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Dave Funk AWOL???

#202
srcTW said:
I just got this email from him and he will not pick up my calls.

Maybe by threatening me I'll feel more like finishing your amp. Have fun with your lawyer.

I think my patience since November 2017 has been remarkable - and now we're here.
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Remarkable and more.

I wonder if he'd be so rude to someone with a badge? Maybe a federal badge. You needn't hire a lawyer.

To find out, contact the police and the post office. It doesn't matter whether you actually USPS-mailed him the funds, you'll see. Taking payments, by any method, and not delivering constitutes interstate mail fraud which is a federal offense, according the official sites on the matter I've read and law enforcement I've spoken to in the past regarding similar circumstances.

Enablers in other scam threads pretend otherwise because they apparently don't wish to take responsibility for contacting the authorities, all in hopes they'll finally get something they paid for in some cases more than a decade ago while new victims get fleeced.

Moments to truly stick up for oneself, stand up to a bully and make up for past wrongs - to do the right thing for yourself and others - are very rare. Wish you strength in doing so.
 
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#203
Your patience about this is admirable; I'm sure mine would have run out at about 12 months. I have no doubt that you're not getting that amp, and that he owes you a full refund. Actually, he owes you more than 100% back, given that he's had free use of your money for more than 2 years, but I'm sure you'd be happy to just recover your investment at this point. You do have some recourse, but if you're not in the same state, you may have little chance of recovery if the guy isn't cooperative. As far as I'm concerned, if all the facts are as stated, this should be the subject of a 'sticky' thread.
 
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#204
srcTW said:
I just got this email from him and he will not pick up my calls.

Maybe by threatening me I'll feel more like finishing your amp. Have fun with your lawyer.

I think my patience since November 2017 has been remarkable - and now we're here.
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Wow, you would think for his own legacy he would like to clear this mess up. Five years from now when somebody googles his name it's going to say Dave Funk: ripped people off instead of Dave Funk: maker of some of the finest bass amps.
 
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#206
I can see this is going to be another Darrin Huff situation, the bottom line is apparently these builder's have been educated and they obviously know you can't get blood out of a stone, whatever situation Dave Funk is in he doesn't care about anybody or what he has done to everybody regarding his amps.
I feel bad for everybody who is getting screwed by Dave and I hate to say but I honestly think nobody is going to be able to do anything about it just exactly like the Darrin Huff situation that has been going on since 2001 and it's now 2020 and nobody has received there money back or instruments.
 
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#207
Low Class said:
Small claims court should also be considered. I'd get him in front of Judge Judy if it were me.
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As a former federal LE type person, you'll have better luck here than trying to get a federal agency to care about a few hundred bucks that you lost. It sucks, but it is what it is. I wish you luck.
 
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#210
Guys, perhaps he may be having some challenges related to age and is not thinking clearly.

Not saying that it's ok, or that those who have paid shouldn't be made whole, but unless other information is provided to the contrary I urge folks to have a little bit of compassion if this is in fact the case.
 
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#211
agedhorse said:
Guys, perhaps he may be having some challenges related to age and is not thinking clearly.

Not saying that it's ok, or that those who have paid shouldn't be made whole, but unless other information is provided to the contrary I urge folks to have a little bit of compassion if this is in fact the case.
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I actually considered from the beginning of this, but that he called a TB member just 4 days ago and simply said that he's retired totally washed away that idea imo. Seems he's just saying "I've got your money and screw you!". Frankly after talking to him on the phone long ago and learning about the same time that doesn't go by his real name always gave me a sense of mistrust about the guy.
 
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#212
I agree with @agedhorse's call for some compassion; I ran my own little business for about 40 years and I'll have to admit that more than once I made business decisions or said things in the heat of the moment that I regretted later. And I empathize with how it can get to be in a one-man show--sometimes "there's just not enough of me to go around", but my empathy only goes so far. I'd bet that it became obvious to the builder he wasn't going to build that amp a year or more ago, but he lacks the liquidity to refund the money--a status also not completely unknown to me. For @Low Class, I'd offer this: I'm guessing now that you're regretting having made a 100% advance payment. I don't blame you too much for having done so, since the builder enjoyed a good reputation here on this board, and this a trusted community, but personally I would never make a full payment in advance for something that hasn't been built yet. There is a local builder who has what I feel is an excellent protocol: you put your name on his list at no cost; when he's about 2 weeks away from starting your project, he contacts you and collects 50%, with the balance due on completion. That sounds like a pretty good way to do it in my book.

Anyway, I'm really sorry for the loss, but I don't hold much hope for your being made whole...it does indeed sound like he's planning to exploit the fact that it isn't a large enough sum to justify getting lawyers and courts involved. And I guess, if he's 'retiring', he isn't that concerned with the hits to his reputation; that's too bad--it seems he had a pretty good rep prior to this.

And once again, props to @Low Class for having shown what I feel was exceptional patience before giving up on the guy--it's too bad your patience wasn't appropriately rewarded.
 
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#214
I apologize if I missed something, as I won’t be reading the entire thread this morning...

...but I can offer a little insight as a former police officer and sheriff’s deputy when I lived in Georgia. The first thing you guys need to do is look at any and all state laws (feds won’t care) that pertain to theft and fraud in whatever state Thunderfunk operates in. In Ga we had various “theft by ____” statutes, each with their own criteria for what constitutes that particular crime. The line between a crime and a “civil matter” is often grey and blurry, and unfortunately, often times an officer will be quick to cry out “civil matter, sorry” so that he doesn’t have to spend any time on it (or because the department doesn’t want to be held liable later in civil court).

That being said, if you can at least get a local case opened (assuming his actions meet the criteria for breaking a local law within his city/county/state), that may “encourage” him to at least return your amp or give you some minimal attempt at reconciliation.

The trick is to NOT make a report close to shift change or lunch time lol. And you want to speak with an investigator, not a patrol officer.


Reminder: it’s gotta be the cops where he lives, not you.
 
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#215
gwangi said:
I can see this is going to be another Darrin Huff situation, the bottom line is apparently these builder's have been educated and they obviously know you can't get blood out of a stone, whatever situation Dave Funk is in he doesn't care about anybody or what he has done to everybody regarding his amps.
I feel bad for everybody who is getting screwed by Dave and I hate to say but I honestly think nobody is going to be able to do anything about it just exactly like the Darrin Huff situation that has been going on since 2001 and it's now 2020 and nobody has received there money back or instruments.
Click to expand...

And nobody has reported him to authorities, thereby allowing countless others to get scammed too. Arguably enabling him in doing so.
 

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