260DET Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Short version of a long story, custom pistons from a Florida maker are unuseable due to manufacturing defects. Took so long for them to arrive that any PayPal remedy is out of time but seeing they cost well over $1000 I'm going to do what I can. Looks like I can make a consumer complaint to the Florida Attorney General but I don't know how far that will get me, I don't mind paying a percentage 'comission' from a successful claim to a 'recovery agent' but have no idea if thats practical or even permissible. Its fairly obvious to someone familiar with pistons they are defective but my word here is not going to go far although when they come back from the engine builder I could make a video showing whats wrong with them. So, advice, tips.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RB26powered74zcar Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Did you use a credit card to fund the PP payment? Who is the piston company? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
260DET Posted March 13, 2011 Author Share Posted March 13, 2011 Yes to the first one, BRC to the second one. Wasn't sure if it was OK to drop names here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sticky280zx Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 i am one for dropping names that way people dont get screwed, the staff wont do anything but thats another story....i would do a chargeback through youre credit card company and you should have no problem with getting reimbursed. As far as the company i would make that call/letter as well as the same to the better business bureau if they have one in FL that you can get ahold of. If someone is screwed they should be able to scream it from the mountains and atleast warn people even if the useless person/company isnt going to do anything except screw them over...and potentially many others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 The BBB is basically a House of Cards, you pay for the rating you get. If someone complains, they basically discuss it with you and say 'for this higher level of donation this will all go away'--for the guys who say 'screw you' they get the complaints lodged. Some very good businesses with eccentric personalities running them get screwed by this system. Sure, you can say 'keep everyone happy and you won't get a complaint'--and I could say 'you have never dealt with Z Car owners!' I have seen instances where guys were offered total refunds, allowed to keep the parts and because they were PO&B over having to pay the shipping they put out the word on what kind of A-hole the business owner was. You can try the BBB, but I wouldn't hold much hope. A long distance call to a local police department and their internet fraud detail may yield some interesting results. If the guy is doing it wholesale, across state lines, and accepting payment through the mail you got allll sorts of interesting possibilities. Problem is, as you said, you are there and he is here. A recovery agent would take a cut, and might be successful. But in the end even if you get a court judgement in small claims court scammers will simply shutter the doors on Friday after declaring insolvency, and reopen with a different DBA on Monday free and clear of any liability for their past misdeeds. And pursuing THAT claim will cost more than 50 forged piston sets. Maybe 100... Not to PP on the parade of righteous injustice, it sucks. But realiztically unless you find an 'enthusiastic local advocate' this will be almost impossible to pursue. As an alternate you could go on some local 4X4/Guns websites and befried locals there in the local area. After about two years of intense interaction and networking over the internet and maybe working up to weekly Skype conversations you could have your new friends go pay him a visit for a friendly 'tune up'... What can I say, my latent Italian Genes say some revenge delayed is just as sweet as doing something where financial records for the transaction still exist. What's a set of pistons worth? A broken leg...two? Maybe a nail gun through the hands into his desk? I'm a bad person for even suggesting that and it's up to you to keep it from germination and evolution into the sweetest fruits of revenge! Seriously though, good luck. I wish I was on that end of the country to give you a hand. Getting crap in the mail is never any fun, no matter how far or close the vendor is from you geographically! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
260DET Posted March 15, 2011 Author Share Posted March 15, 2011 What I should have done is begin a dispute with PayPal before the three month limit expired just to cover myself, sometimes you get one chance with these things and thats it. Not sure if cancelling a credit card payment to PP is a good way to go, will have to look at the implications. One thing I am going to do is a make a YouTube video showing exactly what the problems are, either that or stuff the expense and pay them a personal visit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 stuff the expense and pay them a personal visit Oh no, what have I done??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbob_racing Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Not sure if cancelling a credit card payment to PP is a good way to go, will have to look at the implications. No implications at all. You get your money back and Paypal gets the charge back so they have to try to recover from the seller. I did this with the aborted group buy control arm sale here on HybridZ and had no trouble getting my money back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLOZ UP Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 No implications at all. You get your money back and Paypal gets the charge back so they have to try to recover from the seller. I did this with the aborted group buy control arm sale here on HybridZ and had no trouble getting my money back. Yeah, sure, and your paypal account is suspended indefinitely while it is "under investigation". Once your account is flagged for "suspicious" behaviour you'll have all sorts of problems with paypal. http://www.paypalsucks.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
260DET Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 Yeh I could imagine PayPal would not be too happy, like all these sorts of companies you play by their rules or you don't play at all. Unfortunately PayPal has become an institution in that if you want to buy stuff online then there is often no alternative way to pay. For Tony, I'm thinking my friends at BRC might be interested in seeing a cricket bat, close up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLOZ UP Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 (edited) I hope you enjoy being arrested for trespassing, or worse... Edited March 16, 2011 by BLOZ UP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbob_racing Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Yeah, sure, and your paypal account is suspended indefinitely while it is "under investigation". Once your account is flagged for "suspicious" behaviour you'll have all sorts of problems with paypal. http://www.paypalsucks.com/ I had no problems what so ever. My Paypal account worked fine right after the charge back and is still going strong. I just used it last week to buy a slot car from overseas and had no hitches. No telling what made my transaction go smoothly but I did get all my money back and that was all that I really cared about at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 (edited) You have to have unbroken fingers and unbloodied eyes to be able to call the cops to report the 'trespassing'... Cricket bat...I like that, little fire on the beach later in the evening, all traces of the evidence up in smoke along with the tyvek suit, splash goggles, and boot pullovers (though the impulse to use the boot makes one want to just burn those as well.) I'm not a "Cricket Bat and Boot Lad" but I suppose I could grow into it! "Yo, Tony, dis is a funny lookin' pizza spatula..." "Never cross a man who raises Pigs!" Bricktop Edited March 19, 2011 by Tony D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLOZ UP Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 Somehow I don't think resorting to violence against them will help solve this problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce83 Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 I had someone in Germany hack my PP account for $451 Euros. When I called PP to complain, they said they could fix the problem, but it would take about 3 to 4 weeks. Not wanting over $600 US dollars of my money gone and tied up with PP for up to a month, I went to my bank that i used for my PP account and filed a fraud claim. Not only did they stop PP from getting the money, they redeposited all the money back into my account the next day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetleaf Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 For anybody wandering, who they are. Sounds like they wouldn't want the bad rep, but who knows. I would do a credit card charge back. http://www.facebook.com/pages/BRC-Performance/144360645584133?v=info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
260DET Posted March 20, 2011 Author Share Posted March 20, 2011 Somehow I don't think resorting to violence against them will help solve this problem. I wasn't being serious, about travelling all that way or demonstrating the various uses a bat could be put to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Yeah, I mean, for the cost of the Quantas Flight you could EASILY hire a local to whack them far more economically! You know, support the locals kind of thing. Keep the worldiwde flow of money for services going. Flying there to do it in person would only apply if it was more than the ticket cost. Besides, you would have to find a cricket bat locally, and that may raise eyebrows in Florida. That's the last thing you want. Personally, a Louisvill Slugger would be far more inconspicuous, and burns wrapped in blood-soaked Tyvek just as well in that beach campfire! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 (edited) I assume you HAVE talked to the company and stated why they are unusable. A lot of companies would be willing to redo their work rather than risk their reputations. Trying to work it out directly is often cheapest. Keep a record of the calls, Record them if possible. Send them registered letters, and keep copies of the letters as well as the postal reciepts. Then once you've established you're not going to get anything from them, that's when you hire a local Attorney, naming both the company and the people who run it, as well as all their employees in a suit to recover your $ and attorny fees. Often pressure like that will get results. Separately you may need a Private Investigator to help gather information, such as assets and names. It won't be cheap, but you can hopefully recover costs in court. Though getting the judgement is one thing, getting them to pay is another. Oh, you'd need written statement from reputable builders stating why the pistons are defective specifically as well. Phar Edited March 22, 2011 by Pharaohabq Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
260DET Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 If they did not know that the pistons were defective in the first place then they are not competent anyway, the problems are quite obvious once your attention is drawn to them. I am in the process of doing what I can without throwing more money after bad, my experience in AU is unless there is a dedicated no lawyers Small Claims process available to consumers against businesses then forget using the usual legal process for less than say $3K. Once the pistons come back from the engine builder I'll be doing a video for YouTube on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.