America's Pride ripoff dishonest fraudulent bait and switching liars Seekonk Massachusetts
After speaking to Michael Nees about in May/June of 2005 about purchasing the Bend/Pak Ranger RX 950 tire changer, and being told it would not be available until the fall of 2005, Michael Nees offered an alternative choice. That choice was their own companies brand, the 1250X. He said that it would be comparable to the RX 950. I looked at that 1250X on your website and then called back and arranged to purchase the tire machine and balancer. The equipment was sent to Bellingham Washington and I picked it up from there. When I got the equipment home and set up (in July) I noticed that the tire changer didn't look like the changer on your website. I called their company and their salesman asked me to read the model number of the name plate on the back of the machine. I told him it said TC 950. He assured me this was the same machine that I had ordered and that there was a change in the construction and it was in fact the 1250X. During the next 2 months the equipment sat idle as there was a container truck driver strike.
The tires I was going to sell were in a container and I was not able to start using the equipment until September 2005. In September I opened my tire shop and started using the tire changer. On passenger tires the changer doesn't have problems to speak of. On the larger truck tires it has great difficulty, to the point of stalling. Near the end of September, the machine had done 50 or so tires. During that time the machine was getting noisy (as I showed Becky Hobin when I last spoke to her on the phone). The bead breaker started sounding like air was escaping when being used and in October it quit working all together. I contacted Becky Hobin and Mike Nees via email when this happened and got no reply for a week, when Steve contacted me thinking I wanted to buy a new 1250X. He said you had them in stock and I replied to him saying to send one ASAP and I'll return the one you sent me at that time. There was no reply to that email.
I purchased another tire machine in the mean time so I could carry on business. After waiting for a reply and not getting one I faxed the company a letter stating that you had sent the wrong tire machine and to contact me. They contacted me by phone at home and at work. They said at that time the TC 950 that they sent me was the same tire machine as the 1250X. I said to Becky Hobin on the phone, I wanted the 1250X because it was more like the RX 950. The capacity of the TC 950 is less than the 1250X. Becky Hobin said that "the TC 950 has a 2 HP motor", and that they had never had a complaint about its ability. I looked at the motor on the TC950 and the rating of the motor was 1.5 HP. Becky Hobin went on to say that if they were to exchange the TC 950 for the 1250X they would loose money. They problem is that America's Pride pulled what is known as a "bait and switch". They advrtised on product and when I bought and paid for it, they sent another (inferior) product. I went to the Better Business Bureau and America's Pride said they would return my money. The BBB was satisfied that they had tried to make amends and kept America's Pride in good standing. Now they won't return my emails and won't return my money. They are a totally deceitful.
Doug
Rosedale, British Columbia
Canada
4 Updates & Rebuttals
Michael
Seekonk,Massachusetts,
U.S.A.
president
#5REBUTTAL Owner of company
Thu, March 29, 2007
I would like everyone who is interested in this so-called rip off to please read the report that has been filed very carefully. He states that there were no rx950 tire changers available until fall of 2005 and that is absolutely correct. He states he looked at the 1250x tire changer on our site and decided to purchase it. There was no bait and switch. He made a decision to purchase that product. we have 2 models the TC950 and 1250x, they are the same machine with the same specs and he received exactly what was purchased, there was no switching. The real problem is that by his own admission he had a huge volume of tires to do over a short period of time and the machine was used to it's maximum. When he informed us that the machine needed service we asked him what parts he needed and he was sent the parts.
Also by his own admission he says he wanted to try to send the old machine back when he received a new machine. We were actually going to do a swap out for him but our policy is to receive the old equipment back first or collect funds in the amount of the new product cost in order to do that. He did neither of those things. It is impossible to help anyone who does not want to help themselves. Furthermore not only did the better business bureau find in our favor, Visa/Mastercard also found in our favor. Who is really getting ripped off here it seems like one bad apple is trying to tarnish the name of a good company because he refuses to do things according to published policy.
Michael
Seekonk,Massachusetts,
U.S.A.
president
#5REBUTTAL Owner of company
Thu, March 29, 2007
I would like everyone who is interested in this so-called rip off to please read the report that has been filed very carefully. He states that there were no rx950 tire changers available until fall of 2005 and that is absolutely correct. He states he looked at the 1250x tire changer on our site and decided to purchase it. There was no bait and switch. He made a decision to purchase that product. we have 2 models the TC950 and 1250x, they are the same machine with the same specs and he received exactly what was purchased, there was no switching. The real problem is that by his own admission he had a huge volume of tires to do over a short period of time and the machine was used to it's maximum. When he informed us that the machine needed service we asked him what parts he needed and he was sent the parts.
Also by his own admission he says he wanted to try to send the old machine back when he received a new machine. We were actually going to do a swap out for him but our policy is to receive the old equipment back first or collect funds in the amount of the new product cost in order to do that. He did neither of those things. It is impossible to help anyone who does not want to help themselves. Furthermore not only did the better business bureau find in our favor, Visa/Mastercard also found in our favor. Who is really getting ripped off here it seems like one bad apple is trying to tarnish the name of a good company because he refuses to do things according to published policy.
Michael
Seekonk,Massachusetts,
U.S.A.
president
#5REBUTTAL Owner of company
Thu, March 29, 2007
I would like everyone who is interested in this so-called rip off to please read the report that has been filed very carefully. He states that there were no rx950 tire changers available until fall of 2005 and that is absolutely correct. He states he looked at the 1250x tire changer on our site and decided to purchase it. There was no bait and switch. He made a decision to purchase that product. we have 2 models the TC950 and 1250x, they are the same machine with the same specs and he received exactly what was purchased, there was no switching. The real problem is that by his own admission he had a huge volume of tires to do over a short period of time and the machine was used to it's maximum. When he informed us that the machine needed service we asked him what parts he needed and he was sent the parts.
Also by his own admission he says he wanted to try to send the old machine back when he received a new machine. We were actually going to do a swap out for him but our policy is to receive the old equipment back first or collect funds in the amount of the new product cost in order to do that. He did neither of those things. It is impossible to help anyone who does not want to help themselves. Furthermore not only did the better business bureau find in our favor, Visa/Mastercard also found in our favor. Who is really getting ripped off here it seems like one bad apple is trying to tarnish the name of a good company because he refuses to do things according to published policy.
Michael
Seekonk,Massachusetts,
U.S.A.
president
#5REBUTTAL Owner of company
Thu, March 29, 2007
I would like everyone who is interested in this so-called rip off to please read the report that has been filed very carefully. He states that there were no rx950 tire changers available until fall of 2005 and that is absolutely correct. He states he looked at the 1250x tire changer on our site and decided to purchase it. There was no bait and switch. He made a decision to purchase that product. we have 2 models the TC950 and 1250x, they are the same machine with the same specs and he received exactly what was purchased, there was no switching. The real problem is that by his own admission he had a huge volume of tires to do over a short period of time and the machine was used to it's maximum. When he informed us that the machine needed service we asked him what parts he needed and he was sent the parts.
Also by his own admission he says he wanted to try to send the old machine back when he received a new machine. We were actually going to do a swap out for him but our policy is to receive the old equipment back first or collect funds in the amount of the new product cost in order to do that. He did neither of those things. It is impossible to help anyone who does not want to help themselves. Furthermore not only did the better business bureau find in our favor, Visa/Mastercard also found in our favor. Who is really getting ripped off here it seems like one bad apple is trying to tarnish the name of a good company because he refuses to do things according to published policy.