Scammed by an engine builder in the states :/

[Guest]

I got scammed by a reputable engine builder in the states with more than 7 pages of praise saying how great he was on theSamba. This guy has been working in the VW scene for countless years by the way, well know and well respected by alot of people.

We had extensive chats on the phone about the build and many emails. theres even a mag feature about the guy in the UK and he build an engine for a fella for free with parts he got donated from other companies in the US who lost all his money and parts when serranos went tits up. I even phoned the guy in the UK to confirm and he was full of praise as well.

Story goes its been more than 17 months and i stopped getting communication more than 6 months ago. I stupidily wired 5K dollars and sent parts over for the build. I was told the engine was coming on great etc. I got in contact with his cousin from another website and VW club in California and he siad he would help but he hasnt responed now either after 2 weeks.

ive got two uncles over there who want to go round and bust his head open but i just want my engine or money. Anyone any advice on how to go about this legally?

im well fucked off and losing sleep over it as you can see its 1.45am :roll: . im about to post the whole email conversation (pages of it) and the details of the money transfer on the samba to expose this prick.

any advice about how to (legally) go about getting satisfaction would be appreciated.

 

[ib-bus]

That just bites :evil: I'm sure you'll start getting emails answered once you expose him, if he wants to stay in business that is. At Pomona Swap Meet and shows you see a lot of engine builders and if word gets out that he cheated someone out of his money or engine It would be hard for him to stay in business. I say if you have the email conversations expose him and if he cares he'll reply. I wish I knew how to go about it legally to get your money back , good luck mate.

 

[user 13702]

I hate this type of shit. I'd get your uncles to just drop in. Get legal advice before you "name and shame".

 

[ianscooby]

johnny

did you pay on a card if so you may have an avenue to get your money back that way, just a thought.

if not send the boys in it often gets a suitable resolution to problems

 

[Guest]

johnny
did you pay on a card if so you may have an avenue to get your money back that way, just a thought.
if not send the boys in it often gets a suitable resolution to problems

nah, it was a wire transfer unfortunately , if you saw this guys feedback it was pages and pages of praise from different people, ill link it later if i dont get satisfaction, i dont want to give his name away unless he comes good but i doubt it after a year and a half and the way hes ignoring my calls...

id just like to warn anyone be careful who you deal with even if they have A++ reputation, as things can always go wrong.

I dont know what legal avenues exist id prefer to go that way as i have this guys details home address, bank details etc. still looking for good advice off anyone who has maybe had a similar experience.

 

[5erge]

Not had an experience like this previously but you could get someone else to contact him enquiring about a new engine and see if they get a response. Then at least you know he is still trading, then send the boys round tooled up. Failing that if your not getting response from either members of the family rat him out and post his name up on the Samba, maybe once his name is flying round on the forums someone WILL know something. I know it doesn't help much but you wouldn't want someone else to to go through your pain.



Des

 

[froggy]

Name and shame him and then once you get some correspondance back from him, fight him for either your money or the engine and then send in the Uncles
Theres alot to say for face to face contact when dealing with big money issues

 

[young_dubya]

This sucks dude. :roll:

I think you should get a friend to ring (send me his number i once blagged a substitute teacher i was from Cali for about a month :lol: ) and get them to check hes deffinately still in buisness. If so then you have a problem. Ive not got a clue how you legally get your money back from the states but if the threat of outing him as a shister doesnt work it may be worth sending someone round just to let him know you have folk over there who are willing to deal with it for you, i dont mean kick his head in just let him know you arent as far away as he thinks!! Then maybe seek advice from a laywer about what to do legally before outing him.

Good luck with it dude.

Ash.

 

[ob1]

American law is quit similar to english law, if you have some form of agreement ie emails confirming his agreement to build the engine for x amount of dollars etc then that is a legal agreement as such. The difficulty is the bit of water between u n him! check through all the correspondence between you n list dates, when you contacted him , when he confirmed he would build the engine etc,etc. Then send a letter (recorded eg fedx)to him explaining your dissapointment etc and all the dates, also stating that you will be taking legal action against him unless the engine is completed or the money returnd, also explain that he will need to respond to your letter within 14days. DO NOT make any threats toward him you gotta be cool at this stage! If this doesnt work then you will need to get an atterney involved this will then start to cost money, personaly i would check on the samba forums if anyone is in that proffession n as theyd be into vdubs may be able to help you further, or if you got family over there let them get you a lawyer wholl help. At this stage your best not name n shame him explain the story but no names or his address. Hope this helps, good luck. nick

 

[giraffeinbath]

That sucks.

I don't remember who the guys name was but I remember your thread from a long way back talking about ordering the engine as well as reading about the builder at here and other places at the time thinking how he must have been a proper nice guy with all the positive feedback he was getting from everywhere. I think he got mention in Volksworld as well as one of the 'and finally' feel good stories in their news section with the engine built from donated parts thing too.

Best of luck with sorting it out.

 

[Tiki-Al]

I know it sounds crap but have you tried talking to citizens advice? it's free and they have helped me out before now.

Did you pay via paypal then? i'd contact them about it too, they may well suspend his account.

 

[Force3g]

I am sorry for your situation. However, I do have suggestions to get his attention to resolve this with you.

1. Have a lawyer send him a letter on their letterhead.
2. Contact the US Better Business Bureau. http://www.bbb.org/
3. Contact California States Attorney General's office. http://ag.ca.gov/

I have found this course of action to be very favorable in the states.

Good Luck!

 

[werksberg]

Post up a name.....to save others on here and I'll see what I can do on my side of the pond. As you know.....I'm heavily within the ACVW industry and can / have black balled scums before from behind the scenes....

 

[junkyardjim]

Hi Johnny,

Sorry to hear about this. You could try looking here http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
They have a section on overseas purchases (United States) and links to the 'Federal Trade Commssion'
and 'Better Business Bureau'. Hope this helps.

Hope you get it sorted soon dood.

 

[Bookwus]

Hiya John,

I'm thinking that it's time for you to "Administer some Pain".

As a Statesider I could not agree more with the suggestions by Force3g. As much as you'd probably like to see your uncles "convince" this builder to get his arse moving, Force3g's suggestions are the way to go over here.

1. The letter from a lawyer puts this guy on official notice. Most folks who want to preserve their reputation when getting one of these letters get cooperative rather quickly.

2. The Better Business Bureau will list this rebuilder as having an unresolved complaint (unless he settles up with you). Anybody who is contemplating doing business with the guy will be warned about that when they check in with the BBB. No business person wants to have this hanging over their head.

3. The State's AG office will have a business practices section. And they will, at the very least, send the rebuilder a letter of inquiry. Having the government intercede can be a powerful persuasive tool in getting the miscreant to talking also.

Finally John, your not disclosing the name of the rebuilder is a class act. But I would also look at the other edge of the sword. During the long (waaaaay too long) time you have been waiting how many other people might have been taken in also? Could posting up this rebuilder's name at least warn other prospective buyers that they need to pay attention to how this issue is resolved before they do business with the guy? Just a thought.

 

[Guest]

i've found out hes stopped building altogether so i think he took on too much or rather it got too much for him, he wont be taking on any new business so i wont name him unless i have to.

I have no idea why hs stopped though, id be happy just to have a phone call but still no answer . Ill definitely look into those sites thanks for the links, seems like the best way to proceed. I've told his cousin hes got 2 weeks to make good or expect a letter as advised with two weeks notice to respond. I guess im realy dissappointed as it was goin to be a sweet engine, but hey ho.

 

[Loxy]

i've found out hes stopped building altogether so i think he took on too much or rather it got too much for him, he wont be taking on any new business so i wont name him unless i have to.

I have no idea why hs stopped though, id be happy just to have a phone call but still no answer . Ill definitely look into those sites thanks for the links, seems like the best way to proceed. I've told his cousin hes got 2 weeks to make good or expect a letter as advised with two weeks notice to respond. I guess im realy dissappointed as it was goin to be a sweet engine, but hey ho.

Sounds to me like he has had enough chances already, I would start proceedings ASAP.

 

[Dirty Harry]

I would not expose his name here on a public forum even if it is to warn other people.
When it comes to legal action everything counts and you could end up as the "bad guy" in this!


Good luck with it!!
Harry

 

[woodslat]

First of all this sucks REAL BAD, but this might be a trend in the difficult years to come. I have assisted in situations as such with mixed results, a threat of a visit from me got a 6 month stalled 13 window on the boat within a week. For future reference PLEASE contact me first, I charge a fee for my time, and no motor/bus/Porsche whatever then NO CASH gets surrendered. Your cash is safe with me until I get the goods. We are in a serious state of decline over here so help us weed out the desperate folks that are looking for a bit of cash before they go under. I'm sure ib-bus or Werksberg can help in the same situation. I can help in situations from $1000 to $100,000.

IF I can be of assistance in this matter, then please PM me Johnny.

I won't bust heads for people (I save that for when people fuck ME over), but I travel to Southern California often to deliver sold buses to the shippers, lately been 2-4 per month. I can pop in if necessary.

Harry, there is nothing illegal about exposing his name. Here slander is a civil offense, the only defense to a slander charge is that the truth is spoken. A friend of mine was screwed over by a large company, so she started a website telling her story, with documentation to back it up. THey tried to sue her for slander, ended up paying her attorney bill AND a later 6 figure sum to take the site down. Johnny has truth on his side, it's up to him if he thinks exposing this asshole is going to help him get cash or a motor.

If you are still interested in a motor after all this, I will give you my discount at my engine builder, they are very reputable, successful, and drama free. PM me for details.

 

[Guest]

First of all this sucks REAL BAD, but this might be a trend in the difficult years to come. I have assisted in situations as such with mixed results, a threat of a visit from me got a 6 month stalled 13 window on the boat within a week. For future reference PLEASE contact me first, I charge a fee for my time, and no motor/bus/Porsche whatever then NO CASH gets surrendered. Your cash is safe with me until I get the goods. We are in a serious state of decline over here so help us weed out the desperate folks that are looking for a bit of cash before they go under. I'm sure ib-bus or Werksberg can help in the same situation. I can help in situations from $1000 to $100,000.

IF I can be of assistance in this matter, then please PM me Johnny.

I won't bust heads for people (I save that for when people fuck ME over), but I travel to Southern California often to deliver sold buses to the shippers, lately been 2-4 per month. I can pop in if necessary.

Harry, there is nothing illegal about exposing his name. Here slander is a civil offense, the only defense to a slander charge is that the truth is spoken. A friend of mine was screwed over by a large company, so she started a website telling her story, with documentation to back it up. THey tried to sue her for slander, ended up paying her attorney bill AND a later 6 figure sum to take the site down. Johnny has truth on his side, it's up to him if he thinks exposing this asshole is going to help him get cash or a motor.

If you are still interested in a motor after all this, I will give you my discount at my engine builder, they are very reputable, successful, and drama free. PM me for details.

cheers, ill send you the details, even the fact that he may think i have a presence close to him may get things moving. I dont want to get the uncles involved as Frank is a bit of a hot head and i wouldn't want to burn my bridges with this guy if there is any chance. He wants to wade round and take whatever he sees lying in his shop to the value ive payed but that no use to me.

Really appreciate your help Eric. Its costing me a fortune leaving messages on his answer service.

edit:

ive sent you an email eric with the details, can you PM me your phone number as there are some other things id like a chat about, cheers