[sd389421]

Need help.

I paid alot of $$$$ to buy 69 ram air IV heads from "Jeff" in Minnesota. This was over THREE months ago. I still have not recieved my heads. He has stopped returning my calls. He still has his cell phone and voice mail and phone #. I leave messages but he does not call back.

This person lives in the Bemidji/Shelvin Minnesota area. He has some relationship to HENSLEY AUTO in Bemidji. Have called and he is sometimes at Hensley (they told me he was in) but would not answer phone.

I WANT MY MONEY BACK OR MY HEADS!! CAN ANYONE HELP???

I am currently:

1. Getting a Minnesota Attorney General Customer Complaint Form

2. Trying to obtain paper for small claims lawsuit

3. Still trying to leave messages with this person and reslove issue

4. May need an attorney. That is $$$$. I hate being scammed and want
some payback. This is not out of the question. I know this could cost
more then the heads.

I intend to pursue. THIS MAYBE A TIME SENSITIVE ISSUE (?) - before he takes off (?).

I paid by bank money order to H&H Kustom Kars. I don't know if that is mail fraud. Probably would take too long to get resolution, if any. He probably would be gone by then.

His excuses for not sending heads were

1. Need to get heads pressure tested
2. Machine shop guy went hunting and cannot get heads
3. He picked up heads and was in accident. He was in hospital for over
1 week.
4. Heads were thrown out of truck in accident and maybe damaged
5. Need to pressure test heads again
6. Heads ok, but wife in hospital
7. Will send out heads. Friend must not have sent out.
8. I asked for $$ back. He was sent $$$ back. Not got $$ and not calls
answered.


Al

[John Haley]

Try calling the Bemidji/Shelvin police dept. and see if you can talk to a detective. That isn't that big of a town they maybe more willing and able to help you out.

[fastgto]

Keep us posted.

[Brad B. Hillebrand]

Why don't you fly out there on a week day and stop over at the place he works. That way you could "talk" to him in person. You will spend more $$ on the lawyer I would think but so what, some things you just can't let people get away with....plus, he might do it to the next guy down the road.....

[Stuart]

Shevlin, MN is such a small town they probably don't have their own police department. It's ten or fifteen miles west of Bemidji, in Clearwater county; the county seat is Bagley (only about 6 miles from Shevlin) so you may want to contact the sheriff's department there at 218-694-6226.

Wish I could help more, but Shevlin and Bemidji are about 250 miles north of here.

[sd389421]

Thanks for the replies.

Is Shevlin and Bemidji in the same county?

I plan of filing a small claims lawsuit. Am tring to get the papers.

Have not talked to the local police. Will need to do that. Maybe a visit from them will help.

Al

[pmdclassics]

I've seen the Hensley place selling stuff on Ebay before and from looking at the way he advertised his items, all his stuff was RAM Air 4 HO parts no matter what car they came off of.

[sd389421]

Your right. That is where I saw the initial ads. I did not buy through e-bay.

al

[Newbomb Turk]

Damn dude, i'm several hours from Bemidji. You got an address? PM me or email me at [email protected]

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by sd389421

Thanks for the replies.

Is Shevlin and Bemidji in the same county?

I plan of filing a small claims lawsuit. Am tring to get the papers.

Have not talked to the local police. Will need to do that. Maybe a visit from them will help.

Al

Bemidji is in Beltrami county, Shevlin is in Clearwater county. Look up either town on Mapquest.com and it will show the details.

I was thinking about this, and I remembered that a friend of mine has inlaws somewhere in the Bemidji area; I'll drop him an email and see if he knows anything about Hensley Auto.

edited to add: this is interesting - I was looking for information on Hensley Auto, and found out it's for sale: http://www.lubecenters.com/listings/listing2314.html

[Silver Judge]

Get a rope !
Damned lying ripoffs, what is the world coming to ? :confused:

[cvs]

I've been to that yard a few times. Maybe it's time for another visit. It is about 3 hours from here, but I've gone a lot farther than that to look for parts. I was planning a trip in that general direction in the next month or two. Please keep this post updated and I will try to check back in on it from time to time.

Carl

[GTO JOHN]

Interesting. That $890K asking price for his place is nuts but who knows. I've never bought from Jeff before but I was asking about a 70 GTO he had last year. His name is Jeff Krull I believe. Try [email protected] for an email.

Good luck and keep us posted. I have a few friends up in that area and one who's got plenty of time on his hands who may be able to pay a visit.

I'd start with the county sheriff. That is interstate mail fraud he committed so maybe the FBI would be interested. If his place is worth $890K then he's got some assets to seize. :D

[sd389421]

Thanks,

I called him last week and left a message on his voice mail that I will drive up and pick up the heads to make things square - that was even after I talked to him about sending my $$ back. Which he agreed to. No response.

A friend had called about some parts - that was last week - and he did answer his call. So he is arround.

His last name is Heckel.

I am still trying to find out his connection to Hensley Auto. When I call Hensley's - they say he is in and out doing things.

I called Hensley's - the guy took some info. at one point. Jeff H. did get back with me - but as usual - he did not follow through. There is some connection - but what?

Tommorrow - I plan to request court small claims paper. I already have the form from the attorney general.

I want to have a well organized plan to nail these "dudes" with several things at one time.

I have no problem throwing a few bucks to get a "mean ass" attorney. Problem is they may have more bark then bite!!

Al

[sd389421]

Make no mistake, I want and plan to get payback!!

Did not know place is for sale.

Found out more info.

Hensley auto. License information

state of Licensing FLORIDA (Hey Florida people- any thing I can do)?

Liscense V31552

Name Barb Hensley

Address 4701 Irvine Ave. N.W. Bemidji, MN 56601

What is going on? Minnesota business with a Florida license????

Again - What is Jeff H. connection to Hensley????

Al

[py71lemans]

This may be him.

Jeffrey Heckel
17431 230th St
Bagley, MN
(218) 785-2894

[sd389421]

Address I got:

JH
23836 US 27
Shevlin, MN 5667

[sd389421]

Called Bemdji Police Department today. They immediately put thru to an investigator. I explained what happened. He said that this was NOT fraud but is considered thieft. I am overnighting him all my paperwork. I kept all paperwork. My phone calls were on my cell phone so I can show that I did try to contact them. He will be conducting an offical police investigation.

When I explained the amount involved - that did make an impact - and they were very interested in the situation.

They said to hold up on the small claims papers, etc. until they investigate.

I also called the Clearwater County investigator since Jeff H. gave me a Shevlin address also. They are going to call back.

Al

[brendan7079]

Hi Al,

Wish I'd read your thread a year ago! I have also been ripped off several thousand dollars by this Jeff Heckel. I paid him top dollars for a 1970 Trans Am Ram Air IV carby and the matching shaker air cleaner in October 2005 , and he never sent me my parts. Like you, I saw his advertisement on eBay and I responded to his note: "I have other Ram Air parts for sale that are not listed in here - email me with your needs".

When I emailed him he claimed to have the correct-numbered 7040273 carby and a correct shaker base and shaker from a wrecked 1970 Ram Air IV Trans Am. He also offered me a set of JW 1970-only Rally II wheels, and a badly run-down 1973 SD455 Trans Am. I immediately bought the carby and shaker as they were the last parts I needed to complete my resto. I could not afford the wheels too, but I asked him to send photos of the SD455 and organised a bank loan, just in case it turned out to be the real deal.

He sent me the photos a few days later and it indeed looked to be a badly run-down genuine SD. However, the engine bay photos suggested the heads were not genuine SD heads, but No 16s from 1968 instead. When I asked him for the VIN code, it came back with the X as the fifth digit - what luck! But when I paid for Pontiac Historic Services to check the VIN, they assured me it was a 1973 455 4spd TA, but not an SD. The fifth digit for that body serial number should have been a Y.

When I challenged Jeff, he claimed there had been a twig or something over the dashboard VIN that had made the Y look like an X. Yeah, right! In fairness to him, the block was a genuine 1974 auto SD block, code Y8, but nothing else was Super Duty. I told him I did not want the car, and to just send me the carb and shaker that I had already paid for.

For the last twelve months I have been ringing him - sometimes he answers, but now he won't return my calls either. He has used exactly the same sort of excuses to me - he was on holidays interstate, his wife was in a bad accident, he's been in hospital etc etc. Keeps promising to send me my parts and keeps apologising - but still no parts.

I feel like a fool for trusting him as long as I did. I also feel like a fool for paying my money up front, all the way from Australia, but everybody else I have dealt with from the US has been up front and honest. I can see I was a fool to buy outside eBay. Although I have credit card records to prove my purchase, I haven't got eBay to help me achieve resolution. And since I live in Australia, it just isn't worth it for me to attempt to file a small claims case against him.

I am posting this notice to warn other prospective GTO, Trans Am or Ram Air Pontiac fans - stay away from Hensley Auto and/or Jeff Heckel. I have been utterly ripped off! Don't let the same thing happen to you!

Al, did the Bemidji police investigate your claim? Did you get any satisfaction? If you read this, could you please post a reply. I'd love to get my parts or my money back, but I'm guessing I've done my dough!

Regards, Brendan

[BLKBRD]

I thought the name Hensley Auto Parts sounded familiar. I contacted them in about 1.5 years ago regarding some dash parts. They said that they had them and would send pics. Never heard from them again and I didn't persue it. I guess that I was lucky.