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AED Central - Len Dodd And Susan Grammer, AEDC Failure to repay loan for completition of project. Aguanga, California
I became associated with AED Central though a club website www.lxforums.com, where AED was a sponsoring company and was looking for 3 project cars to work on. A Charger, a 300 and a Magnum.
Having made contact with myself and two other individuals who would loan him their vehicles for what he said would be 2-4 weeks time to create molds for a new body kit design he was coming out for each of the vehicles.
The 300 owner had already giving his car over a few weeks before myself (charger owner) and the magnum owner brought our cars to him to start this project. This was in the beginning of September of 2006. (I had purchased my car on August 26, 2006) He intended to have the cars ready for SEMA 2006 in November.
After waiting a few weeks with no sign of him finishing up in time for SEMA, I allowed him to take more time to finish the project with my vehicle. The Magnum owner took his vehicle back and would not leave his car at AED any further since Len had the mock up for his car.
Me being the nice guy I am, (or rather foolish in this case) left my vehicle with him since I had another vehicle to drive around for the time being.
October... November roll past, no parts. In December 20th Len notifies me that he is in a financial trouble and will need to borrow $2000.00 in order to finish the Charger Project. After much debate, I agreed to loan him $1000.00, so long as he signs an agreement showing that I am loaning him this money and he will return it upon completion and sale of a Charger Kit. I was desperate to get my car back and since he used my original body pieces to cut and make the mock up body kit, I was stuck, I needed him to finish the kit so I could drive my car, and $1000 was less than buying all new parts + paint, since Len had made (empty) promises to find paint and wheel sponsors.
After that, I really start asking for progress because now I have more money involved in this project. At the end of January, a loss of a great man, Leonard Dodd Sr. struck their family. He was the one who had started the buiness and built it into a great name. This further delayed the project which I left them alone for a good month before asking anything dealing with the project.
On March 24, 2007 (6 MONTHS!!!!) after we started this project, Len delivers on the bumpers, but is still not 100% completed with the project. There are still accessories and a spoiler to be built.
In April of 2007, Len Sells and Ships a Charger kit, thus completing our agreement of the Loan.... but I never see any money.
http://www.lxforums.com/board/showthread.php?t=63879
I give him time to get the money together to pay me. April, May, June... go by. No money or attempt made to pay me back.
I got fed up with waiting and they were trying to lie to people telling them that his 300 guy was being taken care of. I went out with him to help him pick up his car... with no front, rear or rockers on the vehicle anymore. He drove this car for almost 6 months without any body pieces because AED would not supply them to him.
After calling them a liar and saying they were not taking care of the 300 guy and saying they shipped kits for the 300, Len and Susana blew up on me, calling me, cursing screaming on the phone. I never yelled back at them either the whole time trying to defuse the situation, but he would not let me a word. Kept screaming and cussing, theatening to shoot me if I ever were to come near his place of business again and would sue me. He tends to like to say he's going to sue people to get them off his back.
Now he refuses to pay the original loaned money because of an Non-Discloser Agreement (NDA) that I was never informed of, saw, signed or verbally agreed to. How he can refuse to pay back the loan amount because of an NDA anyways does not make sense.
This man used to have a reputable business. I still say the products he has made are very good quality. I've always said so. But because of his serious lack of commitment to his customes, dishonesty, lack of self control, temper and total lack of acting like a human being, I honestly hope people will heed these words and take your business elsewhere.
After this incident happened with him lying about delivering product to him and the three people who were his "pilot vehicles" informed LXForums.com of his behavior and business practices, he was immediately removed as a Site Vendor. To which I recieved another angry, screaming phone call filled with threats from Leonard Dodd Jr. and how I ruined his business and "everyone on LX Forums can go F*** themselves."
*** To this day, he still uses pictures of my car on his website to try and sell this body kit. ***
Please, for your own sanity, if you want specialty parts for your car made, look elsewhere.
Note: Here is a copy of the latest email he sent me billing me for breaking his non-existant NDA agreement. There was only a bill attached, no NDA document was produced or attached to back his claims againt me.
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George,
Obviously you seem to not remember the violation of our non-disclosure agreement. Once you received your bumpers you started to MISREPRESENT AEDC and the products you were given. Simply put ALL THREE of you violated the non-disclosure agreement and KILLED the Mopar program. Since you decided NOT to represent AEDC and its best interest in which was the purpose of the products you were given. We have applied your $1000 credit to the below invoice on the total of $1835.63. We have waived the installation charge in lue of your original plastic covers. If you so choose to continue slandering AEDC in further attempts to damage our reputation pumping a situation that YOU THREE created in reguards to the Mopar program, I will follow thru for damages in the amount that was invested into the Mopar program entirely. Your violation of this agreement has been thoroughly documented. As unfortunate that these events that took place are, we are in full right to engage in our rights as per our NDA as well as our sponsorship pilot car agreement and will continue to follow forward with extreme prejudice. You seem to forget that our terms had NO guaranteed date just projected ones. We have completed many projects in this fashion with great success and to be frank, if you would have followed the rules per our NDA, this project would have had an equaled success in the same fashion as the others. This is the primary reason that the NDA's exist. So that "inside" private information does not jeopardize the success of products, stocks or new prospects for the company in question. If I do not receive a response I'll assume you are once again ignoring this message and attached invoice and I will then forward a copy certified mail. Alternately, you may forward a check in the amount of $835.62 payable to AEDCENTRAL for your balance due.
Sincerely,
Leonard Dodd
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Further, here is a copy of the original loan agreement:
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Attn: George K
As per our conversation on 11-22-06 reguarding the completion of the AEDC Dodge Charger project. Our original agreement was to provide one complete body package to George K free of charge for the use of his 06 Dodge Charger for the development of the AEDC Dodge Charger body package still stands fully. As disscussed in order to speed up this program George K has agreed to finacially assist (AEDC /Leonard Dodd) in the amount of $2000 to be deposited in WAMU Acct# #######, routing # ###### on a LOAN BASIS ONLY and is to be FULLY REFUNDED upon the first sale of this new product. These funds are to be geared toward the use of the final completion of this vehicle and for which we are very grateful. This letter shall be deemed as a binding agreement between the above parties.
Thank you in advance,
Leonard Dodd Jr
CEO AEDCentral.com
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Spiffywerks
Lakewood, California
U.S.A.