AX-O
Well Known Member
Since I started building RVs my wife always asked me why I was so trusting of people. I kept telling her that the aviation community was somewhat different than the general population and that the love for aviation kept the majority of people from doing shady things. She experienced time after time the kindness and fairness of the aviation community. Well until now?..
About 6 months ago my dad called me and asked me if I was ready to do my interior. I was not ready but he told me that this lady he knows does a very good job and she was starting her own business. My dad has helped her out a few times due to work (she was in his region). I gave her a call and we discussed what I wanted to do with my interior. We agreed that we would use my RV as her ?show model? and she would come out to CA from OK to install all the interior parts. We agreed that I would show progress of the interior on my website and would help her break into the RV world.
We would talk daily, sometimes twice a day. I put away what I was doing and started concentrating on the interior. I spent a long time figuring out how to do all these thing that I really did not need (or want) because she wanted to do a good job with her ?show model?. The total for the work would be right under $2,500. She asked me to send her half of the money upfront so she could buy the materials. So I did that via a Money Pak (per her request). Then the calls were fewer. So I figured that she was working on stuff. I would ask for pictures of the progress and I would get excuses like? my computer is down?, or ?I don?t know how to download them from the camera I need to wait on the computer tect to help me?.
She then asked me if I could send her the rest of the money so she could buy a machine that would allow her to make better/faster stitches. I talked to my wife and she was not ok with it but we agreed to send the rest of the money because this was going on for too long. After she received the money, the calls stopped. The day before she was supposed to come to CA to install the seats, she ?fell down and broke her hip?. Then ?she was not allowed to have a phone at the hospital?, ?her computer had a virus and could not answer the emails?, and the last one was ?she was in the hospital again having a hysterectomy?. Throughout this process I was very nice to her. I felt bad, after all, she was my dad?s friend and he personally recommended her. She could not be lying to me or worst yet taking advantage of me.
I finally had enough and told her if my stuff was not at home by 2 weeks ago I would take legal action. She begged me not to do that and sent me a box. After returning from a family funeral I decided to open the box. What an expected surprise. 1 piece of leather and 2 pieces of aluminum. I called her and of course she did not answer. She sent me an email telling me that her helper sent out 3 boxes on the same day and he messed it up. She would take care of it and she was working hard to make everyone happy. She asked me to send the box to the rightful owner. So I did that at my own expense ($50, she would pay me later). I gave her another deadline and she missed it.
I was out all my money, time invested and the parts I made. I was upset about the money but furious that she would take my airplane parts and plans and not return them. Yesterday I received my parts. Nothing else. So now I am only out $2,500. Lesson learned for me and my wife.
I am not going to release any info on this lady yet. I need to analyze my legal options and don?t want to ruin my chances of getting my money back. Oh by the way. The person that I sent the box back to was one of her family members or boyfriend. She has 7 aliases with UPS and ships from many different addresses. That means that I am not the first person she has done this to.
Is anyone out there savvy about things like this? I would like to teach this person a lesson so this does not happen to anyone else, even if it cost me more money than the money I lost already.
About 6 months ago my dad called me and asked me if I was ready to do my interior. I was not ready but he told me that this lady he knows does a very good job and she was starting her own business. My dad has helped her out a few times due to work (she was in his region). I gave her a call and we discussed what I wanted to do with my interior. We agreed that we would use my RV as her ?show model? and she would come out to CA from OK to install all the interior parts. We agreed that I would show progress of the interior on my website and would help her break into the RV world.
We would talk daily, sometimes twice a day. I put away what I was doing and started concentrating on the interior. I spent a long time figuring out how to do all these thing that I really did not need (or want) because she wanted to do a good job with her ?show model?. The total for the work would be right under $2,500. She asked me to send her half of the money upfront so she could buy the materials. So I did that via a Money Pak (per her request). Then the calls were fewer. So I figured that she was working on stuff. I would ask for pictures of the progress and I would get excuses like? my computer is down?, or ?I don?t know how to download them from the camera I need to wait on the computer tect to help me?.
She then asked me if I could send her the rest of the money so she could buy a machine that would allow her to make better/faster stitches. I talked to my wife and she was not ok with it but we agreed to send the rest of the money because this was going on for too long. After she received the money, the calls stopped. The day before she was supposed to come to CA to install the seats, she ?fell down and broke her hip?. Then ?she was not allowed to have a phone at the hospital?, ?her computer had a virus and could not answer the emails?, and the last one was ?she was in the hospital again having a hysterectomy?. Throughout this process I was very nice to her. I felt bad, after all, she was my dad?s friend and he personally recommended her. She could not be lying to me or worst yet taking advantage of me.
I finally had enough and told her if my stuff was not at home by 2 weeks ago I would take legal action. She begged me not to do that and sent me a box. After returning from a family funeral I decided to open the box. What an expected surprise. 1 piece of leather and 2 pieces of aluminum. I called her and of course she did not answer. She sent me an email telling me that her helper sent out 3 boxes on the same day and he messed it up. She would take care of it and she was working hard to make everyone happy. She asked me to send the box to the rightful owner. So I did that at my own expense ($50, she would pay me later). I gave her another deadline and she missed it.
I was out all my money, time invested and the parts I made. I was upset about the money but furious that she would take my airplane parts and plans and not return them. Yesterday I received my parts. Nothing else. So now I am only out $2,500. Lesson learned for me and my wife.
I am not going to release any info on this lady yet. I need to analyze my legal options and don?t want to ruin my chances of getting my money back. Oh by the way. The person that I sent the box back to was one of her family members or boyfriend. She has 7 aliases with UPS and ships from many different addresses. That means that I am not the first person she has done this to.
Is anyone out there savvy about things like this? I would like to teach this person a lesson so this does not happen to anyone else, even if it cost me more money than the money I lost already.