rharshberger
Well-Known Member
Add Wire Fraud to the charges, as thats what taking your money electronically is if you do not receive your product.
Buyer beware - Composite Warehouse is taking money and not shipping (again)..... 11 months and counting
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DAllen
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Did Curtis take business lessons from Jerry Irivine?
I have no dog in this hunt, but it seems to me that if someone is taking the lead on a legal fight, everyone who has been defrauded should contact that person to throw in with the suit. I suspect that when whomever is running CW (I assume it's Curtis from what others have posted) will become much less complacent when a subpoena arrives...
Who is taking the lead on legal action?
Who is taking the lead on legal action?
I certainly agree with your statement.
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His account here is gone. He does, however, have some not so silent silent partners here who usually flock to his defense. So far, they have not, last logged in mid October.
I will note, however, that his FB page has now deleted both the May announcement that they were almost done with the last of last year's BF shipping, AND has deleted the most recent "Hey, where's my stuff" outrage, so I'm sure he's well aware of what's being said.
ETA: looks like there's yet another "Where's my stuff" on his FB....with even more participants coming up for air.
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I would have to guess he is trying to clear the air for another Black Friday Rip Off.
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I'm willing to bet that this year's hook will be "Stock on hand, ready to ship, once they're all sold they're all gone"....and this thread will STILL be repeated next year(like it has every year since I BAR'd in 2015).
I am waiting for three kits from Black Friday 2021 and one from February 2022. Paid for all, including fairly expensive shipping to Canada. Many phone calls with lots of nice words. Shipping tomorrow or after the weekend at the latest. If there is a group action, I am out $630 or so and would participate. I really want the kits…
I agree with Chuck above in message #26. Band together if you can and let the legal authorities deal with it. In the meantime, "JUST DON'T BUY FROM CW!" No orders, no money and the business will go bankrupt. Period!
Fred, you're smart by dealing with folks who have the stock on hand. It's the way I used to operate. Got too much of a buildpile built up so I haven't been "operating", ordering much anymore! Gotta go fly and maybe unfortunately have some lawn darts. Hopefully NOT!
Kurt
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Nope, we don't 'just seem to move along' nearly as much as folks pound the drum louder to the tune of "We're a tiny hobby, you MUST accept this to play the game" defending Curtis. Strangely enough, seems to be those same folks that bend over backwards to kick Ken Allen in the nuts. There are several damn fine reasons why the owners/operators of the board won't take Curtis' money for sponsorship, not least of which are his continued business practices that lead to numerous threads of this nature every.single.time (and let's not mention his abusive posts, abusive DMs, and abusive phone calls)! WM, Mach 1, and MAC make stuff every bit as good as Curtis......and they deliver without hassle.
Then there's the group of new folks who show up every year and see the wonderful prices and flashy promotion photos and cry "Give him another chance"....as they place their orders with starry eyed hope (ignoring the warnings)......and no small number of them show up again here months later empty handed asking "What happened?".....and we repeat the cycle yet again. Sorry, but if your favorite player keeps striking out, sooner or later he's gonna have to be kicked from the team!
NOTHING will change until Curtis changes business practices or folks stop sending him their hard earned money. Then again, the sun might rise in the west, my mutual fund manager might get smarter, and monkeys might fly out of my butt, too!
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I'm not inclined to just move along in general, but I also don't see much point in losing sleep over the small amount of money I'm out. That's probably not the right attitude for the greater good, but I know threads like this often get shut down and I rarely get involved.
In my specific case, I bought 2 of the 3829 rockets on the Black Friday sale so a buddy of mine and I could build them over the Christmas break and drag race them often. I eventually got one of the two kits and asked when I would get the second one. Crickets each time I emailed. I have not made a phone call, as I have gotten pretty aggravated and might not be an ideal phone conversation and I don't like that.
I think I'm going to send a letter via snail mail to their mailing address and give up after that. There's always the chance they didn't get my emails due to spam filters and while that is a cheesy cop-out, it is possible.
If I get no feedback from them after that, I'm not sure if I'm going to try to sell the rocket I did get or whether I'll just make a video of me bashing it up. At this point, I really don't want to build the rocket unless its twin actually shows up.
I have 2 RW kits, one partially built and one ready to build and part of me wants to just get rid of those too. Kind-of a cut off your nose to spite your face situation, as they are absolutely great kits, but the recent issue makes me generally frown when I see the 3829 box instead of smile. That's not ideal.
So, after its all said and done, I guess it does sound like I will end up just moving along, which is lame for me to do. If there is some group action, I will provide my dates and attempts at correspondence, though.
Sandy.
In my specific case, I bought 2 of the 3829 rockets on the Black Friday sale so a buddy of mine and I could build them over the Christmas break and drag race them often. I eventually got one of the two kits and asked when I would get the second one. Crickets each time I emailed. I have not made a phone call, as I have gotten pretty aggravated and might not be an ideal phone conversation and I don't like that.
I think I'm going to send a letter via snail mail to their mailing address and give up after that. There's always the chance they didn't get my emails due to spam filters and while that is a cheesy cop-out, it is possible.
If I get no feedback from them after that, I'm not sure if I'm going to try to sell the rocket I did get or whether I'll just make a video of me bashing it up. At this point, I really don't want to build the rocket unless its twin actually shows up.
I have 2 RW kits, one partially built and one ready to build and part of me wants to just get rid of those too. Kind-of a cut off your nose to spite your face situation, as they are absolutely great kits, but the recent issue makes me generally frown when I see the 3829 box instead of smile. That's not ideal.
So, after its all said and done, I guess it does sound like I will end up just moving along, which is lame for me to do. If there is some group action, I will provide my dates and attempts at correspondence, though.
Sandy.
I have not built fiberglass or flown HPR, never done anything with Composite Warehouse. My only contact with the business is holding a coupon code that was shared with me as a reward for volunteering to manage pads and LCO at LDRS 40, plus visiting the website maybe once or twice.
While I’m still holding onto that code in the hopes that I may get a good deal for a future project, now I’m beginning to think that I may be better off shopping with somebody more reputable.
I have no idea if Curtis or anyone else associated with CW will see my contribution here, but I do hope that this is illustrative to them of how even a handful of incidents that can be painted as unethical or unlawful can drive away prospective buyers.
I’ve had a transaction go a bit wonky before. The vendor and the manufacturer pointed their fingers at each other when I contacted them several weeks after the initially-delayed delivery date. The vendor eventually made it right by cutting me a more-than-fair deal on a substitute product. I consider us square and I’ve both said and heard many nice things about this vendor so far.
The manufacturer had less of a hand in correcting the error and I understand they’re prone to logistics blunders with some frequency, but they’re still transparent, helpful, and polite in other matters, so I have repeatedly come to their defense when hostile actors make unsubstantiated claims against them.
You don’t have to be perfect to run an honest business, but you do have to be honest. Curtis or anyone else at CW is welcome to plead their case as far as I’m concerned, but for now, I don’t really consider purchasing from them to be an option.
I wish anyone considering more intrusive inquiry or legal action the best of luck. Hopefully we’ll see either CW rectifying the issue or the courts handing down a fair ruling.
While I’m still holding onto that code in the hopes that I may get a good deal for a future project, now I’m beginning to think that I may be better off shopping with somebody more reputable.
I have no idea if Curtis or anyone else associated with CW will see my contribution here, but I do hope that this is illustrative to them of how even a handful of incidents that can be painted as unethical or unlawful can drive away prospective buyers.
I’ve had a transaction go a bit wonky before. The vendor and the manufacturer pointed their fingers at each other when I contacted them several weeks after the initially-delayed delivery date. The vendor eventually made it right by cutting me a more-than-fair deal on a substitute product. I consider us square and I’ve both said and heard many nice things about this vendor so far.
The manufacturer had less of a hand in correcting the error and I understand they’re prone to logistics blunders with some frequency, but they’re still transparent, helpful, and polite in other matters, so I have repeatedly come to their defense when hostile actors make unsubstantiated claims against them.
You don’t have to be perfect to run an honest business, but you do have to be honest. Curtis or anyone else at CW is welcome to plead their case as far as I’m concerned, but for now, I don’t really consider purchasing from them to be an option.
I wish anyone considering more intrusive inquiry or legal action the best of luck. Hopefully we’ll see either CW rectifying the issue or the courts handing down a fair ruling.
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That's like when a certain bank ripped us off for many thousands of dollars. I can't even stand to see the sign on the side of the road, it gives me a sick feeling in my stomach anytime I hear the name or see the logo.
I see the Facebook group is still going and it looks like people are still talking about ordering kits. Little do they know.
DON'T BY FROM CW!!! PERIOD! IF HE SERVICES CURRENT CUSTOMERS THEN FINE. This had been a pattern for years. Newbies, STAY AWAY!!!! Kurt
jimzcatz
Boss, Carolina Rocket Mafia
To those of you who know me and my history with Ken Allen know I have been very vocal here regarding Curtis. Ken has personally asked me to leave Curtis alone and I will. I will suggest making a PayPal claim. They will give you your money back. Good luck.
No they won't. They sided with me after 3 claims, but did NOT give me my money back. And that was Feb 2021. Bought the kit on Black Friday 2019.
jimzcatz
Boss, Carolina Rocket Mafia
I have no reason to doubt you but I know for a fact Ken has had charge backs because of this vendor. Ken will no longer charge the customer until he has product on hand.
bobbyg23
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They have a time period of when the claim has to be made in order to get your money back.
jimzcatz
Boss, Carolina Rocket Mafia
I have heard otherwise
PayLoad
I don't do spirals
Well, that answers THAT in big, bold type. I'll say it again, and y'all are just ignoring it, or thinking it won't work. Report it to the postal service that a person is using fake shipping/tracking numbers. You'll get action.
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But they aren't fake, they're real, just that they never get fulfilled....and therein lies the rub.
PayLoad
I don't do spirals
A person commits mail fraud when he engages in a scheme to defraud, with intent to defraud, and uses the mails in furtherance of that scheme. A scheme to defraud means depriving someone of property by deceitful or dishonest means.
If you’re a victim of financial crime and the U.S. Mail® is involved, call Postal Inspectors at 1-877-876-2455 and local police.
The moment he uses the postal service (using tracking number) he committed a federal crime, real number or not. Make a phone call
If you’re a victim of financial crime and the U.S. Mail® is involved, call Postal Inspectors at 1-877-876-2455 and local police.
The moment he uses the postal service (using tracking number) he committed a federal crime, real number or not. Make a phone call
DAllen
Well-Known Member
We're doing pretty decent so far with this thread. No threat of it being shut down yet.
Years ago I went though Ken to get some parts for my L3. He was supposed to get them from Curtis. It took years for Curtis to get me ‘some’ of the parts I was owed. I continue to do business with Ken, he of course apologized about the mishap with the parts from Curtis and always shipped everything else I ordered asap.
I wish I had seen a thread like this back then just to be warned.
Wildman has beautiful fiberglass, just sayin…….
I wish I had seen a thread like this back then just to be warned.
Wildman has beautiful fiberglass, just sayin…….
I also have no dog in this hunt. I've never done business with CW, due to the reviews. But, I do get shorted or screwed by online vendors or stores a lot. More than I'd like to admit. It isn't worth getting wound up over.
I make it a point to always use a credit card for all my purchases. Even when I use PayPal I do not let them pull it directly from my bank account, I only keep a credit card on file. Whenever I have an issue with a vendor, I give them about a week of back and forth, and then I file a dispute with my bank. I've filed at least ten credit card disputes in the last year, including many things purchased via PayPal or overseas. My bank posts a credit, does an investigation, and then makes the credit permanent. In the last three years I'm at least 50 for 50.
Don't give the vendor any more of your energy. Don't waste time with a lawsuit. Let the vendor deal with Visa, MasterCard, or AmX. If there is a pattern of fraud the credit card companies will cut them off. Also, they generally side with the consumer and their legal teams are way bigger
I make it a point to always use a credit card for all my purchases. Even when I use PayPal I do not let them pull it directly from my bank account, I only keep a credit card on file. Whenever I have an issue with a vendor, I give them about a week of back and forth, and then I file a dispute with my bank. I've filed at least ten credit card disputes in the last year, including many things purchased via PayPal or overseas. My bank posts a credit, does an investigation, and then makes the credit permanent. In the last three years I'm at least 50 for 50.
Don't give the vendor any more of your energy. Don't waste time with a lawsuit. Let the vendor deal with Visa, MasterCard, or AmX. If there is a pattern of fraud the credit card companies will cut them off. Also, they generally side with the consumer and their legal teams are way bigger
He also fails to answer emails. It seems like his businesses wax and wane and open somewhere else under a new name. We might be waning again.
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