On or around the middle of August (15th - 16th) Luke Tech posted a number of items for sale in the 2nd Gen Sale area. One of those was an S5 manual Gauge Cluster for which he was asking $50 shipped. He provided two photos of the item REMOVED from a car and on a table.

On August 17th I sent via paypal $50 for the item and received the following PM back:
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Originally Posted by Gringo Grande
Sent a payment via PP.

Thanks!

Kevin

received!!! will get it shipped asap (Luke Tech)
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After two weeks, I had not received any communication from seller nor had I received my item. I sent a PM to which I received no reply. I waited 48 hours and sent another PM and email indicating to the seller that I was going to be opening a dispute with paypal since I felt this was becoming a fraudulent transaction. Apparently this got his attention as I quickly received the following PM:

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Originally Posted by Gringo Grande
To whom it may concern:

It has been almost 2 weeks since payment was made and I have not received the item I paid for. Furthermore, the last message I sent you was never replied to.

Please provide a tracking number or proof of shipment for the item. I would appreciate an answer within 24 hours or I will have to begin wondering if this is a bad transaction.

Thank you.

Kevin Kolinski

this is not a bad transaction, i am working on it, i went to work the following monday and we started working 6am-6pm i promise to get this item shipped asap, and that was started As Soon As Possible. if you feel you need to open a dispute, by all means go ahead. and i do not have a regular internet conection to use at my disposal so i'll will be in contact when i get the chance to get online.

Luke Tech
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I should have started a fraudulent claim at that moment due to the sellers **** poor attitude and excuses but I waited until today when I saw that he is apparently defrauding others as well.

I'm not some poor college kid...I own several companies with dozens of employees...I wasn't given anything I built it all from nothing and there was a point in my life where I was living out of my car. I absolutely, positively HATE people who lie, cheat, and steal...who take the easy way out.

Here are my main issues...

1) In my opinion Luke you are LYING about your internet connection issues...if you are going to sell on the internet, have the tools to do so.

2) When you tell someone you are shipping something ASAP and after almost 3 weeks it hasn't arrived...especially since you advertised the item as being pulled according to the photo posted...you are lying.

3) The most telling reason I believe you are a scam artist is any legitimate business owner, small or large, knows customer service is the most important part of their business. When you start coming back at a customer who has every reason to be irate with gems such as, "I said ASAP so that means As Soon As Possible" when it has been over two weeks....that is terrible customer service.

I believe you are a liar and a thief and I'm going to stay on your *** to refund my money, other peoples money, and make sure no one else does business with you to the best of my ability. I've made certain to save all the PMs, emails, posts, and photos posted by you to help solidify my case. We will see what paypal has to say and then if need be I'll pursue this to the necessary jurisdiction. I'm not a college kid, I have both the time and money to make certain you don't defraud anyone else in the future.

GG

 

word.

people need to realize how important the customer really is.

whenever i decide to sell something on rx7club, i always end up shipping priority just to get them the item asap so they'll be happy with me.

 

What sucks is I've bought from about 6 individuals and it has always been awesome...then I buy from the guys who wants to act like he has a "business" and it is a joke.

GG

 

Why do people on this forum equate individual part sales to business or customer service?

Guy selling a few parts from his home /= business!

When you get on the level of parting out multiple cars or engines per month like what I used to do, then you can consider it a business. Otherwise it's just a dude on the internet selling spare parts from one or 2 partscars sitting out back, regardless of what he may or may not say.

Therefore, do not assume you will get business-like service from an individual. Sure, some individuals will offer better service than most businesses, but there are plenty of individuals who will not.

This is why I tell people...even though an individual on the forum might sell their parts for a few bucks less than me, or one of the other sellers, spend a few dollars extra and buy from someone you know is/has been in business for a while and will give you what you're wanting, rather than put yourself at risk for dealing with bullshit.

 

Exactly

 

AMEN BROTHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

although ive never acutaly bought from him, i dont trust him nor would i ever buy from him personaly

ive talked to him about parts hes been selling or sold a few times in the past, a few parts (a turbo and mani) on more than one occassion, the story i got about how he got the parts, and why he was selling them were very diff both times, to the point that i wont ever deal with him personaly.

I could be wrong, but this is my personal opinion

 

Hey man i feel your pain! Unlike you, i am some poor college kid, and i bought a clutch and dual belt pulley from Luke_Tech on the 6th of august and have yet to hear another response from him. Infact, i have a post only a few down from this very one that i started yesterday! He really needs to get his **** in line, cause i cant afford to waste money AT ALL.

Just like you, i have done probably 5-6 transactions that have gone flawlessly on this site, that is up until Luke_Tech's.

 

Rule of thumb...don't sell anything that isn't ready to be shipped the next day.

 

Well, I dont know about the next day. I'd say, by the end of the week, which is how I operate (I do mention this up front, however).

Plenty of larger companies do not ship your parts for 2-4 days after the sale. Hell, just look at rx7store for that matter.

 

Hope that's not the same with the guy I'm relying on a driveshaft.... He still has yet to give me a freaking tracking number, and it's getting me pissed scared I've been screwed out of the little money I CAN spend....

Sorry to hear about your probs. m8 :/

 

Over the years I've been on this forum, this isn't the first bad transaction with Luke Tech I've seen. I personally haven't had any problems with him, probably because Ohio/Indiana is so close I can drive an hour or two over there to pound on his door and **** on his lawn. I never met him personally. He has been plenty active on the forums if you check his profile when he last logged in.

 

bump.

 

i can tell you I bought from the guy and he isn't bad at all he just need to wrap his parts more. I bought some injectors and he put them in a bubble wrapped package and they rattle around in the bag and one of the tips broke that is it.

 

wow, this guy hasent even defended himself yet.

:AA:

 

I couldnt disagree more.

Look at it like this---if you are on here selling parts and you call yourself a business, at that point you have just told people they are dealing with a business, not with an individual that is only selling a part here and there on the side. At that point, you have just elevated the expectations of everyone who just saw you proclaim yourself a business. That is not the buyers fault for assuming, especially in this case. It is the sellers fault for specifically saying that he is running an online parts business:

https://www.rx7club.com/showpost.php...52&postcount=1

The guy has "luketech.com" and "luke tech moto" in his sig, he is definitely advertising like a business. And then he comes right out and says it:

With all respect Kevin, when someone tells me they are a business, I have every right to assume that they are a business, and I have every right to expect them to act like a business. Not to mention, this kid claimed he had a performance shop last year, I think it was....and when he scammed a bunch of people, he simply decided to say in a thread here that his "shop" was now out of business, so everyone that sent him money was just **** out of luck.

the only real question here is why people are still sending this guy money for parts, when it appears that fully half the people that have done business with him have complaints, lost money, still waiting for parts, etc etc etc...

 

Kevin,

I thought about posting this after your initial response and in my advanced age I've generally learned to think about what I want to say before posting anything that could be incendiary.

I've seen people attack you on the forums where they were certainly in the wrong...the guy who expected new rotor housings for $1000 or whatever...laughable of course. I've heard people complain that you think you are God's gift to the rotary world or what have you...and while I certainly commend you on your passion for the vehicles and the service you provide. Sometimes when you post, you do come across as a bit "High and Mighty". This might very well be nothing more than text translating emotion or intent poorly.

That being said, RX7 Roller said pretty much everything I would choose to...and I know you are far from perfect. Being a decent person, if you'd like to know the situation I am referring to, please feel free to PM me...as it involves a transaction/customer service conversation between you and a buddy of mine and I'm always open to hearing both sides.

GG

 

parts will be on there way

 

Sounds to me like you need to start looking into a career in another industry.

 

I get what you are saying...but we have to be realistic, and realize that this is THE INTERNET. Anyone can say anything they want, present themselves in any light they want, say things they normally could not get by with in the real world. I can take 5 minutes to start a new account, tell you I am a 13 year old girl with double D *******, but that does that mean this is actually the case? I can tell you I build drag race rotaries that run 7's in the 1/4 all day long, but are you going to believe me? I can tell you I manage an 8 bay shop full of auto lifts, welders, parts cleaners, welders, pipe benders, dynos, etc...this is the internet, all I have to do to make it come true is to post it on the forum, right?

Of course you're going to remain skeptical and expect the worse until these claims are proven...the same procedure should be applied to small "businesses" that spring up on internet forums and websites.

In order to create an internet business all one needs are an email address, forum name, a large flashy signature, even a half *** website, and a few parts for sale. Does that make them a real life business? Does that mean they know what they are doing and will follow through on their end?

Agreed. Yet, when I try to sell parts, as a known good seller of several years, I get all kinds of people questioning my judgement, asking for pics of non-cosmetic parts, pm'img me nervously after they send payment asking for shipping info, etc. I just don't get it.

I am not so much that way in person, but I do take authoritative tones in subjects that I know more than others...I don't tolerate bullshit or misinformation being spread very well. IF a group of guys are gathered in a parking lot around cars and one of them is trying to tell me that rotary engines run off of oil pressure and have no redline, or their ford escort can run 11's in the 1/4, I will have to call them full of **** to their face. Sorry, I have to call a spade a spade sometimes.

I am used to taking such tones when posting on this forum because it is usually necessary to cut through the dumb **** that is being said. Also, if you'll notice most posters on the internet do not have good reading comprehension skills and do not express themselves in an intelligent light (misspelling, poor grammar and paragraph structure, etc.) so you'll forgive me if I don't treat those whose posts sound like they were authored by an illiterate person with the utmost respect when I can only half decipher what they tried to say.

This sounds like it should be interesting...another "friend of a friend" that is unhappy with me.

Sure, fire away, I will gladly respond to anything put my way.

 

You said 18, right?

Wait... people actually say this?!

 

yes, I have been told all sorts of things. I started in the rotary game years ago by buying up local 7's that didnt run or whatever, and either fixing them to resell, or parting them out. So I dealt with a lot of local dumbasses when going to look at these cars. Obviously I was looking for a deal, and since all the mechanics around here are afraid of these, I just played the part and acted dumb in an attempt to get the car cheaper, rather than let on that I knew how easy the cars are to fix and risk the owner staying firmer on their prices.

During these negotiations (remember, I am letting the owner "educate me" about these cars) I was told all sorts of things.

"these don't have compression, they run off of oil pressure, that's why they have a oil cooler".

"Now you do know that this here is one of them turbine rotisserie motors, right, you can't get many parts for this sumbitch at autozone".

"You've heard of some motors that have turbos on them? This whole motor is basically a big turbo, that's why they are so fast".

"I got this car and it was the fastest damn thing around. But I didnt know that the tips burned out on them exactly at 100k miles, or I wouldnt have bought it."

"These motors in these cars don't have a redline, they can rev forever, but they put one on the gauges because the alternator will explode."

You would NOT BELIEVE some of the **** I have heard over the years. Every once in a while i run across someone that knows to some degree what is up with the rotary, but they are few and far between. As for the rest, I wait until we make a deal and I get the title before I get out the jug of ATF and the new sparkplugs, fire it up, and drive it home, while they stand there in disbelief watching the car that hasnt run in 2 years drive off after being sold for $300.

 

probably the funniest thing I have read in weeks. I hope you never heard any of this stuff at the rotary meets

Yeah, it's definitely funny how little people know about these cars, people tell me all sorts of "information" that I've never heard of before.

That said, I learn something new every week. Every time I think I understand a huge portion of it, there is something thrown into the mix that makes me realize I need to study a bit more...

 

I understand everything you just said, the problem is the fact that it seemed earlier like you were saying this was the buyer's fault for assuming. Regardless of the fact that this is the internet, and that anyone can claim anything, at some point we all still must be held accountable. That is my point. Yes, anyone can claim to have a business. but when they are found to be full of ****, then they need to be called on the carpet for it.

It should never be the buyer's fault when a seller makes a statement and then cannot live up to it. Assumption or no assumption, thats just how I feel about this. You, for example, you have gone so far out of your way to help people that it isnt even funny. You go above and beyond that which you state you will do, and you do that often. But even if you did not, you at least live up to what you say you will do, and you are what you say you are.

 

Received a tracking number from Luke Tech several days ago. According to USPS website the number is not valid or trackable. Granted the USPS sucks *** but it was supposedly sent last Wednesday...hope it arrives by Friday of this week.

GG