alensatemybuick
Active Member
Please post here or PM me if you have any experiences with him.
Any opinions about JCModelworks (James Guard)?
- Thread starter alensatemybuick
- Start date
patrickivan
Sr Member
There's a fellow on Facebooks who mods the 1/350 scale Enterprise models that's been going nuts trying to get his cash back. Looks like JC took quite a bit from the guy. I don't blame him one bit for wanting it back.
Granted, he'll take your help, but doesn't seem interested in providing details unless he gets some money out of it.
Granted, he'll take your help, but doesn't seem interested in providing details unless he gets some money out of it.
alensatemybuick
Active Member
Not sure I fully understand you, but I think I get the drift. Have a link to this page you mentioned?
swhite228
Well-Known Member
The Facebook group is the "Polar Lights 1:350 scale Starship U.S.S. Enterprise ONLY tips and tricks" group.
It's a closed group so you won't see anything unless you want to join.
The basics of the story is that JC Modelworks took the man that started the group for
$2500+ on a completed Enterprise A model. Jc sent the first one in a box with no padding and it was destroyed during shipping, he offered a 2nd model, which ne never made but charged the guy for a ton of parts like TenaConrtol light kits which kept burning out as he installed them,
When asked he would give some excuse as to why the model wasn't done up to the day he banned the guy from the JC Modelworks page and went radio silent on him. The guy posted in several groups about it and 3 other people responded that they were owed
When asked he would give some excuse as to why the model wasn't done up to the day he banned the guy from the JC Modelworks page and went radio silent on him. The guy posted in several groups about it and 3 other people responded that they were owed
$2575+ as well by JC and were getting the same runaround.
Thy guy contacts police police to serve papers on JC Modelworks and then posted this
"
[/SUB]
Thy guy contacts police police to serve papers on JC Modelworks and then posted this
"
According to Clinton County Sheriff's office in Ohio, @JC Modelworks home has been vacated.... He has officially disappeared. Anyone that has an address for him to be served legal papers please contact me, thank you.
James Guard / @JC Modelworks - owes me $2182.00 - If you were or still are a customer - GET YOUR REFUND NOW"
I'm not sure how the story ends as I have a few Facebook pages and I don't have time for the drama in my own groups let alone someone elses.
[SUB]James Guard / @JC Modelworks - owes me $2182.00 - If you were or still are a customer - GET YOUR REFUND NOW"
I'm not sure how the story ends as I have a few Facebook pages and I don't have time for the drama in my own groups let alone someone elses.
[/SUB]
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alensatemybuick
Active Member
Thanks for that info. Wow, that is a lot of money to get ripped off for. I had heard the story about the destroyed model on James Guard's now defunct Facebook page. And also figured out that the guy had disappeared. He rooked me for a lesser amount for a refit Enterprise I sent a down-payment for that never materialized. Which means, that yes, I have now been ripped off TWICE on Trek-related builds. My b*tching and moaning about my Galileo ripoff is probably the stuff of legend here, and what I realized, finally, from that experience is that it is best to let it go. I ended up with a wonderful Galileo ultimately, and that went a long way towards negating the bad experience I had. In the end, I WILL have a refit as well, and I guess the money I sent Guard will effectively end up being "amortized" into the next one.
So what is it about this hobby that attracts the kind of people who offer their build services but can't deliver, either because they reach "burn-out" or are on the verge of financial or health catastrophe that leaves them unable to finish the work or even refund any downpayments? What is it that attracts suckers like me and (it seems) many others who find themselves being ripped off because they put their trust in the aforementioned?
So anyone have a completed refit Enterprise, perhaps a QMX version they'd be interested in selling?
So what is it about this hobby that attracts the kind of people who offer their build services but can't deliver, either because they reach "burn-out" or are on the verge of financial or health catastrophe that leaves them unable to finish the work or even refund any downpayments? What is it that attracts suckers like me and (it seems) many others who find themselves being ripped off because they put their trust in the aforementioned?
So anyone have a completed refit Enterprise, perhaps a QMX version they'd be interested in selling?
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alensatemybuick
Active Member
Something that could be passed on to the other people who were ripped off - when I googled the cell number Guard gave me, I found this:
https://www.whitepages.com/name/Carol-L-Cunningham/Wilmington-OH/a0pz2vz
That 1400 Locust ST. Address in Wilmington - Google shows it to be a Pub?! When I saw that, and the many past addresses, I decided I would not even waste my time trying to pursue a judgment against him. Life is too short.
https://www.whitepages.com/name/Carol-L-Cunningham/Wilmington-OH/a0pz2vz
That 1400 Locust ST. Address in Wilmington - Google shows it to be a Pub?! When I saw that, and the many past addresses, I decided I would not even waste my time trying to pursue a judgment against him. Life is too short.
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patrickivan
Sr Member
Thanks for clearing up my post. I should have been more clear, but was in a rush. AND I forgot that it was a closed group, and I'm in the group LOL...
Ya, when someone starts to use a spouse, they're certainly trying to throw people off. I mean it's not hard to open a new account. Regardless, it's clear the guy makes tonnes of excuses. I saw he had a go-fund me or something at one point, so he could buy some equipment. I saw a post somewhere else where he's complaining his workshop is too cold to work. His health. Money. Just excuse after excuse.
I used to build things here and there, and took a 20% deposit. But that deposit wasn't to pay for my supplies, but to secure the client so I don't get screwed if they bail AFTER I make my purchases and start work. At that point, if they want to bail, they loose their deposit. If they change their mind before I started, then they got their money back. And it's all clearly stated in the contract.
That's another thing. Clear contracts. While they don't ensure compliance, they make litigation a little easier. Collection upon a positive ruling is another matter.
So how much time do you waste before it's no longer worth your time? At the very least, I'd make sure as many people know that this guy is not honourable.
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alensatemybuick
Active Member
Well, that's the thing...getting a judgement is not the same as collecting on it. Just to get a judgment, it could easily represent a few to several hundred dollars investment, maybe more - figure airfare or driving to a few states over, maybe having the guy not show up at court (what's one more excuse to come up with?), then what? Another trip?! The law of diminishing returns applies when you are dealing with someone who'd sooner go "off the grid" than honor his commitments. Maybe if it was a matter of $2500 like some of those other guys...but in my case, I'll root for those others and hope he gets his comeuppance.
To my mind,, the solution to getting ripped off is not necessarily just to get the money back, but rather to persevere and get what you wanted in the first place through other means. That is what I did when a member of this forum ripped me off, and that is what I guess I will have to do again. Expensive lessons to learn, but then as victims of collapsed pyramid schemes go, I guess I've gotten off fairly cheap.
I actually believe that in the case of both guys who took my money, they had every intention of delivering. Then life got in the way. I guess if they both truly suffered some personal catastrophes, its easy when trying to pick up the pieces to de-prioritize the nerd who's waiting for his model. I'm by no means giving them a pass - I've experienced calamities in my own life, but have always delivered on my debts and other commitments.- and that is why i can't have that much sympathy for someone who hasn't met his.
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swhite228
Well-Known Member
In my groups I have simple rules to follow and if a member breaks then 1 warning and your out, but I also screen anyone that wants to join to make sure I'm not getting folks with a record of being trouble makers, or anyone who has cheated anyone out of money. I tend to enforce the rules strongly , but find with everyone doing the same type of work the groups tend to self police themselves.
In other groups I tend to give the drama a couple of days to work itself out, but take notes in case the people show up on one of my pages asking to join.
I also take interest in those who sell services or parts. If they are members of one of my pages and they get into this type of drawn out mess they get banned from selling on the page( I do try and get both sides before the ban) until it is straightened out.
A continuing pattern of failure to deliver or crappy customer service is the main reason I say no to vendors request to join. I also don't allow post suggesting members do business with a vendor that has a track record of bad service.
swhite228
Well-Known Member
My personal belief is they see it as a safe crime that has little chance to come back to bite them in the A**.
Most of the time they don't live close to their victim so they don't fear them showing up at their door. Then there is the cost to go after them simple math says if it cost you $5000 to go after a $1000 the odds of a person spending it is low.
If you do go after them then you have to go to their town , and if you win then you still have to face the issue of them not paying and the need to repeat the visit a second time.
As for the people who keep ordering from them....3 reasons
1. Someone they "trust" says something nice about them so they don't investigate the vendor, or wont except the fact that the person has taken advantage of people in the past. * This happens a lot. You've heard stories of a certain decal maker, prop maker, or model builder who has very bad customer service, yet there are always post about how wonderful his work is and "I've never had a problem with"...or my favorite..."He takes forever, but it's worth it, WHEN he comes thru!"
2. The "Oooo Shinny" factor- I want a model or prop of **** and I don't have the Time, Skill, or desire to do it myself so I'll pay for it to be done.
3. He's screwed me over before but now he's great so I will continue to use him.
Or to put it simple the only excusable reason is #2 If you've done research on the person and there were no red flags.
alensatemybuick
Active Member
This guy supposedly started up production on his refits again - that was in August. But nothing but promises since then. Pretty pathetic.
Oh yeah, my avatar is still accurate.
Oh yeah, my avatar is still accurate.
alensatemybuick
Active Member
First week in January will represent 3 years ago I sent a deposit to the loser and THEIF James Cash Guard for a refit Enterprise build. Latest in a long line of excuses from this worthless jerk is he got busted for drunk driving and may lose his job as a corrections officer. Yeah, his name is Guard and he...anyway, seems if he’s gonna be home a lot, it would give him a chance to catch up on the builds for all the people he’s apparently ripped off. I realize now he and guys like him (seems there are a lot?) wake up one day and realize they sold their services on the cheap and it’s simply not worth their while to actually build the models for pre-build payments now long ago spent.
May come here again to mark the next yearly anniversary of being ripped off.
I realize now he and guys like him (seems there are a lot?) wake up one day and realize they sold their services on the cheap and it’s simply not worth their while to actually build the models for pre-build payments now long ago spent. May come here again to mark the next yearly anniversary of being ripped off.
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alensatemybuick
Active Member
First week in January (2020) will represent 4 years ago I sent a deposit to the loser and THEIF James Cash Guard for a refit Enterprise build.
Anyone curious to see what this low-life looks and sounds like can watch him and his genius wife taking a 2000 Vette for a test drive here:
Car's still for sale (not that he was going to ever buy it, just flog it (up to 140 mph) for sh*ts and giggles):
www.bushauto.com
Anyone curious to see what this low-life looks and sounds like can watch him and his genius wife taking a 2000 Vette for a test drive here:
Car's still for sale
(not that he was going to ever buy it, just flog it (up to 140 mph) for sh*ts and giggles):
Used Cars, Trucks, SUVs in Stock in Wilmington, OH
Bush Auto Place has pre-owned cars, trucks and SUVs in stock and waiting for you now! Let our team help you find what you're searching for.
www.bushauto.com
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alensatemybuick
Active Member
Key to being ripped off as I was is not to let it discourage you. I didn’t.
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