ICS Performance - Another HORRIBLE experience - PLEASE READ

I signed up to this forum only to share my experience with the Bimmer community. I, myself used to own a 330CI back in the day and absolutely loved it. A few years back I decided to sell it and put the money towards building a 600whp 350Z
TT. I’ve known George @ ICS for a few years now. He owns one of the few local performance shops in Stamford and personally is an okay guy. His business practices, however have me at a point that they’re effecting my personal life and I just can’t deal with it on my own anymore. I’ve already filed a claim with BBB over a month ago and it hasn’t helped. I’m actually the 5th person in 2 years to file a claim on BBB against this F-RATED shop (check BBB yourself).

So anyway, I’ve resisted posting this for months now. I’ve given George countless opportunities to fix the issue, but for some unimaginable reason, he has chosen not to. I don’t sugarcoat anything and I’m not exaggerating anything I’m about to say. Everything happened EXACTLY like this. I stress this because George is a good salesman and once he catches wind of this thread, he will probably deny everything and try to make me sound like an ungrateful bastard. So here goes:

The first week of March, 2010 I dropped off my 350Z at Imported Cars of Stamford (ICS) to have a general check up, alignment, and tune done. There was also intake piping that needed to be fabricated. I was told by George that the job would be completed in a week and that I would get a phone call when everything is done. Two weeks pass; no phone call. I call George and I was then told that the shop was waiting for parts to be delivered. Three weeks pass; no phone call. I call George again and he tells me that shop is too busy and that jobs have fallen behind schedule.

Another week passes and I don’t receive a phone call. I try calling George for days and he never picks up so I patiently wait until the following month (April) to pay ICS a surprise visit, only to find out that absolutely nothing had been done to my car since the day I dropped it off. The car was sitting in the garage, underneath a lift, covered under drapes. Words were exchanged and George promised me that the job would be completed in the following week. For the next few weeks it was the same story. I was fed excuse after excuse for the car not being complete. Not only that, but I would be the one having to initiate the contact, as not once did I ever get a phone call.

I finally had time to pay ICS another visit in early May. Note that this is already TWO MONTHS after the initial drop-off date. The car had not been moved from the same spot it was parked a month prior. Parts from my car were scattered all over the shop and it was still sitting in the same spot. Words were again exchanged with George and he begged me to give him more time. He admitted that things have been really busy, that he had been focused on finishing the big jobs, and that he had no time for the small jobs like my car.

Weeks pass... same story. I ended up filing a complaint with BBB on 06/04/2010. A few days later, George calls me infuriated that I filed a complaint against his business. He proceeds to insult me and told me that he refuses to complete the job, that he threw the fabbed pipe in the garbage, and told me pick up the car from his shop. I told him that I was not willing to pick up my car until it was back in running condition. We argued for about 20 minutes and at one point, he tells me that he would punch me in my face if he was 20 years younger. I could also here people through the phone yelling “I’m going to f*ck you up” in the background.

Now… I’m a very tranquil person and it takes a lot for me to blow a fuse. One needs to be a very patient person to let a shop keep their car hostage for three months. However, after everything that happened and the way I was treated by the George, to later being told to basically “f*ck off” after everything the shop put me through, I was done being the nice guy. I threatened to tell everyone and their mother about my experience so that all his ridiculous business practices are exposed. After I threatened to let the world know about my situation, he finally agrees to complete my car and give it back to me in a few days. The funny part is that he says to me, “Listen, I’ll do you a favor if you do me a favor. Don’t post this up anywhere and I’ll have you car done by Monday.” What a joke! Needless to say, his “favor” has not been done to date and we are already in July.

Two weeks ago I decided to give up. After finally getting in contact with George, I tell him to forget the pipe and to just tune & align the car. He agrees and says he’ll get in contact with the tuner and call me back. He doesn’t call me for a week. I finally get in contact with him again and he tells me that the tuner is going on vacation for two weeks and that he’ll schedule a time when he gets back; meaning I won’t see my car till the end of July… … I tell George to just forget everything and give me my car back aligned and at least in good running condition so that I may bring it to another tuner. He agrees and tells me to come in Wednesday, June 30th to pick up the car.

On June 30th I call the shop to confirm the completion of my car, as I already knew George was lying to me again. No one picks up so I call George’s cell phone. He doesn't pick up and he had his voicemail box deactivated. About an hour later George calls me from his cell phone, I pick up, and it’s one of his employees calling to let me know that George is in Rhode Island and that he is the only one that can open the garage where my car is kept. He tells me I’ll get a call tomorrow (July 1st) when the car is ready to be picked up. Yesterday I spent all day calling the shop and calling George’s cell phone. After hours, someone finally picks up at the shop and he tells me that George will be in Rhode Island till Monday and that no one has keys to get my car out of the garage. The kid I spoke to tells me that there is nothing he could do and that bitching to him won’t help the situation. He then tells me that I shouldn’t complain because I haven’t paid for the work yet and the car is in good hands… LMFAO

After hanging up with him, all I could do was laugh at this situation. I've lost countless hours dealing with this and I don't know what to do at this point. I've had to take time out of my work schedule to make visits because no one ever picks up the phone. It boggles my mind how a company could treat a customer like this. I also don't understand why a shop wouldn't want to complete a job quickly and get paid. All I want is my car back. My plan was to get everything done in March to then put the car up for sale in the Spring. Needless to say, I have lost countless sale opportunities thanks to this company. The car is also diminishing in value with every day that passes. It’s torture. I could only imagine what others did in my situation who didn’t have daily drivers.

I know I’m risking getting hoses/wires cut in my car by posting this, but this is something I felt I had to do. Plus, I wouldn’t be surprised if they hand the car back to me with parts missing anyway. I’ve already contacted authorities and my lawyer about dealing with this issue after I get my car back.

I’m not asking for help because there’s really nothing I can do at this point. Really, it’s my fault for being too overly patient with ICS. I should have taken my car out of that shop by the second week. As I said before, George is a good salesman and a lot of people have fallen into his lies. I’m just one more name to add to the list. I'm not sure what kind of reputation he has managed to build here, but just know that there are a lot of stories like mine that are swept under the rug. Hopefully this thread helps many make a more educated decision of the shop they choose.

Thanks for reading – Jon

P.S. ICS has not responded to the BBB claim to date. The case number is 84070659.

George has already responded on my original thread.

Here is the link: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1485929

they should be closed down for **** like that!!!

Originally Posted by jtothez

I signed up to this forum only to share my experience with the Bimmer community. I, myself used to own a 330CI back in the day and absolutely loved it. A few years back I decided to sell it and put the money towards building a 600whp 350Z
TT. I’ve known George @ ICS for a few years now. He owns one of the few local performance shops in Stamford and personally is an okay guy. His business practices, however have me at a point that they’re effecting my personal life and I just can’t deal with it on my own anymore. I’ve already filed a claim with BBB over a month ago and it hasn’t helped. I’m actually the 5th person in 2 years to file a claim on BBB against this F-RATED shop (check BBB yourself).

So anyway, I’ve resisted posting this for months now. I’ve given George countless opportunities to fix the issue, but for some unimaginable reason, he has chosen not to. I don’t sugarcoat anything and I’m not exaggerating anything I’m about to say. Everything happened EXACTLY like this. I stress this because George is a good salesman and once he catches wind of this thread, he will probably deny everything and try to make me sound like an ungrateful bastard. So here goes:

The first week of March, 2010 I dropped off my 350Z at Imported Cars of Stamford (ICS) to have a general check up, alignment, and tune done. There was also intake piping that needed to be fabricated. I was told by George that the job would be completed in a week and that I would get a phone call when everything is done. Two weeks pass; no phone call. I call George and I was then told that the shop was waiting for parts to be delivered. Three weeks pass; no phone call. I call George again and he tells me that shop is too busy and that jobs have fallen behind schedule.

Another week passes and I don’t receive a phone call. I try calling George for days and he never picks up so I patiently wait until the following month (April) to pay ICS a surprise visit, only to find out that absolutely nothing had been done to my car since the day I dropped it off. The car was sitting in the garage, underneath a lift, covered under drapes. Words were exchanged and George promised me that the job would be completed in the following week. For the next few weeks it was the same story. I was fed excuse after excuse for the car not being complete. Not only that, but I would be the one having to initiate the contact, as not once did I ever get a phone call.

I finally had time to pay ICS another visit in early May. Note that this is already TWO MONTHS after the initial drop-off date. The car had not been moved from the same spot it was parked a month prior. Parts from my car were scattered all over the shop and it was still sitting in the same spot. Words were again exchanged with George and he begged me to give him more time. He admitted that things have been really busy, that he had been focused on finishing the big jobs, and that he had no time for the small jobs like my car.

Weeks pass... same story. I ended up filing a complaint with BBB on 06/04/2010. A few days later, George calls me infuriated that I filed a complaint against his business. He proceeds to insult me and told me that he refuses to complete the job, that he threw the fabbed pipe in the garbage, and told me pick up the car from his shop. I told him that I was not willing to pick up my car until it was back in running condition. We argued for about 20 minutes and at one point, he tells me that he would punch me in my face if he was 20 years younger. I could also here people through the phone yelling “I’m going to f*ck you up” in the background.

Now… I’m a very tranquil person and it takes a lot for me to blow a fuse. One needs to be a very patient person to let a shop keep their car hostage for three months. However, after everything that happened and the way I was treated by the George, to later being told to basically “f*ck off” after everything the shop put me through, I was done being the nice guy. I threatened to tell everyone and their mother about my experience so that all his ridiculous business practices are exposed. After I threatened to let the world know about my situation, he finally agrees to complete my car and give it back to me in a few days. The funny part is that he says to me, “Listen, I’ll do you a favor if you do me a favor. Don’t post this up anywhere and I’ll have you car done by Monday.” What a joke! Needless to say, his “favor” has not been done to date and we are already in July.

Two weeks ago I decided to give up. After finally getting in contact with George, I tell him to forget the pipe and to just tune & align the car. He agrees and says he’ll get in contact with the tuner and call me back. He doesn’t call me for a week. I finally get in contact with him again and he tells me that the tuner is going on vacation for two weeks and that he’ll schedule a time when he gets back; meaning I won’t see my car till the end of July… … I tell George to just forget everything and give me my car back aligned and at least in good running condition so that I may bring it to another tuner. He agrees and tells me to come in Wednesday, June 30th to pick up the car.

On June 30th I call the shop to confirm the completion of my car, as I already knew George was lying to me again. No one picks up so I call George’s cell phone. He doesn't pick up and he had his voicemail box deactivated. About an hour later George calls me from his cell phone, I pick up, and it’s one of his employees calling to let me know that George is in Rhode Island and that he is the only one that can open the garage where my car is kept. He tells me I’ll get a call tomorrow (July 1st) when the car is ready to be picked up. Yesterday I spent all day calling the shop and calling George’s cell phone. After hours, someone finally picks up at the shop and he tells me that George will be in Rhode Island till Monday and that no one has keys to get my car out of the garage. The kid I spoke to tells me that there is nothing he could do and that bitching to him won’t help the situation. He then tells me that I shouldn’t complain because I haven’t paid for the work yet and the car is in good hands… LMFAO

After hanging up with him, all I could do was laugh at this situation. I've lost countless hours dealing with this and I don't know what to do at this point. I've had to take time out of my work schedule to make visits because no one ever picks up the phone. It boggles my mind how a company could treat a customer like this. I also don't understand why a shop wouldn't want to complete a job quickly and get paid. All I want is my car back. My plan was to get everything done in March to then put the car up for sale in the Spring. Needless to say, I have lost countless sale opportunities thanks to this company. The car is also diminishing in value with every day that passes. It’s torture. I could only imagine what others did in my situation who didn’t have daily drivers.

I know I’m risking getting hoses/wires cut in my car by posting this, but this is something I felt I had to do. Plus, I wouldn’t be surprised if they hand the car back to me with parts missing anyway. I’ve already contacted authorities and my lawyer about dealing with this issue after I get my car back.

I’m not asking for help because there’s really nothing I can do at this point. Really, it’s my fault for being too overly patient with ICS. I should have taken my car out of that shop by the second week. As I said before, George is a good salesman and a lot of people have fallen into his lies. I’m just one more name to add to the list. I'm not sure what kind of reputation he has managed to build here, but just know that there are a lot of stories like mine that are swept under the rug. Hopefully this thread helps many make a more educated decision of the shop they choose.

Thanks for reading – Jon

P.S. ICS has not responded to the BBB claim to date. The case number is 84070659.

Okay lets hear the other side of the story.

John I have known you for quite sometime, I was warned from many tuners in the Tri State to stay away from you from the experience they encountered by him.

Members, John phoned me and wanted some work done on his vehicle in which was brought to me on a trailer un completed from another shop. I was told take your time, I am out of a job, getting divorced or got divorced.. doesn't really matter.

The vehicle was stored indoors with a car cover for months before we started working on it, since it was not a rushed job.

John could not get a hold of me, so he decided to post his one sided story on many forums and post diff links all over the internet to hurt my business.

I spoke to John afterwards, completed all the work he wanted had the vehicle cleaned up and ready for pick-up and I made sure he has an outsider look over the vehicle thoroughly and inspect it before being released.

I demanded John to do this after seeing the crap he posted on all the forums, and his unprofessional ism on trying to handle things.. again gentlemen I was warned to stay away.

John looked at the car over and asked me how much do I owe you ? I said John take the vehicle there is no charge to you. Make sure you go on all the forums and clean up the mess you started.

John agreed shook my hand and left satisfied. I even called him days later to see how he was enjoying the vehicle and even refereed a tuner to fine tune hi Z if needed.

John did not clean up any of the mess he created on so many forums and internet blogs.

-George Kakaletris

YO THAT'S A 350Z I wouldn't wanna work on it either . Get yourself a real car .

Originally Posted by jtothez

I signed up to this forum only to share my experience with the Bimmer community. I, myself used to own a 330CI back in the day and absolutely loved it. A few years back I decided to sell it and put the money towards building a 600whp 350Z
TT. I’ve known George @ ICS for a few years now. He owns one of the few local performance shops in Stamford and personally is an okay guy. His business practices, however have me at a point that they’re effecting my personal life and I just can’t deal with it on my own anymore. I’ve already filed a claim with BBB over a month ago and it hasn’t helped. I’m actually the 5th person in 2 years to file a claim on BBB against this F-RATED shop (check BBB yourself).

So anyway, I’ve resisted posting this for months now. I’ve given George countless opportunities to fix the issue, but for some unimaginable reason, he has chosen not to. I don’t sugarcoat anything and I’m not exaggerating anything I’m about to say. Everything happened EXACTLY like this. I stress this because George is a good salesman and once he catches wind of this thread, he will probably deny everything and try to make me sound like an ungrateful bastard. So here goes:

The first week of March, 2010 I dropped off my 350Z at Imported Cars of Stamford (ICS) to have a general check up, alignment, and tune done. There was also intake piping that needed to be fabricated. I was told by George that the job would be completed in a week and that I would get a phone call when everything is done. Two weeks pass; no phone call. I call George and I was then told that the shop was waiting for parts to be delivered. Three weeks pass; no phone call. I call George again and he tells me that shop is too busy and that jobs have fallen behind schedule.

Another week passes and I don’t receive a phone call. I try calling George for days and he never picks up so I patiently wait until the following month (April) to pay ICS a surprise visit, only to find out that absolutely nothing had been done to my car since the day I dropped it off. The car was sitting in the garage, underneath a lift, covered under drapes. Words were exchanged and George promised me that the job would be completed in the following week. For the next few weeks it was the same story. I was fed excuse after excuse for the car not being complete. Not only that, but I would be the one having to initiate the contact, as not once did I ever get a phone call.

I finally had time to pay ICS another visit in early May. Note that this is already TWO MONTHS after the initial drop-off date. The car had not been moved from the same spot it was parked a month prior. Parts from my car were scattered all over the shop and it was still sitting in the same spot. Words were again exchanged with George and he begged me to give him more time. He admitted that things have been really busy, that he had been focused on finishing the big jobs, and that he had no time for the small jobs like my car.

Weeks pass... same story. I ended up filing a complaint with BBB on 06/04/2010. A few days later, George calls me infuriated that I filed a complaint against his business. He proceeds to insult me and told me that he refuses to complete the job, that he threw the fabbed pipe in the garbage, and told me pick up the car from his shop. I told him that I was not willing to pick up my car until it was back in running condition. We argued for about 20 minutes and at one point, he tells me that he would punch me in my face if he was 20 years younger. I could also here people through the phone yelling “I’m going to f*ck you up” in the background.

Now… I’m a very tranquil person and it takes a lot for me to blow a fuse. One needs to be a very patient person to let a shop keep their car hostage for three months. However, after everything that happened and the way I was treated by the George, to later being told to basically “f*ck off” after everything the shop put me through, I was done being the nice guy. I threatened to tell everyone and their mother about my experience so that all his ridiculous business practices are exposed. After I threatened to let the world know about my situation, he finally agrees to complete my car and give it back to me in a few days. The funny part is that he says to me, “Listen, I’ll do you a favor if you do me a favor. Don’t post this up anywhere and I’ll have you car done by Monday.” What a joke! Needless to say, his “favor” has not been done to date and we are already in July.

Two weeks ago I decided to give up. After finally getting in contact with George, I tell him to forget the pipe and to just tune & align the car. He agrees and says he’ll get in contact with the tuner and call me back. He doesn’t call me for a week. I finally get in contact with him again and he tells me that the tuner is going on vacation for two weeks and that he’ll schedule a time when he gets back; meaning I won’t see my car till the end of July… … I tell George to just forget everything and give me my car back aligned and at least in good running condition so that I may bring it to another tuner. He agrees and tells me to come in Wednesday, June 30th to pick up the car.

On June 30th I call the shop to confirm the completion of my car, as I already knew George was lying to me again. No one picks up so I call George’s cell phone. He doesn't pick up and he had his voicemail box deactivated. About an hour later George calls me from his cell phone, I pick up, and it’s one of his employees calling to let me know that George is in Rhode Island and that he is the only one that can open the garage where my car is kept. He tells me I’ll get a call tomorrow (July 1st) when the car is ready to be picked up. Yesterday I spent all day calling the shop and calling George’s cell phone. After hours, someone finally picks up at the shop and he tells me that George will be in Rhode Island till Monday and that no one has keys to get my car out of the garage. The kid I spoke to tells me that there is nothing he could do and that bitching to him won’t help the situation. He then tells me that I shouldn’t complain because I haven’t paid for the work yet and the car is in good hands… LMFAO

After hanging up with him, all I could do was laugh at this situation. I've lost countless hours dealing with this and I don't know what to do at this point. I've had to take time out of my work schedule to make visits because no one ever picks up the phone. It boggles my mind how a company could treat a customer like this. I also don't understand why a shop wouldn't want to complete a job quickly and get paid. All I want is my car back. My plan was to get everything done in March to then put the car up for sale in the Spring. Needless to say, I have lost countless sale opportunities thanks to this company. The car is also diminishing in value with every day that passes. It’s torture. I could only imagine what others did in my situation who didn’t have daily drivers.

I know I’m risking getting hoses/wires cut in my car by posting this, but this is something I felt I had to do. Plus, I wouldn’t be surprised if they hand the car back to me with parts missing anyway. I’ve already contacted authorities and my lawyer about dealing with this issue after I get my car back.

I’m not asking for help because there’s really nothing I can do at this point. Really, it’s my fault for being too overly patient with ICS. I should have taken my car out of that shop by the second week. As I said before, George is a good salesman and a lot of people have fallen into his lies. I’m just one more name to add to the list. I'm not sure what kind of reputation he has managed to build here, but just know that there are a lot of stories like mine that are swept under the rug. Hopefully this thread helps many make a more educated decision of the shop they choose.

Thanks for reading – Jon

P.S. ICS has not responded to the BBB claim to date. The case number is 84070659.