Zac Gross and Nomad Cruisers - Buyer Beware (9 Viewers)

[pinkiedog64]

This is a review of my transaction with Zac Gross (owner of Nomad Cruisers) on a set of door and cargo panels I hired him to make for my FJ60.

SHORT VERSION:
Took 29 weeks from start to finish, when it was quoted as 5 weeks max. He screwed up the first set of panels and I returned them. The second set still had problems, but he only offered to fix the problems if I paid return shipping, or said I could fix them myself. The panels looked good at first glance, but lots of small issues when you look closer. Extremely hard to deal with. No sense of urgency or ownership. Another IH8MUD forum user had a similar experience with him, documented in the link in next paragraph. I cannot recommend strongly enough to not do business with Zac Gross and Nomad Cruisers.

LONG VERSION:
My experience alarmingly similar to IH8MUD user open country’s experience with Zac, described here: Nomad Cruisers - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/nomad-cruisers.1327037/. I wish I would have read that thread before starting the deal with Zac and gone with someone else. Heed the warnings from open country and I. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH ZAC GROSS AND NOMAD CRUISERS…that is, unless you are prepared to wait a long long time and seriously lower your expectations.

Project timeline
First contacted Zac: 3/7/25
Agree on panel configuration to build: 3/12/25
Pay 60% deposit: 3/13/25
Ship old panels to Zac: 3/25/25
Old panels arrive: 3/30/25
Pay remaining 40% of invoice: 5/16/25
New panels (first set) ship to me: 5/30/25
New panels (first set) arrive: 6/5/25
Ship new panels (first set) back to Zac: 6/7/25
New panels (second set) ship to me: 9/23/25
New panels (second set) arrive: 9/25/25

Abbreviated description of the saga
Zac assured me he had all necessary materials in stock. After he got my old panels, he realized he didn’t have the right shade of vinyl after all, so he was going to give me a free upgrade to leather in the correct shade. He made a big deal that he was giving me this free upgrade and that it was costing him a lot. Panels finally arrive. I discover the panels were made with paperboard backer material, not ABS plastic as agreed (and that I aid extra for). Lot of quality problems: lumpy, wrinkles, crooked stitch lines, plastic trim cutouts too big, plastic clip keyslot holes covered up with upholstery material on back side, some keyslots too tight, some too loose. Additionally, the panels were damaged due to no padding in the package. Initially, he shrugged off the problems by saying “mistakes happen”, then later shifted to blaming the quality problems on his workers, saying he had started the panels, but his workers had finished them. Sent panels back and Zac promised a quick turnaround. Then he offered to refund me instead of making a second set of panels, which does me no good as my old panels were destroyed by that point because they used them as templates. Once he had the panels, he said the jagged keyslot holes he hand cut for the plastic clips was the best he could do and if I wanted them better he would have to have the ABS panels laser cut. He said if he hand cut them he would make me “sign a waiver giving up the right to bitch about them”. I told him to do what he needed to do to get me quality panels he promised. He made a huge deal about paying to have the panels laser cut and tried to hold that cost over my head, but later said he would start selling those laser cut ABS panels to other customers, so he couldn’t pin it on me after all. Despite saying the ABS panels would be a quick turnaround (he said he had already gotten the ball rolling once I sent the first set back on getting ABS panels made), it took a long time to get the ABS panels cut out. There was no sense of urgency or ownership on his end, despite this dragging on for so long. Second set of panels are finally done and he says is hiring a professional to package them to assure no shipping damage, even though he claimed his previous way of shipping was adequate. Makes a big deal about how much he is paying the professional shipper. New panels arrive. Generally, they look good, but up close there are still workmanship problems: crooked lines, wrinkled corners, white underlay thread showing through the brown vinyl at seams, lumpy, and no speaker holes in the cargo panels. I tell him I am not going to return them (again) for fear of it dragging out even further. He says the speaker holes weren’t in the invoice and he “is bound by the invoice”. I show him the email from March where we agree that he would cut the speaker holes and that he would include that in the invoice. Additionally, the first set of cargo panels had the speaker holes cut. The reality is he forgot to cut them and wouldn’t fess up to it. I told him I was going to write a truthful review of the ordeal. Shortly after, he offers to fix the quality problems on the panels “under warranty” if I pay the return shipping. Again, I tell him I’m not going to ship the panels back and take multiple more weeks or months. He then gives me instructions on how to fix the problems myself.

Zac failed to keep his word at each and every step of the process. Communication was painful. I had to beg for updates via call, text, email, Facebook messages, etc. He frequently got defensive, then offensive, each time I called him out on an issue or failed deadline. He accused me of “being hard to please”. If “being hard to please” means expecting a quality product that I paid good money for, and wanting it done in a reasonable amount of time, then yes, I suppose I am hard to please. He tried to dismiss/rebuff all the problems, and I'm sure if he reads this he'll do the same again.

If anyone is genuinely interested, I can provide more detail. I kept detailed notes along the way of each phone conversation, and still have all the texts, emails, and Facebook messages to back up my assertions.

Zac, if you’re reading this, I hope you take it (and open country’s similar experience) to heart and charge your business practices. Had I known how this was going to turn out, I definitely would not have done business with you.

 

[Nomadcruisers44]

This is a review of my transaction with Zac Gross (owner of Nomad Cruisers) on a set of door and cargo panels I hired him to make for my FJ60.

SHORT VERSION:
Took 29 weeks from start to finish, when it was quoted as 5 weeks max. He screwed up the first set of panels and I returned them. The second set still had problems, but he only offered to fix the problems if I paid return shipping, or said I could fix them myself. The panels looked good at first glance, but lots of small issues when you look closer. Extremely hard to deal with. No sense of urgency or ownership. Another IH8MUD forum user had a similar experience with him, documented in the link in next paragraph. I cannot recommend strongly enough to not do business with Zac Gross and Nomad Cruisers.

LONG VERSION:
My experience alarmingly similar to IH8MUD user open country’s experience with Zac, described here: Nomad Cruisers - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/nomad-cruisers.1327037/. I wish I would have read that thread before starting the deal with Zac and gone with someone else. Heed the warnings from open country and I. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH ZAC GROSS AND NOMAD CRUISERS…that is, unless you are prepared to wait a long long time and seriously lower your expectations.

Project timeline
First contacted Zac: 3/7/25
Agree on panel configuration to build: 3/12/25
Pay 60% deposit: 3/13/25
Ship old panels to Zac: 3/25/25
Old panels arrive: 3/30/25
Pay remaining 40% of invoice: 5/16/25
New panels (first set) ship to me: 5/30/25
New panels (first set) arrive: 6/5/25
Ship new panels (first set) back to Zac: 6/7/25
New panels (second set) ship to me: 9/23/25
New panels (second set) arrive: 9/25/25

Abbreviated description of the saga
Zac assured me he had all necessary materials in stock. After he got my old panels, he realized he didn’t have the right shade of vinyl after all, so he was going to give me a free upgrade to leather in the correct shade. He made a big deal that he was giving me this free upgrade and that it was costing him a lot. Panels finally arrive. I discover the panels were made with paperboard backer material, not ABS plastic as agreed (and that I aid extra for). Lot of quality problems: lumpy, wrinkles, crooked stitch lines, plastic trim cutouts too big, plastic clip keyslot holes covered up with upholstery material on back side, some keyslots too tight, some too loose. Additionally, the panels were damaged due to no padding in the package. Initially, he shrugged off the problems by saying “mistakes happen”, then later shifted to blaming the quality problems on his workers, saying he had started the panels, but his workers had finished them. Sent panels back and Zac promised a quick turnaround. Then he offered to refund me instead of making a second set of panels, which does me no good as my old panels were destroyed by that point because they used them as templates. Once he had the panels, he said the jagged keyslot holes he hand cut for the plastic clips was the best he could do and if I wanted them better he would have to have the ABS panels laser cut. He said if he hand cut them he would make me “sign a waiver giving up the right to bitch about them”. I told him to do what he needed to do to get me quality panels he promised. He made a huge deal about paying to have the panels laser cut and tried to hold that cost over my head, but later said he would start selling those laser cut ABS panels to other customers, so he couldn’t pin it on me after all. Despite saying the ABS panels would be a quick turnaround (he said he had already gotten the ball rolling once I sent the first set back on getting ABS panels made), it took a long time to get the ABS panels cut out. There was no sense of urgency or ownership on his end, despite this dragging on for so long. Second set of panels are finally done and he says is hiring a professional to package them to assure no shipping damage, even though he claimed his previous way of shipping was adequate. Makes a big deal about how much he is paying the professional shipper. New panels arrive. Generally, they look good, but up close there are still workmanship problems: crooked lines, wrinkled corners, white underlay thread showing through the brown vinyl at seams, lumpy, and no speaker holes in the cargo panels. I tell him I am not going to return them (again) for fear of it dragging out even further. He says the speaker holes weren’t in the invoice and he “is bound by the invoice”. I show him the email from March where we agree that he would cut the speaker holes and that he would include that in the invoice. Additionally, the first set of cargo panels had the speaker holes cut. The reality is he forgot to cut them and wouldn’t fess up to it. I told him I was going to write a truthful review of the ordeal. Shortly after, he offers to fix the quality problems on the panels “under warranty” if I pay the return shipping. Again, I tell him I’m not going to ship the panels back and take multiple more weeks or months. He then gives me instructions on how to fix the problems myself.

Zac failed to keep his word at each and every step of the process. Communication was painful. I had to beg for updates via call, text, email, Facebook messages, etc. He frequently got defensive, then offensive, each time I called him out on an issue or failed deadline. He accused me of “being hard to please”. If “being hard to please” means expecting a quality product that I paid good money for, and wanting it done in a reasonable amount of time, then yes, I suppose I am hard to please. He tried to dismiss/rebuff all the problems, and I'm sure if he reads this he'll do the same again.

If anyone is genuinely interested, I can provide more detail. I kept detailed notes along the way of each phone conversation, and still have all the texts, emails, and Facebook messages to back up my assertions.

Zac, if you’re reading this, I hope you take it (and open country’s similar experience) to heart and charge your business practices. Had I known how this was going to turn out, I definitely would not have done business with you.

This is a review of my transaction with Zac Gross (owner of Nomad Cruisers) on a set of door and cargo panels I hired him to make for my FJ60.

SHORT VERSION:
Took 29 weeks from start to finish, when it was quoted as 5 weeks max. He screwed up the first set of panels and I returned them. The second set still had problems, but he only offered to fix the problems if I paid return shipping, or said I could fix them myself. The panels looked good at first glance, but lots of small issues when you look closer. Extremely hard to deal with. No sense of urgency or ownership. Another IH8MUD forum user had a similar experience with him, documented in the link in next paragraph. I cannot recommend strongly enough to not do business with Zac Gross and Nomad Cruisers.

LONG VERSION:
My experience alarmingly similar to IH8MUD user open country’s experience with Zac, described here: Nomad Cruisers - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/nomad-cruisers.1327037/. I wish I would have read that thread before starting the deal with Zac and gone with someone else. Heed the warnings from open country and I. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH ZAC GROSS AND NOMAD CRUISERS…that is, unless you are prepared to wait a long long time and seriously lower your expectations.

Project timeline
First contacted Zac: 3/7/25
Agree on panel configuration to build: 3/12/25
Pay 60% deposit: 3/13/25
Ship old panels to Zac: 3/25/25
Old panels arrive: 3/30/25
Pay remaining 40% of invoice: 5/16/25
New panels (first set) ship to me: 5/30/25
New panels (first set) arrive: 6/5/25
Ship new panels (first set) back to Zac: 6/7/25
New panels (second set) ship to me: 9/23/25
New panels (second set) arrive: 9/25/25

Abbreviated description of the saga
Zac assured me he had all necessary materials in stock. After he got my old panels, he realized he didn’t have the right shade of vinyl after all, so he was going to give me a free upgrade to leather in the correct shade. He made a big deal that he was giving me this free upgrade and that it was costing him a lot. Panels finally arrive. I discover the panels were made with paperboard backer material, not ABS plastic as agreed (and that I aid extra for). Lot of quality problems: lumpy, wrinkles, crooked stitch lines, plastic trim cutouts too big, plastic clip keyslot holes covered up with upholstery material on back side, some keyslots too tight, some too loose. Additionally, the panels were damaged due to no padding in the package. Initially, he shrugged off the problems by saying “mistakes happen”, then later shifted to blaming the quality problems on his workers, saying he had started the panels, but his workers had finished them. Sent panels back and Zac promised a quick turnaround. Then he offered to refund me instead of making a second set of panels, which does me no good as my old panels were destroyed by that point because they used them as templates. Once he had the panels, he said the jagged keyslot holes he hand cut for the plastic clips was the best he could do and if I wanted them better he would have to have the ABS panels laser cut. He said if he hand cut them he would make me “sign a waiver giving up the right to bitch about them”. I told him to do what he needed to do to get me quality panels he promised. He made a huge deal about paying to have the panels laser cut and tried to hold that cost over my head, but later said he would start selling those laser cut ABS panels to other customers, so he couldn’t pin it on me after all. Despite saying the ABS panels would be a quick turnaround (he said he had already gotten the ball rolling once I sent the first set back on getting ABS panels made), it took a long time to get the ABS panels cut out. There was no sense of urgency or ownership on his end, despite this dragging on for so long. Second set of panels are finally done and he says is hiring a professional to package them to assure no shipping damage, even though he claimed his previous way of shipping was adequate. Makes a big deal about how much he is paying the professional shipper. New panels arrive. Generally, they look good, but up close there are still workmanship problems: crooked lines, wrinkled corners, white underlay thread showing through the brown vinyl at seams, lumpy, and no speaker holes in the cargo panels. I tell him I am not going to return them (again) for fear of it dragging out even further. He says the speaker holes weren’t in the invoice and he “is bound by the invoice”. I show him the email from March where we agree that he would cut the speaker holes and that he would include that in the invoice. Additionally, the first set of cargo panels had the speaker holes cut. The reality is he forgot to cut them and wouldn’t fess up to it. I told him I was going to write a truthful review of the ordeal. Shortly after, he offers to fix the quality problems on the panels “under warranty” if I pay the return shipping. Again, I tell him I’m not going to ship the panels back and take multiple more weeks or months. He then gives me instructions on how to fix the problems myself.

Zac failed to keep his word at each and every step of the process. Communication was painful. I had to beg for updates via call, text, email, Facebook messages, etc. He frequently got defensive, then offensive, each time I called him out on an issue or failed deadline. He accused me of “being hard to please”. If “being hard to please” means expecting a quality product that I paid good money for, and wanting it done in a reasonable amount of time, then yes, I suppose I am hard to please. He tried to dismiss/rebuff all the problems, and I'm sure if he reads this he'll do the same again.

If anyone is genuinely interested, I can provide more detail. I kept detailed notes along the way of each phone conversation, and still have all the texts, emails, and Facebook messages to back up my assertions.

Zac, if you’re reading this, I hope you take it (and open country’s similar experience) to heart and charge your business practices. Had I known how this was going to turn out, I definitely would not have done business with you

This is a review of my transaction with Zac Gross (owner of Nomad Cruisers) on a set of door and cargo panels I hired him to make for my FJ60.

SHORT VERSION:
Took 29 weeks from start to finish, when it was quoted as 5 weeks max. He screwed up the first set of panels and I returned them. The second set still had problems, but he only offered to fix the problems if I paid return shipping, or said I could fix them myself. The panels looked good at first glance, but lots of small issues when you look closer. Extremely hard to deal with. No sense of urgency or ownership. Another IH8MUD forum user had a similar experience with him, documented in the link in next paragraph. I cannot recommend strongly enough to not do business with Zac Gross and Nomad Cruisers.

LONG VERSION:
My experience alarmingly similar to IH8MUD user open country’s experience with Zac, described here: Nomad Cruisers - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/nomad-cruisers.1327037/. I wish I would have read that thread before starting the deal with Zac and gone with someone else. Heed the warnings from open country and I. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH ZAC GROSS AND NOMAD CRUISERS…that is, unless you are prepared to wait a long long time and seriously lower your expectations.

Project timeline
First contacted Zac: 3/7/25
Agree on panel configuration to build: 3/12/25
Pay 60% deposit: 3/13/25
Ship old panels to Zac: 3/25/25
Old panels arrive: 3/30/25
Pay remaining 40% of invoice: 5/16/25
New panels (first set) ship to me: 5/30/25
New panels (first set) arrive: 6/5/25
Ship new panels (first set) back to Zac: 6/7/25
New panels (second set) ship to me: 9/23/25
New panels (second set) arrive: 9/25/25

Abbreviated description of the saga
Zac assured me he had all necessary materials in stock. After he got my old panels, he realized he didn’t have the right shade of vinyl after all, so he was going to give me a free upgrade to leather in the correct shade. He made a big deal that he was giving me this free upgrade and that it was costing him a lot. Panels finally arrive. I discover the panels were made with paperboard backer material, not ABS plastic as agreed (and that I aid extra for). Lot of quality problems: lumpy, wrinkles, crooked stitch lines, plastic trim cutouts too big, plastic clip keyslot holes covered up with upholstery material on back side, some keyslots too tight, some too loose. Additionally, the panels were damaged due to no padding in the package. Initially, he shrugged off the problems by saying “mistakes happen”, then later shifted to blaming the quality problems on his workers, saying he had started the panels, but his workers had finished them. Sent panels back and Zac promised a quick turnaround. Then he offered to refund me instead of making a second set of panels, which does me no good as my old panels were destroyed by that point because they used them as templates. Once he had the panels, he said the jagged keyslot holes he hand cut for the plastic clips was the best he could do and if I wanted them better he would have to have the ABS panels laser cut. He said if he hand cut them he would make me “sign a waiver giving up the right to bitch about them”. I told him to do what he needed to do to get me quality panels he promised. He made a huge deal about paying to have the panels laser cut and tried to hold that cost over my head, but later said he would start selling those laser cut ABS panels to other customers, so he couldn’t pin it on me after all. Despite saying the ABS panels would be a quick turnaround (he said he had already gotten the ball rolling once I sent the first set back on getting ABS panels made), it took a long time to get the ABS panels cut out. There was no sense of urgency or ownership on his end, despite this dragging on for so long. Second set of panels are finally done and he says is hiring a professional to package them to assure no shipping damage, even though he claimed his previous way of shipping was adequate. Makes a big deal about how much he is paying the professional shipper. New panels arrive. Generally, they look good, but up close there are still workmanship problems: crooked lines, wrinkled corners, white underlay thread showing through the brown vinyl at seams, lumpy, and no speaker holes in the cargo panels. I tell him I am not going to return them (again) for fear of it dragging out even further. He says the speaker holes weren’t in the invoice and he “is bound by the invoice”. I show him the email from March where we agree that he would cut the speaker holes and that he would include that in the invoice. Additionally, the first set of cargo panels had the speaker holes cut. The reality is he forgot to cut them and wouldn’t fess up to it. I told him I was going to write a truthful review of the ordeal. Shortly after, he offers to fix the quality problems on the panels “under warranty” if I pay the return shipping. Again, I tell him I’m not going to ship the panels back and take multiple more weeks or months. He then gives me instructions on how to fix the problems myself.

Zac failed to keep his word at each and every step of the process. Communication was painful. I had to beg for updates via call, text, email, Facebook messages, etc. He frequently got defensive, then offensive, each time I called him out on an issue or failed deadline. He accused me of “being hard to please”. If “being hard to please” means expecting a quality product that I paid good money for, and wanting it done in a reasonable amount of time, then yes, I suppose I am hard to please. He tried to dismiss/rebuff all the problems, and I'm sure if he reads this he'll do the same again.

If anyone is genuinely interested, I can provide more detail. I kept detailed notes along the way of each phone conversation, and still have all the texts, emails, and Facebook messages to back up my assertions.

Zac, if you’re reading this, I hope you take it (and open country’s similar experience) to heart and charge your business practices. Had I known how this was going to turn out, I definitely would not have done business with you.

Completed first set, I'll let them speak for themselves

 

[Nomadcruisers44]

Complete second set

 

[Nomadcruisers44]

CNC abs plastic since he didn't want them by hand, this is why the timeframe took longer after return of first panels.

 

[Nomadcruisers44]

I've reviewed your invoice, and I don’t see any line item for cutting holes for speakers. I offered to do that as a courtesy, but it was not part of the contracted work. We are only bound by the terms of the invoice, not being courteous
I understand your concerns, though I expected there might be complaints regardless of the outcome, even if the work matched exactly what was requested and to no surprise we got a complaint. That said, I do sincerely apologize for the time frame. If all the work had been handled fully in-house, the turnaround would have been quicker.
The first "horrible" set has since sold and is in a happy customers cruiser zero complaints, after we fixed shipping damage of course.
As far as communication.. he called, messaging my personal Facebook, buisness Facebook, every week or multiple times a day, I even called to update when I was able to and had answers he was fully aware and up to date at every step. I even told him it's taking longer because of the CNC and cutting of panels out of house as I can't control what they do. And he agreed to wait patiently instead of take his full refund.
There is such thing as bad customers as well stephan.. we both see things very different, and that's ok. I hope you enjoy your beautiful new door cards and I hope they outlast the cruiser.

Please remember, your purchase includes a limited warranty. If you’d like warranty work done, you can ship the items back at your expense, if we find warranty valid we will cover shipping on the return to you. Warranty work is placed into our production queue, and at this time, nomad Cruisers is booked until February. If we can squeeze in sooner we will.

We know we can't please everyone, but we do try our best.

 

[pinkiedog64]

Zac, I am not going to get into this with you again, especially on a public forum. You know my thoughts on the whole thing.

It is clear from:

• the other posts on IH8MUD about you/Nomad Nomad Cruisers - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/nomad-cruisers.1327037/
• the post and replies here: Log into Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/206605883193300 (someone shared this Mud thread to Facebook)
• the private messages I've received since making this post detailing similar experiences they and their friends have had with you

that numerous other customers have had similar experiences with you to mine. I am trying to spread the word so more people don't have bad experiences.

Today I'll work on fixing the crooked lines, tucking in errant corners, and cutting the speaker holes (you know, the ones we agreed on and the ones you cut in the first set, but failed to cut in the second set...but they "weren't in the invoice" so I'm SOL). Thanks for the quality workmanship.

Queue the rebuffs.

 

[Nomadcruisers44]

Zac, I am not going to get into this with you again, especially on a public forum. You know my thoughts on the whole thing.

It is clear from:

• the other posts on IH8MUD about you/Nomad Nomad Cruisers - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/nomad-cruisers.1327037/
• the post and replies here: Log into Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/206605883193300 (someone shared this Mud thread to Facebook)
• the private messages I've received since making this post detailing similar experiences they and their friends have had with you

that numerous other customers have had similar experiences with you to mine. I am trying to spread the word so more people don't have bad experiences.

Today I'll work on fixing the crooked lines, tucking in errant corners, and cutting the speaker holes (you know, the ones we agreed on and the ones you cut in the first set, but failed to cut in the second set...but they "weren't in the invoice" so I'm SOL). Thanks for the quality workmanship.

Queue the rebuffs.

Zac, I am not going to get into this with you again, especially on a public forum. You know my thoughts on the whole thing.

It is clear from:

• the other posts on IH8MUD about you/Nomad Nomad Cruisers - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/nomad-cruisers.1327037/
• the post and replies here: Log into Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/206605883193300 (someone shared this Mud thread to Facebook)
• the private messages I've received since making this post detailing similar experiences they and their friends have had with you

that numerous other customers have had similar experiences with you to mine. I am trying to spread the word so more people don't have bad experiences.

Today I'll work on fixing the crooked lines, tucking in errant corners, and cutting the speaker holes (you know, the ones we agreed on and the ones you cut in the first set, but failed to cut in the second set...but they "weren't in the invoice" so I'm SOL). Thanks for the quality workmanship.

Queue the rebuffs

Get into??
I posted pics and explained my end... Just as you have explained yours..

 

[Nomadcruisers44]

Zac, I am not going to get into this with you again, especially on a public forum. You know my thoughts on the whole thing.

It is clear from:

• the other posts on IH8MUD about you/Nomad Nomad Cruisers - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/nomad-cruisers.1327037/
• the post and replies here: Log into Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/206605883193300 (someone shared this Mud thread to Facebook)
• the private messages I've received since making this post detailing similar experiences they and their friends have had with you

that numerous other customers have had similar experiences with you to mine. I am trying to spread the word so more people don't have bad experiences.

Today I'll work on fixing the crooked lines, tucking in errant corners, and cutting the speaker holes (you know, the ones we agreed on and the ones you cut in the first set, but failed to cut in the second set...but they "weren't in the invoice" so I'm SOL). Thanks for the quality workmanship.

Queue the rebuffs.

I want to make this very clear: the speaker holes were not “forgotten.” On our phone call, I specifically told you they would not be cut, and at that time I even offered you a 100% refund. The invoice outlines exactly what you were paying for, and that is exactly what I delivered—nothing more, nothing less.
Cutting speaker holes would have been extra work outside of our contract. I initially considered doing it as a courtesy, but given your attitude and how nit-picky you’ve been from the start, I chose to stick strictly to the terms of the invoice. That way there could be no question about what was agreed to and fulfilled.
If you have any issues with what was actually contracted and delivered, you are covered under the warranty. Beyond that, I am not obligated to provide anything outside of what was invoiced.

 

[timmbuck2]

Just my 2 cents worth I have had Zac do work for me and have been very happy with the results. Mechanical, interior, bodywork. And to be upfront, we have talked about building some stuff together someday. Like a lot of us, he is a very busy one man shop and communication can fall through the cracks sometime. I know Zac tries very hard to make everyone happy and he has done exceptional work for me and some buddies. I highly recommend you do your due diligence no matter who you have work on your rig or buy parts from. Best of luck to everyone!

 

[efjayatee]

 

[Anthony Miller]

“Completed first set, I'll let them speak for themselves”

I think it’s funny you posted pics thinking they would defend your honor when in fact, they just highlighted your sub par work. Those panels are not even close to a professional job. To be fair, I honestly think you don’t know any better.

 

[Nomadcruisers44]

Anthony, I think you’re misunderstanding a few things. I’ve done interiors that have gone on to win high-end car shows—those customers paid for that exact level of detail and made it clear what they wanted. What you’re commenting on isn’t a show car build, it’s a custom project based on a very different budget and set of expectations.
I’m always open to learning and improving, but let’s be honest—your opinion doesn’t carry much weight here. You’re not a professional upholsterer, nor have you ever had me do any work for you. You don’t really know the full scope of what I can produce.
If Stephanie truly disliked his set that much, he has a warranty and is free to send them back. The only reason he hasn’t is because shipping things out-of-house takes effort and cost, not because the quality isn’t there, he's mad about time not the product, he's mad about getting exactly what he paid for on his invoice and nothing free. All you shuga coated Sally's are something else.
I know my work speaks for itself. I’ve got plenty of happy customers and real-world proof of award-winning builds. If anything, comments like yours just help me identify who isn’t the right fit for my shop. So keep paying attention! There's way more to come!
for reference, here are more interiors for you to chew on. The red one, from a ’51 Ford, has won interior awards six times since 2018. (He's only brought it to 6 shows since completion) The k5 is a one off top for a gnarly crawler and the others are just custom cruiser seats.

 

[pinkiedog64]

Zac, I haven't sent them back because I don't believe/trust that:
1) you will/are capable of actually correcting the issues, nor
2) that you can could do it in a "short turn around".

The parts in the pictures above are like my door panels. They do look great from a distance, but the lack of workmanship shows when you look closely. Lumpy, wrinkly, crooked lines. I'm not saying I could do better, but some upholsters can.

 

[Nomadcruisers44]

You very very clearly don't understand how materials work do you?? Can't convince a fly honey is better than s***..

 

[pinkiedog64]

Sure man, you win.

 

[Nomadcruisers44]

Stephan,
I was simply proving a point — and you took the bait.
The door cards you couldn’t complain about in pictures? Those came from a customer who were willing to pay for 100% perfection, and he got exactly that. The seats you nitpicked came from someone who couldn’t afford new foam but still wanted fresh covers. They were fully informed that without new foam, things won’t pull completely tight at first. That’s the nature of fabric and leather — they tighten and settle with use. That’s part of what makes leather special. I’ll admit, I saw one wiggle in my stitching — but at a 95% accuracy rate, I’m still just human, and my work competes closely with CNC sewing machines in terms of quality.
To give perspective:

• One door card for an F100 ran about $2,800. That interior alone was a $35,000 build for show-level perfection.
• FJ60 cards? $1,800 each plus materials, and the customer paid happily for flawless work.
• A custom K5 top? $10,000.

None of these clients (and this is just a few) asked for discounts or freebies. They knew what they wanted, knew the cost, and paid for it.


You, on the other hand, paid $2,600 for a complete set, front to rear. And for that price point, your set turned out amazing. That’s exactly why my prices have since gone up — if people expect perfection, they can pay for perfection.

Here’s the reality of your project:

• Every dollar you paid went just into building the CAD file to cut your ABS panels.
• I lost $800 in materials, $500 in shipping reimbursement, and 6 full days of labor remaking another set.
• Your covers were sewn within a week; the delay was CAD programming, not sewing.

Did I expect to eat those costs? No. But I did it anyway because I care about the product at every level. The truth is, you’ve been an unpleasable customer from the start.


Most of my clients know me as personable, patient, and willing to go above and beyond — and they see firsthand that kindness and patience go much further than demands and insults. The only reason your second shipment was handled through a packing company (another expense and delay) was because you insulted my packaging, which has worked fine for many other clients.


And let’s be real — $2,600 isn’t “a lot of money” in this industry. I’ve gone above and beyond to make sure you received what you paid for. You still have warranty coverage, but I won’t continue to lose money on shipping. That’s why I ask you to cover shipping, and I’ll gladly fix those panels.


As far as your complaints:

• The “pucker” could be corrected in minutes if I’d noticed it, is it a huge deal, no it's really nothing to fuss about in my eyes.
• The “wave” is simply from a slightly tighter pull — something I’d proudly put in my own daily driver or even a show car of mine.

Bottom line: You still have warranty support. If you want the issues corrected, ship the two panels back (on your dime) and I’ll handle them quickly.

 

[pinkiedog64]

This thread is a broken record. I say your panels lack quality workmanship, you say they are perfect. We aren't going to change each others' minds. I've given my review and people can heed or ignore it at their choosing. So, I'm done with the back and forth on the panels.

However, we owe it to the other forum members to keep this thread entertaining. I propose we do it via 'yo mama' jokes. I'll take the first shot. Yo mama is SOOOOO fat that when she jumps up in the air...she gets stuck.

 

[Nomadcruisers44]

This thread is a broken record. I say your panels lack quality workmanship, you say they are perfect. We aren't going to change each others' minds. I've given my review and people can heed or ignore it at their choosing. So, I'm done with the back and forth on the panels.

However, we owe it to the other forum members to keep this thread entertaining. I propose we do it via 'yo mama' jokes. I'll take the first shot. Yo mama is SOOOOO fat that when she jumps up in the air...she gets stuck.

I will honor your warranty Stephan and in a timely manner.

Yo momma so fat she uses Google Earth to take a selfie

 

[fjbj40]

Just an observation, and I use to own a 60 series with that style of door card, why are the fabric lines not straight? It’s like the fabric was put on at an angle, instead of perpendicular to the lower vinyl line on the top piece of vinyl?

 

[pinkiedog64]

Just an observation, and I use to own a 60 series with that style of door card, why are the fabric lines not straight? It’s like the fabric was put on at an angle, instead of perpendicular to the lower vinyl line on the top piece of vinyl?

Zac will weigh in I'm sure, but that's part of the workmanship problems I'm talking about. See attached. Left rear door panel has fabric lines perpendicular, right rear door panel has it at an angle. They are not consistent. Maybe if I paid extra, they would have been correct and consistent.

Nomad Cruisers: where quality costs extra!