In early I began assembling the parts to build a "custom Telecaster" electric guitar. After getting a couple of quotes, decided to go with "Dave the Guitar Man". I dropped off the project and gave him a $100 cash deposit. A month later, when I hadn't heard back from him, I requested the return of the project, and "Dave" (David Van Kleeck) went ballistic on me, saying he had already done so much work to the guitar and such.
I decided to let him finish the project based on what he had told me. He e-mailed me some photos of my guitar parts with a bit of routing having been done to the body cavity. As the next year would drag along, I would inquire periodically about the progress of the project. He would assure me that he had just been sick, or had just been out of town, and that it only needed X, Y and Z to be done, and that it would be finished in the next "7 to 10 days". Through e-mails, texts and phone calls, this continued.
In late January I moved back home to Michigan. On February 3rd, I asked what the time frame for completion would be, and Dave said that he'd had to reposition the tuning pegs, but that all the guitar needed was the bridge saddles. He also asked for another $165 via PayPal - which I paid immediately - and that the guitar would be done in another "5 to 7 days". Time went by, and when I inquired again, he told me he'd been hit with the flu bug and would resume working when he received "doctor's clearance" but that my Tele was "at the top of (his) work list."
Fast-forward to last Saturday, April 9th, when I texted only the words, "Dave, where is my guitar." He sent me a series of nasty text-messages, implying that I had "2 strkes" against me, and that any more "attitude" would stop work on the guitar, and that the price would also increase. That's enough for me... I filed a consumer complaint with the Arizona Attorney General and prepared to "go viral" on Dave the Guitar Man. He responded by directing me to his "legal counsel", one D.J. Johnson.
In exploring this character's background, I found that his company name was registered as a trade name, along with a trademark logo, with the Secretary of State, but that no such corporation as PPCSI (the name he has on all of his websites offering everything from computer and printer repair to artist management) has been filed with the Arizona Corporation Commission - they have no articles of incorporation on file. As for "D.J. Johnson", no such attorney exists, if the State Bar directory is to be believed. Dave's stance now is "sue me" (that's a quote) - pretty brave stuff when your customer has relocated to another state. Seems like a low-level fraud to me.
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