Is Hennessey a scam??

[Evolvd]

Didn't see this posted yet, an interesting read for anyone considering shelling out the duckets for a Hennessey Mustang or GT350...

http://jalopnik.com/ex-employees-sa...ource=jalopnik_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

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[Mike02z]

If you consider the Viper debacle of the 90's to the earlier Corvette issues now this? I'd say his business practices are suspect. He blames others but the one constant is John.

 

[MRGTX]

I'm no lawyer but I get the feeling that Jalopnik article could be considered libel...

No telling how much of that is true but it sounds pretty damning.

 

[stresstest]

The comments at the bottom of the article are the real read

 

[Evolvd]

I'm no lawyer but I get the feeling that Jalopnik article could be considered libel...

No telling how much of that is true but it sounds pretty damning.

Libel is making up falsehoods, they are reporting what they are being told. That is not libel.

 

[SK GT]

I wouldn't let them work on my roller skates.

 

[Jon|3.7]

I personally don't like "big name" shops I prefer ones like the ones on here that reach of the the community, even if some aren't the best it's all with good heart and a love for cars and I'm sure they will make up for it but many do great work!

 

[QRK]

I remember reading read some pretty harsh comments about Mr. Hennessey and HPE in the past on the Motor Trend forum, but I never really looked into any of it because they were usually along the lines of "John's an a**hole" or "they use crap parts and just put their name on them" so I thought it was just typical forum bros with no personal experience being forum bros.

Jason's writeup seems pretty damning though. I would have never thought that the situation could be as bad as explained in the article, especially for a tuning company with such a world-renowned reputation. If it's all true -which is pretty hard to argue otherwise given all the testimonials by ex-employees- I feel bad for those that went to HPE wanting to have their dream car built, only to be deceived and lied to along with the employees that just wanted to build awesome cars.

Even if John isn't as terrible a person as many make him out to be, the fish always stinks from the head. It goes to show how slick social media tactics can help keep a crooked operation in such a good light in the eyes of the general public.

 

[timd38]

Not a big surprise. Lots of suckers born everyday.

 

[MSMStannyl]

Definitely not the first I've heard/read about their alleged shady practices. There's definitely been enough about it where I personally wouldn't consider them for tuning my car. Whether it's true or not, I prefer to stay away from the drama of it all.

That said, and on another note, I just read an article recently that was saying that Saleen was in trouble as well. However, for them it was all financial issues, not really reputation.

 

[MRGTX]

Libel is making up falsehoods, they are reporting what they are being told. That is not libel.

I hear what you're saying...but they're presenting specific acusations as "fact." If any of that is untrue and they've published it, there could be trouble.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending Hennessey.

 

[daltron]

Scamming people and not being able to properly run a business can have similar symptoms. I don't know them so I can't comment either way. Regardless, with that kind of stuff, you are forking a lot of your money down just so you can tell people it is a "Hennessy".

 

[MSMStannyl]

I hear what you're saying...but they're presenting specific acusations as "fact." If any of that is untrue and they've published it, there could be trouble.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending Hennessey.

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with their reporting. This is basic journalism. They have sources (anonymous in this case) with something to say about the subject. They are simply reporting that. I think they were pretty transparent about where all of their different information was coming from.

This is how whistles get blown, although this is rather just confirming something that's been allegedly going on for decades.

 

[Gman]

I wouldn't let them work on my roller skates.

X2 and then some. Take your to him you might as well do this to yourself :headbonk: :headbonk:

 

[Shark77]

I hear what you're saying...but they're presenting specific acusations as "fact." If any of that is untrue and they've published it, there could be trouble.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending Hennessey.

The old First Amendment is a tough hurdle for any public figure to overcome in a libel suit. Clearly criticizing a business whether accurate or not is a definitely in the arena of public interest. The Supreme Court held up years ago that inhibiting free speech with a libel claim a person needs to show actual malice, which is a tough burden to prove.

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