- Report: #561167
Complaint Review: Custom Imprint Designs - Highland Illinois
Reported By:
Dallas Fort Worth Gay Softball -
Dalllas, Texas, United States of America
Submitted:
Updated:
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Author Not Confirmed
Why?
Custom Imprint Designs
601 Broadway Suite B Highland, Illinois, United States of America
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Custom Imprint Designs Poor quality merchandise. Phone disconnected. Does not return email. Poor business ethics. Highland, Illinois
I first met Mr. Gaehle and his lover in Minneapolis, MN at a gay softball tournament. He does mobile embroidery as well as t-shirts. They explained to me that they were trying to start a business traveling to certain gay venues across the United States to supply event shirts and hats to the participants. We felt the initial quality of the product was quite good, and it was explained to us that the method they used was similar to that used in billboard signs today, and it was indestructible. I purchased a shirt from them in Minneapolis, and was told they would be in Dallas for our "Beat the Heat" tournament. We all looked forward to Custom Imprint Designs coming to Dallas, but that all changed when the arrived.
When Custom Imprint Designs arrived in Dallas, we were told that the design we were promised was not available once they got there. We were told that we could "order" the design and when the got back to the St. Louis area, they would print all of the shirts, and mail them out at no cost to the customer. This was not a good idea, as people wanted to wear the T-shirt while at the tournament, not on the way home. We wanted to tell them if they could not provide the product that they needed to go home, but we gave them the benefit of the doubt. We should not have! The first day, when they went to set up for the event.. NOTHING worked at all. The heat press they brought was malfuctioning, and the young lover of Mr. Gaehle was "rewiring" the heat press on the spot. The next issue came with the customization of the tshirts. They used some form of plotter to cut vinyl to put on the shirts, and that did not work either. Did they not bother to check the machines before heading out?
Since nothing seemed to be working, and they did not have the products that were promised to us, they did very little in the amount of sales. Most of the time Mr. Gaehle spent sleeping in a folding chair, and his young lover Brett was playing on a cellular telephone. They were friendly enough, but there seemed to be tension in the air. I did order a t-shirt to be mailed to me, since we have not had apparel for several years, and I thought it was a good idea. Man am I sorry that I did now.
The tshirts did not arrive until well after a month after they were ordered. The initial quality of the shirts were substandard. The sparkling gold was more of a muted brown with a few sparkles in it. It looked horrible. I am good friends with the owner of a bar in town, that was going to utilize the service, but after discussing the poor quality of the merchandise and of the owners attitude and practices, we decided against using them, and went with a company that charged a lot more, but we knew was local and would stand behind the product.
I am only writing this on Rip Off report because I have tried to contact Mr. Gaehle and Custom Imprint Designs at the phone number that was listed on the business card, and it has been disconnected. I have also tried to email them at the address that is listed on the card, but the letter have gone unanswered. What I am concerned about is that on the business card, there is no physical address listed, so I am afraid they are a basement based business that is a fly by night organization. When I saw other people had problems with Custom Imprint Designs on here, I figured I too would tell my story regarding the experience I had with this company.
I figure the reason that Mr. Gaehle does not want to list his business address/home address is due to the fact that he does not live in St. Louis as he claims to, but rather must live on the illinois side, from other records I have read online. Had I known that Mr. Gaehle has been sued and lost a court battle regarding breech of contract with someone else in Madison County, I would have discouraged the group from using the company. From now on we will do more investigating before jumping into any decision if we do tshirts again. I would suggest that other do the same. If you are thinking of using Custom Imprint Designs for your gay venue, think again. You will receive poor quality products and horrible customer service.
