Bad Armourer Alert - Gundo/Wise Ogre/Anthony Stanbarger :(
Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2004 3:37 pm
It's with some amount of regret that I write this, but even though Gundo has told me in private email that he plans to end his commercial armouring days, this should be where people can see/search for it. If people had posted about the problems they were having last year with Gundo, I would not be in the predicament I am now.
I commissioned a full "Milanese Export" harness in spring steel from Gundo in December. He was paid in full; the down payment had been made prior to that, as I had purchased my slot in his queue from another person, and due to his recent layoff and switch to fulltime armouring I knew he needed the cash. Note that the money came from my wife, who gave me a wonderful birthday/Christmas gift... what a gal.
The arrangement didn't start off well, but the deal was so good I tried not to mind. Despite saying on his now-defunct webpage (which I had the foresight to save to my computer, thankfully) that "Each slot is slated for a definite completion date, which will be determined by the size of the orders received. Completion dates will be confirmed on receipt of the down payment.", I was never able to get a specific date of completion from him, try as I might. Late spring/early summer was the best I got. This didn't exactly sit well, but he seemed like a nice guy, so I let it slide.
Late Spring came and went. So did early summer. No armour. No communication, either, unless I started it, and then it was terse one-line emails that often did not answer all of my questions. I knew from the Archive that he had recently moved, so I was willing to give him a little leeway. I had an event in August that I needed the armour for, so I told him that all was well, but could we please get it done by August 21st? In all likelihood was my reply.
Note that his webpage said in large bright-red lettering, "If I miss your shipment date, I will rebate 10% of the price of the order. This will be deducted from the balance due where applicable." I certainly did not receive any refund.
Early August. I email to confirm that the harness will be done by the 21st. Nope, it hasn't even been started yet, but it is "just about to be". Now I'm a little worried. I ask when I can expect it, and he says it is probable that it will be done by the end of the month. I also ask him on behalf of a friend if he is still taking commissions, and he says that he is getting out of commercial armouring. Uh-oh. I even offer him a 200 dollar bonus to complete the harness by Sept 10th, but I get no reply.
Now fearing I will never get my armour, I ask him if I can list the spot on the Archive, and after the second email he agrees. As soon as I list the spot, I get a couple emails with similar horror stories, and I have since pulled the offer.
Since my commission has not even been started and I fear ever getting my armour, I am now asking for a refund of our money. Gundo has not responded. I have said I will give up my 200 dollar down payment and not pursue the 10% refund I am due if he will simply return my 1800 dollars. I have said I will work with Gundo, as 1800 is a big chunk of change. I am not hopeful. My next step is to file a report with the FTC, contact the District Attorney in his area, and contact a lawyer. I've had conversations with a campus lawyer already, who has already confirmed that Gundo has broken a number of FTC regulations/laws.
Ideally, this will serve as a wakeup call to Gundo, we will get our money back, and we will go our separate ways. If that doesn't happen, maybe this post will serve to warn people about being careful in such dealings. I thought I was safe – this was the guy who ran the bad armourer list for God’s sake! By all reports, Gundo is a nice guy. All I know is, my wife is out $1800, I'm out $200, I have no armour, and there's nothing but headaches in the future.
I commissioned a full "Milanese Export" harness in spring steel from Gundo in December. He was paid in full; the down payment had been made prior to that, as I had purchased my slot in his queue from another person, and due to his recent layoff and switch to fulltime armouring I knew he needed the cash. Note that the money came from my wife, who gave me a wonderful birthday/Christmas gift... what a gal.
The arrangement didn't start off well, but the deal was so good I tried not to mind. Despite saying on his now-defunct webpage (which I had the foresight to save to my computer, thankfully) that "Each slot is slated for a definite completion date, which will be determined by the size of the orders received. Completion dates will be confirmed on receipt of the down payment.", I was never able to get a specific date of completion from him, try as I might. Late spring/early summer was the best I got. This didn't exactly sit well, but he seemed like a nice guy, so I let it slide.
Late Spring came and went. So did early summer. No armour. No communication, either, unless I started it, and then it was terse one-line emails that often did not answer all of my questions. I knew from the Archive that he had recently moved, so I was willing to give him a little leeway. I had an event in August that I needed the armour for, so I told him that all was well, but could we please get it done by August 21st? In all likelihood was my reply.
Note that his webpage said in large bright-red lettering, "If I miss your shipment date, I will rebate 10% of the price of the order. This will be deducted from the balance due where applicable." I certainly did not receive any refund.
Early August. I email to confirm that the harness will be done by the 21st. Nope, it hasn't even been started yet, but it is "just about to be". Now I'm a little worried. I ask when I can expect it, and he says it is probable that it will be done by the end of the month. I also ask him on behalf of a friend if he is still taking commissions, and he says that he is getting out of commercial armouring. Uh-oh. I even offer him a 200 dollar bonus to complete the harness by Sept 10th, but I get no reply.
Now fearing I will never get my armour, I ask him if I can list the spot on the Archive, and after the second email he agrees. As soon as I list the spot, I get a couple emails with similar horror stories, and I have since pulled the offer.
Since my commission has not even been started and I fear ever getting my armour, I am now asking for a refund of our money. Gundo has not responded. I have said I will give up my 200 dollar down payment and not pursue the 10% refund I am due if he will simply return my 1800 dollars. I have said I will work with Gundo, as 1800 is a big chunk of change. I am not hopeful. My next step is to file a report with the FTC, contact the District Attorney in his area, and contact a lawyer. I've had conversations with a campus lawyer already, who has already confirmed that Gundo has broken a number of FTC regulations/laws.
Ideally, this will serve as a wakeup call to Gundo, we will get our money back, and we will go our separate ways. If that doesn't happen, maybe this post will serve to warn people about being careful in such dealings. I thought I was safe – this was the guy who ran the bad armourer list for God’s sake! By all reports, Gundo is a nice guy. All I know is, my wife is out $1800, I'm out $200, I have no armour, and there's nothing but headaches in the future.
