Ardcore stole money and now i'm out a hardtail

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Jpikus

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So I'm still not exactly sure what happened but in January I called up Ardcore and got an order in for a DIY Ardtail. Was told the lead time was 6 weeks, which was fine seeing it was winter and I live in MN. I waited about 8-9 weeks before contacting them again and got an e-mail saying "sorry for the delay, we'll be sending it out later this week." That e-mail was received March 31st and I still haven't gotten anything, except now no one can get a hold of the shop or Jon or anything. I have all the e-mails and my card statement that shows contact and payment but it's just not getting me anywhere. So i'm guessing that i'm just screwed and out the 365 bucks that I paid for the "Ardtail", which also means i'm back to square one with looking for a hard tail. Been trying to search forums to see whats all out there or what looks the best, what are your opinions and suggestions for overall quality and looks. Oh and reliability on the shop to make sure I ACTUALLY GET what I order. Or if anyone has info on what happened with Ardcore, that would be greatly appreciated too!
 
David at voodoo! Shipped mine the same day i ordered. Had the same issues getting ahold of ardcore. About 2 weeks ago he answered an email i sent saying 4 weeks lead time and said he disconnected the phone to get work done. Sounded shady so i bought from a reputable guy. Couldnt be happier
 
Are you serious! He actually replied to you? That's absolutely insane and blows my mind right now. I'm pretty sure I could absolutely breath fire!
 
Yeah man, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, maybe a local guy can go get this guy on the right track or contact his local pd or something. Did you paypal him? He really seemed shady through email. Sad because he makes nice stuff :/
 
Yeah it was paypal, he doesn't have my card info or anything like that. Yeah I contacted the better business bureau of IN and waiting on a reply from them and then contacted a PD friend of mine to see what he thinks. That sucks so damn hard too. The Bad Penny xs650 build he did was crazy awesome, that was the tail I wanted and needed but if voodoo can do what you say then i'm sold on it. It looks like they do nice work
 
If you havent already file with paypal they will go after him. It does suck to see another rider do stuff like this. I sold a guy some harley parts a while back and misquoted shipping. He payed me the $80 i asked, come to find out shipping was $83, i shipped it anyways, my fault and i lost money but i didnt go back on my word. Seems people anymore dont value their word like some of us do. Hope they get it straightened up for you buddy. I can try to email him again and try to get a number to contact him if you want me to try.
 
That would be awesome if you could, I just don't want to go ahead and purchase another one to find out mine ends up getting shipped or something. I don't know whats even going on at that shop to even find out if my money is gone, order got lost or if I just straight up got screwed over.
 
I've read a few stories like this on here... what kind of business disconnects the phone or leaves it off the hook so they can get on with work? Seems like he's doing a disservice to both himself and his customer base. I guess he doesn't want the responsibilities that come with being an employer otherwise he'd have people running mail orders, answering phones and helping with fab work, but I'm speculating.
1 open a dispute with paypal.
2 forget about it until something either comes in the mail or e-mail, with paypal in your corner you'll either get your goods or a refund from paypal.
3 check out lowbrow's hard tails, especially their loop tails which aren't as commonly done on builds I don't think so they still look a little different to most bikes out there. I have one, it's great and well made, they look little better than regular straight tubes at the axle imo... service was surprisingly fast even across the pond. Their method of fitment might not be to your liking although there's nothing wrong with it, it wasn't to mine so I modified it for a bung/plug fit. They might even make it to fit with plugs if you ask IDK. Ordering is easy with a drop down menu where you choose from a combination of stretches and drops.

4 If one ever turns up from ardcore, just sell it on... you'll still be able to get all your money back for a guaranteed ship and no waiting time for a buyer who wanted an ardtail.
 
I tryed to get an ardtail a few years ago couldn't wait 6-9 weeks so used tcb then voodoo came a long I have used 3 voodoo this year 2xs650 a 1 cb500t and going to get one for the wifes bike later this year her frame is bent from the crash last week,had each one within 2 weeks
 
Yeah i'm still just completely shocked and lost as to why that happened with his shop, he has cred so I honestly didn't really think twice. I should have just given him some money as a deposit and said he would get the rest when it's ready to ship. I spent some time talking to a guy who was on the verge of losing his entire bike to this shop but he some how got a hold of him and last week managed to drive there and get it back. He gave me the "New" shop address, his home address and a number to try and get a hold of him but still no dice. I didn't know I could open a ticket with paypal so I made sure I did that this morning. I just love the look of the Ardtail but if I have to I will go elsewhere's, I guess what I like most about it is how it drops behind the tank (I'm still pretty new to this and this is my first bobber build). So far what I know I want or wanted was that Ardtail, a Cole Foster bobber tank and black spoke wheels. Is paypal pretty quick about these things or will I pretty much have to escalate it to a claim for sure?
 
Jpikus, Sorry to hear about your troubles. I was in the same boat. Took me 6 months to get my hardtail from Ardcore but it finally arrived. Since I am not in a hurry on my build it was not a huge deal but I was still concerned none the less. I did however attempt to file a paypal complaint because my seat never showed up that I also had ordered from Ardcore. Paypal said it had been too long for anything to be done. So, I contacted Ardcore by email to let them know my intent was to sue them regardless of the fact that it would cost me way more than the seat was worth. I just didn't like the idea of someone getting one over on me. I ended the email with "this is the final time I will tell you". After a few days I received a refund from Ardcore for the seat. I also received a question mark by my last sentence... "This is the last time I will tell you"??

I guess he didn't like that last part. Good luck! I hope you get your hardtail.
 
If you cant get it settled let me know. I have an attorney buddy that will help you out. Hes a bike guy so he will send him a nastygram.
 
Yeah I filed the dispute with paypal and if I get nothing back by the end of this week I will send another e-mail and give a phone call. I'm done screwing around with this, I was supposed to have the wind in my face already and it's just getting to the point where its irritating because I keep getting ideas for my build and seeing other builds riding around. I'm getting too jealous of them and honestly enough is enough. If I do get the hard tail from Ardcore it will certainly be the last time I even think of that shop. There is no excuse for zero contact with customers. @ss243b I will absolutely let you know what happens by the end of this week
 
Hope it works out if not pm me and i'll give you my number and get you some legal docs drawn up for ya
 
Wonder why hes so fukn useless? Seems like he could have a pretty successful business if he put some effort in. He's got a quality product by the looks of it, and what I thought was a decent reputation as a builder.

But this same thread seems to pop up way too often, how hard is it keeping your customers in the loop? Picking up the phone or a quick email is all it takes. Not difficult.

Jpikus: I hope you get it sorted mate, nobody likes getting the run around, especially after handing over your hard earned. I'm not sure how far away you are from his shop, but it might pay to drop in?
 
he just got to big to fast try'n to build for too many bikes he builds for xs650 and H/D
the same thing hapen with G&L CHOPPERS BLACK WIDOW AND ELSWICK CUSTOMS,
well black widow's were junk but the same shit took money didn't produce for there customers
 
I would of loved to drop into the shop to get what is mine and have words with Jon but i'm currently located center pants of Minnesota. Yeah @DIRTY DOG i'm not sure if that's the case or not, it sucks because I saw the work he's done and that Bad Penny build looked badass. I have escalated my dispute to a claim though with paypal due to being almost absolutely certain that he wont respond to them either. I will either get my money back or get my product. In which case i'll most likely look into Voodoo Vintage unless I can find one that resembles the Ardtail well.
 

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