for it to take some additional time because he had some setbacks and he was also working on another car (not one of his). I waited patiently for 2 years through all of the "I've been sick for a week", "I am going on vacation this week", "I have to do my taxes for several days" excuses as time rolls on. I'm ok with all of this because in the end, I'm going to get the RUCC Cobra I want.

Fast forward 2 years. October, 2016 Roger finally tells me the car is ready to deliver. I have been getting pictures all along, and the pictures that day look like the complete car that I want and that we agreed on. There are a couple things that look outstanding from our scope of work, so I ask about them in a text. The specific item here is that our scope of work included a "Complete Hole Cut Out Package". In the photos, all of the holes are cut out except the hood scoop. I bring that up, and he tells me that is not part of the cut out package.

Short story, we go back and forth in text. We get on the phone wherein he proceeds to yell at me almost incoherently telling me that his website clearly states that is not part of the hole cut out package. His website stopped working in 2014 not long after we agreed to the project, but somehow I'm supposed to have memorized this.

I try to calm him down, and all I really want at this time is a reason that it's not included. Maybe there is a valid reason for that, I don't know. Then he starts yelling at me about how he used old pricing when he quoted me the car and everything costs more now and that the custom work for the passenger roll bar cost way more than than he estimated. He then said that I'm not holding up my end of the bargain (not sure how that's possible, my end was to give money and I did so every time he asked without hesitation), and he's sending my money back. Then he hangs up.

That last exchange happened on Friday October 21st. He texts me periodically through that day telling me he mailed the check and what not. On Monday the 24th, I initiate a text hoping the situation has calmed down and maybe to find a way to get through the issue. I stated in that text that if we need to discuss additional funds for the custom work, I was ok with that. I wanted my car. Again, we got on the phone, and I get accused of both using our friendship to force him to use old pricing and forcing him to use the old pricing on the website. Not sure how I could do both, but neither actually happened. We have a clear documented correspondence of me asking for a price so I can see if it fits my budget.

During this call, he sticks to his stance and tells me that because I asked him about the hood scoop cutout, I don't care about RU Car Crafters. For that, he doesn't care to do business with me. I am failing to see where he cares about me, his paying client. I waited for 2 years and rearranged many things in my life preparing for the arrival of this car not the least of which was selling my pristine 32,000 mile 1985 Mustang GT this past summer. Had I known he was going to flake on me, I'd still have that car to enjoy.

The long and the short of it is that he didn't price the car right, and was looking for any excuse to not sell it to me which I apparently gave to him by having the audacity to ask a question about something I was paying thousands of dollars of my hard earned money for.

He is now going to try to sell it to someone else for an amount of money that would make it probably the most expensive kit on the market. If anyone looks at it and wants to buy it, please beware that you will likely get no support in the rest of the items you'll need to complete the car.

Roger's work is high quality, but there is a reason he basically went out of business all those years ago. His ability to conduct business has not changed, and I feel foolish for having stood behind him and for trusting him.

Sorry for the rant, but I had to get it out. Thanks to anyone who made it this far!