Riley Automotive - Caveat emptor

I can identify with Ed.

I've had something very similar happen years ago with a company in London England that sold Italian racecar parts.

Its very frustrating to know that people are exploiting the fact that they are on the other side of a large body of water.


At the end of the day, it all comes down to this...

A man is as good as his word.

 

Lots of Riley Automotives on Facebook-which on eis he? Maybe we should all contact R&C,too.

 

I have also dealt with Eric over the last eight years and have never once have i had a negitive exsperince. The last time i talked to Eric he was dealing with some family health issues....

 

That's just bullcrap, my friend. He TOOK the OP's money in January 2010-he's been dealing with "family health issues" so continuously he couldn't find tipme to send him an e-mail or a check? What about the dozens of other folks who have posted with similar experiences? If he has that many problems with his time, STOP TAKING PEOPLE'S MONEY FOR PRODUCTS YOU WON'T BE DELIVERING. Plain and simple.

The man's a thief, and you'd have to be an ostrich to have your head in the sand that deep not to see it.

 

Here is the FB link. http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Riley-Automotive/416972490556?sk=wall&filter=1

 

Everybody should post on their Facebook page.

 

I have spent over a thousand dollars with Eric buying parts for me and family members. But I won't spend any more until he starts getting positive reviews here on the HAMB.

 

With the administration the way it is today
And the way laws are written today
And the way history has been Re-written today
It's no wonder that some can steal their way to live "the Life of Riley".

(amer. colloquialism)

 

You should find the Better Business Bureau web-site for his area and post a complaint there too. It may warn others. I know I check BBB.com before I do business with any company.

 

Hey, Ed;

AFAIK:

As you've found out, local cops are usually worthless - or worse- in helping solve what is essentially a crime, unless you get *very* lucky, & get one who actually cares - or has been burned by the guy himself. Since it doesn't raise revenue for the dept or state, well...

I'd also deal w/the BBB, that is local to him, & lodge a complaint. Doubt they'll help, but it's still worth it, to have the complaint on file.

Since your commercial intercourse has crossed STATE lines, you could get the Feds involved, since they're the ones whose duty it is to regulate that. I would. & thats' whose court it will end up in anyways...

Did you by any chance use the US mail system, for any of the transaction? If so, Mail Fraud is frowned upon by the USPS, & I'd also look into this.

& since this deal also went across the waters & between nations, I'd also contact INTERPOL, for some help. They're supposed to help w/inter-nation issues of that type. I'd contact them also.

Theft is a crime, & if you're so lucky as to have his written admittance that he never filled your order, knowingly sent it, after indicating the order was complete & filled, you can make a *lot* of trouble for him. Hopefully, your correspondence, bills of lading, shipping tags, duties tags, etc, will show that things are missing - from what point, & when. You'll need this timeline, & what you've done to try to resolve this issue, + give him opportunities to correct his mistake, & to document your loss(es) for all your complaints, anyways.

I'd also contact the CC co, or whichever money transmitting entity you used, again, probably won't help, but if you could/can show guys' pre-meditated thought for the lack of order-filling, & unwillingness to make good, they *might* get involved, esp if you point out that they are involved as the moneychangers, & that he kept promising you relief, until just after the refund-claim-time-limit had passed. They do have the authority to get involved after the time limit. Mistakes are one thing, errors are another, but fraud is a whole 'nuther deal - & the rules/time-limits change.

I'm guessing your an expat? Still a US citizen, or just temp working overseas? I'd also contact the US embassy. Or whatever your nationalities' embassy is. Might be able to help put pressure on the folks needed to get the job done.

You might be left w/having to put a lien on his business. Enforcing it/collecting may be a bit of an issue. Having to have representation may make the cost not worth it.

While I'd be surprised if anything good comes from any of this (- gee, I'm trusting of the various govt/agencies, huh... ? -), they may (should) be able to point you in the direction or to the faction that can help.

With any luck, the "power of the HAMB" will convince this guy to pony up, & make this right.

I do hope this works for you. Good luck.

FWIW.

Marcus...

 

Just voiced my opinion on his web-site. Seems a lot of other have too.

 

Just called, & could only leave a message. Don't think he's too happy about this... .

Marcus...

 

FYI.... Rileys will be getting some positive publicity inside the Feb 2012 HotRod Magazine. The car featured on the front cover has a frame purchased from Rileys under it. Maybe someone needs to contact Hotrod, and the BBB

 

Between the HAMB, Facebook, and phone calls, maybe Ed can get some restitution...it's a movement.

Adapted from Alice's Resteraunt

"You know, if one person, just one person complains about Riley's they may think he's really sick and they won't take him seriously. And if two people, two people do it, inharmony, they may think they're both fxxxxxxxx and they won't believe either of them. And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in
singin a bar of Riley's is a Thief and walking out. They may think it's an organization. And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day, I said fifty people a day walking in singing a bar of Riley's a Thief and walking out. And friends they may thinks it's a movement."

 

I've also been over the BBB. They wrote him many letters which he ignored. In the end they closed the case.
I put in a claim with the CC company but it was over a year later so no chance. I trusted him for too long. I have no real avenues left except social pressure like this.

I won't hear any of that bullshit about his ill inlaws anymore. The entire time he was giving me his sob stories about not being able to cope, my own mother contracted a brain tumor and I was struggling to run a business and fly or drive the 1500 miles round trip as often as possible to see her in England. 5 months later we lost her. All the time I was still getting those stories from Eric. He even posted it all on the HAMB apologising for it and promising he'd get round to dealing with everyone one after another.

 

The BBB is pretty much a toothless wonder unfortunately.

One additional suggestion that, if you can connect with several other legitimate, documented cases of ripoff through this thread, is to contact the State Attorney General for Colorado (http://www.fraudguides.com/report/colorado.asp). A single complaint won't draw much water, but numerous ones demonstrating a continuing pattern could get some action. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

My singular transaction with the guy went okay, but had the added apparent benefit of ebay/paypal to keep him honest. Sad that he doesn't act honorably in all cases.

 

A lot of dirtbags use local newspapers "for sale" ads...........I was ripped off by someone who ran an ad in the local newspaper....After I had phoned him a zillion times, he had the number changed, and unlisted,........ Buyer Beware indeed !!!

4TTRUK

 

Not that it helps the OP getting any money back but if enough bad publicity is posted here, Facebook and word of mouth maybe we can crunch his incomming cash flow enough that it hurts his business. Who knows, it might cost him enough to pony up. I had this same thing happen to me just a year or two ago but with a business in Germany screwing me. I posted on every forum and club site and put him out of business. Enough people can make a difference, even just one. Spread the word!!!

 

A while back I posted that I was using 2" brake shoes with 1940 brake drums and Eric (vaphead) blew his top and actually sent me a message threatening to "whip my ass".
He claimed that he had been selling parts for 20 years and had never seen 2" shoes used with Ford drums.
Eric, while you were looking in parts books, I have been bolting the parts together and driving them Thats what hotrodders do.
He claimed that he had never seen a Ford drum that would accept a 2" shoe, then he posted a picture of a tape measure against a Ford drum showing that the drum measures at 2 3/32" (wtf???)
Heres the thread http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123484&highlight=shoes

I thought it was funny that he said, "1940 Ford drums are made for 1 3/4 shoes.(all 1939-48) No way in the world would 2" shoes fit." after I had just said that I had done it and it works

 

Man thats sad..I ordered all my front end parts from him for the 34 back in 2009 and a 40 Ford steering wheel.It took a little longer than I would have liked, but I wasnt in a big hurry either and everything was delivered as promised.

 

X3 on the subrails.

I first saw the subrails offered by Riley after doing a search on the HAMB. One post was about how Eric straight screwed edwardlloyd and alot of others out of alot of money. I mean enough cash to make a normal person paranoid. If you can steal this much money and blow it off, you're not some petty theif, you are a world class deuche bag. I won't give this guy my money now or ever.

Which brings me to this point. Everything the guy offers is either manufactured by someone else or can be remanufactured by someone that cares who sells their product. Let's pull the rug out from him. I forgot who actually makes the kit that Riley sells, but Brooksville makes the rear section of the 32 subrail and you get the Alliance discount I think.

 

I too have had big problems. Paid for a complete front brake kit and springs. Same method was used: Got only one spring when the container arrived in Denmark and everything else missing. After many, many calls and e-mails notning really happened (he gave me a lot of funny explainations, like "oh, it is the new guy in the shop who has made a lot of mistakes, but now I have run him off"). Same problem with the bank, where time has now passed beyond the deadline. Makes you wonder, if he on purpose does this to international customers, as there are several weeks between the order and receiving the goods. LUCKILY the bank accepted the fact, that I reacted in due time towards him (even though I contacted the bank too late), and I got my money back!!!!

Since then I have used Thompson's Garage. Great guy and great service.

 

i just had a recent transaction with him that couldnt have been better.crazy to read this i guess i was one of the lucky ones

 

Odd. I got my frame for my 31 from him. he was very easy to deal with. It was a 1 week 4 day turn-around time for a custom frame. I just wanted to put in my 2 cents.

 

Never any problems with him.
Unlike others ................. but them threads got shut down.

 

Noticing a trend here. All the guys who have had good service are within one or two days drive from him.

 

Never a problem for me when I dealing with him. He made me a deal.

 

I just went to his facebook page. I only saw nine posts regarding his poor business practices. We need a few hundred more. Come on guys, lets put pressure on this thief........

 

I guess he did you a better deal than another businessman who doesn't steal from people. Funny how that works eh!

Ed

 

I can only speak from personal experience, never any problems, 2 frames, lots of suspension parts and the last transaction was a rare Cadillac transmission adapter on ebay---all went smoothly.



Marcy