Bill Chambers, dba Vip Digital Inc, is not the kind of guy you'd want to buy something from, whether it's a cell phone, a toy, or a truck. I participated in an eBay auction the he conducted, and I ended up the winning bidder. The item I was going to buy is a 1983 Seagrave firetruck, and I was going to pay him $7,800. He assured me that the truck was in excellent condition, and I have seen similar trucks appraised at much higher amounts. Because of this, I figured I was going to get a good deal.
I was at work on a three day shift when the auction ended. I had been in contact with Mr. Chambers during the auction, both before and after bidding, and he was well aware of the fact that I would be at work, stuck on an ambulance, when the auction was over. However, he posted my 1 and only negative feedback ever on eBay after waiting only 2 days.
After I got off duty, I went home to check my e-mail, and I found the negative feedback. I immediately contacted Bill, and told him I was not a fraud. I tried to make amends with him, and I immediately sent a cashier's check by overnight FedEx to cover the 25% deposit that the auction terms stipulated.
Prior to my bid, Bill had assured me that he could hold the truck for 4-5 weeks until I could arrange time off from work to make the transcontinental trip to pick up the truck. Shortly after receiving the $2,050 deposit, however, he told me I needed to pick up the truck within two weeks or he would charge me for storage of the truck.in good faith, I told him I would do what I could to get back to New Jersey.
While researching the truck's history (it had a long career in the New York City Fire Department), I happened to contact a professional photographer in New York that was familiar with the truck I had bid on. He advised me that the truck was not in the condition that Mr. Chambers had led me to believe it was in, and he recommended I contact a volunteer fire department in New Jersey for further details.
When I contacted the Niagara Fire Company, they told me that they had spent $20,000 to purchase the truck in question. After the purchase, however, they found that the certifications for the truck were bogus, and that it was essentially worthless as a firetruck.in order to minimize their losses, the Niagara Fire Company sold the truck and all its equipment to Mr. Chambers for approximately $2,000. The officer at the department said that the truck, on its own, was only worth $1,000. The equipment that went with the truck was also worth about $1,000, but none of the equipment was included with the truck when I bid on it.
When I contacted Mr. Chambers regarding the truck's true condition and the history provided by Niagara, he became hostile and threatened me with legal action. I asked him for my deposit back, and he refused to reply to any of my attempts at further communication. He had never stipulated that the deposit was non-refundable, and he has not made any attempt to refund my money or even acknowledge my loss.
Mr. Chambers has refused to conduct his affairs like a legitimate businessman should, and he should be avoided like the plague until he drastically changes his business practices.
Alex
Santa Maria, California
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