Complaint Review: Cypress Auto Center/J&R Imports/Ymoto Scooters - Broussard Louisiana

I'm sure Winston Stroderd meant well when he started out selling what he called online as Ymoto Scooters (150 cc), "the best in the business", but his inability to realize that the product was crappy, and his taking complaints personally from those he sold them to and ignoring their calls (via changing company phone numbers dozens of times or just canceling the ones on advertising), emails, and pleading letters whenever the product or the promises he'd made went bad has fed up so many at this point in time that his scooter company has no active web address, phone number, or email address where he can be reached. I doubt the address on this rip-off complaint is even accurate anymore.

I should have known better than to purchase anything from his Cypress Auto Center, when in online ads, you could hardly tell what it was you were purchasing and the name of the outfit you'd be buying it from, via the misspellings, poor grammar, and many names given the product and his business. The 150 cc scooters were called Ymoto scooters, were said to be from a weird-sounding Chinese company, had Yamahha or Lontin engines, and were suppose to have a three year parts warranty (or 40,000 miles) on them. The name on the scooter, when I finally got it, was Longbow(?). The name of Winston Strodderd's business on invoices, shipping notices, and emails varied from J & S Importers to Cypress Auto Center to Ymoto Scooters. Also, Mr. Strodderd claimed to be the only one you'd be able to obtain parts from (a lie as I have had to order a carburetor, amongst other non-functioning parts I've gotten in the last year and a half), to have a half million dollar parts warehouse just for these scooters, and would promptly honor claims for those replacement parts needed. He also claimed to use specially contracted shippers so that the scooters could be sent everywhere in the US at a much reduced rate...so...here's the story...and I'm finding out via BBB and eBayers that I'm not the only isolated case.

After ordering online, one of Winston Strodderd's Ymoto Scooters, his incompetent staff first charged me $65 for ridiculous doc fees, put the wrong address and phone number down where the scooter was to be sent to, and I had to search all over Atlanta, GA until i found out which dock it was sent to as they had no idea who's it was with all that address and bungling done on Cypress' part. Second, I had to drove 50 miles to pick it up myself (no reimbursment offered, of course), and found out that it wound up costing me $350 for it NOT to be delivered to me (an exhorbitant price, well above the norm). It was suppose to be a Christmas present (then 2 weeks late after I tracked it down), and after I put the front of it together myself, I couldn't find any KEYS!! After calling Winston at the only working phone number on his website, he said they were probably under the seat and for me to simply get a locksmith to pop open the seat. He even agreed to pay for it (Which was a lie and I NEVER received ANY compensation on any of this botched transaction on the part of their company's incompetence nor b/c their product was/is awful.). After a $25 fee, no keys were found, so Winston agrred to send a new lock/ignition set, which I, of course, would have to pay to have an expert install. Again, it's at least admirable that he sent the new ignition/key set, but why was I having to pay labor/installation for their company's stupidity?

After readying the scooter for it's initial performance, it was found, by Coweta Custom Cycle's resident mechanic to have a bad stator, coil, battery, and spark plug. After playing email tag with Cypress for a month, my my hired mechanic got some of the needed parts delivered and other make-shift ones improvised. The scooter, purchased in November of 2006, could not be RIDDEN until April of 2007 as Winston(Cypress Auto) would not return phone calls, emails, or anything that would expedite getting HIS PRODUCT working!!! Finally, to top off all this, after leaving negative feedback on eBay about the product (not even about this man's incompetent service or flat out lying), he wrote me threatening emails wheich I then hadned over to the eBay personnel who I believe have since withdrawn his right to sell online on Ebay motors after others complained. The emails said that he would go back and try to fraudulently charge my credit card for the parts (ignition and key and those few sent to the bike shop) that he sent...after all...none of the non-functioning ones were mailed back to him. (Of course, he wouldn't pay for the shipping of them, and I wasn't about to put forth ANY more money for his crappy scooter.) Also, he threatened that he would put in my purchaser file that I'd left negative feedback and alluded to the fact that whenever I needed a part....while the warranty might cover the part...he could charge whatever he wanted for shipping and handling (a nice way of trying to Blackmail people and overcharging them in an unethical way).

Now...for the REST of the story...it's been a year and a half of owning one of these fine (Read : sarcasm here) "Ymoto Scooters" with the 3-yr. warranty. I actually have been able to put 1200 miles on the machine (which I hear from others who have dealt with this man is more than they'd been able to get before their purchased pieces of junk went down for good). The machine is down once more (already over $2000+ has been invested in this junky scooter). I have it at a cycle shop and they say it should be under warranty (it SHOULD, yeah.) and can't get Cypress to return calls, answer emails, or find a functioning website for this sorry outfit. Fortunately, they think they've located a needed carburetor from ScootUSA.com, which I now will have to pay for along with even more labor charges.

Cypress Auto Center changes names and numbers quite often. The ripoff artist, lying owner, Winston Strodered, is unethical, incompetent, and should not be allowed to continue in this line of work without reimbursing all those who he has shafted, committed fraud against, lied to, or tried to blackmail. I will galdly ship him back his 150 cc product if he'll reimburse my $2000 for it and all the other expenses that he said the warranty would cover or that are due me to his company's incompetence. Be aware of this company's unscrupulous business tactics and fraudulent claims about their customer service or their products. What makes all this worse is that, on the old website they had, and on all correspondence involving a purchase, Winston puts down the words "all things are possible with God", trying to appear as if his company dealt with folks like Jesus would.... this may be the ultimate insult and the most hypocritcal thing I've ever personally had to deal with.

David

Sharpsburg, Georgia

U.S.A.