Complaint Review: Auto Brander Consignor - Miami Florida

I was hooked by a great deal on a Bobcat Skid Steer that I found on Craigslist.  I contacted the seller, Kyle Johnson, who sent back a very long email explaining why he was selling the Bobcat at such a great price, what excellent condition it was in, and directing me to Auto Brander Consignor who was acting as the middle man to complete the transaction. 

Here's a copy of the email response I received when inquiring about the Bobcat:

"Thanks for the email address, it's better to have direct communication as those CL generated email addresses are getting me crazy.First of all, I apologize for the late answer but I had a family emergency and just came back in town. Hope I'm not too late and you are still interested.

The machine starts and runs like it should, without any issues. It has been checked out from one end to the other. Engine runs excellent, starts, runs well throughout all functions and does not smoke. All the controls are in working order and there aren't any service indicators or warning lights on. Has no mechanical issues or leaks, only normal wear and tear of a used machine. It has been always barn kept.  This is a clean machine, no liens or debts, it's ready for a quick sale.

The machine can be seen at the local ABC warehouse (check the link below to see pictures, selling price, description, specifications, etc.: autobrander . com / inventory / STN254155/ ). I suppose you know ABC, it is Auto Brander Consignor, the consignment service for vehicles and large items mostly. If you don't know them, take a quick look at their website, it should give you an idea how they work and how they handle these sales.

I left the machine in their lot because we got a great deal on a different one and as keeping them both is not an option, have signed a consignment agreement with these guys for its sale.

If you want to purchase the machine and inspect/pick it up yourself, then all you have to do, is to contact the ABC and make an appointment. Just provide them my name as seller and they will shortly provide further information.  In case you are not living in the area and want to have it shipped, based on their policy and due to my membership (my past transactions), shipping up to 1000 miles is free of charge for you as a buyer (over, extra fees will apply, $1.15 per mile). For this option, you have to go on their website and "Register" for a new transaction. The process is very easy and simple, just fill out the requested information on the registration page and within maximum 24 hours, an invoice regarding the purchase will be issued to you. The invoice should contain detailed information about this transaction, like insurance, shipping process, bill of sale, payment instructions, etc., basically all you need to know about your purchase. That's the essentially online buying process, but i should also mention their Pre Delivery Inspection you get at delivery, and their 7 day money back guarantee that follows, which costs nothing and should give you the chance and time to decide on the machine. The pre-delivery inspection will also have an ABC representative on site who should answer your questions, show that everything works and sign the necessary delivery papers. The machine was even pre-inspected before even being listed for sale and passed their inspection flawlessly. More information about the entire purchase process, may be found on their HOW IT WORKS page. I am sure they do a better job explaining things than I do.

That's all for now, but if you have any other questions, i'll be more then happy to assist.

Thank you in advance!

--

Sent from my Verizon 4G LTE Droid

Regards,

Kyle Johnson"

I completed the information requested on the Auto Brander Consignor website and was contacted by them requesting a wire transfer of $9,500 within 48 business hours.  I had some back and forth correspondence with Kyle Johnson regarding the purchase of this item.  He also sent me a copy of his passport and driver's license from Portland, OR to instill confidence, but these had someone else's name on them...not Kyle Johnson.  I'm guessing that this man may have been previously scammed by this group since Auto Brander Consignor had asked me for copies of my passport and driver's license as part of completing the transaction, which I did not provide to them.  I researched Auto Brander Consignor online and found several forums that gave them rave reviews.  I googled Kyle Johnson's name and nothing came up.  I called a local Bobcat dealership and asked them to check the Bobcat serial number to see if it was stolen equipment, and they said that it was clean.

I called my bank and initiated a wire transfer.  My bank's fraud protection called to talk to me about some of her concerns about the transaction.  First, she said that the account the money was to be wired to was just opened the previous month.  Second, the name the money was being wired to was Bodentom Corp and not Auto Brander Consignor.  I then tried to call Auto Brander Consignor, but no one answered the phone.  I was able to use their chat web service.  I told them that I wanted to go to Portland to see the equipment and pay cash, and asked for the address where the Bobcat was located.  They at first said that was fine, but then made every excuse as to why that wouldn't be possible e.g., equipment was already loaded for delivery.

I sent Kyle Johnson's contact information to the woman in my bank's fraud protection department.  The woman called me back and said that she did a search of Kyle Johnson's email address and it came up as being a scam in which he was trying to sell a similar item.  I had her cancel the wire transfer.  Shortly after, I started receiving emails and text messages from Auto Brander Consignor in which they used high pressure sales techniques to try to get me to complete the transaction.  I did not respond to them.