Need an opinion

[Pete Masterson]

Back in the late 60s, I accompanied a friend to a Tijuana upholstery shop to get a 'tuck and roll' job for his '57 Chevy. My friend was obviously tuned in to the process -- he specified exactly what he wanted and exactly when he wanted it completed. We then stayed in the shop as the work progressed, ensuring that nothing was overlooked or done slip-shod. He also never let on that he spoke reasonably fluent Spanish -- until late in the day when he "reviewed" the job with the proprietor. In the end, we had a really fine upholstery job, completed by 4:30 PM (about 30 minutes "late") for an exceedingly reasonable sum for the times. Since we has specified a completion time, the shop actually took workers off other projects (that had arrived before us) to complete our job...

Labor rates in Mexico are far below U.S. rates. Craftsmanship can meet or exceed U.S. standards -- but it is important to monitor the job and ensure that short cuts are avoided.

Pete Masterson

'95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42

El Sobrante CA

"aeonix1@mac.com"

On Jun 22, 2009, at 11:38 AM, mbulriss wrote:

<snip> However, that owner spelled out exactly what he wanted done up front and he went in each day during the process to inspect the work and to point out anything that was unacceptable or not the way he wanted it.<snip>