Rick at Macdizzy

[SuperChris]

Has anybody been able to get ahold of Rick? He has had my 310 prox cylinder for 3/4 of a year, supposed to be porting it for me. I paid him in full about half a year ago and haven't heard from him or been able to contact him since.

[matt250r21]

That guy needs to contat you ASAP, that is total B.S.

[Jester]

I called him about 1 month ago, and got ahold of him..

He was talking about your cyl the other day on macdizzy forums... post up over there...

[wilkin250r]

Last time I talked to him was the middle of April, and he said he was taking several weeks off.

I don't want to bug a guy while he's on vacation, so I've been waiting to see him post over at Macdizzy, just as an indication that he's "back". I haven't seen anything, which leads me to believe that he's still on vacation.

Now, on one hand, he should probably communicate with his customers and let them know what's going on. However, if he's had your cylinder for a while, is another week or so going to kill you? I say, let the guy enjoy his vacation, don't bug him too much at the moment.

I know that he quit doing motors and porting a while back, because it became a hassle and just wasn't fun any more. He just recently got back into it, I'd hate to drive him off again.

I post semi-regularly over at Macdizzy, and I need to talk to Rick about some motor work. I'll keep an eye out, and let you know if I hear or see anything. But in the meantime, I'd say let the guy enjoy his vacation.

[SuperChris]

Thanks a lot!

[SuperChris]

Any word yet?

[blb515]

he is on right now at MacDizzy...

[SuperChris]

Thanks, But I still can't get on and he won't answer my calls or emails. Is it likely that I got ripped off?

[86 Quad R]

i'd begin to worry a tad bit. thats a mighty long time to NOT hear from him regardless. no excuse for that.

[zedicus00]

hey guys macdizzy is unloading pretty much everything on ebay right now.... i guess its more then a long term vacation...

[86 Quad R]

are you serious !?!? aint this like the second time hes pulled something like this? first time the site was talked of being in jeperdy<sp


got a link to the ebay listings?

[zedicus00]

ill post it when i get home. half of em ended already,. some mad deals on stuff.. he sent me a second chance offer on a ceramic trx 5 centermount for 122$

[blb515]

http://motors.search.ebay.com/_W0QQfrtsZ0QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQsassZrj2stroke


the link

[SuperChris]

Good thing he is getting out of it. I'd hate to know another person that he stole from the way he did me. Rick is a liar and a thief that has $600 and my only cylinder.

[zedicus00]

hey man i have been buying a crap load of stuff from him latly and we have talked several times... im sure if you got ahold of him he would make it right.

[iamjasyn]

I've had Rick help me a few times. Like a lot of good engineers, he's not a people oriented service. However, he's very good at what he does. The first time, I sent my entire engine to him. I was nervous and calling and so forth because he was late and no word... but that time and a couple times since, when I get the product back it's done right and it suddenly seems worth it. Personally, he seems like a nice guy. I don't get the feeling he's a thief. He definetely can be hard to pin down though. It seems clear he's tired of being pinned down and maybe is at least partly why he's turning down work.

[250r4life]

lol... that is true...

here in AZ, there is one shop that i think is probably the best out of them all... not that i completely trust them anyhow, but i definately would feel much more comfortable with them then any of the others... so anywho... all the other shops, i can go in and shoot the bull with them and they are way friendly and yada yada yada... they do crappy work, but they are friendly and so still get work sent to them... this other place that does pretty good work you go in and try to crack a joke and they are like "what can i help you with?" so it definately is a different feeling... they are not there to win a popularity contest- they are there to put out quality machines...

[zedicus00]

ive gotten the same feeling from rick. honestly he just seems tired of it all.... ive gotten a little help from him here latly but if he doesnt respond right away or anything i just leave it at that... he seems like hes on his last good nerve.

[SuperChris]

Ten months is a long time for being told it'd take two weeks. He won't even answer his phone or emails.

[crazedape]

You should take some legal action. Fahk that. What he is doing is stealing. No finished product, no refund. no contact, that is stealing. Take action or bend over is your options. What you gonna do?

[250r4life]

Originally posted by SuperChris
Ten months is a long time for being told it'd take two weeks. He won't even answer his phone or emails.

i woulda pretty much just snap...
i dont know if you are still able to ride or not, but especially if i was held up from riding because of that- i would be driving to his door step

[SuperChris]

It's a LONG drive, and I sent him a letter with all the corresponding emails still with no reply so I don't even know if it's the same address.

[GPracer2500]

The craftsman falls from grace. Sadly, this isn't the first time I've seen this happen [sigh].

It starts with a gifted craftsman of some type (engine builder, mechanic, gunsmith, leathersmith--I've seen cases of all of those). They don't orignially set out to turn there skill into a business venture. But the allmighty dollar sings it's sweet song and the craftsman starts accepting outside work. Customers flock to them based on their well deserved reputation for quality. But ultimately the craftsman is a craftsman, not a business man. They bite off a little more than they can chew and things start getting out of hand. Customers are calling and e-mailing (justly, I might add): Where's my stuff? You told me two weeks and it's been four months!? I've been trying to call you!! What's going on?!?!

The craftsman begins to resent the customers for "impossing" on how and when he does his craft. The craftsman knows he's better at what he does than most and figures that his work is worth the customers' wait and aggravation (he wouldn't have thought this before, but his resentment towards the customer clouds his judgement). Eventually the customers' aggravation grows so much that the craftsman can't ignore it any longer. As a result he completely withdrawls. Work stops (if any was actually being done at that point) and the craftsman JUST WANTS OUT in the easiest and fastest way he can. What's easy and fast for the craftsman ususally includes screwing the customers.

I don't know if that's exactly what's going on with Rick at Macdizzy--but I bet it's close. The lesson is don't try and turn your skill/hobby into a business unless you have business skills, customer service skills, or a partner who does. Otherwise it doesn't turn out well for anybody...

[250r4life]

Originally posted by GPracer2500
The craftsman falls from grace. Sadly, this isn't the first time I've seen this happen [sigh].

It starts with a gifted craftsman of some type (engine builder, mechanic, gunsmith, leathersmith--I've seen cases of all of those). They don't orignially set out to turn there skill into a business venture. But the allmighty dollar sings it's sweet song and the craftsman starts accepting outside work. Customers flock to them based on their well deserved reputation for quality. But ultimately the craftsman is a craftsman, not a business man. They bite off a little more than they can chew and things start getting out of hand. Customers are calling and e-mailing (justly, I might add): Where's my stuff? You told me two weeks and it's been four months!? I've been trying to call you!! What's going on?!?!

The craftsman begins to resent the customers for "impossing" on how and when he does his craft. The craftsman knows he's better at what he does than most and figures that his work is worth the customers' wait and aggravation (he wouldn't have thought this before, but his resentment towards the customer clouds his judgement). Eventually the customers' aggravation grows so much that the craftsman can't ignore it any longer. As a result he completely withdrawls. Work stops (if any was actually being done at that point) and the craftsman JUST WANTS OUT in the easiest and fastest way he can. What's easy and fast for the craftsman ususally includes screwing the customers.

I don't know if that's exactly what's going on with Rick at Macdizzy--but I bet it's close. The lesson is don't try and turn your skill/hobby into a business unless you have business skills, customer service skills, or a partner who does. Otherwise it doesn't turn out well for anybody...

well said... and true....
yah, it can easily take the fun out of working on stuff

[SuperChris]

You are right about that. I even gave Rick an out by saying he can keep the money and just send me my cylinder the way it sets, even if he didn't touch it. Still no reply. I'm sad. All my buddies (and even parents!) are going out for the weekend on reservations that I made at the Oregon Dunes and I can't go.

[crazedape]

I have no heart for people who bite off more than they can chew. It is still stealing. Like I said take action or bend over. What else are you going to do. Don't take offense at the way I say things. I just don't like thieves and the more you can do to stop them the better.

[zedicus00]

hey gpracer, add me to that list, im a custom performance computer assembler... i can build something in my sleep that will whip the crap out of companys like alienware. the problem is everyone wants me to build cheep pieces of chit becuz dell sales a 399$ dollar comp. i dont have it in me to screw peeple like dell does.

and come on give the guy a break. i would bet good money he gave it up cuz he got tired of all the crap that comes from idiots...

[Aceman]

Originally posted by zedicus00
and come on give the guy a break. i would bet good money he gave it up cuz he got tired of all the crap that comes from idiots...

Give the guy a break?!?! Like GP said, he probably bit off more than he could chew. He needs to nut up, tell people he's not accepting anymore work and finish taking care of the customers that he's already doing work for. Plain and simple, it's major BS. I can't believe he won't even send the cylinder back when SuperChris gave him a way out, COME ON!! It shouldn't be everyone elses problem that he can't run a business properly, if he takes my cylinder and says it will be done in 2 weeks, it had better be done in around 2 weeks. I can understand things come up that slow you down but a phone call is all it takes too let a customer know you're running a little behind schedule. Now if he said there was a 4 month wait and I sent it anyways, well that's another story. I don't understand why SuperChris should lay off when it's HIM that isn't going to be able to use his reservations at the coast with his family. Don't you think you would be a little more than pissed, I should hope so. Rick needs to man up and make it right.

[rebelbanshee]

Pro-X jugs arnt cheap, neither is porting...if what is said is true MacDizzy deserves no break. He belongs in jail with all the other no good crooks.

[zedicus00]

i would imagine he got tired of dealing with idiots. it has nothing to do with knowing how to run a business. anyways if you guys want get me yur name an all the info on the jug and i will c if i can round him up...

[SuperChris]

Thanks, I'm SuperChris Sherman, from Roseburg Oregon. I sent a 72MM Pro-X jug to Rick a long time ago to have an ultra midrange port job done with a flat top piston and dome. He might remember me telling him about the Sparks MX pipe I have. Thank you for the help.

[SuperChris]

Anybody hear from Rick yet? I still leave emails and voice messages at least once a week and have not heard from him since December.

[rebelbanshee]

i think its time to report it stolen

[BLACKeR]

i think it was time 6 months ago...

[lee37vernon]

i bought some bits off him from e bay a short while back , he sure was selling a lot . i think i'd be inclined to report it too :mad:

[wilkin250r]

I talked to him a couple months ago. I just had him ship my engine back to me.

[SuperChris]

I've left messages asking him to keep the money I've sent him and just send me my cylinder and he still won't. He won't even answer my calls. I'm really frustrated becauze I can't ride my R. I'll try to get a pic and send so you guys can see why. It's beautiful, aftermarket (ebay'd) everything, lovingly detailed and polished to the max with no cylinder.

[number5]

Its funny people here feel bad for the **** bag.

[BLACKeR]

stop telling us what hes doing and just call the police. i would leave one more message for him that says i have called the police and reported my cylinder stolen. i want all the money back i have payed you plus my cylinder. or all my money back plus the cost of a replacement cylinder. if not say hello to the cops for me...im amaized how long people dick around with these guys who are ripping them off. in all honesty he probly lost of broke you cylinder 6 months ago and has been hoping you would stop calling, so he wont have to deal with it.

[Aceman]

^^^Exactly. I too, don't understand why people drag it out this long. Hell, if he didn't return my phone calls after a month I would of called the police. Time to quit f&*king around with this guy Superchris, you need to drop the hammer. He needs to face consequences. I'm honestly surprised you haven't bought another cylinder just to get you by while you've been waiting for yours.

[rebelbanshee]

If hes still doing busines on ebay there is a good chance he is getting you messages and just not doing anything. I have a place screwing me over on a part once, wouldnt respond to messages, so I said i was reporting it stolen and calling the sate attorney general. I got a responce a couple hours later. If you shipped the cylender or money through the USPS it is covered under mail fraud, the post office doesnt mess around with that.
You should be able to nail this criminal scumbag to the wall no problem.

I cannot beleive how many people let stuff like this slide. There was a guy on another site that screw multiple people out of tons of parts, and no one did anything. People need to realize that the law is on their side and that dick bags like this need to go down.

[number5]

Anybody live near this piece?

[Mechanix311]

i agree with you rebel banshee but you would be surprised how much the law is on the crooks side and not the other parties side. It seems like the crooks have more rights than we do. I hope you have a receipt because if you dont you probrably dont have a case. This sounds like an mp racing deal to me. If someone had my parts for that long without at least a phone call it would be worth my time to go and kick their a** and go into their garage and get my parts back. Look for cheap plane tickets. I would pay your way if i could watch you thump him.

[NJChris]

If he is selling stuff on ebay then contact him there like you wanna buy something at first then tell him who you are!


BTW Rick built me a top-end a few years back. It took a while but its the best motor I've ever ran (ESR,CT,RCR,etc...).

[b.lee]

The police arent going to do anything anyways.

I had someone steal my pro-trax front end parts from oregon, he was supposed to 'duplicate' them, but no, he stole the parts and never talked to me again.

I talked to the sheriff of this county and he did nothing.

Great.
So I cut my losses and bought long travel arms and stock spindles.


and i was thinking about using Macdizzy too.
who's the next best porter?

:ermm:

[number5]

Protrax front end. Sounds like a plane ticket to me.

[DezSled]

This might be a stretch, but why not write a letter to the magazines? If any one of them put the letter in one of their columns it would be read by quite afew people in the industry. His business relationships with others in the industry would be affected I would think. No one likes to hear about someone losing an expensive pro x cylinder to anyone...let alone $ too