Pontiac Pros Build a Bandit : smooth talking con artist as soon as you hand in your money Black Mountain, North Carolina
Do NOT trust Pontiac Pros aka Build a Bandit aka Discount Classic Auto Restoration!!! My husband paid $15,000 for a car restoration on 6/4/12 and then he died unexpectantly on 6/7/12. I tried to contact the company via snail mail, e-mail, and phone messages daily for about 6 weeks after the funeral services and got no response. I finally drove 4 1/2 hours to their shop and got a new contract stating that I'd get a full refund (as promised in a verbal contract the owner had with my husband and a written policy hanging on the wall of one of their shops which said that widows would receive full refunds if the car was not completed before the death of the purchaser. My husband hadn't even turned in all the paperwork!!!). I was to have the refund within 30 business days.
As soon as I returned home Bob (the owner) started sending out group e-mails to his 25 "customers" stating that the business capital was depleted and everything was on hold for at least 60-90 days. Another stated that all contracts not written by him were null and void (He was no where to be found when I was there so his son or stepson, the "build coordinator" made and signed the new contract.) Still another e-mail stated that no one had paid his company since the first of June. My husband had paid in full on June 4th and I've spoken with or know of at least 2 others that have also paid since June 1st.
Bob has finally started to respond to e-mails again. Unfortunately, he responds with lies and fabricated sob stories. One of his e-mail states that he vows to give everyone their car or refund because he's too honorable to file bankruptcy. However, another sentence in the same e-mail talks of him liquidating his assets to somehow help us? Huh?
He asked that I remove a negative comment about him on e-bay because he was trying to get more captial by selling more empty promises. He flat out writes that he is using money he gets from an auction for a fully restored car not to build a fully restored car that a new victim sends money for, but to refund me and build other peoples cars. How is this legaL?
I have been in contact with at least 7 of these 25 other victims. All 7 of us have the same communications problems. Most of the others have waited well over the 11-12 month build time that is in all of the contracts. I am looking for the other 17. I am trying to find them on the internet and through word of mouth. Google hitmantransam and build a bandit. They have a way to message each other. Another option is to file a complaint with the NC Attoney General's office. Hopefully the more people they have make legitimate complaints, the quicker and more effectively they can shut them down and get us our money back.
I realize that the 30 business days has not expired yet. In my opinion they should have already given me a full refund as demanded by early July (the first few weeks I just wanted to discuss the car with them). A full refund is their policy. They received all my e-mails and chose to ignore them for 6 weeks. I was only able to leave one phone message before both phone numbers given for the company had a "mailbox full" message - every day for 6 weeks. I had to drive 4 1/2 hours to even speak to an employee because of their refusal to communicate with me. They have repeatedly lied to me which leads me to believe that no amount of time will get me the refund unless I take legal action.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
tawidow
Acworth,Georgia,
USA
Over 150 days and I still don't have a refund
#3Author of original report
Sun, November 04, 2012
I don't know how ripoff reports work. I've sent a couple of other updates and they don't show up. Hopefully this one will. I'm now at over 150 days from when my husband passed away.
My last update didn't include that Bob Mcelretah took it upon himself to send out a bulk e-mail to his 35 customers (up from 25 in August). The e-mail explained that he was bending over backwards to help me despite that I had coerced my contract from his underage stepson. He claimed that I fully understood that there was a "well-known" 90 day refund policy for widows. He threatened to sue me for slander but claimed that he was too good a man to do that to a widow and I was only "acting out" because I was grieving.
I have a few problems with his e-mail.
One: When he sent the bulk e-mail my husband had passed away over 90 days ago. Shouldn't that have meant that he should have already paid?
Two: He'd sent me an e-mail in August explaining that it was normally a "well-known" 60 day refund policy for widows.
Three: I have never met, much less coerced, his stepson, Zak Kampert. I had a 30 second phone call with the man the day I traveled nearly 500 miles to his shop and back. He complained that he'd have to go all the way across town to give me a new contrct - 20 whole minutes! I waited about an hour and another coworker, David, drove up and handed me the contracts (one for me, one for him) presigned and filled in with all the details Zak Kampert added. I had no part in the details. All I did was sign and take a copy.
Four: Bob Mcelreath had told me in a phone call in early August that he left Zak in charge while he was gone for the 5 or 6 weeks. He was apologizing for no one contacting me for the 51 days. If he left him in charge, then wouldn't that include signing contracts? In 29 business days worth of contact, he never once mentioned that Zak Kampert was underage or accuse me of coercing him for the contract.
Five: I have an e-mail Bob sent in August in which he agrees to honor the contract signed by his stepson.
Six: I have never slandered Bob Mcelreath or anyone associated with his multitude of aliases. I have stated the truth in everything I have ever written about him or said to others about him. If he truly beleived that I had slandered him I wish he'd sue me. I'd welcome a chance for a judge to hear how he treats his victims.
Seven: He's too good a man to sue a widow, but he has no problem keeping $13,000 from a widow that he's repeatedly said he owes. He has no problem not delivering cars to cancer victims living on borrowed time or soldiers returning from war or the dozens of other people that have paid for cars and have yet to see them.
Eight: Most importantly, it's now 150 days and I still don't have my refund. I have only received a token refund in mid-August. How is Bob bending over backward to help me? I would think giving a widow and her children the money he's taken from them and promised repeatedly to give them would be helping. Spreading ridiculous lies about the widow isn't really helping her.
tawidow
Acworth,Georgia,
USA
newest contract not honored - more lies
#3Author of original report
Sat, September 08, 2012
I just got off the phone with Bob Mcelreath and he's let me know that he has no intention of honoring his contract with me to reimburse me the remaining $13,000 by September 10. I don't believe he ever intended to reimburse me the full amount. He preys on people to become so desperate for whatever scraps he throws them after stealing their money that they will agree to anything - i.e. the numerous "satisfied" rebuttals after scathing complaints. He requires that of his victims before he makes a final partial reimbursement or gives them a car that is not nearly as nice as promised (I'm basing this on a SLEW of other reports from numerous victims).
I will be filing a civil suit and seeing whatever criminal charges I can bring against him Monday morning. I am also offering to pay some of the legal fees for other victims' lawyers fees. I can't sit back and watch this disgrace of a human being prey on more people. He is currently running 2 more ads on e-bay using two new aliases (winstoncup2watch and restoguru7881 both have the same phone number and he returns the calls using his pontiac pros number), has a new company name - Common Man Classic Hot Rods, ads in magazines, ads on other internet sites. Known company aliases for Bob Mcelreath: Build a Bandit, Pontiac Pros, Discount Classic Auto Restoration, Common Man Classic Hot Rods. Known e-bay aliases eck0211, turtlevhare, winstoncup2watch, restoguru7881. Why does an honest man need to change his name so often? An honest man doesn't.
His game is that he's selling a "beautiful" car. The price is outrageous, but for you - he's willing to make a different car for half the price. Great deal! All you have to do is pay all or half the money up front and he'll have it ready for you in 10-12 months. Look on this site alone and you'll see that he doesn't deliver on that promise. Don't be fooled!!!