Complaint Review: TODDA'S FURNITURE

Someone named Thomas Mergan, I doubt this was his real name, contacted me to do Logo and Brochure design for Todda's Furiture.  I quoted the project and he agreed to price:

First email about project:

Thanks for the swift response
I only have little details then you can decide on designs but I want the color to consist of Black and Gold with an image of an ancient chair. I want a very mature and presentable design and my budget for this project is $2,000-3,000 .

For the Brochure, I want a double folded A4 size brochure with 8 pages and I can only supply the text content and photos but all are with my project consultant but the logo and brochure will be designed by you and the due date for the project is 15th of January  2020. The company name is TODDA’S FURNITURE INC and is based on importing and exporting of furniture.

NOTE:  My website is still under construction and will be completed soon.

HERE ARE THE DETAILS AND PROCEDURE OF THE JOB:

    1)     Company Name: TODDA S' FURNITURE INC

    2)     MY WEBSITE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION WHICH WOULD BE REGISTER VERY SOON

    3)     I DON'T HAVE LOGO BUT NEED A CUSTOMIZED LOGO FROM YOU

    4)     I COULD ONLY SUPPLY THE TEXT CONTENT AND PHOTO ALL ARE WITH MY PROJECT                                    CONSULTANT BUT THE ARTWORK WILL BE DESIGNED YOU

    5)     I WANT THE BROCHURE TO BE TRI-FOLD IT WILL BE FRONT & BACK THE TEXT AND THE PICTURE                IS  APPROVED AND CROSSCHECK
 
  That's all i can provide from my end and I need a more perfect Job. Kindly let me know the total cost of the Brochure and Logo Design if it will cost more than budgeted.

Do revert my email as soon as you can so we can get things going

Thanks

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

After the above email this is what happened:

12/2/19 -I was contacted thru my website by someone named Tomas/Thomas Mergan (he used both names) with Todda’s Furniture.

12/5/19 - Thomas/Todda's wanted me to quote doing a Logo and an 8 page A4 Brochure. Which needed to be done by 1/15/2020.

12/5/19 - I emailed Thomas/Todda's (tomas.mergan6797@gmail.com) with questions to be able to quote properly.  In that he told me he was in Orlando FL.

12/10/19 - I quoted the job. Thomas/Todda's agreed to the quote price of $2100 from my quote.  I asked for 50% upfront and he agreed to pay. At this point I got Thomas's supposed contact info of:
Contact phone number : (920) 931-2361

12/10/19 - Next Thomas/Todda's then asked me to bill him for and pay his project consultant so John could provide me the text and images.  The fee going to consultant was to be was $4060.  The reason was that the consultant could not take any credit card payments so could bill him so he could pay by business credit card and then wire transfer the money to consultant. I agreed and he offered me a $100 fee to do so.

12/11/19 - I asked Thomas/Todda’s for the project consultants info, an invoice and to fill out a W9 tax form.

12/11/19 - Thomas/Todda's paid by a credit card under the name of Tomas Mergan, which later on 12/25/19 got chargeback disputed to my billing account.

12/12/19 - Thomas/Todda's sent me the info to wire the $4060 to consultants bank.  I then wired the $4060 to consultant that day.  Note this is the first time I heard consultants name.  Thomas/Todda's did not send back an invoice nor the W9.

12/13/19 - Thomas/Todda's told me the consultant got the money and would be sending me text and photos for the brochure in a few days.

12/13/19 - Then Thomas/Todda's asked me to bill him for $7,950 - $7450 was to go to John and $500 would be mine for assisting him in getting the funds to consultant to get the job paid with consultant. He also wanted me to send this to his wife’s email - Kimberly A. Still no invoice from consultant or W9.  I pressed him for both.

12/13/19 - Thomas/Todda's paid the Invoice of $7950 by credit card under the name of Kimberly A. Again this came back as a chargeback on 1/1/20.

12/13/19 - Billed Thomas/Todda's for the processing fees - another $601.34 to cover those fees.  He paid by credit card again under the name of Tomas Mergan.  Again this came back as a chargeback on 12/25/19.

12/14/19 - Thomas/Todda's sent me a W9 filled out with Thomas’s info (probably fake).  But it was the consultant's W9 I needed.  He said he would get consultant to do it and Thomas would send it to me. Again I asked for the invoice for the 2 payments going to consultant - $4060 and $7450.

12/16/19 - Thomas/Todda's sends me a W9 and Invoice supposedly from consultant. Thomas/Todda's wants me to sign the invoice and return it to him which I did.

12/17/19 - I wire transfer the $7450 to consultant now that I have invoice from consultant. I have started preliminary work on the logo. I ask Thomas/Todda's to call me to discuss the logo.  He says he will call me the next day…then tells me he will call the next day after that.  I never got a call.

12/18/19 - Thomas/Todda's uploads some images to my Google drive folder I set up for him. I am surprised at how nice the furniture is.  Looks to be Italian design I am getting excited about the brochure now.  Still no text for the brochure from consultant yet.

12/19/19 - Thomas/Todda's tells me new development on his end. His business consultant needs to sort out courier service and all pending transactions on his end as far as project is concerned. Thomas/Todda's wants me to bill him a total of $17,150. and consultant would send me an Invoice for it which I never got.  I am give Thomas’s business email of Toddas.furniture247@gmail.com to send it to. I send invoice which I later voided due to Thomas wanting invoice in another amount of $18,000 to replace this amount.

12/21/19 - Thomas/Todda's has trouble paying the invoice online and says it is probably because of his daily limit.  Can I split the invoice up into 3 x $6000.  I send them to Thomas.

12/24/19 - Thomas/Todda's pays 2 of the $6000 invoices under a different name.  Thomas wants me to send that $12,000 to consultant once it clears my bank. And then tells me that he is still having trouble paying the last $6000.

12/25/19 - I get my first notice of chargebacks for the $5210 and the $601.34 invoices (first invoices).  He tells me sorry there was a mix up at the bank and he will rectify it once the bank opens on 12/26/19.

12/26/19 - The 2 invoices for $6000 each clears my bank and I am instructed to send that on to consultant. In turn Thomas/Todda's will send me an invoice from consultant for the $12,000 payment the next day.

12/26/19 - I send consultant the $12,000 as wire transfer. I tell Thomas/Todda's I am concerned about sending this out with the two pending chargebacks at this point.  He assures me he is working it out with his bank on the 2 chargebacks.

12/27/19  - I get a call from someone very upset we charged his card for $6000.  This was one of the $6000 Thomas/Todda's paid a few days before.  I let Thomas know right away.  He tells me it was probably his personal assistant and he would call him and fix it.  I start to realize something fishy is going on. Eventually on 1/1/20 and 1/2/20 both $6000 come back as chargeback from 2 credit cards.

12/28/19 - I go down to my bank as soon as they open on Saturday.  I have them file a return of the wire transfers from consultant.  At this point I am assuming that consultant is part of this scam.

12/30/19 - Monday I call consultant's bank to alert them what is going on.  They tell me consultant has been talking to them about getting his account released.  Later that day that the consultan's bank had me and consultant on speaker phone.  This is the first time I heard the name Laura Moore, the person consultant was working with aquiring furniture and art.

12/30/19 - I send all documentation I have to consultant's bank and file a report with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint and Credit Fraud Division.  Documentation includes the Invoice from consultant (which is probably fake), my Invoices, list of credit card charge payment report with names and credit card info.

Have not heard from Thomas/Todda's since 12/30/19.  I never was able to connect with him on the phone number he provided, there was always an excuse and Thomas said he will call me later.  I did not answer his email as it was obvious now it was a scam.

Every invoice has come back as disputed and has been pulled out of my bank account.  I am in the hole for the money I sent consultant of $23,510 plus the money that was supposed to mine $4750 for my work deposit, coordination fees to send the money to consultant and my credit cards fees.  I am hoping this does not put me out of business.