Complaint Review: Mike Lavallee

I had a written agreement with Mike Lavallee, owner of KillerPaint company in Snohomish,WA , to provide custom airbrushing and complete paint job for my drag race car, helmet and a few other parts. The agreement (attached) stated the total cost as $15,000 and would include “all bodywork and prep work as necessary, full base paint and airbrushing”. It further stated that “nothing would be placed on or painted on the car until it was rough sketched and approved by me”. It also included the helmet and blower scoop. Furthermore, there was agreement to what all would be included on the car and how (attached 2nd sheet). He also stated 3-4 weeks completion time.

The agreement was reached February 3rd, 2015.

The theme and art on the car was a dedication to my father whom passed away recently. It was a dedication to his service in WWII and the USAF B-17’s that he served with. This was a way that I decided to spend my inheritance to honor him. That is also why there was a budget that I had to stick to (see below).

After agreeing to the terms and me delivering the car the business then starting trying to change the agreement terms by claiming they don’t do bodywork. At first they wanted “another $10,000 - $12,000 for bodywork”. I declined and stated I could replace the whole car body for that much money. By now my car had been sitting at his shop for almost a month.

Lavallee then requested we do the deal “under the table”. We exchanged a few emails about this and I eventually declined and informed him I wanted it all above board and nevermind the tax savings. I felt this would have also placed me in a bad position should he not do a good job. This began to give me pause on this entire agreement.

Lavallee / Killerpaint sent my car out to another shop, Stokes Autobody in Monroe, WA, to do the bodywork. I was surprised at this because he had agreed to a full car paint job yet now apparently was not capable of simple bodywork (to which he previously agreed and accepted my deposit as requested and the car into his shop).

During this time I could not get updates from Lavallee and he kept referring me to the bodyshop. I informed him that I had no business relationship with the shop and it wasn’t right for him to brush me off onto the other shop that had my car. The other shop was in essence his sub-contractor and my business was 100% with Killerpaint and not Stokes Autobody. I did speak with Stokes Autobody (Ian Stokes, owner) a few times and he informed me of things he was doing. He requested a new door panel which was $100 plus shipping. He also suggested to “save time and money” to just order new fenders and trunk lid. I did that based upon that request and paid for the parts to ship directly. Total parts order was $801.42 for two fenders and door skin and $235.79 for trunk lid. Later on they now claimed my hood (which has been on the car for years) now did not fit. Rather than continue what starting to become an argument I ordered another replacement hood for the car at a cost of $575.94.

Later, when I got the car back, my race crew and I test fitted the old hood (I went to the body shop later and got my old parts). The hood fit perfectly fine. I now have two hoods and wasted money. The fenders I had looked at by three body shops and they all stated they were in fine condition and did not need replacing at all.

My last conversation with Ian Stokes of Stokes Autobody was to ask why the hood was still not installed on the car (it had all been painted). He stated that Lavallee had not called and likely because he (Lavallee) owed him money and did not want to pay. He also told me that it was the last job he would do for Mike Lavallee because he (lavallee) doesn’t pay his bills and owed him for two other jobs still.

The car was returned to Lavallee’s Killerpaint shop. Lavallee had stokes Autobody align all the doors and fenders and paint the doorjambs and prep / sand the car for paint. In essence, all things that are part of any car paint job. Work that was already agreed to in the $15,000 quote.

During that time I discussed in further detail what, and how, I wanted the artwork airbrushed on the car. I made a trip up there just to discuss placement, size, and other parameters with him. I had a person with me that can testify to what transpired. Which was almost being ignored and dismissed. I showed placement, size of the rear images and more. All of the referenced artwork was supplied by me. At this time the base paint was done but only a small portion of artwork was done and was covered by a mask (stencil).

During the coming weeks I tried to get updates on the car or some photos showing me samples (or sketches as the agreement called for). All to no avail. Lavallee kept putting me off, not being in or other dodges to my requests. At one point he referred me to his “facebook” page to see the car. I told him that was unacceptable for several reasons (not to mention posting publicly without my permission) and that tiny 2” internet photos of very limited areas was not a proper update. I could not see 75% of the car even if I did as suggested.

He finally emailed me a few photos of one side and hood and rear. Several other areas were left out. When I finally got the email the car had everything painted on it (actually stenciled/decal and not hand airbrushed or illustrated as expected) and was clearcoated. The final coat over the paint to make it permanent. Every shop in this business (custom paint and airbrushing) that I have spoken with since then has stated they would absolutely never clearcoat a car before the customer saw the art and was happy with it. Every business stated that and I interviewed over 10 such companies.

The car also had these awful looking “bulletholes” all over the car. Thirty-Seven “bulletholes” and never agreed to at all. I told Lavallee that I was very upset and it looked like the car was “shot down”. He said he thought it “looked cool” and that he wasn’t going to redo it because it had been clearcoated already. I was very upset and now felt that my car had been ruined and look terrible. Not only the huge number of these holes but they were done very amateurish and poorly executed too (as everyone that has seen the car from other paint businesses have agreed).

The “artwork” was thrown on the car as a decal and not airbrushed. All other shops that came to see the car later have agreed that it was a decal stencil and not illustrated airbrush work (as the agreement stated). Furthermore, the sizes were all wrong, colors wrong, and several things entirely missing. He also painted him business’s logo on my trunk! All without approval or permission. My father’s name was not in yellow as specified and not in the font as given Lavallee as sample work. The rear triangle and number was way smaller and not placed where requested. The logo on the doors had overspray all over it, lines crooked and more. The one passenger side was done about 80% of the driver side logo.

The clearcoat in many places on the car was sagging and was not flat. Much of the artwork (ie – decals) were crooked and looked very amateurish. Way different than the work quality he showed me at his shop or the work he referenced when we made the agreement.

Also the car had overspray all over the place. Primer overspray and clearcoat overspray. He (Lavallee) did not even properly cover areas like any paint shop would do. I have dozens of hours work to remove the overspray and it has damaged thousands of dollars in race car equipment and wiring. Several places (like trunk to car or hood to car) the base paint does not even match.

By this time my car had now been gone for over 4 months and I had paid Lavallee (killerpaint) $15,440 plus the money I was out for the car parts as noted above (almost another two thousand dollars). Copies of these payments attached. $15,000 in checks and $440 in credit card.

At this point I wanted my car back. Immediately. After much back and forth with him trying to put me off he said the car was done. I drove up there August 8th, 2015 with 3 other people to pick up my car. We arrived and the car was not even put back together. All the bumpers, grille, headlights, weather-stripping and much more was in boxes laying in a pile in the back of his shop. The engine scoop, a brand new $300 item that was supposed to be custom painted per the written agreement, was also laying in the pile, not painted and now all scratched (it is polished aluminum / chrome). We put the car into my car trailer along with the boxes of parts that were scattered all over. The hood was also not installed at all either. Just laying loose sitting on the car.

The race helmet that was painted (brand new and cost me $421.93) was also painted in such a way it is now ruined. It was even disassembled to paint properly, has orange peel all over it, is stenciled and not airbrushed, and is crooked.

Prior to leaving Lavallee then said I owed him another $6000+ dollars. I asked for an accounting of that and he refused saying “that is between you and Ian (or Ian Stokes Autobody). I informed him that it was absolutely not between Ian and I and that he (Lavallee) cannot just make up some number and charge me for work unaccounted for or already paid for. He began to get belligerent and yelling. At me and also at the other guys with me. They were all stunned at his behavior and temper.  Lavallee kept yelling and arguing at me. I told him I needed to see some receipt or something that showed what it was he was billing me for. He refused and provided me nothing. At that point I got in my car and drove away with my car.

Lavallee called the police on me then and I was pulled over. After discussing what had happened with the Snohomish police and the Snohomish Sheriff (both were there), they agreed I was not violating any laws and said have a nice day.

In essence Lavallee quoted me $15,000 for an entire paint job that covers everything needing to be done, then gets the car and hires out the bodywork and prep for paint, then quickly throws on some decals and paints the car. He then clearcoats the car before the owner can see it and claims it cannot be redone as it is clearcoated and as far as he is concerned finished. He failed to provide any sketch or written approval of the artwork and placement, size, and layout, as provided for in the written agreement. He took it upon himself to place 37 amateur ‘bulletholes’ all over the car. Almost as if purposely ruining the car. To me it does seem that perhaps he did this on purposed and is borderline vandalism to my property.

Lavallee then tried to get me to pay his bill to the autobody shop he hired to get the car ready for paint. Something that was inclusive of what he had already been paid for. He also refused to provide me the paint code for the paint used on my car. I have paid him over $15,000 and he will not provide a receipt showing what was done or the paint and paint code used. Thereby further complicating any repainting that must be done now because the new painter will not know what he is working over the top of.

I did speak with Ian Stokes after I picked up my car and explained what the problems were. He said he had originally done it “under the table” with Mike and that there was “no receipt”. I explained that this was going to possibly be a legal situations and suggested he produce a receipt. Mr. Stokes also agreed with me that the majority of his work performed was ordinarily part of any paint job and that quotes for paint jobs are inclusive of things like sanding, priming, masking, removal and realigning fenders, hood, etc. Mr. Stokes said he would make up a receipt then and back date it for his own records.

The receipt my attorney eventually got produced (well after the fact) for Stokes Autobody is attached and shows 90% of the stated work performed that is part of a paint job. Almost that entire receipt is something that was part of the original $15,000 quote for a complete and full paint job. The agreement even stated to include any and all bodywork as necessary. So Lavallee expects to get paid twice for the same work because he paid another shop to do it. He also produces a receipt for $8000 but says I owe him $6300. Which is not true because I paid for the work Stokes Autobody performed in the $15,000 Lavallee received.  Of course when I picked up my car Lavallee tried to claim I owed Stokes directly. He made those statements in front of myself and three other people. He subsequently changed his story later and produced the receipt from Stokes Auto made out to his business, killerpaint. It is easy to see it is a bogus receipt and provides no breakdown or hours performed at all. This is not a receipt or bill any reasonable person would honor or pay. Besides the fact I had already paid for said work directly to killer paint.

I now need to completely scrub off the terrible decals and failed artwork and have the car totally redone, re-illustrated properly, then re-clear coated. My estimate, based upon talking to at least 8 illustrators and artists, places this at $12,000.  This does not account for  the money paid to an attorney to try and settle the matter amiably. It does not include the almost $2,000 for body parts I did not need. It does not include the dozens of hours that will be needed to remove all the overspray and ruined parts from overspray. It does not include a new helmet and repainting. It does not include the fact that half the front end and rear (bumper, etc) were all not on the car.

Mike Lavallee of Killerpaint misrepresented his work, purposely ignored and failed to honor a written contract, purposely ruined my car and did a substandard job bordering on vandalism. Counting all my losses and cost of repairs and cleanup I am out almost $30,000. Killerpaint should refund my money for work not performed and failure to honor the agreement as well as damage to the vehicle.

The photos are much better at showing the inferior job performed, the ruined helmet, overspray on the car, and more. This also facilitates the quotes from other painters to get my car fixed and painted properly and professionally. The website is http://ruinedcarpaint.com and includes multiple pages with photos that, if clicked, will open in a new browser window to be viewed appropriately and the inferior nature of the work readily evident.