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Art Smith - Bad Trader

33K views 22 replies 15 participants last post by  Nessism 
#1 · (Edited)
Update 1/11/2007

I'm posting this as a summary to improve readability. Thanks to all for the support I have received on this matter.

In March 2005 Art Smith, aka Wurm on bikeforums.net and cyclingforums.com, and AJS here, agreed to purchase a Columbus Muscle carbon fork from me for $220. He gave me a story about going through a divorce and custody battle for his daughter, thus he could not pay me the whole amount right then. He asked me to ship the fork first, so I sent it off and he sent me $60 a month later in April 2005 – the same month he was banned here for insulting other people. That’s the only money I've ever seen from him.

Months pasted and emails to him bounced back as undeliverable. Then…in September 2005, I found him posting as Wurm on Bikeforums.net. Note: this is more than FIVE months since I last heard from him. After performing a search on his username, several threads were found where he mentioned purchasing high-end bike parts – so money was not an issue. It sent him a Private Message, then another, and another. Nothing. So to draw him out I posted a thread outing him as a crook. Several thousand hits on the thread later the mods jumped in and forced Art to respond to me via PM – they also deleted the thread since it was causing too much commotion. Art’s story was that he lost my email and didn’t know how to reach me. This is strange since he knew I was on roadbikereview.com and he could have used his alternate account here (set up after he was banned as AJS) to get a hold of me.

His story now was that I “slandered him” thus he will not pay me. He also said he did not have any money – funny how he could have purchased all those parts yet he had no money to pay his debt. I offered to reduce his debt from $160 to $100 and he still refused. Out of frustration, I posted this thread so other people would find out about him. I only posted his name and address AFTER protracted PM’s on bikeforums made it clear that he was never going to pay me, and he started to cuss me out in his reply’s.

I’ve given up all hope of ever seeing the money he owes me. He has no integrity and cannot be trusted.



Update 5/29/2006

Still no money from Mr. Smith. Interestingly, he feels he has been slandered so he won't pay. Kind of funny really. He won't pay me and changes his email address. I root him out on Bike Forums under his user name of Wurm. He agrees that he did not pay me the money. He also states he won't pay because I slandered him while being rooted out. No way to win with this guy. Stay clear.




Update 10/14/2005

Art Smith, aka Wurm on Bike Forums and AJS here, has been posting messages on Bike Forum about how he recently bought an expensive Giro Atmos helmet; this comming from a guy that owes me $160 and has not paid a penny since April!

He claims that I'm smearing his name thus he will not pay me the money he owes me. Keep in mind that I started this thread because more than 6 months had passed since he last paid me anything and he changed his email so I couldn't find him.

His last know address is posted below:

Art Smith
1130 Earl Ave
Schenectady, NY 12309

In his last message he wrote the following:

"You are a liar and a cowardly backstabber. Go f_uck yourself Ed,".

Judge for yourself.




Update 9/18/2005

Wurm/AJS (Art Smith) has contacted me via Private Message on bikeforums.net and has threatened legal action against me. Further he wants to return the fork, now used, if I agree to pay return shipping. I told him the fork is not worth very much anymore so returning it is not a way out at this point.

As a way to get something out of this situation I've offered to reduce the amount of money he owes me to $100. As of now, he is still threatening me unless I remove this post. I will not remove the post but will update it if and when he comes up with the money.

UPDATE 9/21/2005

AJS/Wurm/Art Smith has made it clear that he is not going to pay the money he owes me anytime soon. He has lots of stories about loosing his job, ect. At this point he has had the fork since March, sent a payment in April and paid NOTHING for the last five months. He gives me one excuse after another.

Deal with this guy at your own risk.

Ed



Origional message:

Back in March I sold a Columbus Muscle carbon fork to a frequent poster on this site with the understanding that he would pay me over time as funds allowed. I was sucked in by his story of going through a custody battle with his ex-wife and using up all his money for lawyers.

Long story short, this guy still owes me $160 and has changed his email so I no longer have a way to contact him. Last contact was two months ago when he said he would be sending me some money soon. He was banned from Roadbikereview for insulting other people back in April. He has since moved over to Bikeforums.net where he posts every day. I've sent him several private messages though that site but he does not respond. I also alerted the admin there to keep an eye on him.

Honestly, I understand someone being down on their luck and needing time to work through a debt. It bugs the crap out of me though to see this bozo posting around on Bikeforums.net talking about this and that new bike part he just bought.

The guys name is Art Smith aka "Wurm" on Bikeforums.net.

He went by "AJS" here.


Thanks.

Ed
 
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#4 ·
Nessism said:
AJS had almost 4000 posts here. AJSredux must have been a secondary account he set up.

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/member.php?userid=165396

Looking at the pictures and reading his posts he doesnt look like or sound like a cyclist. You should do more research next time you buy/sell from someone but I think its not good idea to buy/sell in the classifieds.
 
#5 ·
Bummer. Small claims court might be the answer. Did you use Paypal?
 
#6 ·
He once let it be known that he lived in Schenectady. You can call the NYS Attorney General's office-maybe they can help? Or, if you know somebody in the greater Albany area (as if there was anything great about it...0, maybe somebody could go knock on his door? It's too far for me-i'm a good 200 miles away.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Dave_Stohler said:
He once let it be known that he lived in Schenectady. You can call the NYS Attorney General's office-maybe they can help? Or, if you know somebody in the greater Albany area (as if there was anything great about it...0, maybe somebody could go knock on his door? It's too far for me-i'm a good 200 miles away.
Yes, he lives in Schenectady. Unfortunately, that 4000 miles away from me :(

I called the police there and they told me the only way is to take him to civil court. They said I could file a police report in my local area which surprised me, I'd have thought the place where he lived would be more appropriate.

At any rate, thanks for the suggestions.

Ed
 
#8 ·
Paypal doesn't protect you

Coolhand said:
Bummer. Small claims court might be the answer. Did you use Paypal?

They like to let you think you're protected, but if you send money to someone through Paypal for non-ebay goods, and they don't deliver, it's tough luck. I got screwed through mountainbikereview.com last year, fortunately it was ONLY $40 which is a week's worth of food. Paypal's response was "sorry, but we don't care and legally don't have to do anything."

Good luck trying to go through small claims court. That's if you are lucky enough to find the guy so he can be sued in the first place. Some states have a minimum dollar amount. I totally understand how angry you are, but $160 is peanuts to most people and probably not worth your time, even out of principle. Chalk it up to experience and turn those 20 hours of anger into an on-the-bike search for the elusive "biker lady," as some posters have put it. You'll be much happier this way.
 
#13 ·
brianmcg said:
Have there been any updates lately on this. Just curious. Maybe you guys could get on the "Peoples Court." That would be sweet.
Nothing new on this. The toad still has not paid me. Good thing is that he doesn't seem to hang out on Bike Forums, or here, anymore. Either that or he has a new account under a different name (highly likely).

Best thing about this is that more than 7500 people have read this thread and know about this bum.

Thanks to all.
 
#15 ·
Artie Smith, aka Wurm, is still proving he's a certifiable moron, only now it's over at cyclingforums(dot)com, mostly in the Your Bloody Soap Box forum. If you haven't already, perhaps you'd care to wander over there to let that community know the ... ahem ... character of one of their members.
 
#18 ·
Why don't you do the "Adult" thing drive crosscountry and firebomb his house?

That's what I would do.

You forgot my rule #1

"Never trust anybody........about anything".
 
#19 ·
I know it's been a while, but have you checked recently to see if this dirtbag is still posting on bike forums?
 
#20 ·
High Gear said:
I know it's been a while, but have you checked recently to see if this dirtbag is still posting on bike forums?
Last time I checked he was gone off both Bike Forums and Cycling Forums...or maybe I should say his old user names were inactive. My guess is he's not riding anymore or has changed his user name.

At any rate, thanks once again to all the folks that have supported me. Money comes and money goes, but good faith lives on.:D
 
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