Any info on Ebay company TitanMech

[Daemonette666]

I am looking for any information on the Ebay Store TitanMech Forgers of Titans. I placed an order with them on Ebay through PayPal in early November 2011 after 1 months email chatting with them about the details and design specs for a Banelord Titan. They posted the purchase note on ebay, which directed me through PayPal, and up until Dec 11th, I had good communications with them - weekly feedback.

Since then, and the Xmas break, I have had not replies to my emails, and I have even called the UK mobile number listed on their E-bay profile which just rings out. They had told me that they were going to put my Titan on the list and had 3 other titans before mine, and would keep me advised on a weekly basis of the progress. I have sent them 4 emails since the new year, with no reply, and Ebay have noted that their alternate email address that ebay issued was just a short term email address. The email address given to me by Christian and Laura Donaghy of TitanMech is still active, but as I said nor replies.

I have tried to look at the purchase from the lsale confirmation email on my computer,and since Ebay deletes records of purchases after 30 days I can not bring the sale up on ebay or leave any negative feedback for the store. PayPal has said the purchase is over 45 days old (voiding my ability to get my money back). I have therefore been forced to seek assistance from the wider community in locating Laura & Christian Donaghy (TitanMech).

I would also like to warn anyone else from dealing with them. DO NOT BUY any custom made Titans from them. Do not pay for anything from them until you have seen the goods, and even then be wary.

[Deadlift]

I could send them a message as a "potential customer" and see if I get a reply. Maybe they have either gone under or done a bunk ?

[woodenronin]

Sorry to hear that. Thanks for the heads up.

[Saint_Anger]

Thanks for sharing.

[Daemonette666]

Hi everyone thanks for your help. I received an email message from titanmech via EBay just this morning. He said he has been very sick in hospital, and had not paid the internet and phone bills. Christian has sent this email to me, and I hope everything is now fine - I hope, Also I hope he gets better, even though I have not even talked to him, I feel a little silly, though I do feel that at the time I over reacted.

If this is just another part of a con, you will be informed so you do not fall into the same trap, otherwise, I am hoping, that I am told that in a couple weeks my Banelord Titan should;d be finished, and a couple weeks, after that I have it here in Australia.

Email:

Dear slaanesh01,

hi slaanesh01
first I like to say sorry, this has been the worst few months of my life been in and out of hospital and I'm still going back and forth for testing and consultation with bowel specialist doctor at Northampton general hospital during almost whole of last December up until now time suffered heavily with diarrhoea and extremely painful cramps which left out work and unable to continue models this has led not paying phone and internet bills and being unable to contact yourself and others which I am very upset about let yourself and others down I will make every effort to finish and send your model which hoping is in next couple weeks since I no longer have a main job I can spend all my time when not sick on these models and get them shipped asap

again I'm sorry that I have left people angry and frustrated with me but I never would started making yours and others models had I any idea how sick I would get a what a first seemed like a bad flu symptom

Kind Regards

Christian

- titanmech

[Inquisitor Boreal]

(...) I feel a little silly, though I do feel that at the time I over reacted.(...)

No, you didn't overreact at all. Basically, a virtually anonymous e-Bay user does not follow up on what he says and does not provide the feedback promised. Considering the amount of scams that exist, it's always good to be cautious and check things out if you're in doubt.

You had no way of knowing about his health, and the cynic in me really says this "company" is not in the clear yet, you still haven't got the titan :)

(One other thing, he says he doesn't have a job now. Watch out for e-mails asking for extra cash to cover expenses for this and that. Yeah, I'm cynical, but I guess that's what you get when you grow old alongside the www)

[Deadlift]

No, you didn't overreact at all. Basically, a virtually anonymous e-Bay user does not follow up on what he says and does not provide the feedback promised. Considering the amount of scams that exist, it's always good to be cautious and check things out if you're in doubt.

You had no way of knowing about his health, and the cynic in me really says this "company" is not in the clear yet, you still haven't got the titan :)

(One other thing, he says he doesn't have a job now. Watch out for e-mails asking for extra cash to cover expenses for this and that. Yeah, I'm cynical, but I guess that's what you get when you grow old alongside the www)

I hope you get your model at the end of all this, but as Boreal says above, Don't count your chickens until their hatched. I smell a red herring here.

[david5th]

Sounds a bit suspicious to me.

[doom-kitten]

Seems more like a sob story than an apology and I'd be more then upset why didn't the other company member contact you and explain the problem? As far as I know internet acess is not limited to your own house or computer.

[Daemonette666]

That is why I said I would let everyone know if I did not get the Titan. I have not completely changed my attitude about the company, just softened it a little.

If I do get it, which will be too late for the Apoc match my local Gaming store has set for 25/26th Feb, then I will be adding a huge amount of skulls to it, and painting it up like my Tower of Skulls. Se Below:

http://i797.photobucket.com/albums/yy251/Daemonette666/KTOS_withbase_LS_sep2010.jpg

It should look Good when it is finished - When and if I get it.

I do not know why the other partner of the company failed to contact me. I will ask them next time I get the chance to reply to their email.

[Wildeybeast]

I do not know why the other partner of the company failed to contact me. I will ask them next time I get the chance to reply to their email.

Absolutely. Or indeed he could have got anyone else to email you. And it's not like he has been in a coma, he could have found five minutes to sit there and send a quick email, especially at the start when he had flu like symptoms. I would look after yourself and ask for a partial refund, as a goodwill gesture, until the work is completed. Either that or cut your losses altogether, cancel the job outrightand get all your money back. Even if this is true, you owe him nothing and he should have made proper provisions for his business (and indeed his job) in the event of illness and this just means he is very unreliable. Best of lcuk whatever you decide to do.

[dannyat2460]

Did you ever get the model?

[Daemonette666]

I have given up on TitanMech Christian and Laura Donahy. EBay is investigating them, and it appears I may not be the only one they have stopped communicating with, failed on their promise to both send the Titan they said they would build and deliver and send intermittent photos on the building of the Titan. In my case a Banelord Titan.

I can not get my 400.00 pounds back because the sale and payment was in October 2011, and Christian kept giving me excuses about being sick or having internet problems, right up until the end of January. I have sent him numerous messages via the personal email, the EBay email, and tried him on his mobile phone which is now disconnected.

Ebay has said they will freeze or close his account if they get any more complaints from other people he has tried the same con on,

So take this as a general warning. do not buy any goods where the seller has to build the item. Do not ever give all the money until the product has been built and you have proof of it, as you have about 1 month from the sale time to leave negative feedback, or try to get your money back.

I thought the sale for the Banelord was via Ebay, and PayPal. Somehow Titanmech worked it so the sale and invoice was sent outside of Ebay, even though the message for the sale came via his Ebay emaill address, and it was then paid for via PayPal.

If you are on other 40K fan sites, then pass this general warning to those sites Titanmech - Christian and Laura Donahy are crooks/ cheats con artists, and will take you for all they can.

[Foxhound2delta]

Yeah this same thing happened when I commissioned Sabol Studios to make a table for me. After giving $600 and a new Fortress of Redemption still in the box and paying for it to be shipped I didn't hear from him for months. Then when I would talk to the guy on the phone he was a complete dick! Like I shouldn't have called him and bothered him in regards. Later on he gave nearly the same excuses that your guy gave. He was getting divorced and had too many project and and was sick. It pissed me off big time because this stretched out over 6 months until I finally gave him an ultimatum and he decided to just give me my money and model back. If I were you I would get your money back and just do it yourself.

[Renegade]

I have given up on TitanMech Christian and Laura Donahy. EBay is investigating them, and it appears I may not be the only one they have stopped communicating with, failed on their promise to both send the Titan they said they would build and deliver and send intermittent photos on the building of the Titan. In my case a Banelord Titan.

I can not get my 400.00 pounds back because the sale and payment was in October 2011, and Christian kept giving me excuses about being sick or having internet problems, right up until the end of January. I have sent him numerous messages via the personal email, the EBay email, and tried him on his mobile phone which is now disconnected.

Ebay has said they will freeze or close his account if they get any more complaints from other people he has tried the same con on,

So take this as a general warning. do not buy any goods where the seller has to build the item. Do not ever give all the money until the product has been built and you have proof of it, as you have about 1 month from the sale time to leave negative feedback, or try to get your money back.

I thought the sale for the Banelord was via Ebay, and PayPal. Somehow Titanmech worked it so the sale and invoice was sent outside of Ebay, even though the message for the sale came via his Ebay emaill address, and it was then paid for via PayPal.

If you are on other 40K fan sites, then pass this general warning to those sites Titanmech - Christian and Laura Donahy are crooks/ cheats con artists, and will take you for all they can.

Actually, if he is in the UK you can get your money back for failure to produce the goods and/or services. This was done on the net, so there are no real time limits. Trading Standards are a good bet, and a good lawyer.

[daboarder]

yeah their will be a strong paper trail on that one and you should still be able to get your money back, even try going directly to your bank. often they will provide you with a repayment before hunting the other bloke down, and they have more clout than you do.

[Brandoncbaker]

Unfortunately I'd have to assume hiring a lawyer would be more than what was paid. Sucks.i hate his type of story

[daboarder]

talk to your ombudsman, just because this is a legal matter does not mean that you will require a lawyer, if you want the money back then seriously track down your options. It doesn't take a lawyer to talk to your bank, or contact your ombudsman, or go to whatever government organisation deals with your fair trading.

[harveydent]

apparently this guy is still selling the same stuff on ebay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Commissioned-Warlord-TITAN-40K-/170800541087?pt=UK_Toys_Wargames_RL&hash=item27c4816d9f

[Psychosplodge]

can you take him to our "small claims court" from outside the country? (which I thinkcan be as simple as just forms and and a fee)

But as somebody said you may be protected by our trading laws so you may be able to still get your money back, without going down the ebay/paypal route.

[NurglesRot]

I just emailed the guy through ebay after following that link.

I asked him where I can send him my money so that he can con me out of it by not delivering and giving me the run around about being in the hospital and having no internet.

[inquisitorsog]

A legit business operator does not simply "get sick, can't pay their bills and so lose internet connections and can't respond." If they only respond when you get an authority involved (even if it's EBay or the cc company), you can be 99.999% certain what follows is a lie.

It's a standard ploy by scam artists or people 1) who took on too much work and now can't complete or 2) got behind in other bills and used your deposit to pay them and now can complete.

Make sure you don't give more than a 50% deposit for anything ,ever. If they even ask for more, just end the relationship right then and there. 50% represents a good faith number in both directions. If they expect you to pony up more than that up front, that's a red flag that they may be more interested in getting the money in their pocket than worrying about trivialities like delivery.

The only time I'd make an exception is if I knew materials represented more than 50% in which case I'd go no higher than cost of materials. Even then, I'd be leery about going over the 50% mark.

Equally, it goes without saying that if their price is too good to be true, assume it is.

EDIT: I should say that I've been around construction most of my life as well as spent a bit of time in medieval life recreation. The stories don't change regardless of the trade involved. You hear the same excuses and see the same behavior from building contractors who can't get their work done as from people who are supposedly providing custom work for hobbyists. The most joy occurs when you hear from someone who tried to get the work complete and ends up sued by the contractor in a proactive strike over "approved extra work" whose price was never discussed.

[Chris Copeland]

I just logged into eBay and sent TitanMech a polite message saying that he might want to look into this. Good luck!

[Brandoncbaker]

And why is hiss feedback still 100%, you should post your experiences there. Link to this thread if you can

[Chris Copeland]

And why is hiss feedback still 100%, you should post your experiences there. Link to this thread if you can
I also notice that this guys feedback is entirely through purchases... that's at least a small red flag when making a big purchase... I sent him a link to this thread in the eBay message I sent to him... cheers, all!

[daboarder]

I just emailed the guy through ebay after following that link.

I asked him where I can send him my money so that he can con me out of it by not delivering and giving me the run around about being in the hospital and having no internet.

so you've attacked someone based on no more than another persons word on the internet?

bravo sir you idiot.

[Daemonette666]

And why is hiss feedback still 100%, you should post your experiences there. Link to this thread if you can
I can not leave feedback as the purchase is over the time period allowed for leaving feedback.

[Daemonette666]

I followed the link to the 2 Titans he has for sale. I contacted the seller and left amessage demanding that he refund me the money for the 7 month old sale. I have warned him that both EBay and PayPal are investigating him, and that If he does not communicate with me and refund the money owed, I will take him to court, continue to warn others about his business practices via websites like this, and let GW know that he is infringing on their IP by making and selling Warlord Titans.

Yes that last part is - just like the post calling the kettle black, however anyone who buys miniatures from chapterhouse, or any other company that skirts the GW IP is just as much a black pot as I am.

[Chris Copeland]

Daemonette, I hope you get whatever you are due if you've been wronged. I also hope that this guy comes to understand that this hobby community is small enough that it's not a good idea to screw over folks... word gets around.

As far as the IP thing: I don't think it's a big issue. I'm pretty sure that it's within folks' rights to build scratch built models... I could (for instance) sculpt a model of Captain America out of string (http://www.ebay.com/itm/CAPTAIN-AMERICA-SUPERHERO-AVENGERS-STRING-VOODOO-DOLL-KEYCHAIN-HANDMADE-KID-GIFT-/150826244377?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item231df1d919) and sell it without worrying about impinging on Marvel's rights... I'd just be selling a hand crafted item. That being said, I'm sure that you can find lawyers (and would be lawyers) who will argue otherwise...

Cheers. Good luck...

[Psychosplodge]

As far as the IP thing: I don't think it's a big issue. I'm pretty sure that it's within folks' rights to build scratch built models......

I think it's the selling it, not the building it that's the infringement

[olberon]

Offtopic: Captain America out of string os epic!!! im getting one

Ontopic: Man this sucks biggie for you. My best guess is file a report at your local police station and hope something comes out, its just plain fraud those guys are committing. so you have every right. also keep mailng with Paypal and Ebay. i know from experience that those companies are not to keen on helping customers out, but if you keep bombing them they eventually have to.

[Wildeybeast]

Daemonette, I hope you get whatever you are due if you've been wronged. I also hope that this guy comes to understand that this hobby community is small enough that it's not a good idea to screw over folks... word gets around.

As far as the IP thing: I don't think it's a big issue. I'm pretty sure that it's within folks' rights to build scratch built models... I could (for instance) sculpt a model of Captain America out of string (http://www.ebay.com/itm/CAPTAIN-AMERICA-SUPERHERO-AVENGERS-STRING-VOODOO-DOLL-KEYCHAIN-HANDMADE-KID-GIFT-/150826244377?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item231df1d919) and sell it without worrying about impinging on Marvel's rights... I'd just be selling a hand crafted item. That being said, I'm sure that you can find lawyers (and would be lawyers) who will argue otherwise...

Cheers. Good luck...

Off topic. I'm fairly certain that Marvel has both rights to the image of Captain America in pretty much any form you care to name, as well as rights to the name being used in any way shape of form. I doubt they really care about some ebayer selling hand knitted models, but could almost certainly shut them down with a quick email to Ebay.

On topic. Hopefully Deamonette gets the money back, but without wanting to sound harsh, there is lesson to be learned here about the perils of ebaying, particularly when you having stuff made.