HeavyD Customs is an auto repair business run by James Reynolds, currently residing in Lynwood, WA. James is a sad story. He returned from Iraq, his wife divorced him, and he says he lost his auto repair shop in L.A. I was looking for a diesel mechanic and he answered my ad on Craigslist. He impressed me with his knowledge of auto mechanics and I asked him to rebuild the engine in my Mercedes 240D and then a second project to paint and do engine work on my classic Mercedes 250CE.
Because he was constantly broke I advanced him cash for his personal rent and other innumerable financial crisis. All the cash was considered "in advance" for his labor on my projects.
However, $1,000 was paid in advance for parts for the first project. One month after the first project plan was finalized, there are no parts. He tells me lots of stories but refuses to give me the name of the company he ordered from or a phone number. I've given up ever seeing the parts. His stories about why there are no parts are not believable or verifiable.
For the second project, I paid in advance for parts and he indicated he had ordered them from Adisit, a well known supplier of Mercedes parts. After endless stories about why the parts weren't delivered I called Adisit. They said they had no record of any orders for the parts. I confronted James and he literally went balistic that I was "investigating him" and insisted he had ordered and paid for the parts (with my money). I suggested we call them together and clear up the confusion. At that point he completely lost his temper and became irrational.
To add insult to injury, I even paid for the use of a tiny space in an auto shop for two weeks for James to work on my project. James had nowhere to work and we needed a shop with a lift. After I decided to sever my connections with James I had my car towed out of the shop. He then called the police to file a complaint that I had towed MY car out of HIS shop (which I had paid for).
I've given up any hope of getting the parts or the money returned. I'm 60 years old and the owner of a software company and not some nut off the street. I became friends with James but I have concluded that he is a pathological liar and a thief. He is almost a miserably incompetent mechanic. I've never seen such a disorganized mess.
I don't wish Jame any harm but feel I need to do everything I can to warn everyone: do not deal with this person. Run away now! I was warned by two other parties but felt sorry for James and tried to help him. I should have listened.
I'm not afraid to put my real name and contact details here. Apparently others have been scammed and everyone in the Seattle area who been scammed should get together. We'll never get our money back but we can all share our favorite stories.
Dean Powers
(Personal Information Removed)
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