Steel Dragons

[winius]

I bought some month ago a few things at Steel Dragons, first it seems oké. I paid for it and since 2 months I can see on his website: J. Winius- fusprec arrived, order packing.

Till now I did not get a thing from him. I tried to contact him by mail and by phone (the number on his site dos not work) and get no answer.

I believe Steel Dragons is not trustworthy to do business with now!


So be aware!

[.308]

It is with reluctance, and great consideration that I will post my own concerns...but with the recent posts my concern is growing daily. As all I wish to gain by doing this is to receive the parts I ordered. I am willing to give him a chance to make this right with me.

I placed an order with Richard myself on 4.01.11, I have paid him in full well over $150 worth parts + shipping . I have tried repeatedly to contact him by email and the phone number listed on his web site. The emails won't go through to either email address I have for him, and I have left 4 voice mails inquiring of my order status. All attempts to contact him remain unanswered. Richard, I am trying to be fair so please at the very least have the courtesy of answering my inquiries... If not then I would ask either for what parts you can supply and a refund for those you can not. I just don't understand??? 1 item is Steve Hoeger's from Panzerwerks, 1 product of David Dibb's from Armorpax, and the mantlet & barrel set which you posted this [FONT='Times New Roman', Times, serif]04/22/11: M5MANT- M5 mantlets are back in stock![/FONT]. I have dealt with both Steve and Dave with the greatest of satisfaction, both have sent my orders promptly and have had great communication from both. So I just don't understand what the hold up is?

dereynes@aol.com

Phone # 515-371-7615

Paul Rains


Here is my PayPal receipt


Merchant
Steel Dragons AFV LLC
sdragonsafv@aol.com
561-312-8883Instructions to merchant
You haven't entered any instructions.Shipping address - confirmed
Paul Rains

United States
Shipping details
PriorityDescriptionUnit priceQtyAmountM5 Replacement Mantlet
Item# M5MANT , Mantlet Options: M5MANTDLX$46.50 USD1$46.50 USDM5 Rear Deck Detail Set
Item# M5REARDECK$55.00 USD1$55.00 USDTurret Top Detail Set
Item# AP007-US$56.00 USD1$56.00 USDSubtotal$157.50 USD[COLOR=#333333 ! important]Total[/COLOR]$157.50 USD[COLOR=#333333 ! important]Payment[/COLOR]$157.50 USDPayment sent to sdragonsafv@aol.com

[thetoysurgeon]

If you have noticed on the german accessories page at Steel Dragons, there is one of my fully functional 2cm magazine cases listed for sale. There used to be my 100 round box as well. No permission to post these pics nor sell them through Steel Dragons was made by me. Steel Dragon's took it upon themselves to do this and asked permission after the fact. I refused them selling them because I couldn't keep up the demand. I don't like the pressure. Steel Dragon's does not have, or never did have any of my items to sell. The ad says they are on backorder. They failed to mention "for infinity". I don't need a middleman. My stuff stands on its own. I am selling what I make on Ebay or at Joelanta. Its the only way you can get them and they are limited runs. Just a little revelation about Steel Dragons.

[panzerwerk]

I am going to add from my other thread here and tack this to see how many folks are having problems , and Dennis , thanks for the comment , I saw your stuff up there and knew you were not making it anymore , but the back order thing made me think it was just for show ..

Panzerwerks products are no longer availible through Steel Dragons .
After long consideration , I Have decided to no longer work with Richard Tripp and Steel Dragons , he has repeatedly ignored my phone calls and now I am receiving and hearing complaint after complaint about his service , or lack of , I have contacted Richard and told him to remove any reference to my or my products from his site .
At this point with as many problems Steel Dragons seems to be having , I suggest strong caution in dealing with this company , the final straw for me is one of my customer emails to me below :

Quote:
Steve,

Is it your kit "M5 Rear Upper Hull Detail KitM5 Rear Upper Hull Detail Kit" that is sold by Steel Dragons? If it is, I wished I had ordered it direct from you instead of him. I'm curious as I placed an order from him 3 months ago now and yet have to see the parts I ordered. I ordered that kit plus a few Armorpax parts. Dave Dibb said Richard had them. I doubt I will use Richard again. I think I will stay with you and Dave to get my parts from here on out
I have always taken great pride in my company and my service , and have always tried to do my best to get my customers what they want in as timely manner as possible . so please , order directly form me.

[toyrific]

Hi Guys

Many of you will have read my previous posts about my problem with this company, unfortunately they had to be deleted due to legal and other issues that could be brought against SAG. I am not intending to cover the same ground again.

If you wish to read about this you can go to the following link.

http://www.afceremonials.com/problem/

"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time."

Abraham Lincoln. 16th President of the US (1809 - 1865)

Currently posted for sale by this company are around 100 of my products, many without pictures, others I suspect are of pictures of my products built onto vehicles of my customers, some are advertised using pictures of other manufactures products with my parts numbers, some I know are recasts of my original parts, some parts offered have never been delivered to this company or given permission to sell.

Be safe, buy direct.

Regards
Mike

[Tiger1fan]

Thank you Gentleman for posting this, hopefully this will help some of the Newcomers into the hobby from getting burned by Richard Tripp/Steel Dragons like we did. As is suggested below, do some research and buy only from legitimate vendors so you won't be dissappointed.

I sent him money on March 22nd 2010 and still have not received my entire order. Buy Direct.

Kind Regards,
John

Originally Posted by toyrific

Hi Guys

Be safe, buy direct.

Regards
Mike

[winius]

For me this could be the end of a nice hobby, I paid a lot of money for nothing.

This is the first time someone did this to me in 20 years of hobby. I am sik of this!

[he219u]

have seen also 2 pics from my BRA jagdpanzer IV - and was not asked, if it is ok, to use my pics?

[panzerwerk]

His latest post on his website :

Managing our backlog...



We have had a strong spring season but there have been several new developments that you all need to be aware of that continue to impact our operation. Our fearless leader has received an unexpected but extremely significant promotion which has taken effect as of March, 2011. He is currently working under two contracts (meaning two jobs) which has negatively impacted the turnaround on orders and customer correspondance Regretably,. this situation will continue until the end of July when the old employment contract expires.



The good news is that we are continuing to invest more capital into the business in the upcoming summer months while adding several new vehicles as well as more parts and accessories. We are currently working on upgrades to the FOA Tiger running gear as well as a number of upgrades to the Panzer IV as well. We apologize for the delays but the events surrounding March will have a major impact on our future growth. (06/05/11)

[.308]

Due to Steel Dragons (Richard's) lack of communication & trust, I have just filed a dispute with him through PayPal. I feel he has left me no other alternative.

Paul

[mustangman]

Just wanted to add my .02 cents. I have ordered allot of items from steel dragons and never had any issues. Some items seem to take allot of time to arrive. I ordered a panther jack in October of 2010 and it came yesterday. Richard has always answered my emails that I have sent, haven't sent any recently but in the past that has been true. Just wanted to add a positive note, the internet is usually full of negative information not very much positive. In the end I am sure there are some disappointments, that is true with any business.

Thanks

Pete

[.308]

Without receiving any communication with any representative of Steel Dragons, nor any attempt on the part of Steel Dragon's to resolve this issue through personal contact...

I would like you all to know that I have resolved my issue with Richard at Steel Dragons. Today I received a judgment from PayPal in my favor. My account credited for the entire amount owed to me. My recommendation

DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS MERCHANT!

BUYER BEWARE!


Mustangman ~ Pete I'm happy for you, Lucky???? Bottom line...If treated well, I would have been a repeat client.

[panzerwerk]

Not excusing anything; but running any business in this economy is really hard. Rising costs for everything, that cannot, in many instances, be passed on to the consumer, make the prospects of profits fall off precariously. Add to that the fact that hobby-related companies are almost always labors of love (meaning practically no actual on-book profits), and you have recipe for failure that is happening all around us at an accelerated pace.

Some dealers simply can't cope with the downward spiral of their businesses. They react in different ways. Some withdraw into depression and become uncommunicative and will only sporadically reply to emails and phone calls on "up" days. Others simply disappear and no one can find them ever again; in some cases they move to a new address and go underground. Some will attempt to assuage unhappy clients by telling them that shipment is imminent, but just can't get it together to actually follow through. Few, if any, have any money left to reimburse customer's money or make good on orders.

It is a personal tragedy for the dealer. They never planned to scam anyone; but circumstances conspired to bring down the roof on their dreams of providing a service for the hobby they loved enough to try to provide services or product in the first place.

Im Sorry , but I have been doing this for over 10 years slowly building my business , never taking money for product I cannot deliver , and I always have given full refunds to any who have asked if they felt their order was taking too long , if you take pre orders for things and the company supplying the product does not come through on time , its still your responsibility to keep your customer happy , I am going through just as hard times as most people , and I hardly make a dime doing this , I haven't had movie work in about a year now , But I never would keep someone waiting over a year for things they ordered and would refund on request anyone who asked , its how I have always done business and always will as long as I can keep it going .

[winius]

Whatever, I lost my money!

[winius]

I learned something of this experience:

• do not trust anyone.
• pay by paypal
• if not delivered within 30 days, make a claim by paypal (after 45 days they do nothing)
• do not do business in the USA, till now 100% trouble with American companies (I did business with European and Asian companies, no problems at all)

[Tiger1fan]

Winius, we're right there with you, unfortunately many of us have lost money in the same fashion, and I agree with you on all but your last point. I've also ordered from many of our other US vendors and never had a problem. This is just a case of one bad apple leaving a bad taste, we cannot loose faith in our US vendors. You see several of them here chiming in for just that reason. They truly care about their businesses and their customers and are making it very clear to us they are working hard to stay afloat during these tough economic times. I know how you feel but please do not let 1 bad experience ruin this hobby for you. I'm still struggling a little bit as a Newbie purchasing parts for my King Tiger. Most of my questions are answered by our US vendors here in these forums. I've asked for things that they do not have and they have pointed me to someone else who does make them. It is a nice community. Recently I even had John from East Coast Armory make me a custom piece I needed. He is busy and didn't have to do that, but he did to help me out. Please do not let the bad experience make you loose the faith.

John

Originally Posted by winius

I learned something of this experience:

• do not trust anyone.
• pay by paypal
• if not delivered within 30 days, make a claim by paypal (after 45 days they do nothing)
• do not do business in the USA, till now 100% trouble with American companies (I did business with European and Asian companies, no problems at all)

[The_Dutchman]

Originally Posted by Tiger1fan

Winius, we're right there with you, unfortunately many of us have lost money in the same fashion, and I agree with you on all but your last point. I've also ordered from many of our other US vendors and never had a problem. This is just a case of one bad apple leaving a bad taste, we cannot loose faith in our US vendors. You see several of them here chiming in for just that reason. They truly care about their businesses and their customers and are making it very clear to us they are working hard to stay afloat during these tough economic times. I know how you feel but please do not let 1 bad experience ruin this hobby for you. I'm still struggling a little bit as a Newbie purchasing parts for my King Tiger. Most of my questions are answered by our US vendors here in these forums. I've asked for things that they do not have and they have pointed me to someone else who does make them. It is a nice community. Recently I even had John from East Coast Armory make me a custom piece I needed. He is busy and didn't have to do that, but he did to help me out. Please do not let the bad experience make you loose the faith.

John

Being from Holland myself, I can state that I have ordered parts from US sellers numerous times and have never had a bad experience with the commercial sellers that frequent this forum.

Geef niet op Winius!

[panzerwerk]

This is about Steel Dragons ,Lets keep it on TOPIC please , I am sorry winius Had some bad experiences, but he clearly has made his mind up , so let it go guys , Thanks .

[winius]

Back to the point, someone heard from Richard?

[250greif]

Hello
to quote .

DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS MERCHANT!

BUYER BEWARE!

I ordered 07/26/10 !

you can see on the order status site .

orderform

I send many E-mails > no reply !

No answer of my Questions .

I called to telephone responder > no reply !

Thats incredible.


In Germany we so called this ( BETRUG ) > deception.



again

DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS MERCHANT!

BUYER BEWARE!

Regards
Dirk

[winius]

I have now sent Richard a registered letter, I wonder if this helps.

[250greif]

Hello Johannes

I think that will lead to nothing.

Such criminal conduct from Richard Tripp !

This crook to be uninterested for this .


Again

DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS MERCHANT!

BUYER BEWARE!


Regards
Dirk

[Sixth Vanguard]

I have just gone through this thread again and removed about ten comments that do not follow the rules of this section.

One more time:

Please do not post or add comment to an existing post if you are not directly connected to or have direct knowledge of the facts.

[winius]

Originally Posted by winius

I have now sent Richard a registered letter, I wonder if this helps.

It comes to no surprise: no answer till now.

[winius]

You don't believe it, but I got a package today. I do receive 90% of the places I ordered. I did not think I receive anything, so I am very glad.

[Tiger1fan]

Winius congratulations, always a good feeling to get something. I still have not received my last item from Steel Dragons and he still refuses to respond to my e-mail inquiries. A very dishonest way to run a business. Congrats again we are happy for you.

John

[panzerwerk]

It's good to know he is making good on some of his orders , But incomplete ?? did he give you a refund for the items not sent ??

[toyrific]

Good question Steve, Winius, I would like to know what you received and did not receive as he still has around a 100 of my parts listed on his web site, my last shipment of parts to him was over a year ago. Don't know if he actually has any parts left, selling recasts, just leaving them on his web site to justify his statement of have the largest selection of parts in the world or to p--s me off.

Regards
Mike

[winius]

Sorry, I do not make a list of the items I got.

[panzerwerk]

Latest update from Richard on his website , I am sorry to say I have to call B.S. on this whole statement , several customers of mine sent him money for Panzerwerk parts , months later they received nothing ,I had a close relationship with Richard and all he had to do was tell me to make the parts and I would have even drop shipped them to his customers , instead he has not responded to my multiple requests to remove me and panzerwerks from his website , or return any of my calls , I do hope for his sake he really is going to start paying these good folks back .

A Change in Direction...



Over the course of the last year, we have witnessed continued uncertainty in the one sixth scale industry due in part by a struggling economy, high unemployment and a severe drop in customer spending. We have witnessed a sharp increase in the number of suppliers who have been unable to fill orders aggravated by a rising number of customer orders that were placed but not paid for. Ironically, one of the most unsettling developments has been a promotion/career change which has consumed much of the free time enjoyed in the past and used for customer service and project builds.



When Steel Dragons was first formed, it was never intended to be a profit driven corporation with sales quotas, marketing strategies and a worldwide client base. It was designed solely for the purpose of supporting this terrific hobby/industry while offering parts and services (often with little or no financial incentive) to a growing customer base. We have never relied on Steel Dragons to "pay the mortgage" so to speak or send the kids to college. Instead, it offered an enjoyable and rewarding means by which a passion for armored vehicles could be cultivated and a network of friends and acquaintances soon followed. Over the last few months however, our ability to fill orders, work on project builds and address customer service needs has been severely hampered by many of the issues outlined above. For this reason, we are making the following changes:



Effective immediately, we are suspending new parts orders indefinitely until we are able to fill all existing orders. For those orders that contain backordered parts or parts that are out of production, we will be issuing refunds. We have set aside monies for the sole purpose of reimbursing customers and will be focusing on orders that have been on the books for the longest period of time first so please be patient. It is important to note that this also applies to tank kits as well. After over a year of struggling with several kit suppliers in particular we are discontinuing our relationship effective immediately and reimbursing customers accordingly.



Secondly, we will continue to work on our project builds which will form the basis of this company now, and in the future. We are currently wrestling with a backlog of approximately two years and are giving this aspect of the business our highest priority in the future. Each project link will be featured on this home page so that the respective owners can observe the progress of their vehicle. For example, we are wrapping things up on an M3 Halftrack which will be the first project featured below. It will be followed by an FOA Tiger, a Panzer IV and several others.



Finally, we will eventully reformat this homepage to better reflect these changes. We will continue to develop our own line of parts while moving away from parts and accessories produced by other vendors. We have never made money on this aspect of our business and with the limited amount of time available to process orders, it doesn't make sense for us to continue doing so at the present time.



We are confident that this change in direction will help resolve many, if not most of the issues we have encountered over the last year. We realize that we will have to work hard to restore our credibility with our customers but we are committed to doing so. In the meantime, we ask that you all be patient as we execute this revised business plan.



Thank you! (09/10/11)

[.308]

I agree Steve, how long do you think it took him to come up with this song and dance? 8 to 10 months? I just hope no one else gets burned!

[Sourdoh]

The comments are priceless! However, I do feel for the guy. Whatever he has done, it is how he reacted to the crappy economy and other factors beyond his control. That being said, it is very egregious to sandbag customers. If he had been straightforward and communicated with customers, things might not have gone this pear-shaped. Of course, he would then have had to deliver on whatever he promised when, and if, he did answer the emails, which, as it turns out, he couldn't do, so ... Oh, the hell with it! Hang him! Court dismissed!

[250greif]

Sorry but that is nothing but hollow phrases of a cheat, which is blown, the writing is on his side but nothing really worth nothing, you can already see that there is no signature, who has written...... the cleaning lady?

Absolutely ridiculous as he writes, for me he is a cheat! until I have my money back, if I would be USA citizen I would have long been reported to the police and especially the tax office.


Does not live near anyone, and the competent tax authority can sometimes give a note > suspicion of tax evasion.
Then he must finally respond.


And I'm not the only when you look at the order page.


Richard is also registered here.

So Richard Tripp if you are reading this ,then pay me my money back, because you never had the intention to send me parts,


PANZERWERK and also 6thscalicons you selling it for a long time nothing more, which will already know why!




Once a cheat ........always cheat!

Buys nothing from steeldragons!!

greetings
Dirk




......this was translated by google :rolleyes: I hope it is understandable

[winius]

Maybe I am lucky, i did get almost everything. I considered it a total loss.

A crappy economy did not influence someone to answer a e-mail or to do some honest business.

So, Richard is a fraud.

Be aware of this man; do not do business with him!

[Tiger1fan]

I agree with you guys a leopard doesn't change it's spots. Just the basics of one's character would be to show a little respect to your customers by responding to their e-mails, there is no excuse for not doing so. That is just Bad business and flawed character. And I do not buy his new monologue either it's just a way to lure in new victims. We have all been affected by this bad economy yet all the other vendors here have come through for us. I think I'll just continue to buy from them. I have been really lucky to meet many new people involved in this hobby and RC Tanks and I make sure I tell them all my story so they won't get burned by Richard Tripp/Steel Dragons.

Richard you have had my money since 3/23/2010 and still have not completed my order.

John

[SgtUSMC]

Since September 10 2011, when Steel Dragons, put up the notice about the changes they were making to their business. Has anyone gotten the items they ordered or gotten the refunds that were promised?

[winius]

I did not get ni refunds, and no answer on my questions. Mij name is gone of the list ...

[SgtUSMC]

Just visited the Steel Dragons web site, Since he posted his letter on his site on Sept 10, 2011 until his last update on the order status page on Dec 3, 2011. He has issued 3 refunds, How much longer do the rest of us have to wait for our share out of the money he has set aside to pay 40 people back what he owes us?

[Tiger1fan]

I would not count on seeing any refund, it will be 2 years for me this coming March and still no replies to my e-mail inquiries. Just write it off as a lesson learned and share your experience with everyone you know in the hobby so they will know.

Most importantly tell them about the great vendors we do have and where to find them.

John

[SgtUSMC]

I tried to talk to someone at paypal, and since their customer service is in india that was worthless as hell. I have put thought into a lawsuit but I figure a lawyer would cost me more than I am owed by him. I have tried being Patient and Fair with him, but now it has been over a year since I last got any kind of responce from him. I have emails from him reguarding my order and the time frame in which the kit would be ready for being built.

[hansalbin]

I have always received everything I ordered, mostly small things.
One question is has anyone done the bank wire option?
All of his bank info is listed file a complaint with the bank or the feds. I think this falls under federal wire fraud statutes.
In case it goes away:
Bank Wachovia Bank USA
Jacksonville, Fl
ABA # 063000021
Swift Code PNBPUS33
For Credit to Steel Dragons AFV
Account # 2000032073320

This info is from there website ordering info page so I don't think I am violating privacy rules.
Mods if you fee it is to invasive please remove and store for future reference.

[SgtUSMC]

Wire Fraud as posted on WIPKIEDIA - In the United States, mail and wire fraud is any fraudulent scheme to intentionally deprive another of property or honest services via mail or wire communication. It has been a federal crime since 1872

Whoever, having devised or intending to devise any scheme or artifice to defraud, or for obtaining money or property by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, transmits or causes to be transmitted by means of wire, radio, or television communication in interstate or foreign commerce, any writings, signs, signals, pictures, or sounds for the purpose of executing such scheme or artifice, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both. If the violation affects a financial institution, such person shall be fined not more than $1,000,000 or imprisoned not more than 30 years, or both

But who do you need to talk to about filing a case?

[Tiger1fan]

If you really wanted to pursue it you could start here, FBI. Bottom right describes how to initiate action.

John

[SgtUSMC]

To file a small claims case against him, it would have to be filed in florida where the buisness is located.

[andy101506]

That should be something the FBI would deal with it as wire and internet fruad is across state borbers, i know many memebers here have hundreds and thousands of dolars in steel dragon. i would not hesitate to do what ever is necesarry to bring this dude down. i honestly hope he ends up in jail. it really makes me mad that fellow collectors in this hobby could do
this to others


Andy

[SgtUSMC]

Steel dragons order status page is now only showing 1 persons name and that his order has been shipped as of 02/02/12. has everyone but me gotten their refund or items they ordered?

[thespian]

No, they still owe me more than $200! I sent mails more than two dozen times in vain (no response whatsoever), and nothing else I can do about it. Especially, when you're outside the States.

[winius]

I do owe some money to, about 45 dollars, the rest from my order is shipped. I consider this lost money.

[Tiger1fan]

I've not receive a refund either.

Originally Posted by SgtUSMC

Steel dragons order status page is now only showing 1 persons name and that his order has been shipped as of 02/02/12. has everyone but me gotten their refund or items they ordered?

[toyrific]

All Members of SAG

I am sure you are all aware of the problems I have had with Steel Dragons selling recasts of my original parts. Some time in 2011 when Steel Dragons posted on their site that they were ceasing taking orders for accessories and closed all their accessory pages I thought this was over. However sometime in January 2012 they reopened their accessory pages and continue advertising the sale of my parts. Here is the total of parts listed under each section.

Tiger. Updated Jan 15, 2012. 49 of my parts listed.
King Tiger. Updated Jan 15, 2012. 19 of my parts listed
Panther. Updated Feb 8, 2011. 8 of my parts listed
Panzer IV. Updated Mar 17, 2011. 29 of my parts listed
Stug III . Updated Dec 18, 2010. 9 of my parts listed
Half Tracks . Updated Dec 19, 2010. 25 of my parts listed
Accessories . Updated Oct 4, 2010. 12 of my parts listed
SDAH51 Trailer. Updated Feb 16, 2011 1 of my parts listed.

If you order any of these parts from Steel Dragons here are the possibilities of what you "might" received.

1. My original parts as they may still have some in stock. My last deliver to Steel Dragons was 4/8/10, before I ceased business with them.

2. Recasts of my parts, made using my original cast parts. This is illegal and fraudulent as they are using pictures of my original parts in most cases, plus my original part numbers.

3. Parts made by Steel Dragons in which in most cases they are using pictures of my original parts and part numbers to sell them. This is highly illegal and deemed as fraud in the eyes of the law. Some parts listed have never been supplied to Steel Dragons, so I know they do not have them to sell.

You should also note that they are offering parts of at least two other part makers of which both ceased business with Steel Dragons some time in mid 2011.

Do business with this company at you own risk. I offer a full service and guarantee for my original parts, any parts purchased from Steel Dragons will not receive any service or guarantee.

I estimate that the about 80% of the accessory parts they are offering are made by other manufactures, at least three of which have ceased business with Steel Dragons and account for around 70% of their products offered. Steel Dragons continue to offer these parts using pictures and part numbers of the original manufacture.

Keep your money safe, buy only from the original manufacturers.

Mike Stannard
6th Scale Icons Inc.

[thetoysurgeon]

I just tried to access "STEEL DRAGONS" Website and my virus checker told me not to go there. It had discovered 2 tracking spyware apps.

[Rolling Thunder Tech]

What virus checker do you use? I need to find a new one.

Leonard

[thetoysurgeon]

Leonard,

At the office it uses TREND MICRO

[Sixth Vanguard]

The steel dragons site scans clean. Not sure what the office system was picking up.

[SgtUSMC]

I tried to add something to my cart on a steel dragons page and this is the message I got from paypal

Steel Dragons AFV LLC


Return to Steel Dragons AFV LLC


Error Message

This recipient is currently unable to receive money.



Return to Steel Dragons AFV LLC





At this time, we are unable to process your request. Please return to Steel Dragons AFV LLC and try another option.

[SgtUSMC]

It might have been so many complaining about him that they have done something to his account.

[SgtUSMC]

I sent a registered letter with return receipt, and in the signatureblock where the person’s name is suppose to go they just printed “steel dragons”.I don’t care if I get the money back or if I get the items I ordered from him.$2000.00 + is a bit more than I care to donate so someone’s bank account andnot have anything to show for it. I have sent emails, I have called during thre posted hours of operation so now I will see if this letter gets me a responce. If not then I will try something else, if that fails,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[winius]

I wish you success...

[toyrific]

Hi Guys

I feel for anyone that has been taken by this person, I am one of you as he, as I am sure you all know, has been recasting my parts and offering them for sale. There is a way to get payback for those that have sent him money and receive no products or refunds. Basically he is committing Internet fraud which is investigated by the FBI. He is offering products on his web site, taking payments for them , not delivering or giving refunds. This topic was started a year ago and he is still doing business. He needs to be shut down.

Now to sue him would be to costly for the individual and even a class action law suit would be hard to do as their appears to be to few involved, this is what I am sure he is banking on, hence no communication. no products and no refunds.

There is a way to file a complaint against any company that is offering products by mail and on the Internet. It is affiliated with the FBI, once a complaint is filed it is investigated and the appropriate law enforcement agencies are inform for further investigation.

Here is the link to file a complaint.

http://www.ic3.gov

I feel that the more people that file a complaint the stronger the case will be, especially if the money amounts are high. If you live outside the US, you can still file a complaint with IC3.gov.

Please read my new post in this forum on Steel Dragons recasting my products.

Mike

[SgtUSMC]

Has anyone tried sending Richard Tripp a registered letterto where he works?

[pzrwest]

I wonder if contacting the local newspaper or TV station might spark an investigation about him in the media?

[andy101506]

good idea pnzr west , i was very close to ordering from him, but thanks to this board i probaly saved my self hundreds of dollars

[SgtUSMC]

I am filing a complaint against richard tripp/steel dragons afv so if there is anyone else who has been taken by this person and would care to be involved with this complaint read the following.

Are there witnesses or other victims to this crime?
If yes, Please provide names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and/or websites of where additional victim lists can be found.

If you wish send me a PM with your information so I can file it in my report.

I hope he has been banned from this site so he will not be aware of any thing going on.

[Sixth Vanguard]

Originally Posted by SgtUSMC

...
I hope he has been banned from this site so he will not be aware of any thing going on.

You don't need to be a registered user to see this topic. Banning won't prevent him from seeing this.

[panzerwerk]

Seems he is still updating his site , the message has not changed , but spread the word among fellow collectors ,BE CAREFUL !!

[ActionMan]

Is there a case for anyone who's been ripped off to report mail fraud?

"Mail Fraud

U.S. Postal Inspectors investigate any crime in which the U.S. Mail is used to further a scheme--whether it originated in the mail, by telephone, or on the Internet. The use of the U.S. Mail is what makes it mail fraud.

If evidence of a postal violation exists, Postal Inspectors may seek prosecutive or administrative action against the violator. However, if money is lost through a fraudulent scheme conducted via the mail, Postal Inspectors lack the authority to ensure you receive a refund and can't require that products, services, or advertisements--on the Internet or elsewhere--be altered.

Postal Inspectors base investigations of mail fraud on the number, pattern, and substance of complaints received from the public. The Postal Inspection Service will carefully review the information you provide. We may share the information with other agencies when there is a possible violation within their jurisdiction.

If you feel you've been victimized in a fraud scheme that involves the U.S. Mail, submit a Mail Fraud Complaint Form to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. "
https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/i...MailFraud.aspx

[toyrific]

Hi Guys

I felt it was time to update you on the Steel Dragons saga. This is a long post, but for the benefit of yourself and the hobby as a whole I hope you will read it and support myself and others in putting a stop to Richard Tripp and his unethical ways of doing business.

This guy is a cheat, a thief and is committing internet fraud by offering parts for sale in many cases without permission, using other manufacturers product pictures to sell recast parts or his own products he is passing off as other companies parts.

He must be doing well at this as after two years of being cut off by myself, Panzerwerk and Armorpax he is still here, and offering all these manufactures parts for sale.

About 80% or more of the products on his web site are mine, Panzerwerk or Armorpax. I stopped selling to him in Nov 2010 and the other two companies stopped shortly after.

I cannot speak for Panzerwerk or Armorpax, but here are the results of what I know of my parts over the last two years. He has around a 100 of my parts offered for sale, of which 20 are recast parts, another two were added to the site this month. There may be many other copied parts I am not aware of as he uses pictures of my original parts, not taken by me, but of my parts in many cases fitting to tanks from his builds or other peoples to sell them, many parts have no pictures at all, but still refer to my part numbers.

In the case of Panzerwerk and Armorpax he is using their original pictures so who knows if they are original parts or recasts. I know he has the ability to recast parts as he has recast mine.

Here is my take on what sort of sales he is doing. Below is a copy of his "Orders page", which only shows 6 orders taken since Jan 2012. Yet is you are to believe his order number are correct, starting at 1307 in Jan and finishing at 1487 in Aug, that's a total of 180 orders in 8 months. My orders in the same time period is 136 and I do a lot of business, and offer over 250 sets.

I have on several occasions asked members of this board if any of them have received any of my products over the last two year and never got one reply. If his order numbers are correct, at least a 180 people have order from him in the last 8 months. Are all these people not members of this board and not aware of what is being said here. I find that hard to believe in this small hobby. I firmly believe that there are people in this hobby that buy from him to save a few bucks, by doing so condone what he is doing and don't care that the true manufactures are being ripped off by him. It may be the reason his orders page has only 6 listings as these people do not want their names published for us all to see and have requested not to be listed. Either that, or his order numbers are a lie. If he has only received 6 orders in 8 months he should be out of business.

Now I know what some of you are going to say, this is all conjecture on my part. This is what happened in late 2010 when I tried to warn people about him and all of my posts were deleted. Look at what has happened since then.

Here is a copy of his order page.


Next I am going to cover some of my copied parts. To shorten the length of this post I have added comments to the pictures in red.

My 'C' Shackles and Tiger 1 Start Crank. Which he is claiming to be his own.







Here I am using pictures from his site on the FOA Tiger 1 build.







Here is a Armorpax part he is claiming to be his own.



Armortek Escape Hatch



Rear Mudguards



Correct Rear Mudguards for the Tiger 's



Comparison of the Armortek mudguard and the one Steel Dragons is offering.



The Steel Dragons mudguards.


To sum up this post I want to explain what my intentions are to take care of this problem. Last week I sent Tripp a e-mail demanding that he remove all reference to my parts on his web site, including my recast parts he is offering. I gave him one month to do this, cut off date is Sept. 8. To date I have received no reply from him, I am sure he will claim he did not get the mail. Which is another reason for this post and this sum up. I am sure he is reading this from time to time.

I have told him if he fails to do this I will be filing a complaint with the "Internet Crime Complaints Center" which is a department of the FBI. In that complaint I will be listing a link to this tread on this forum and all others that ave. any complaints against him on this board or any others I know of.

If you support me in this and have been a victim I would like to include you in that complaint. As a third party I can do this according to the web site, but would much rather have your consent. I assure you that any information you send me will be totally confidential and only myself and the Crime Center will be given the information.

On my side of things by offering for sale unauthorized copies of my parts and using my part numbers he is committing Internet Fraud according to the Complaints Center. By selling products by mail order and not delivering the products or refunds he is committing Mail Fraud. Do I need to go on.

Here is the link to the "Internet Crime Complaints Center" :
http://www.ic3.gov

Mr. Tripp you have been warned!!!!!!!!

For those wishing to see proof of my recast part you can download the following PDF file and also see my other posts in the "Cooler"
Link: http://www.afceremonials.com/steeldr...eelDragons.pdf

With Respect to you all.
Mike Stannard
6th Scale Icons Inc
Email: toyrific@mindspring.com

[SgtUSMC]

[mutt71]

I have no idea if you have tried these other agencies regarding the issues with Steel Dragons, but, the Postal Police and the State Attorney General Fraud dept might be able to assist with this matter.

[toyrific]

Hi Guys

I'll try to keep this one short. Tripp is at it again, ,he just posted two more recasts of my parts for the Panzer IV. A track tension tool and late type start crank, see pictures below. I know these are recast as he is offering them with Armorpax tool clamps. If he was selling my original parts he would have my clamps with them.

I did some number figuring today. There are 13 of my parts I know for sure he has recast, my retail price on these 13 item is $775.00. Let's say he has sold 10 of each of these items over the last 2 years, that's $7750.00 he has ripped me off for, but who knows what the real amount is as I am sure there are many other recast/copied parts of mine he is selling. No matter what the figure is, it's all my hard work and time taking to produce these parts, which he has done no research or spent time making the masters. He just put them in a mold, cast them and put them up for sale.

He has just updated his Panzer IV and Stug sections on his web site a few days ago. Please read my comments in the pictures below as it shows that he is claiming to have in stock around 74 items for the Panzer IV that are produced by myself, Armorpax and Panzerwerk. All three of us stopped suppling these parts to him around 2 years ago. Yet he states that he has updated his inventory and is claiming he has all these parts.

I have also copied a few other parts of mine that are shown on his web site for sale, which I suspect are recasts and/or copies. These are also listed below by pictures.

Two new Panzer IV parts recast.







As Armorpax stopped suppling parts to him about two years ago, where is he getting the clamps to go with these parts. "Maybe" he purchased a "large stock" from Armorpax in the past. But note Paddinghuas Decals copied Armorpax clamps a while ago. Steel Dragons sells Peddinghaus Decals, it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out what might be going on here.



Panzer IV and Stug section updates. I have only listed the parts he has renumber to his own stock number.













Parts from other sections of his web site I suspect are recast or copied. The fire extinguishers and padlocks he has renumber to his own parts numbers. The flags and Flak trailer he is still using my part numbers.









I hope that Dave at Armorpax and Steve at Panzerwerk will do a little more digging into his site and look back at what they have sold him and can he still possibly have all these parts still in stock. As long as he continues to use their original parts pictures there is no way of telling if he has the parts or recasting them. This comment also applies to any other manufacturer that has supplied him parts in the past.

With Respect to you all.
Mike Stannard
6th Scale Icons Inc

[panzerwerk]

There are a few items of mine he does not have stock of , But I need someone to come forward that has bought recast pasts , as of yet , I have not heard of anyone .

He still has Toy surgeons 2cm box which he has not made in years , so he may just have the stuff up there to look like he has items too sell , honestly I don't know . :confusedconfusedconfused:

[thetoysurgeon]

Steve, I still make them . I redesigned the case to hold Dragon's mags, but StealDragons doesn't have any nor have they had any.

Dennis

[panzerwerk]

Good to know Bro!!!!

[Droop]

A while ago I also was a victim of Steel Dragons but with the intervention of PayPal I got all my money back.
Thank you PayPal!!


Droop

[SgtUSMC]

Droop, How long was a while ago?

[pzrwest]

Looks like he is now selling on ebay here's the link Rear Tow Hitch for 1:6 Scale German Halftracks-NIB | eBay

[SgtUSMC]

Did you happen to notice that it is ebay/canada?

[Warriorant]

Item location is Lake Worth, Florida, USA. Link is to ebay Canada but see below, my search shows his/copied stuff on ebay UK. Just depends on who searched and from where.

1:6 Scale SdKfz 250 Neu Halftrack-NIB | eBay

[pzrwest]

Warriorant is correct their ads will come up in any of the ebay sites not just ca and uk
I almost bought the trailer hit till I scrolled down and read the blurb posted. when I saw Steel Dragons mentioned I said no way I'll check with one of the original makers first, don't want to get burned like so many other have been burned by SD, nor support his practices

[toyrific]

Hi Guys

Figured it was time to update this thread to keep it in peoples minds until this guys finally goes out of business, but he seems to be still getting customers, but there are no names on his order list that I recognize.

Here are my fire extinguishers that he claims to be his own design and selling them for almost twice the price I sell them for.

The last order of these I sent to him was in January 2010, three of each as kits, that was almost three years ago, I doubt he still has my originals in stock to sell.





Mike

[toyrific]

Hi Guys

Since my last post here a month ago a lot has happened. We now have proof that Tripp has copied one of Armorpax parts, you can read about it in Dave's post in this forum. Since my last post this thread has received over 1600 hits, which means most members are reading it. But still Steel Dragons are receiving orders from people that are either not aware of his unethical practices or don't care and the bottom line for them is to save a buck or two. The fact that Tripp is stealing and making a profit from others hard work does not seem to effect some people. These sort of people are no better than he is and are a detriment to the hobby.

Here are Tripp's latest copies/recasts of my parts just posted in this New Year. "Good Will To All Men" does not seem to be in his vocabulary.

Four more of my parts recast.













Since I first found a recast of one on my parts on his web site in October of 2010 I have proof of 15 parts that he has recast, copied or re-engineered. He currently has 76 of my parts listed on his web site, most of which he can not possibly have original stock of. So I must assume that most of these parts have also been copied as my last delivery to him was in August 2010 and the quantity of parts he has received from me over the preceding years would not sustain a stock of parts for over 2 years.

For those that have not seen it I have a PDF File on Steel Dragons showing proof of how I know he has recast my parts and also spread sheets on the quantities of parts he purchased from me during 2005 to 2010 when I stopped doing business with him.

Heres the Link: http://www.afceremonials.com/steeldragons/

I know that most of the members of this hobby are great guys and would not condone this sort of practice, but those that do just encourage the Tripp's in this world to continue. Make a stand for what is right and support your honest dealers, advise your friends that may be new to the hobby and not aware of the practices of Steel Dragons and Richard Tripp.

Here is a montage of my parts I have proof he has copied.




Regards
Mike

[panzerwerk]

Anyone still having issues with Steel Dragons , should immediately file a complaint with the Florida Attorney Generals office .


Florida Attorney General - File A Complaint

[panzerwerk]

You can also file a complaint with these guys , someone did and got there money back from him as stated in the case link below , contact info is at the top of the link page :

http://www.pbcgov.com/pubsafety/cons...rfProductSeq=0

[hansalbin]

That's a good start. I have no horse in this race but those that do may want to follow through with a complaint and get there money back.
I hate to see any 1/6 etailer/customizer/supplier go out of business but this guy needs to go.

[Jkidd41011]

Originally Posted by hansalbin

That's a good start. I have no horse in this race but those that do may want to follow through with a complaint and get there money back.
I hate to see any 1/6 etailer/customizer/supplier go out of business but this guy needs to go.

True....but his business is founded on taking others work and knocking it off. And from what I've read at inferior quality.

[Dougmo]

Every dollar that goes to any knock-off company is a dollar that can't be used for the creation of new items by the creative, original manufacturer. In the end, it means that we don't get new products, plain and simple.