Took my rifle in person to a local cerakoter. Their website says they have a three week guarantee. Its been WAY longer than that. They won't respond to my calls or emails. Don't care if its done or not. I want my rifle back. At what point is it considered stolen? ETA: I just read a thread on something like this. Guy went to the ATF. Any advice? I'm hesitant to post specifics in case I need to lawyer up.

Go see them in person and get it back.

you took it in person, go pick it up in person.

That's the idea. I just want to have a plan for when they either a) tell me to fuck off, or b) don't even unlock the door for me.

 

In that case i'd call the cops and at the very minimum get a police report.

This

$10 in spray paint....../thread

OP get the police involved. At this point it's a stolen firearm (or minimum a detained firearm. )

How big is the place? is it a whole shop or is it a one man band?

Lots of one man shops out there doing great work but when that one guy gets sick , gets in a car crash or has a family emergency the whole operation comes to a halt

Some of the older guys don't communicate well in this high speed electronic age either .

It does seem like it is time for a visit but don't barge in the door with threats until you get more information.


Time for a hijack to tell a story from a fellow shooter.
Young guy was getting heavy into pistol competition and decided to treat himself to a top level gun . he took his pistol to a top rated pistol guy to have a bunch of work done. .He was told it was a couple weeks work but the smith had about a six month backlog so he left it
In the waiting period the gun owner changed jobs and ended up traveling the world and lost touch with the shooting world .
15 years down the line the guy was cleaning out the old family homestead and when sorting through some old paperwork he came across the claim check for the gun.

He had some business near the location of the gunsmith and was surprised the shop was still there. He entered and  handed over the claimcheck . The old guy searched around and came up with a dusty old box tucked away on a shelf . He opened the box , looked at the gun and read over the work order that was in the box with the gun . "can you come back in three weeks?"

Almost guarantee you that it will be written up as a civil dispute, such as a breach of contract.

 

As someone with a 07 FFL / Class 2 SOT and experience in the custom finish arena (over 50% of my revenue) I would suggest first sending a Registered Mail "Demand Letter or Letter of Demand". Be courteous but firm; detail dates, promises verbal / written, and payment (also check the website to see if the is a "Terms subject to change......" clause may invalidate the "3 week guarantee"). If he wont sign for the registered mail or doesn't respond then you might consider filing a police report and press charges. As an alternative you could contact the LEA with jurisdiction at the location you believe your rifle to be; and ask to have and officer, constable, or deputy be there when you ask for your property back. This is coincided by some to be heavy handed in most cases but as firearms are involved it would not be out of the ordinary. I say all this as I assuming that the price of your rifle is in excess of 250$ threshold (varies by state) of felony theft. As such be prepared if you have to press charges to be without your rifle (or the some of its parts) for some time after it is recovered.

Note: What documentation do you have? All my customers receive an invoice or an estimate and invoice for the work to be completed also with tracking number for those that send their firearms to us. You may also want to hunt down your bill of sale for the firearm to prove ownership and value.

I see you are a former LEO; thank you for your sacrifice. I know it varies state to state and city to city; so I'm curious is it considered a civil dispute because of him transferring the firearm to the person(s) doing the Cerakote?

It's a civil issue because it's a dispute over services rendered, just like auto repair, a contractor, etc...

I know that gunmaker!  

Bingo. In order to press charges, you will need to articulate the intent to commit the alleged crime too.

 

It's the busiest time of year.  Everyone is backed up.
Now you know that guarantee is meaningless.
You'll get it... Eventually.  Being a dick won't help.
It's a local shop.  Shit happens.  Dont go back.

It becomes theft at a point though. That's why OP needs to at least make a record of it.

At the very least you should go check the status in person.

I'm betting I know the shop you're talking about.

Out of curiosity .....have you gone there and asked for your gun back? It seems a bit odd you need to get on a forum to figure out how to conduct yourself in this situation.

I spoke to them 3 days ago, the guy said he's absolutely slammed right now and that I should probably wait until he geats caught up to bring my rifle in.

Sounded like a nice enough guy. Go over there, act like a gentleman and ask for a no bullshit assessment of time left to get your shit.

If you don't like the answer, take your stuff back.

This ain't rocket science.

Being from Missouri and being a Cerakote applicator I would like to know who this is?

This.

If you haven't even showed up to check, you are putting the cart before the horse.

I'm 14 weeks into a 4-6 week job on having an all trunion replaced on my SBR.

The shop doing the work completely moves locations so I get that - but if I don't see movement in 2 weeks I might have to reach out to them.

I waited 11 months of a 4 to 6 week rifle once.

In the world of guns, you can have anything you want: correct, fast, and cheap....


Pick any two.

i think you are wrong. i have used dan_gray for cerakoting and he did it correct, fast and cheap.

I just don't get this. I run a coating shop and understand how it is to get behind, but come on. You cant fall off the grid with someones firearms. We always stay in contact with our customers and always let them stop by to see the progress. This seems to be a common and sometimes acceptable practice for gunsmiths/coaters. If a mechanic did this, there would be all sorts of hell to pay. Its time to make a visit to this place.