Do NOT trust Pontiac Pros aka Build a Bandit aka Discount Classic Auto Restoration!!! My husband paid $15,000 for a car restoration on 6/4 and then he died unexpectantly on 6/7. I tried to contact the company via snail mail, e-mail, and phone messages daily for about 6 weeks after the funeral services and got no response. I finally drove 4 1/2 hours to their shop and got a new contract stating that I'd get a full refund (as promised in a verbal contract the owner had with my husband and a written policy hanging on the wall of one of their shops which said that widows would receive full refunds if the car was not completed before the death of the purchaser. My husband hadn't even turned in all the paperwork!!!). I was to have the refund within 30 business days.
As soon as I returned home Bob (the owner) started sending out group e-mails to his 25 "customers" stating that the business capital was depleted and everything was on hold for at least 60-90 days. Another stated that all contracts not written by him were null and void (He was no where to be found when I was there so his son or stepson, the "build coordinator" made and signed the new contract.) Still another e-mail stated that no one had paid his company since the first of June. My husband had paid in full on June 4th and I've spoken with or know of at least 2 others that have also paid since June 1st.
Bob has finally started to respond to e-mails again. Unfortunately, he responds with lies and fabricated sob stories. One of his e-mail states that he vows to give everyone their car or refund because he's too honorable to file bankruptcy. However, another sentence in the same e-mail talks of him liquidating his assets to somehow help us? Huh?
He asked that I remove a negative comment about him on e-bay because he was trying to get more captial by selling more empty promises. He flat out writes that he is using money he gets from an auction for a fully restored car not to build a fully restored car that a new victim sends money for, but to refund me and build other peoples cars. How is this legaL?
I have been in contact with at least 7 of these 25 other victims. All 7 of us have the same communications problems. Most of the others have waited well over the 11-12 month build time that is in all of the contracts. I am looking for the other 17. I am trying to find them on the internet and through word of mouth. Google hitmantransam and build a bandit. They have a way to message each other. Another option is to file a complaint with the NC Attoney General's office. Hopefully the more people they have make legitimate complaints, the quicker and more effectively they can shut them down and get us our money back.
I realize that the 30 business days has not expired yet.in my opinion they should have already given me a full refund as demanded by early July (the first few weeks I just wanted to discuss the car with them). A full refund is their policy. They received all my e-mails and chose to ignore them for 6 weeks. I was only able to leave one phone message before both phone numbers given for the company had a "mailbox full" message - every day for 6 weeks. I had to drive 4 1/2 hours to even speak to an employee because of their refusal to communicate with me. They have repeatedly lied to me which leads me to believe that no amount of time will get me the refund unless I take legal action.
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