[Dave from England]

This may be a long drawn out post with regards to the problems I am having with a board member, but feel I should try and be as fair as possible rather than make out and out accusations.

I posted in the 67/69 Firebird section on the 21st April 2014, the post was headed '67 Air Cleaner.

I was contacted on the 2nd May 2014 and offered an Air Cleaner, plus what I was told was a one year only pre-heater tube. I also mentioned on 20 May 2014 that I had had problems finding the correct radio and the same person offered me a radio, and also mentioned, if I needed more parts from the USA, he would be willing to help by sending them all in one shipment from his address.
He also mentioned that the fuel line to carburettor after looking at my photos was not quite right.

5th May - he said he had a friend not far away who had just re-opened his salvage yard and would go and see what '67 Firebird stuff he had. On 12th May, he said he was going to his friends junk yard to check out fuel lines.

28th May - I e-mailed to say I hadn't heard anything for two weeks. He responded saying he would send me a private message. He did send me a private message, saying I should have pushed him more about the parts, and that the radio he had was a good one and I could have it for $100.00 and the exhaust pre-heater tube would be $35.00 and Air Cleaner base would be $15.00.
He gave me his e-mail and said that he couldn't get to the salvage yard, and he didn't have any spare cash anyway.

30th May - Said the radio he had, he had tested, and the $100.00 that he wanted for it, was about half the price for one in this condition, and said a friend may have a 2BBL fuel line.

4th June - He sent me PM wanting to know if I wanted to radio or not, otherwise he was going to put it in the sale section over the weekend for $135.00. I replied to the PM the same day, saying yes I wanted the radio and other parts, and I offered to pay for all the parts he had, as it appeared he needed the money. I asked him for his address and said I would send it the next day so that he wasn't kept waiting for payment.

6th June - Hadn't had a reply, so sent another e-mail saying similar to the one on 4th June. I then received an e-mail saying it would be good if I could send a payment of $150.00 in total and gave me his name and his address as Asheboro, North Carolina 27203.

7th June - I asked for a mailing address, which he gave me a PO Box Number Asheboro, North Carolina with zip code of 27204.

9th June - I e-mailed to say that I was sending $400.00, in cash, and it was on its way.

10th June - I asked him if he could see if there was a '67 gas flap, complete with spring at his friends junk yard. He asked how long payment would take as he only checked his PO Box around once a week.

11th June - He sent me pictures of a pre-heater tube in situation in a car.

13th June - I e-mailed him thanking him for sending some photos of the parts he had for me, and told him that the money usually took 5-10 days to get from the UK, to the States.

25th June - He confirms he got the money and also confirms the figure of $400.00.

17th July - I asked him about the possibility about finding a horn and brackets that fits to the central radiator support. I also asked when he expected to ship the things that he already had for me.

18th July - He sends me an e-mail but it is general chit chat.

19th July - He sent me pictures of a breather grommet and is still searching junk yards for other parts.

11th August - I sent an e-mail explaining that without the parts he had for me, my restoration was at a stand still.

14th August - As I had had no reply, I sent him the same e-mail as previous.

18th August - I found a gas door in California, and asked could I have it sent to him so that I could include it in other parts, to which he said yes.

21st August - I e-mailed him to say that the gas door was on its way.

4th September - He informed me that the gas door had arrived and he would get a quote for shipping my parts that weekend.

5th September - I e-mailed him to thank him for the gas door to be sent to him and in the future, I may need exhaust manifolds as one of mine had to be welded up during the restoration.

18th September - I asked had he shipped my parts yet, as I had just discovered I had a leaking power top cylinder. I had taken it to two companies to see if it could be reconditioned but was told it was a sealed unit so the answer was no. So, as he had not shipped my parts, could I possible have a new pair of hydraulic cylinders sent to him, which I would pay for, and could he ship it with my other parts.

19th September - He admits to me he just keeps putting off the shipping of the parts, says it's all boxed up but not sealed, confirms the gas flap is in excellent condition and he has a pair of manifolds. Says it is not a problem to have anything else shipped to him, even if it amounts to more than one box. I thank him for allowing cylinders to be shipped to him.

22nd September - I informed him that cylinders were being shipped to him.

7th October - I sent him an e-mail saying that I really need him to ship the parts as I wanted to fit them before the winter set it, and I asked if he needed anymore money for shipping.

8th October - He says he hasn't checked his PO Box for 10 days so hasn't got the cylinders, also says he can get the 00 Steel Wool which I asked for. I responded to his e-mail acknowledging what he had just told me.

22nd October - Emailed him to say that it was two weeks since my last e-mail, but I hadn't had a reply, and I really needed him to ship the parts. I asked him, once again, did he need any more money for shipping, to which he did not reply.

29th October - Received an e-mail to say that he had picked up the top cylinders on the 7th and confirmed that with regards to the other parts everything is safe and sound and will let me have the manifold for $50.00 for the pair. says he is ashamed of himself that he has let things linger on and he will possibly know the cost of shipping by the end of the week, but absolutely by the first part of the following week. He then went on to tell me that on the 9th October he had received news that his fiancée's parents had been in a major car smash in Georgia. Her mother had died in hospital a week after the accident, and her father was not expected to live. He said he had got back home to North Caroline on the 27th, but was going back to Georgia that next weekend and every other weekend until his fiancées father either passes on or improves significantly.

30th October - I e-mailed to say that I was sorry about the bad news, and for a third time, I asked, did he need any more money for shipping.

14th November - I e-mailed him to say that it was two weeks since he said he would ship the parts, and I asked would he please, please, ship them.

8th December - I e-mailed him to say it was six weekends since his last e-mail to me and my patience is at an end. The parts he was selling me came to $221.40, leaving a balance of $178.60, more than enough I think for shipping, which is the reason I sent the $400.00 in the first place and I reiterated that I had asked on more than one occasion did he need any more money for shipping to which he never replied. I told him I would give him seven days to reply or I would do something about it, since when I have heard nothing.

So, he has had $400.00 for parts and shipping, a gas door flap for which I paid $30.00, and a pair of hydraulic cylinders which cost me $296.76 (including shipping) which means that he has had $400.00 in cash, and $326.76 in parts. So, is Baron Von Zeppelin AKA Todd Teeters a thief and a fraudster? What do members of this board think, and do you think I should contact the Asheboro police department?

[Simple Man]

I don't think I would go to the police just yet. Maybe someone else in the area could check out the situation, and see what's happening.
I understand that life happens, and frequently get's in the way, but silence is never a good idea.

[poncho-mike]

I see Todd occasionally at shows and have known him as a member of the Pontiac community in NC for about 30 yrs now. I don't think he is a thief or fraudster.

We have had some incredibly nasty weather over the last two weeks. NC rarely gets snow, but we had two snow events within the same week. Our DOT is not equipped to deal with major snow events, and nearly everything gets shut down for a few days. I think Todd lives in a rural area that may have been hard hit by Thursday's snowfall. We got about 4" of snow where I live, and areas to the west and north-west got hit much harder. The snow was wet and heavy, leading to extensive power outages. He may not even have electricity at this time.

I would be patient.

[Dave from England]

I really thank you for taking the time to reply to my post, but if you were to read it in its entirety, you will see that this is something that has been dragging on for 10 MONTHS, and the last communication I had from him, was October 29th 2014. Since then, I have e-mailed him on 30th October, 14th November, and 8th December. All e-mails of which I did not receive a reply which would discount the snow issue.

I have tried to be fair and present the story from both sides, and hope that there is a good outcome to it. I have done this latest post as I have exhausted all other means of communication and I think that October to February (5 months) is a little beyond being patient.

[Navy Horn 16]

I think for less than $200 you have learned a valuable (and fairly inexpensive) lesson in how to conduct e-commerce. This is the reason E-Bay and Pay-Pal with their built in buyer protections were created. If you don't get your items, Pay-Pal refunds your money and E-Bay takes action against the seller.

You have posted your side of the story here, so anyone else that thinks of doing business with this gentleman in the future will proceed with an abundance of caution. That is, of course, if they are smart enough to use the search function and look for peer reviews.

[David Jones]

I believe you're correct, being patient is one thing. This is somewhat beyond that. He has your money and should know to look for and respond to communications.
I'm not sure what good contacting the authorities would do, but I'd be inclined to give it a shot....since you aren't local.
Maybe somebody on here will step up and be able to contact him or provide you with information on his situation or whereabouts.

If a man's word is no good, there is a problem somewhere. No matter how small the amount.

[3 Deuce 64]

My brother lives in Timberlake / Roxboro NC area and has his own A/C business , so he travels around the state some . PM me the guys name ,address and other particulars . I'll forward it on to my brother to see if maybe something can be done . You can bet if I lived close enough I would be knocking on his door with a couple of my friends in uniform . There was a similar case a few years back guy lived in the Albany area screwed a guy from MD , several of us became involved . The issue was resolved .

[1beautifuldaughter]

I do not know him personally, but he has stepped up to help people a lot, including me, on this forum with in-depth information. Reached out with intelligent feedback with good intentions.
I feel your frustration, You guys over seas have to really put trust in people to make transactions like this.
As far as contacting the authorities here. Unless things have changed, You will have a very hard time getting someone to help you due to different laws. The police would likely tell you to contact the Consumer Protection Agency in the area, Then they would tell you they couldn't help you because your not in the country.
I went through it for a friend in Sweden and acted on his behalf for 3 years of emails,Phone calls, Faxes.etc. I got his $3000.00 back eventually but it was along tedious process. It would not have happened only the guy who took his money had a business. Or company.
I wonder after reading your post if he has dragged his feet for much of the time because your "adjusting" whats going on, adding things to what you want help with? and maybe he has good intentions in the end? Although I would give you that I would expect better communications.
You should be worried and or a bit angry right now but I think I would first go with exhausting all possibilities a bit longer, maybe you will find some help here with your post from someone who knows him and can iron it out for you. Good Luck.

[Dave from England]

Fair comment, Navy Horn 16 with regards buying/ebay/paypal, but I come from the generation of taking a man at his word, like David Jones says, so maybe you just can't do that anymore? This person was on the Forum for some 10 years, so I had no reason to think that they would be on here just to make a quick buck (and this still may not be the case). If you have read the post, you will see that the "small amount" totals to just over $700.00 so this is why I feel it worth following up.

[1beautifuldaughter]

We all hate it if we get screwed out of money, And we all hate feeling powerless if it happens. I think you did the right thing posting it here and should just let it simmer a bit and see how it might help you. I really hope it works out for you. Maybe he will just step up and make the right things happen.

[Dave from England]

1beautifuldaughter - Yes, he did seem very knowledgable and helpful, there is no doubt about that, which is why things do not add up. I know how it sounds, but I was only adding things as he hadn't shipped the goods, so it made sense at the time, and I was ok waiting for those to arrive and then be shipped altogether.
3 Deuce 64 - I have no address or telephone number for this guy. If I would have had a phone number, I would have tried to speak to him to find out if there was a problem.

[David Jones]

Originally Posted by Dave from England

Fair comment, Navy Horn 16 with regards buying/ebay/paypal, but I come from the generation of taking a man at his word, like David Jones says, so maybe you just can't do that anymore? This person was on the Forum for some 10 years, so I had no reason to think that they would be on here just to make a quick buck (and this still may not be the case). If you have read the post, you will see that the "small amount" totals to just over $700.00 so this is why I feel it worth following up.

OH no, your amount is in no way small!

My reply was meant to imply that even if only a few dollars is involved and man's word should mean something.

Good luck with your quest.

[bird72]

I would PM him and ask for a phone number and just say you want to end / resolve this deal. It does sound like the "deal" was a changing thing in scope and it was confusing to read, so that may be part of it. As a seller, that is the kind of deal I would avoid. Keep it simple, make it into workable transactions, and getter done! Seller should have done in increments to avoid all this. Seller has wrote me in the past and seemed like a decent fellow, but buying and selling should be simple, good luck!

[Dave from England]

Bird 72 - The original plan was for him to buy an air cleaner/base, pre heater tube and a radio and ship them. That is why I sent the $400.00 to pay for them and the shipping costs. Then, he kept saying he had this and that and I kept asking him to just ship what he had already. Then he said he was going to have a look around his mates junk yard for a fuel line (which I never asked him to) and then said he couldn't go because he didn't have any money, then said he would go the week after and all the time, he still hadn't shipped the original items, so it just went on and on. I could never tie him down to shipping what he had already got, he just wanted to find more and more. I would have been quite happy for him to have just shipped the original items straight away then I could have finished my car, as the other items I would have just had shipped straight here. It was only because he still hadn't shipped anything by the time I was ordering other items that I asked for it all to be sent together as it made more sense because of the costs involved in shipping over here.

I have PM him and e-mailed and just do not get any reply. I previously asked him for both a phone number at the beginning, but this was something he never answered and also for an address, to which he only gave a PO Box number.

[Dave from England]

.....just whilst I have everyone's attention, if anyone happens to have '67 air cleaner base with a pre-heater tube for a 2BBL Carburettor (and if I do ever get my stuff, then I'll have a spare!)........

[Ed Fitzgerald]

Dave I may by chance have the one off my car (67 FB 326-2bbl) still in the barn out back. I think it is probably long gone though as I sent out a couple dumpsters of scrap steel last fall and I kinda think this where it wound up but you never know. Will look later today or tomorrow as I have to plow 3 ft of snow to get to it. Ed

[Burgess]

I am very near Asheboro, and I did not know that BVZ was in Asheboro. I don't know him. Let me know if I can help.

[cdrookie]

if BVZ is still alive, there's NO excuse for this. if you have someones money in hand you go out of your way to get them the goods. only takes a minute to send an email, smart phones can get emails just about anywhere. it doesn't take long to swing by the post office to mail something either.

i'd call the local police, even if they can't really do anything, maybe they could say he's in jail, or keep an ear out for his name?

[Dave from England]

Hi Burgess,
PM sent.Well I hope I have, not real good with IT.Let me know one way or the other if you get it or not.
Dave from England

[Dave from England]

Hi cdrookie,
Thanks for your concern but im hoping to resolve this without the aid of the police.At the moment Im pining my hopes on Burgess.He lives close by & has promised to try & help
Dave from England