RIPPED OFF, JANGO HELMET. Beware !!!

Benkenove

Active Hunter
Hi Guys,

Just wanted to share my bad feeling with this...

I've been ripped off... and wanted to let you all know about this guy, so noone else would be ripped off like me.

A few months ago, I started to look for a jango helmet... As the FP were no avaiable, I moved to the next one in the chain who could offer casted off originals, that guy from Australia

A few friends have bought helmets from this guy before, and more or less, with more or less delays, and with some or not much problem they received the helmet, and they recomended me this guy.

The maker is BENTLEY OTOOLE from Australia, also known as Sculpturedesignstudio. It has a website where he offers all his products (you can do a google search with sculpturedesignstudio and you will see it). He has many other nicks, like kiddie-kenner and others... He also sold on ebay, but the ebay account I had was closed...

The thing is that I ordered a CC Jango helmet last Mar 27th '08. We exchanged a few emails before actually order it... he answered me on the spot, really fast, even like 3 emails in a day... BUT when he received the money, he dissapear from the world, and NEVER answered any of my emails... Time passed... and NOTHING... No emails, no helmet, nothing... I emailed him with different emails accounts, hotmail, gmail, my work email, and NOTHING... never replied.

Then I contacted the payment company... (as he didnt accept to be paid with Paypal, he said he had been ripped off etc etc... and he sent me an invoice with a company called PAYMATE... I accepted and paid it... and nothing). When I contacted this PAYMATE company, they told me they will take care of the situation, and send him the email I send the company, telling them about the fraud...

Then automatically he answered the email to me and to the company and told this:

ben this is bentley , you purchased a helmet from me a few months ago , so i am to belive you have not yet received it ? ive been in contact with a few of your friends and pay mate has bought it to my attention that you still have not yet received the helmet and are unhappy , this is totaly understandable , allow me to post another early next week for you fully at my cost with signature confirmation , if you could kindly mail me your postal address to sculpturedesignstudio@msn.com
i am in no way needing or wanting to ripp you off please allow me to solve this problem ,

contact me
bentley

You can imagine all of this is a LIE !!!

He told me he would take pics of the helmet finished before shipped... (never got any pics). He told me he will give me the tracking number of the helmet... NEVER GOT IT... He didnt send anything but as he was a little pressed by Paymate, he said that...

This email was on July 4th... Almost 2 months has passed and I have nothing...

Again, I feel really bad because is the first time something like this happens to me, and well, I jsut wanted to warn you all...

BEWARE of this bastard...

I feel like I cant do anything... and that it's really really easy to steal on internet...

I have no words, I feel bad (even more now that I'm having now some economic problems, almost bankrupt... but well, I guess this is life).

No more, excuse me for this NEVERENDING post, but just hope to help somebody.
 
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Sorry to hear that, it is very frustrating. We all know how expensive this hobby can be without being ripped off by some complete waster.

Hope you get it resolved somehow.
 
Sorry to hear that mate, do you have a rough idea of his location? I might know someone who lives near by that can track him down and, e'hm...pay him a visit and posibly rectify the situation. Or better yet, someone on the 501tag forums may know something.
 
I've heard bad things about this guy on other prop forums. :(
Sorry about your trouble! Good luck getting the situation fixed.
 
A friend of mine bought one of these on eBay, it was actually listed as an ESB boba helmet but when it arrived I said, thats a Jango, it was copied off the ILM helmet but wasn't cold cast, it was a terrible cast, very thin, I think ultimately you are better off not getting it although I am very sorry you lost your money (n)
 
Oh smokes!

I wish I had seen this before you spent money...

Now far be it for me to diss anyone but check the Cylon forum ByYourCommand.net for yourselves... that user is well known over there. I hink this has happened to more than one person and Cylon armor goes up to the thousand$...

If its any help at all this ebayer is the same guy - I bookmarked his last sale for the Cylon molds - he was also selling R2D2 kit molds for around $3,000 AFAIK

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=250280899466&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=015

Now again - this is based on what I have read on other forums. I dont want to be badmouthing anyone who isnt deserving... the info is there but unfortunately none of this helps Ben :(

Dave
 
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Thank you all for your answers and comments.

About his location... I may be able to get it.. give me a few days and I will contact you back... let's see if I have some luck seeking it.

These kind of things makes me sick :(.

[TAG]Jaster;362449 said:
Sorry to hear that mate, do you have a rough idea of his location? I might know someone who lives near by that can track him down and, e'hm...pay him a visit and posibly rectify the situation. Or better yet, someone on the 501tag forums may know something.
 
Hopefully you get your bucket. I bought a CE Stormie bucket from Redford films about 3 weeks ago, payed my Money Order within 3 days, and still haven't got it, or replies from my past 4 emails to him.:angry
 
Hopefully you get your bucket. I bought a CE Stormie bucket from Redford films about 3 weeks ago, payed my Money Order within 3 days, and still haven't got it, or replies from my past 4 emails to him.:angry

i've gotten 5 helmets from them, i wouldn't think it should take that long tho. did they get your address correct?
 
i've gotten 5 helmets from them, i wouldn't think it should take that long tho. did they get your address correct?

Well thats it, I'd like to know if he's even sent it out yet. He won't reply to my emails, to either the redford account on ebay, or the redford email address from the site. (Which I just checked and shows it is under construction. But still, I sent the money some 15 days ago. I would of thought he'd at least drop me an email telling me if he'd sent it/received my MO. If he hasen't, I'd like to start procedure to get my money order refunded. (Or PO is horrible, and may even still have the envelope inside their building for that matter. :wacko Their crazy like that, they LOVE holding mail.)

I've heard nothing but the best about them. But I seem to ALWAYS bring out the worst in ordering from sites. :facepalm
 
I dont remember exactly but about 200€ ... more or less (it was 5 months ago, I should check...) It was not the price of a FP CC... I know.. (but it wasnt the same quality as well... But it really hurts, really... it's not a LOT of money, but in my actual situation, every cent is important, and well, who likes to be stolen ?

I wish someone could give this bastard what he deserve... and break his legs in 10 pieces !!! XDDDD (am I too agressive ? XDDD ).

Now I only want my money back, but I think he will never refund anything... :( (I also have to forget about the helmet, cause this guys has clearly stated, refusing to answer, that he wont send me anything)

that sucks. how much did he get you for?
 
Well as for location...

I dont know how far you might want to take this but his site says he is/was an art teacher.

(Film and work credits) - ART TEACHER Upper coomera state collage (I would think a teacher should at least be able to spell college...)

The website with contact details for the college is -

http://uppercoomerasc.eq.edu.au/contact.asp?menu=contact

Perhaps someone there knows him? Might give some incentive if people from 'The Internet' are contacting his place of work looking for refunds from him...

HTH

Dave
 
How I wish that would be possible mate... not hurting him, just appear there and ask for some answers... that would be amazing...

At least to let him know that he cant go there, taking other's money for nothing... I really work hard for every € I earn, and I hate to see how people like this sleep in peace...

Thanks for the help
 
Hey Benkenove!

:) What I meant mate is put pressure on him - let him know that you know he is not just an anonymous scammer who ripped you off. Not to go there or anything but if I were him and strangers from the other side of the globe kept asking questions about me where I worked... I think it could embarrass him into doing the right thing...

I dont know really if I were in your situation I'd email the college and anywhere else he is associated with for his contact details regarding fraudulent internet trading... that would be sure to get his attention...

On a side note - Ive been buying music gear on eBay for YEARS and NEVER had an issue. Within the space of a week I lost €250 on a Stormtrooper helmet and some music equipment... It really is a ****** feeling. Im in a similar situation - mature university student with below minimum wage income (on disability for my ulcers) I really couldnt afford to loose the cash... eBay and PayPal ignored my requests for help. The sellers had thousands of transactions and I had less than 150 (mostly buying).

It really is horrible but perhaps you can make things uncomfortable for this guy - or at least let him know that you can do it... call his local police station saying your trying to track down an internet thief, ask the school for his details or to pass on yours to him as you are trying to recoup cash he stole from you etc...

Perhaps Im too vindictive but I know how you feel when you cant afford something but you decide to do without to get it anyway and some scumbag rips you off because you trusted him...

HTH

Dave
 
I hope through some strange act of mankind that your bucket might show up on your doorstep. I have been betrayed before. You might not see it now. But this will make you much smarter than before. Not that you are dumb or anything. Trust me. It happens to the best of us it sucks. But this person is in worse misery than you.
 
Guys, the internet is full of surprises.

Yes, you can get ripped off

Yes, mistakes can be made

So keeping that in mind, understand guys that the seller might have had an emergency or something similar happen and doesnt have access. You arent buying from MR with shipping in like 2 days.

You are buying from a FAN, and that is what we all are FANS, not professional prop makers who actually have a big business. Some of you guys might be... I dont know.

Also Redford Films is a reliable seller, I have bought over 20 things from them, each shipped next day. You might have added the wrong address with your payment.
 
my turn:

i too had a bout with bently otoole. and it was after i read about it on the rpf. this was for his battle droid molds. i was very patient and wanted those **** molds. ugh. i tried.

long story short. i hired an australian attorney, he couldnt find aka bentley, his adress was bogus, i even looked up the adress on google earth.

he claims he worked as a prop maker on the star wars films. maybe, maybe not. his business name by the way had not been licensed for over a year.

i was a plane ticket away from hammering him in court. wait till i tell you his excuse.

the lawyer told me i couldnt be represented, it would be small claims, bentley could have put a lean on the case and claimed some sort of financial hardship and i could have been receiving payments of like 20 ASD a month till it was paid off. oh did i mention i was out $2500.00 USD. when i paid he wanted to use his wifes paypal and i said no. this was for the rest of the molds. 2k worth. he tried to pull an australian fast one.

i did cover my as s. i used good old paypal. 45 day claim, 20 to dispute. if i remeber right. froze his account, he was livid. hahaha. by the end, paypal took my money back from him after i presented all the info and i all i was out was $500 and have some crapy arm molds. oh well.

as far as the lawyer. well, no offense to the people of australia, but look how they became a country. he in the end was worthless too. i had to hound him, and call every few days. which costs by the way.

i emailed "bentley" and told him the lawyers name and number. he actually called him and explained his story and wanted to know what i was going to do. bentley claimed he just had a child and was hurting for money and couldnt afford to be sued. so what.

he is a POS. here is some emails for everyones reading pleasure:


Hi Matt

FYI.

Please read below.

Cheers

Dan
-----Original Message-----
From: bentley otoole otoole [mailto:sculpturedesignstudio@msn.com]
Sent: Wednesday, 7 November 2007 6:49 AM
To:
Subject: RE: FINAL NOTICE BEFORE LITIGATION


thankyou for your concern dan , all attempts have been made to please my
client on many occasions including this one , i am a reputable business
man and artist for over 15 years as my sole income and a family of 6 to
support .
this business agreement between myself and matt was a custom build
of moulds that were offered by my self , the job is under way but has
been delayed due to work load , staff problems and family comitment , i
have stayed in contact with my client through out this .i am happy to
conclude this deal and all efforts will be made to your suggested
deadline .
however my client has filed a pay pal dispute and is now in the final
stage of having the funds refunded for this job , i can counter claim
this through pay pal whom i will be phoning today to inform of the
situation and confim i can still get paid again after i have a tracking
number for the sent goods after this is confirmed i will be sending the
purchased order after its manufactured as originaly intended .
i deal with people like this everyday and i understand people think they
have been ripped off just because they purchased from ebay or other web
sites ,i respect this but at the end of the day it makes it harder to
business for custom work via the net when problems arise during
manufacture.


bentley otoole
________________________________
Subject: FINAL NOTICE BEFORE LITIGATION
Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 11:26:57 +1000
From: .com.au
To: sculpturedesignstudio@msn.com
CC: @cox.net


Dear Mr O'Toole





We act for Matt.



We note that you entered into a contract with our client in August 2007
for a set of Star Wars Battle Droid moulds for $2,500 USD ("the agreed
amount").



We are instructed that our client has already paid you the agreed amount
due under the contract and that despite his repeated attempts to recover
the remaining moulds, the moulds continue to remain outstanding.



Please be advised that unless you immediately forward the moulds
pursuant to the terms of your contract we have instructions to commence
legal proceedings without further notice to you.



If you are unable to forward the moulds to our client by 12 November
2007 we ask that you contact the writer on .





Yours sincerely


`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
you really just had a baby? well then, congratulations.



now, i have read the email you sent to my attorney, .



so, why dont you tell me what molds are exactley done?



here is what i will do, you answer my mold question then send me and my attorney the exact date you will be done with the molds and the date they will be shipped. and i want to know the details of the shipping, BEFORE you ship. i hope the molds are still going to be of good quality. because if not... give yourself time, because i will not allow for bs. i imagine you only have a couple of molds to complete. because you said so in an email.





IF, i like and agree i will drop the pay pal lean. again.



do you agree?



REMEMBER, you told me the molds will be done 3 weeks ago. again. i have that email too, if you need a referesher. i told you if you are busy and cant complete to let me know. you didnt. plain and simple. you said your computer was down for one week, it was over two when i filed suit. i dont mind buying from ebay or over the internet in general. NEVER had a problem, till now.



these are from your emails:

Nov 7, 2007 "...all attempts have been made to please my client on many occasions including this one ," NO they havent

Oct 19, 2007 "fantastic . let me get over the week end of working on them and i really would like to get them away tuesday . " have not received
Oct 15, 2007 "...either pay the rest of the balance of your order and i will have all the moulds away to you before next week or leave it as it is..." lied



what do you have to say for those statements in red? dont tell me and dan that you have been "dealing with" people/customers like me. finish the molds, send them to me, lets be done with this.

matt



----- Original Message -----

From: bentley otoole otoole

To: Matt

Sent: Friday, November 02, 2007 1:13 PM

Subject: RE: MATT



why is it your such a painfull customer , i am trying to everything right for you , i just need some time to finish your orderof moulds , why is it all ways your thinking im taking yiour money and running , thats no way to run a business , you seem like a very paranoid person and not trusting in any way .
ive had my computer down for just over a week and my wifes just had a baby so im behind on my jobs , once again as we have been through this all before with the last box ive sent you .
do you want me to continue the moulds or shall we just call it quits ?

i wil phone your lawer first thing monday morning to explain my situation




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: @cox.net
To: sculpturedesignstudio@msn.com
Subject: MATT
Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 11:27:17 -0700

bentley, if that is your real name. this is my last email to you and my last offer. all i need to do is agree to my lawyer and i will sue you. from what my lawyer tells me, it will be a lot more than $2500 because i will be damned if i am going to pay for everything to get you to fullfill our contract.

it seems you no longer have your business and such. that matters not. i have enough information against you and enough to actually find you.

here is my deal, send the rest of the completed molds this monday or pay me back the whole sum of $2500 monday. if i dont here from you that you sent the molds and provide a tracking number, i will proceed.

think you can hide all the way over there, you are wrong. this will get ugly, and if i have to travel to your country, you will be paying it for sure.

here is my lawyers number, call him if you think i am bluffing.



REMEBER, THIS IS ALL YOUR **** FAULT!

matt
 
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