Beware ,American Cycle Fabrication – Paul and Denise Friebus

[craig (DE)]

Boy you said it "ALL" here Eric ! I just had a similar experience. $1,000.00 bill and the bike is worse than when it went there !!!

So hard to know if you will get decent service anymore. With my later model year bikes, I try to support a local independent shop but it seems they go through mechanics on a regular basis but I guess that is also true with the H-D dealers.

[duffeycycles]

If you worked for MC mechanix pay,you would understand.The HD Dealers want MMI grads to work for just above min wage.I work for less as indy & some customers think I charge way too much.

[kitabel]

If only money was the penalty for good work........

[T. Cotten]

...I work for less as indy & some customers think I charge way too much.

Local customers suck.

No matter where you are...

So now I have only the best customers in the World.

...Cotten
PS: Liberty's flags are flying today!

[T. Cotten]

If only money was the penalty for good work........

And why did it take somebody like Andy Warhol to tell us that the market was the enemy of the artist?

.....Cotten

[chuckthebeatertruck]

If you worked for MC mechanix pay,you would understand.The HD Dealers want MMI grads to work for just above min wage.I work for less as indy & some customers think I charge way too much.

I've pulled more than one service ticket in my life.

This is why I have much empathy for Paul, despite my frustration with his business practices.

[beaumonts]

Much empathy for someone who is actually committing fraud by not giving back my bike or returning my deposit and making promises to return my refund etc and then ignoring me. Sorry Chuck, business practices would entail actually having a legitimate business. This is not legitimate. Would you have much empathy if he ripped you off for twenty grand?

[Chris Haynes]

If you worked for MC mechanix pay,you would understand.The HD Dealers want MMI grads to work for just above min wage.I work for less as indy & some customers think I charge way too much.

In my days of owning shops MMI grads were able to change oil unattended. Anything else required constant supervision.

[kitabel]

First: I agree, it's criminal behavior.
But... I prefer not to use the term "fraud", as its legal meaning is quite different from the descriptions posted here.
Fraud is defined as:
1. something known not to be true which was promised to solicit a transaction from another party
2. it was intended to deceive another party before the transaction, who would not have agreed if the truth were known
3. the other party "substantially relied" on this representation (not a trivial detail)
4. the other party had no easily available information warning them (as opposed to all the rude remarks about Mel)

Fraud may have occurred w/r/t promises as to delivery, problems, etc. ("you'll have it by next week") after the initial failure, but I don't think we can say Paul intended to cheat anypne when the work was first discussed.

Me:
Senior Court Clerk, Supreme Court of New York County (Civil Term) 1991-2002
H-D of NYC parts department 1983-84

[Steve Swan]

i'm not holding my breath for this thread to die...

[beaumonts]

I understand what your saying but after 8 years of "promises" that none have come into fruition including the bike not being touched or any services rendered " not one picture supplied after numerous requests" and no return of my deposit or bike it sure feel's like fraud from my perspective and I will be pursuing it in this manner.

[len dowe]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Harley-Davi...0/173892421990

[kitabel]

I'm just telling you what the District Attorney and police may say. An example of how they may respond to your accusation:
"What part of your original conversation (prior to sending the work) included specific statements known to be false when offered (e.g., "the BBB rated me 5 stars", "the bike will be done in 30 days", "the cost will not exceed $XX"), which PF knew were false, and can you prove this (by e-mail text, letter, recorded phone call, witness to the conversation)?"
PF may also be bound by any service authorization you signed, and by any local repair ("lemon", "consumer protection") laws, and any signage in or at the store stating their policy.
To put it into simpler terms: breaking a promise is not fraud. If he violated the terms of a contract "this is a civil matter". Do you have a contract?

[T. Cotten]

In my days of owning shops MMI grads were able to change oil unattended. Anything else required constant supervision.

With a couple of exceptions, Chris,...

My experience was the same.

The exceptions were already proficient.

Was AMI a diploma mill, too?

....Cotten

[beaumonts]

I have all the email's from when I was dealing with his previous wife including what I requested for work on the bike etc as well as I have the bank draft I sent him" through the mail" with all the corresponding tracking information etc. and all conversations since. Bottom line this is the route that I have to go with now because being nice and trying to get this sorted out has not worked. I have no other option but to pursue with what I have and have the chips fall where they may. It would be nice if he had any peers in this industry to have people contact him and ask him WTF he is doing and why he is F ing me over for my bike.

What is noticeably absent is Paul chiming in on this conversation, he knows that this conversation is going on in a forum that is the upper echelon of Harley's in the world and has no rebuttal.
The District Attorney may say a lot of different thing's I understand this but all I can do is present all of my information and go with it.
Really freaking disappointed to say the least, especially when the person you are dealing with presents himself as a good person and probably was at one time but for whatever reason has decided to screw me out of my cash and bike.