# Vik stole my money



## HL7DS (Aug 15, 2016)

Hi everyone, 

*TLDR*: 
vik took my money, built a guitar which had a problem with lacquer finish, took it back to repair (it was summer 2012) and has been vikking me ever since. 
Ignoring messages, not returning phone calls, giving all kinds of excuses, making fake promises, even lying - all that stuff. 
Last time I heard from him was more than a year ago.


So here's the story.

I probably used to know vik better than most people on this forum. 
I think we met around 2005 when I was still living in Belarus (I moved to France in 2009). 
He's a determined, well-spoken and knowledgeable guy, and I really enjoyed our conversations about music, guitars and whatnot. 
Don't know if I was a friend to him, but to me he was a friend from whom I learned a lot. 
I remember being very happy for him when his guitars started to "make it" and to become more and more popular in the guitar playing community. 
All in all, it was a pleasure knowing him. Until I gave him money and got to know his "business side".

I ordered a custom guitar from vik in spring'2011. 
He gave me a good price (1666 euros which I believe was lower than he used to charge at that time), I paid him and the work started. 
At first vik told me that my guitar could be ready in two months but he couldn't guarantee it, "we'll see how things go". 
OK, I let him do his thing and only contacted him once in a month or two about the progress. 
He replied rarely, I would say 90% of my messages got ignored. 
In the meantime of course I kept seeing other people's guitars started and finished while mine was still in indefinite stage of progress. 
Despite my frustration I stayed polite and kind in my messages to him.

Fast forward a year of "call me later"-s and "I can't promise anything"-s, and I finally get the guitar in spring'2012. 
Here are the pictures of the beauty from vik's FB/forum: https://www.facebook.com/133171110056707/photos/?tab=album&album_id=367587616615054

In case the FB album suddenly gets deleted, i'm attaching some pics here as well.

































Looks good, right?

However, the guitar I actually received wasn't quite as perfect, and things kept getting worse week after week. 

The lacquer finish was cracking all over the instrument. 

By the way I know at least one other customer who had same kind of problem with his vik guitar. 
































Well, vik admitted the fault and agreed to take the guitar back to redo the job. 
So I sent it back to him (summer 2012), and it was a very poor decision as I soon realized. 
When you're dealing with a guy like this, and he has both your money and your instrument and there's no written contract between you two - nothing bad can happen, right?

I did my best to stay positive and encouraging, trying to contact vik as rarely as I could to not put him under pressure. 
What follows is our communication history during these years.
The English translation is approximate and not close to the original text in terms of politeness, but I hope it gives the idea of what was going on. Enjoy!

---

December *2012*
me: "Hi, i'm in Belarus on vacation, can visit you next week (to pick up the guitar)".
vik: "It's still in works, we'll see by this weekend".
*
2013*

January 1 (few days before I have to go back to Paris)
me: "How is it going?"
No reply.

January 6
me: "When should I expect it to be finished?"
No reply.

Jan 29
me: "it's been 6 months already, what's up?"
vik: "the lacquer is still drying, there's only 1 last layer left to apply "

Feb 15
me: "hi, what's with the last layer?"
No reply.

March 14
me: "how is the instrument? Just a few words?"
No reply.

March 19
vik: "I've been thinking and I believe it would be better if I just refund you. I've pity for this guitar and for you with all these problems."
me: (not understanding) "And what about the lacquer - is there still much work to do?"
No reply.

March 25 
me: "you didn't reply".
No reply.

May 29
me: "what are the news?"
No reply.

July 23
me: "can you please tell me how things are going with my instrument, what are your plans? You told me in January there's only 1 lacquer layer left. It's end of July now."
No reply. 

August - I made a phone call and vik said he had no proper workspace to do the lacquer job, waiting for some guy to provide him some temporary space.

August 20
me: "any news?"
No reply.

September 26
me: "any news?"
No reply.

October 21
vik: "hi! I'll be in Paris December 11-13"
me: "are you bringing the guitar?"
vik: "i think i am"

December 2
me: " so u come with the guitar?"
vik: "yes it seems"
me: "ok, what are the plans, where do we meet etc?"
No reply.

December 10
me: "so, shall we meet?"
No reply. Then he posts pics from Paris on his FB, but doesn't contact me and ignores all messages. 

December 18
me: "what's up?"
vik: "I couldn't use my credit card to add the guitar to the booking when checking in on my flight, and I lost my old card which I bought my ticket with, so I couldn't take the guitar with me".
me: "why didn't you let me know then?"
vik: "had no time, and also internet in my hotel wasn't free"
me: "so the guitar is ready for taking?"
vik: "well... yes"
me: "what do you mean by well"
vik: "there's always something to rub or to tweak"
me: "ok, my friend in Minsk will take it in the next 2-3 days. or maybe even tomorrow"
No reply.
me: "Slava?" (his name)
No reply.

December 24
me: "hey, need the guitar, my Minsk friends are traveling to Europe by car and can take it with them"
No reply.
*
2014*

January 18
me: "when will u return me the guitar?
vik: "after NAMM. too much work now."
me: "ok give me the exact date"
vik: "i'm back on January 30, couple days of rest and i'll finish it."

February 3
me: "any progress?"
No reply.

February 20
me: "how is it going?"
No reply.

March 19 
me: "Hi. Really looking forward to your news. Let me know if you have a minute"
vik: "should be ready next week"

March 31
me: "well, is there any progress?
No reply.

April 27
me: "please respond to my message"
No reply.

May 8
me: "hello, how is it going?"
vik: "hi, I'm silent as there's some trouble with completing the job. Polished off too much lacquer in one spot, so need to apply a new layer, but can't do it at my place, and the other one is not available at the moment."

May 24
me: "i'll be in Belarus in June (can take the guitar if it's ready)"
vik: "when?"
me: "until 14th"
vik: "will do my best!" (needless to say, nothing happened, and he stopped picking up the phone as my departure date approached)

July 31
me: "can't get thru to you on the phone. what's with the guitar?"
No reply.

August 22
me: "hi, any news?"
No reply.

October 24
me: "hi, please get back to me regarding the news, can't reach u on the phone"
vik: "i was driving, couldn't pick up the phone when u called. I polished the guitar, waiting to be able to lacquer it for the last time"
me: "and when will you be able to do it?"
No reply.

December 19, we had a phone talk and agreed to get in touch on 26th.

December 26
me: "we agreed to write each other on 26th, any news?"
No reply.

December 30
vik: "sorry, so much stuff going on now. Hope to get some time by Friday and assemble your guitar"
*
2015*

January 10
me: "Friday was a week ago. when will i hear back from you?"
No reply.

January 14
vik (sends me a pic of his terribly cut finger): "i damaged my finger and the work is super slow, preparing to NAMM, will be working on everything when i'm back"
me: "take care man"

January 29
me: "how do we reach an agreement to finally have the guitar ready so some of my friends in Belarus can take it in the next 2 weeks?"
vik: "I'm still in USA, back in a few days"

February 10
me: "we talked a week ago, did anything change since then? i'll be happy if u find 30 seconds to message me back"
vik (2 days after): "hi! Still no news, because I caught flu from my kids"
me: "hi. i understand. I'll be honest, I'm tired of it. After paying you the money I still have to remind you about the job every now and then, and it goes on for 2.5 years now. I doubt it either of us happy. That's why I ask you to give me the guitar back by the end of the month - in whatever condition it is. It belongs to me, don't hold it, I'm tired of waiting"

Shortly after that we had another talk and vik said "ok, the guitar will be 100% ready this week". But I couldn't reach him on the phone and didn't get any message from him.

March 8
me: "Slava, what's going on? You said 100% this week."
No reply.

I finally lost it.

me: "dear friend, if you want me to try and go to police, I'm fine with it"
vik: "i have health issues, i can't work. you can go whenever you want, it won't make you or me feel better."
me (impressed by the tone of the message and thinking he was dying or something): "take ur time, health is more important than this"

A week or so after i wrote him again asking to get my guitar back without any lacquer done. No reply of course.

March 22
me: "listen, if u're not tied to your bed u can probably give my guitar to my friend who can come and pick it up. i don't need the repaint job. if u didn't manage to fix it after 2.5 years there's no hope u ever will. especially if u're having health problems, as you say"
No reply.

July 2015. 
The vik guitars FB page is finally back to life with some updates after a few months' pause. 
Mutual friends keep seeing the guy in town from time to time. 
Doesn't look sick (of course you never know), has 2 BMWs, moved out of town with the family - thanks god all _seems_ to be going well.
They tell him I was asking about him. "Yeah I'm working". 
Called him - he didn't pick up. 
Facebook updates with new guitars keep appearing. 
Called him again a few days after. 
First call - he didn't pick up, second call - "Your number is temporarily blocked". 
I wrote him an email expressing my dissatisfaction and wondering if I did him anything bad so he treats me this way. 
No reply followed, and I haven't heard from vik ever since.
*
2016*

I called him again several times last week from a new phone number. 
He either doesn't pick up or hangs up (well if he sees repeated calls from a french number he probably knows it's me). 
Sent him an SMS asking what does he think he's doing and demanding a refund. No reply.

---

So that's it guys. 

I wish I could've made this public earlier but I either had no time or no mental energy to do it. 
Last couple of years were pretty hard for me.

Before somebody asks, yes I checked about the possibility of taking legal action. 
As explained by a lawyer in Belarus, chances for getting my stuff back are close to zero. 
No written contract, payment by cash and paypal gift... 
Also, apparently the email/skype/fb/icq message history (where we discussed our deal 
and where vik confirmed that he's got the money) is not a hard enough proof for the court. 

Looks like nothing can really be done here.
Except warning others that *vik is capable of stealing*.
Knowing him, I honestly don't think he'll ever apologize and return my money. 
Pretty sure he'll never get in touch. But if he will, I'll let you all know.

Peace.


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## Alex Kenivel (Aug 15, 2016)

You mean the guy is shady as hell, a well-known thief and all-around world-class asshole? Nothing we all didn't know already. Sorry


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## CircuitalPlacidity (Aug 15, 2016)

So glad I didn't go with this guy. So glad. Sorry to hear of your troubles.


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## Promit (Aug 15, 2016)

Don't we already have a gigantic thread covering all the other people Vik has vikked? I'd prefer to keep everything in one place...


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## Mechanos71 (Aug 15, 2016)

That really blows. Only a scumbag would ruin a friendship over 1700 euros. There really needs to be better buyer protection in the small builder custom guitar community.


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## Alex Kenivel (Aug 15, 2016)

Promit said:


> Don't we already have a gigantic thread covering all the other people Vik has vikked? I'd prefer to keep everything in one place...



That thread was closed after the homophobe fiasco


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## jandro (Aug 15, 2016)

Alex Kenivel said:


> That thread was closed after the homophobe fiasco


edit- nvm found it


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## feraledge (Aug 16, 2016)

Surprising? No. Horrible? Absolutely. My condolences.


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## Promit (Aug 16, 2016)

Alex Kenivel said:


> That thread was closed after the homophobe fiasco



Ahhh I did not realize that.


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## Prophetable (Aug 16, 2016)

That is brutal, man. Hopefully this post will put some pressure on him.


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## remus1710 (Aug 16, 2016)

vik posted something about this on his facebook...


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## Taikatatti (Aug 16, 2016)

remus1710 said:


> vik posted something about this on his facebook...



He did. I copied this thread to the comments and he deleted it straight away. What a douche...


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## Casper777 (Aug 16, 2016)

Wow sad story indeed... 

seems many are in your situation, just looking as the pending list on his forum. 

All those guys have probably paid some hefty deposits

http://vikguitars.com/en-us/forum/index.php?topic=3.0

if each of them paid 1000 bucks, that a huge amount of stolen money! 

seems I was extremely lucky to actually get my guitar from him!!!


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## Edika (Aug 16, 2016)

Sorry to hear about this man. Things had started going south with this guy around that period when people started throwing money at him even though he tripled his prices. I think he even did a kind of open auction for one guitar too. Stories started surfacing from people that had started builds with the old prices being pushed back further and further and then it escalated to people paying the higher prices when the whole homophobia thing erupted that were criticizing him for his behavior. Suddenly he didn't feel obligated to honor transactions with people that were "against" him or being annoying.

I just hope he still has your guitar sitting somewhere in his shop collecting dust and hasn't sold it to someone else that offered him 3 or 4 times of what you paid. I have him capable of this but that's just pure speculation.


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## turenkodenis (Aug 16, 2016)

Instructive and useful history.
What a scum but sometimes it's easier to let go a problem than to continue to seek a solution.


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## narad (Aug 16, 2016)

Edika said:


> the whole homophobia thing erupted that were criticizing him for his behavior. Suddenly he didn't feel obligated to honor transactions with people that were "against" him or being annoying.



I just want to clarify that to my knowledge no one was ever turned away or their orders canceled, etc., for their views on homosexuality. I watched a couple posters on this very forum misread some posts, then parrot each other, until that was like common knowledge.

But ya, I know first hand that one can get their Vik orders cancelled by being annoying, i.e., publicly mentioning that their build is 2 years overdue and they haven't had a proper update in more than a year.


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## schantist (Aug 16, 2016)

Seems like both your guitar and the money are gone, you should've taken his refund offer while you could


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## Pikka Bird (Aug 16, 2016)

narad said:


> But ya, I know first hand that one can get their Vik orders cancelled by being annoying, i.e., publicly mentioning that their build is 2 years overdue and they haven't had a proper update in more than a year.



So yeah, "annoying" by the standards set by Vik Kuletski's hair trigger temper and arrogance. The kid's off the rocker.


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## jerm (Aug 16, 2016)

He's pond scum.

Sorry for your wasted time/money and effort. This really sucks.


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## Vrollin (Aug 16, 2016)

Taikatatti said:


> He did. I copied this thread to the comments and he deleted it straight away. What a douche...



He deleted my comments on his page.

One thing we can do that will effect his reach is report his page over and over until it is taken down. Will ruin his ability to use social media to advertise. I ....ing hate people like this guy...


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## TedEH (Aug 16, 2016)

Vrollin said:


> One thing we can do that will effect his reach is report his page over and over until it is taken down. Will ruin his ability to use social media to advertise. I ....ing hate people like this guy...



I don't doubt that this guy is probably guilty of making some poor or shady decisions- but I don't see how antagonizing him like that is going to help the situation. In the case that this guy is actually trying to sort things out, attacking him like that is just going to make it harder for him to focus on making anything right. He's not going to be able to deliver on anything if he has to spend all of his time doing damage control.


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## Womb raider (Aug 16, 2016)

TedEH said:


> I don't doubt that this guy is probably guilty of making some poor or shady decisions- but I don't see how antagonizing him like that is going to help the situation. In the case that this guy is actually trying to sort things out, attacking him like that is just going to make it harder for him to focus on making anything right. He's not going to be able to deliver on anything if he has to spend all of his time doing damage control.



I'd say 4 years is more that enough time to get the problem sorted out. If he was serious about making the situation right, he would have delivered the guitar by now. At this point it looks like OP is not getting either the guitar or his money back so he is screwed either way.


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## bostjan (Aug 16, 2016)

TedEH said:


> I don't doubt that this guy is probably guilty of making some poor or shady decisions- but I don't see how antagonizing him like that is going to help the situation. In the case that this guy is actually trying to sort things out, attacking him like that is just going to make it harder for him to focus on making anything right. He's not going to be able to deliver on anything if he has to spend all of his time doing damage control.



You have a great point.

However

If a business takes a turn from "shady" to "thieving," I doubt there will be any situation that will lend itself to the business going legitimate again. 

There might be a lot more to the story than this guy's side of it, but between the quoted conversations and the photos, I'd say that there'd have to be something borderline supernatural on the other side of the story for any of this to garner any sympathy for the luthier.

And like I've said a dozen times before on this forum, there are too many super talented luthiers around who are neither thieving nor shady to give guys like this the time of day.

I mean, so many years just to put on one last layer of lacquer and buff it. And it's not like he hasn't been taking other people's money over that period of time in order to deliver guitars already lacquered and buffed. It's like if the water company shut of your service due to a water shortage, but the house next door is running their sprinklers 'round the clock.


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## narad (Aug 16, 2016)

He is also built an entire guitar in a week.


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## 7 Strings of Hate (Aug 16, 2016)

March 19
vik: "I've been thinking and I believe it would be better if I just refund you. I've pity for this guitar and for you with all these problems."
me: (not understanding) "And what about the lacquer - is there still much work to do?"
No reply.


So after bad communication and a ....ty job, he offered to refund you and you didn't take it? If I'm reading that right, you've kind of brought this on yourself to a point.

This is business, and there are no friends when these things go on. There are so many shady shops that you have to be aware that you can get ripped off by them in the drop of a hat and need to take some initiative when things start going sideways. I don't trust practically any small shops anymore. 

A huge problem is people wanting customs. My policy is - If the guitar is made, I'l buy it. If its not, and I really really want it, then its a complete gamble. And at this point, I wouldn't gamble a dime on almost any of these small shops. It sucks, but thats they way its become. The only shops I can think of around here that actually come through are Oni, Skeverson, and Ormsby. 





narad said:


> He is also built an entire guitar in a week.



And thats why this stuff happens. Wood and finishes need time to settle and acclimate. There is a reason real shops don't have such quick turn around times. Not because they can't, but because they shouldn't because it negatively effects the instrument.


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## narad (Aug 16, 2016)

7 Strings of Hate said:


> And thats why this stuff happens. Wood and finishes need time to settle and acclimate. There is a reason real shops don't have such quick turn around times. Not because they can't, but because they shouldn't because it negatively effects the instrument.



Eh, he had the wood prepping, and he didn't delivery it immediately. Say what you want about Vik's character, but he's an ace builder when he wants to be. 

I mention not to suggest this is a sustainable rate of output. It's just that in light of seeing what he can do at maximum efficiency, the kinds of delays he's known for are that much more unreasonable.


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## ThomasUV777 (Aug 16, 2016)

Sucks man, hope you get your money back someday.


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## 7 Strings of Hate (Aug 16, 2016)

narad said:


> Eh, he had the wood prepping, and he didn't delivery it immediately. Say what you want about Vik's character, but he's an ace builder when he wants to be.
> 
> I mention not to suggest this is a sustainable rate of output. It's just that in light of seeing what he can do at maximum efficiency, the kinds of delays he's known for are that much more unreasonable.



Obviously hes not THAT great as your implying  Look at that finish. That was a rush job.

Having the wood prepped doesn't matter. Glue joints need time to settle. 
Finish takes time to offgas otherwise it cracks, bubbles, gets cloudy ect. 
Spraying nitro on a guitar literally takes a month due to wait times between coats and sanding sessions/buffing to cure properly. No matter how fast you are, the chemicals need time to cure. He obviously didn't wait on the finish on this guitar.


His wood work looks amazing. He just seems caught up in PR type stuff like speed building and rushing finishes.


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## narad (Aug 16, 2016)

Please note the "when he wants to be."


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## cip 123 (Aug 16, 2016)

Surely you can take legal action, if you have proof of communications and sending him money then you can. There may be no written contract however a spoken word (Or typed in this case) can act as a binding contract I believe in court.

You both agreed for one thing to happen, he failed to deliver and has effectively stolen your guitar. Theft. Go to the police.


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## bostjan (Aug 16, 2016)

I mean, if I went to, say, Taco Bell, and ordered a taco, and handed the cashier money when I ordered, and they refused to serve me, I could at least go to the BBB, if not outright sue them, so if I hand a luthier a fat stack of paypal money and he delivers a guitar, then takes it back to fix it and four years later, disappears with the guitar, I don't see how you should have any trouble getting the law to intervene, or at least a consumer advocacy group.


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## Señor Voorhees (Aug 16, 2016)

Internationally things get a little weirder and more difficult. Laws from one country don't apply to another, and there's also the fact that it's a hassle to cross border hold someone accountable.

Perhaps I'm mistaken, but I haven't the foggiest clue where the .... Vik guitars is located. Never was on my radar until the whole homophobic thing, which just made me like them less. Somebody with that sort of outward "professionalism" shouldn't be trusted. It sucks for people, like OP, who put trust in the prick. I really do hope something can be done about it, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. Look at Bernie Rico Jr. and that whole ordeal. And that was all within the United States, the land of the free, home of the "sue whoever you want for whatever reason you want."


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## narad (Aug 16, 2016)

Belarus. Good luck with the BBB having an effect there. I consulted a lawyer when I was in a similar situation and he basically said you're probably SOL, but if you want to pay even more cash than he owes you to find out, be my guest.


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## russmuller (Aug 16, 2016)

That's super sucky. I don't know what's up with these guys when you give them an out to simply send the guitar AS-IS or refund the money. I get it if the money's gone/spent/not available, but at least send the guitar out then. Isn't that worth it to get someone off your back?


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## cip 123 (Aug 16, 2016)

It's Theft outright. Thats pretty similar in most countries.


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## 7 Strings of Hate (Aug 16, 2016)

bostjan said:


> I mean, if I went to, say, Taco Bell, and ordered a taco, and handed the cashier money when I ordered, and they refused to serve me, I could at least go to the BBB, if not outright sue them, so if I hand a luthier a fat stack of paypal money and he delivers a guitar, then takes it back to fix it and four years later, disappears with the guitar, I don't see how you should have any trouble getting the law to intervene, or at least a consumer advocacy group.



This would also be dependent on if Vik's business is even a registered business. He could be doing this under the table and there is no recourse for that. Not to mention hes in another country. Ain't no way.


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## ramses (Aug 16, 2016)

7 Strings of Hate said:


> March 19
> vik: "I've been thinking and I believe it would be better if I just refund you. I've pity for this guitar and for you with all these problems."
> me: (not understanding) "And what about the lacquer - is there still much work to do?"
> No reply.



I know the above is a hurried translation, but Vik saying "I've pity for this guitar" is telling. He's shown disdain before for his earlier builds, the ones that came out before he started building his original designs.


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## SDMFVan (Aug 17, 2016)

Man, small time luthiery must be one of the most hazardous jobs on Earth. All these guys seem to be done in by illnesses that prevent them for working for extended periods of time. History Channel should make a show about them, Alaskan crab fisherman ain't got nothing on guys building guitars in their garage.


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## Chokey Chicken (Aug 17, 2016)

cip 123 said:


> It's Theft outright. Thats pretty similar in most countries.




This is true, but even in the US its pretty difficult, expensive, and time consuming just dealing with someone in a different state. Trying to hold someone legally responsible in a different country is a million times more difficult. 

Someone mentioned BRJ, and that's a good example. He stole tons of money, and lots of people have tried to hold him accountable to little / no avail. I don't forsee a happy ending here, and it's very sad. In a perfect world, OP definitely deserves a refund. Unfortunately we're far from a perfect world.


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## ThomasUV777 (Aug 17, 2016)

SDMFVan said:


> Man, small time luthiery must be one of the most hazardous jobs on Earth. All these guys seem to be done in by illnesses that prevent them for working for extended periods of time.



Not only luthiers... Same goes for music studios that need to deliver a mix


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## Casper777 (Aug 17, 2016)

Also seems like the next big blow up will be coming from Black Water guitars... again, an amazing luthier but a very poor business man, turning maybe unvolontarily as a crook!

Will never buy or order again from an emerging superstar builder... there are more than enough well established brands with millions of options to take the risk with those guys!


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## narad (Aug 17, 2016)

Black Water seems pretty prompt when it comes to delivering custom pickups, at least.


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## Casper777 (Aug 17, 2016)

narad said:


> Black Water seems pretty prompt when it comes to delivering custom pickups, at least.


 
not the same story when it comes to put a guitar around those pickups


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## narad (Aug 17, 2016)

Casper777 said:


> not the same story when it comes to put a guitar around those pickups



Sure, but I feel like there's a little bit of a difference when you're continuing to deliver *a* product to clients, as well as complete guitars to dealers, and complete guitars to everyone I know personally who has ordered from them. I know there are some unhappy customers, and I don't fully understand the details regarding their situations, but quite clearly some difference here between BW and ViK.


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## Señor Voorhees (Aug 17, 2016)

At the same time, a lot of those issues start off that way. The key is to cut off taking on more work and working on what you already have on your plate. That is usually the downfall of these places. They fall behind, need more money, take more orders, then get backlogged and financially destroyed so refunds/builds end up not even physically possible.

The safest bit of advice at this point for anyone interested is to just wait and see if things can correct themselves. Don't go forking over large quantities of money to people who are swamped with work already.


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## bostjan (Aug 17, 2016)

Señor Voorhees;4632125 said:


> The safest bit of advice at this point for anyone interested is to just wait and see if things can correct themselves.



So, after >4 years to apply a clear coat, the safest option is to wait and see if things can correct themselves?!



narad said:


> Belarus. Good luck with the BBB having an effect there. I consulted a lawyer when I was in a similar situation and he basically said you're probably SOL, but if you want to pay even more cash than he owes you to find out, be my guest.



Well, I never said the BBB would help in this case. You're probably right about this, on second thought. In the EU, there are consumer protections, but they are much looser than in the USA. There is a site that might provide some help, but it may simply be a time waster, although it sounds like the OP might be a patient fellow from his posts. I was mistakenly thinking Vik was somewhere else, not Belarus, because I don't really follow him. Belarus appears to have little to no consumer protection of its own, unsurprisingly.


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## Jacksonluvr636 (Aug 17, 2016)

Wow, pretty rough man sorry to hear.

I personally get pissed off when I see builders do this to people. They should not be in business and I would, like someone mentioned have everyone you know report his FB page.

Spread this as much as you can so he can't do this to others.


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## narad (Aug 17, 2016)

I'm lost what reporting his FB page is intended to do? I believe the report feature is for racist or explicit content, or fake pages. It is not intended to assess the competency of a business and you can't call the page fraudulent as he has many happy customers as well.


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## schantist (Aug 17, 2016)

narad said:


> I'm lost what reporting his FB page is intended to do? I believe the report feature is for racist or explicit content, or fake pages. It is not intended to assess the competency of a business and you can't call the page fraudulent as he has many happy customers as well.



It's just to undermine that he's an annoying customer who regrets turning down a refund when it was offered.

Vik doesn't give a flying f-word about it and 1700 doesn't really justify letting the lawyers loose, tough luck I guess


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## Nag (Aug 17, 2016)

As you said... leaving someone with your guitar AND your money is a very bad idea.

This is just infuriating. I know the racist stereotypes about "don't hire eastern european people for work, they're all shady bastards" are just racist stereotypes, but he kinda deserves all of them. I remember hearing a ton of good things about Vik back when Tom was getting his crazy fanned 9-string built from him. But then I also heard a couple stories about Vik changing some specs on custom orders without notifying the customers, and I knew that although I like his designs a lot, I would never order from him.

I'm really sorry that he did this to you. One more luthier to scratch off the very short list of guys you can actually trust with your money...

EDIT : is there any way you can take this to court ?


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## neotronic (Aug 17, 2016)

bostjan said:


> So, after >4 years to apply a clear coat, the safest option is to wait and see if things can correct themselves?!
> 
> 
> 
> Well, I never said the BBB would help in this case. You're probably right about this, on second thought. In the EU, there are consumer protections, but they are much looser than in the USA. There is a site that might provide some help, but it may simply be a time waster, although it sounds like the OP might be a patient fellow from his posts. I was mistakenly thinking Vik was somewhere else, not Belarus, because I don't really follow him. Belarus appears to have little to no consumer protection of its own, unsurprisingly.



Nope, EU has much stricter buyer protection than the US. Nevertheless Belorus is not in EU, so nothing we know about law applies there...


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## neotronic (Aug 17, 2016)

This is infuriating when builder does this to somebody, especially a friend. I feel for you.


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## ztevie (Aug 17, 2016)

This sucks....
But I must ask, in your conversation with VIK when he offered to refund, you never gave him an answer but just asked how the laquer job was going? Why? By that time I would have jumped on the refund offer without hesitation...

I've got a build going right now with a builder in east Europe, but I feel confident it'll turn out great. One good sign is that he actually stopped taking orders for some time because he had the schedule filled for the coming months.
He's also very open with how many builds he's got going on and even published a excel file with all orders and the schedule for them to be built.


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## Vrollin (Aug 17, 2016)

schantist said:


> It's just to undermine that he's an annoying customer who regrets turning down a refund when it was offered.
> 
> Vik doesn't give a flying f-word about it and 1700 doesn't really justify letting the lawyers loose, tough luck I guess



He has a guitar with a .... finish that is now sitting with the incompetent luthier and is down 1700... Such an annoying customer!!!!

I take it you're a friend of viks...


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## Señor Voorhees (Aug 17, 2016)

bostjan said:


> So, after >4 years to apply a clear coat, the safest option is to wait and see if things can correct themselves?!



Not my point. I mean nobody should give the guy money. I don't like to say it, because it's a sh_i_tty situation, but I'd be willing to bet money that OP is just f_u_cked.

The advice wasn't so much for OP, but for people in general. And it doesn't just go for Vik guitars, but any small brand that finds a sudden massive spike in hype. (BRJ, S7, Vik, etc.)


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## thrsher (Aug 17, 2016)

ive said it in the past but vik doest what he wants how he wants with no regards for the customer. i feel for all those people waiting in those two 8 string runs.


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## Womb raider (Aug 17, 2016)

Anybody that thinks Vik was just going to refund his money right then and there is bat sh crazy. It's not like he said what's your your PayPal address so I can forward you the funds this second. A reasonable follow up question was asked by OP and he stopped responding, which tells me he was full of it anyway.


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## M3CHK1LLA (Aug 17, 2016)

after reading story after story about vik, im surprised he is still is business...

...and that no one has paid him a personal visit.


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## chassless (Aug 18, 2016)

^ well, who _wants_ to go to Belarus?


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## schantist (Aug 18, 2016)

chassless said:


> ^ well, who _wants_ to go to Belarus?



Don't forget Belarusian rule #1: never bring a knife to a gun fight


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## turenkodenis (Aug 18, 2016)

Ukraine, the country I live in, borders with Belarus.
Let's go and let's kick his ass!
It's not a problem at all actually


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## fabeau (Aug 18, 2016)

I had a similar, though a little bit better-ending, story with my Duality.

I felt it is important to share this story despite being much less horrifying than Alex's. 

The guitar was a true beauty and it sounded amazing. However, it has been having lacquer issues since the first few months. The issues were much less relevant compared to Alex's ones but still very annoying given that the guitar costed me 2800.











In 2012 I contacted Vik and he promptly replied that he was happy to help me offering a free repair job. The job was done quite rapidly, less than 3 months. He personally brought that to me in Italy as he was there on holiday. The repair job seemed fine, he even fixed a small dent on the headstock without me asking for that - really appreciated. So far so good...quite. After a few weeks only the problem re-emerged. The lacquer was once again of a very bad quality, and spots and little cracks came out. Every little hits on the top resulted in a white spot. A new sign emerged each time I hit the top with the pick. After 1 year I started noticing cracks in the top likewise Alex's but luckily not that bad. At that point I sold the guitar, that I had to give out for a very low price due to these issues and the bad reputation that the guy was having at the moment due to the notorious gate.

The guy I traded the Vik with had even more serious problems. I post a few messages he sent me a few months ago:
- Hey man, the Vik I got from you needs its truss rod replaced. I took it to a shop here in town last week and they said the truss rod was tightened to the max. When they threw a washer on the threaded part of the truss rod to tighten it even further, it still wouldn't straighten out the neck. They ended up not charging me and saying there was nothing they could do and that I should contact the original manufacturer to see if they can replace the truss rod.
- I've contacted Vik, he doesn't appear willing to do any kind of repairs. The all the way slammed truss rod is just the tip of the iceberg of the long list of problems this guitar has just magically formed since receiving it. It's literally the worst instrument I have ever had to deal with. The guitar was honestly awesome when I first had it, but it started forming problems about 6 months after that. The finish cracked everywhere, the frets are coming out, the binding on the neck is peeling out on the corners and the electronics eventually had to be replaced.

I don't know how this thing went on because the guy is no longer on facebook.

I had a chance to meet Vik in person a couple of times, and had long email and chat conversations with him. Besides his questionable positions, I believe he is a very nice guy. However, as elsewhere stated by several others and proved by facts, the way he runs his business is extremely despicable. Alex and I trusted him and provided him a way to grow his business and that's the way he showed us his gratitude.

Also, I understand that he gave Alex a way out after a few months, but I believe most of us guitar nerds would have done the same, especially since Vik's reputation at that time was clean.

I hope Vik realises that he can still do something. Man, show you regret and that you care about your customers. Reimburse Alex straightaway. Do it for your business, at least.


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## Casper777 (Aug 18, 2016)

fabeau said:


> I had a similar, though a little bit better-ending, story with my Duality.
> 
> I felt it is important to share this story despite being much less horrifying than Alex's.
> 
> ...



Wow! that's scary... hope mine doesn't turn to crap suddently!! 

Once again, we can just learn from this that guitar building goes far beyond wood working skills and putting together nice exotic woods!!


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## narad (Aug 18, 2016)

Wow, I've never seen anything like those white spots before. The cracking I can sort of get on with -- if it's thin nitro going through a bunch of climate changes it can be quite natural. And it appears quite thin -- you can see it sink into the wood contours in the shots with a lot of glare.


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## bostjan (Aug 18, 2016)

Such a shame, those guitars are beautiful brand new. I've had my Oni CF8 for nearly a decade now and I've honest to God never even adjusted the truss rod, and it always has played perfectly, and I've used it as my main guitar since the day I opened the box


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## canuck brian (Aug 18, 2016)

fabeau said:


> - Hey man, the Vik I got from you needs its truss rod replaced. I took it to a shop here in town last week and they said the truss rod was tightened to the max. When they threw a washer on the threaded part of the truss rod to tighten it even further, it still wouldn't straighten out the neck. They ended up not charging me and saying there was nothing they could do and that I should contact the original manufacturer to see if they can replace the truss rod.



Solid chance the rod wasn't installed properly at all and its not exerting any decent force into the neck. If it's a single action truss rod, he cheaped out even more.

Vik would have to pop the fretboard off your guitar to do a truss rod installation. That's a super fun thing to do on a set neck.


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## OlisDead (Aug 19, 2016)

I don't believe a single second he would have his money back if he said yes to the refund offer.

I almost pulled the trigger on a Vik build a few years back and glad I didn't do with the ....ty business practices he has, all the horror stories and the overall personality of the Guy. That's a shame cause I love the way those guitars look.

I've always wanted a full custom guitar but seriously, with all the builders delivering guitars (when they deliver) with unacceptable flaws at maximum prices, I prefer to save money a little more and go with reputable companies (a custom ESP is my dream, and a PRS private stock too but that's another budget).


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## Jacksonluvr636 (Aug 19, 2016)

OlisDead said:


> I don't believe a single second he would have his money back if he said yes to the refund offer.
> 
> I almost pulled the trigger on a Vik build a few years back and glad I didn't do with the ....ty business practices he has, all the horror stories and the overall personality of the Guy. That's a shame cause I love the way those guitars look.
> 
> I've always wanted a full custom guitar but seriously, with all the builders delivering flawed guitars (when they deliver) with unacceptable flaws at maximum prices, I prefer to save money a little more and go with reputable companies (a custom ESP is my dream, and a PRS private stock too but that's another budget).



Same.

Although this has nothing to do with any other builder, things like this just ruin it for all builders. This is the exact reason why I will never deal with anyone besides a very long established and reputable company.

Am really sorry this happened to the OP. Not cool at all and people like Vik should be out of business since they want to screw people over.


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## electriceye (Aug 22, 2016)

Hope you get to show up at his home some day...


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## AxeHappy (Aug 22, 2016)

ViK actually did give me a refund, on a deposit even, when due to a string of very unfortunate circumstance money I had book marked for the rest of the build...was needed... and I couldn't manage to sell another fiddle in time. Now...he didn't refund the paypal fees, but neither did Ormsby when he sent me a refund and everybody is all over his dick so I suppose that is kosher by SevenString.org rules. 

With everything that happened after I got that refund I sometimes feel like I dodged the biggest bullet in the world. Sad.


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## narad (Aug 23, 2016)

AxeHappy said:


> ViK actually did give me a refund, on a deposit even, when due to a string of very unfortunate circumstance money I had book marked for the rest of the build...was needed... and I couldn't manage to sell another fiddle in time. Now...he didn't refund the paypal fees, but neither did Ormsby when he sent me a refund and everybody is all over his dick so I suppose that is kosher by SevenString.org rules.
> 
> With everything that happened after I got that refund I sometimes feel like I dodged the biggest bullet in the world. Sad.



Well c'mon - no builder should lose money (via paypal fees) because you didn't have the rest of the money for the build. I actually think I insisted that Vik pay the paypal fees on my deposits, but it was Vik who cancelled them, and in that case I don't feel like I should lose money because the builder's having a tantrum.


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## P-Ride (Aug 23, 2016)

Clearly, everyone getting great guitars is the best solution; with refunds a close second.

If neither of these are possible, then ensuring everyone is aware and his business suffers seems the next best thing.


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## AxeHappy (Aug 24, 2016)

narad said:


> Well c'mon - no builder should lose money (via paypal fees) because you didn't have the rest of the money for the build. I actually think I insisted that Vik pay the paypal fees on my deposits, but it was Vik who cancelled them, and in that case I don't feel like I should lose money because the builder's having a tantrum.




Indeed. Since it was a deposit he would have been completely within his rights to not refund me at all or force me to sell the spot. 

When the builder cancels the build, or there is a quality issue, or whatnot, then the Paypal fees should be refunded as well. Just like if you get a refund at a store you don't get the credit card or debit fees deducted from your refund.


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## HL7DS (Sep 11, 2016)

Hey guys,

So there's actually an update to this story, I was too busy to write it earlier but here it is.

Surprisingly, vik contacted me the very morning after I made this thread, and we had a pretty epic exchange during the day. Rough & quick English translation below, my comments in [brackets].


* * *


vik: Well, looks like you're already talking [he used a less nice word than that] somewhere. You know what, i'm so sick [literally "i've had so much sex with"] of you and this guitar that I wouldn't repeat it again, for any money. I myself offered you a refund when I saw what the guitar has turned into in your hands. She doesn't want to go back to you, in no way. And I don't wanna talk to you nor SMS you. Leave your morality lectures for your younger brother and email me like everyone else, in general order.

vik (few hours later): Why are you silent now? Farted all over the world and hiding now? 

[5 years is "already", wow. The guitar doesn't want to come back, wow. The "lectures" he's referring to is probably my previous sms where I said things such as "what's in your head? do you think I gifted you those money? do you think ignoring helps the debt pay itself? didn't your parents tell you stealing is bad?" Also, unbeknownst to vik, my yonger brother has died 2 weeks before that talk so that line got me pretty much pissed off. All in all I can't think of anything wrong that I've done to vik, and he's verbally offending me now. Nice start.]

me: Sorry to see that you're angry. But it's not me who keeps someone else's money for 5 years not delivering the instrument. It's not me who ignores messages. Now when my patience is long gone you're acting so mad like it's me who owes you, not vice versa. I already asked you for a refund, there's nothing else to discuss. And I'm not in a mood for a verbal fight, I'm wishing you well as a human being regardless our conflict.

vik: I don't have your money. I have the instrument which has been screwed up, and it's partially your fault. I agreed to repair it but I couldn't and looks like i won't. After your online song [mmm, how polite] I'll just send it to you as it is. Solve your problems yourself. [LOL]

me: I paid you for a finished instrument, not for a "screwed up" one. And i didn't do anything that could harm the lacquer. Now that 5 years have passed, either you send the finished guitar (which neither of us wants anymore) or you send a 100% refund. Taking money and obligations is YOUR problem, not mine. I paid my obligations to you in full, via cash and paypal.

[I take a pause here to unveil a part of the story. Before the guitar got delivered to me in spring 2012, it has spent a month at my friend's place in Moscow. Then my friend flew to Paris and brought the guitar with him. Before vik handed out the guitar, I checked with him whether it would be ok to keep the guitar in a closed case during this month and he confirmed, advising just to keep the guitar away from heat and cold. Which I communicated to my friend and he made sure these instructions were respected. He's one of my closest friends, I trust him as good as myself, and most important he's also a guitar player and knows how to treat expensive musical instruments.]

vik: When I sent you the guitar the lacquer was absolutely intact and I have lots of photos to prove it. Who did what to it during a month in Moscow is unknown to me. Lacquer doesn't just simply crack by itself.

me: well i have your FB message where you say that the guitar in fact DID have a small lacquer crack before being sent out. And the guitar was completely safe in Moscow, i checked with you about how it's gonna be kept there, so don't even try to blame.

vik: Yes that 2mm crack happened because i tightened a screw a bit too much. The rest happened because of no ventilation in a hardshell case during a whole month while the lacquer was "fresh". Or because of a million other reasons (transportation, storing, exploitation) which I don't know about. 

me: You KNEW how the guitar was going to be kept in Moscow, I checked with you about it back in a day for a reason. And what happened to lacquer on Fabio's guitar, another "unknown conditions of storage", even after you redone the lacquer job? That's a rhetorical question. Anyway [your accusations] don't change anything. We had a deal, money for a finished guitar. No guitar? Kindly return me the money. Now, after 5 years of ignoring me and treating me like dirt, you're trying to reinterpret the situation, suggest that someone else is to blame, force me to accept a "screwed up" instrument - this won't work.

No reply since.


* * *


All in all, it felt bitter and weird having to have this talk. When you're calling out a thieving person you'd usually expect them to be shy, not being aggressive or talking like it was you who ripped them off. Lord, he even tried to persuade me that those problems were my fault (as if it would change the fact he keeps both my money and my guitar for years without even talking to me). He probably sees this whole situation differently from his perspective, but in this case I can't understand why he never tried to sort things out in a normal human way in all those years. Imagine you're a luthier, you take someone's money and never deliver the guitar and don't reply to their messages for years. Then when they make the story public, you sms them saying that they "farted all over the internet", that they are guilty, that you don't have their money, that the guitar is offended and doesn't want to go back, then you suggest to solve their problems themselves, and then you disappear again. Just wow. 

In any case, as I told him, at this point I won't accept anything but a full refund. I guess he'll never do it and will keep avoiding me each time I'm in Belarus. We'll see how it goes.


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## littleredguitars2 (Sep 11, 2016)

screw that guy man. such a horror show. its too bad he's so delusional because he makes some pretty nice instruments from time to time. i seriously hope you get resolution. no one deserves this runaround.


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## jandro (Sep 11, 2016)

I suggest you take the instrument, IMO. Take it to a refinisher, and sell it. You might not recoup your investment, but at least you won't be completely eff'ed. I don't think he'll pay you back.


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## M3CHK1LLA (Sep 12, 2016)

jandro said:


> I suggest you take the instrument, IMO. Take it to a refinisher, and sell it. You might not recoup your investment, but at least you won't be completely eff'ed. I don't think he'll pay you back.



this would be better than nothing imho...cut your losses, cause you know he will not refund any money.


btw, since the orig "vik thread" got shut down, i havent heard a whole lot about him lately. did he ever get that new shop or deal with someone making an "econo" line of his guitars?


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## ztevie (Sep 12, 2016)

Vik, Sabre, Siggery.... What's going on with all these Luthiers?


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## thrsher (Sep 12, 2016)

M3CHK1LLA said:


> btw, since the orig "vik thread" got shut down, i havent heard a whole lot about him lately. did he ever get that new shop or deal with someone making an "econo" line of his guitars?



to my knowledge, none of that panned out and it looks like nothing has happened with those two 8 string runs from years ago either. also elq never got his saviour


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## mnemonic (Sep 12, 2016)

thrsher said:


> also elq never got his saviour



Which is ridiculous, since its been completed for like two or three years now.


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## littleredguitars2 (Sep 13, 2016)

are there other threads on here with stories like this one? i'd hope not but i'd lie if i said i wasnt fascinated by these stories


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## chassless (Sep 14, 2016)

^ search for Devries guitars on google for a good, hearty laugh. Make sure to check some video reviews too.


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## littleredguitars2 (Sep 14, 2016)

chassless said:


> ^ search for Devries guitars on google for a good, hearty laugh. Make sure to check some video reviews too.




wow... that was some good reading haha


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## chassless (Sep 14, 2016)




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## russmuller (Sep 14, 2016)

jandro said:


> I suggest you take the instrument, IMO. Take it to a refinisher, and sell it. You might not recoup your investment, but at least you won't be completely eff'ed. I don't think he'll pay you back.



^^THIS!!!!!!!


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## Dcm81 (Sep 14, 2016)

HL7DS said:


> ...will keep avoiding me each time I'm in Belarus.



You know where his shop is? Then don't let him avoid you! Walk right in there, if possible with some confident friends (you mentioned a few times you had someone there that could pick up the guitar for you) and demand/take your property!
You have the rare opportunity to visit personally and I would take it. Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying you should go over there to start any kind of physical altrecation, but the direct confrontation and the abilty (for him) to resolve the situation immediately, might just work out.
If not, well then you're no worse off than right now anyway.


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## HighGain510 (Sep 14, 2016)

Man reading through this thread just totally reaffirms why I moved away from small builders. I've had luck dealing with a few guys that were awesome even with some schedule hiccups, but some were total nightmares not unlike what ViK ended up becoming. There are some things that you really do have to go true "custom build" to receive if you *need* a certain set of specs or an odd shape or something, but in my experience I'd rather just try to find something production or semi-custom and mod it to suit my needs over going with a small builder anymore. 

Heck, even some reputable, large-scale custom shops have had issues over the last several years that have me scared to order from them as I really don't want to deal with the 1-3 year wait or potential botched spec issues. Custom guitar orders should be fun, and sadly after a few close calls with shifty builders I just can't/won't put up with the potential stress/anxiety/annoyance of that whole deal anymore.  

Hopefully you'll get resolution at some point, but based on ViK's previous actions and words, I wouldn't hold my breath.


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## Jacksonluvr636 (Sep 14, 2016)

Dude I will be blatantly honest here. It really sucks that you got screwed but it almost seems like you are screwing yourself at this point or perhaps enjoy the drama.

He offered you a refund in the past and then even after this thread was made he contacted you and said some not so nice words but here I will send you the guitar as is.

In my opinion you passed up two opportunities to either get some money back or get the guitar. If it were me after getting screwed I would have gladly said ok yes, please send me the messed up guitar as is or have taken the first offer of the refund.

I am not blaming you or Vik or anyone. Yes it should have been handled better and you should get a 100% flawless guitar but in Vik's defense, it was in the hands of a third party for a month? It is probably unlikely but you really don't know what your friend did with that guitar and neither does Vik.

Without all of the facts that no one will ever have to me it seems Vik screwed you pretty bad but then came back to you with 2 offers. Probably not the best offers or what you wanted but something is better than nothing right? I would be furious if I got screwed out of that much money but reality is there is nothing you can do about it now. I would rather have taken a guitar with a ....ty finish instead of now having absolutely nothing but some arguments and forum banter. 

TL;DR Sometimes you just have to cut your losses and take what you can get.


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## jrui (Sep 14, 2016)

I saw some new ones of vik, he still paints to the bloodwood top , which will peel off , which big company won't do .

I don't think he's qualified as a "luthier"


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## littleredguitars2 (Sep 14, 2016)

i'm gonna take this opportunity to point out a great very low volume luthier that i worked with. Odessa Guitars. i commisioned a build with Mike over there (just a one man show) and he was super responsive and was very open minded with my spec. it took a little while longer than projected when he admittedly messed up a route. he gave me the option of starting over from scratch or just getting a refund. i was confident in him and after 7 months total or so i got a great guitar.

all that being said, he did make me a new neck since then and i've swapped the pickups quite a few times but thats only because i wasnt really as happy with the specs i chose. he's a great dude. definitely recommend him

http://odessaguitars.squarespace.com/
mine is #7. the ash/black.


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## bostjan (Sep 14, 2016)

I'm not a mod or anything like that, but I would just like to politely and respectfully request that we don't take this opportunity, like so many other similar threads, to turn this into a dogpile of negativity directed toward all small builders, wholesale, some of whom are talented and business-savvy individuals.


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## HL7DS (Sep 14, 2016)

*Jacksonluvr636*, dude thanks for the wise words, I think you summed it all up perfectly!

I don't see this as a drama though (or at least I think I don't )

As for accepting the guitar... Well, first, there was no "offer"- a rude and bossy "you-take-it-and-F***-off" statement is something I refuse to take seriously. Especially knowing the man is a liar, the guitar's current state might be anything (neck/body/pickups/electronics completely disassembled, parts broken or thrown away, etc etc). There are people out there who keep hearing from vik *for more than a year* that their guitar is "ready" and he's "about to ship it". For more than a year. So, ahem, even if he would made a polite offer I still wouldn't believe his words.

Second, self-respect is more important to me than money, so keeping it is my way of "cutting losses" in this situation. I understand that for some of us taking the guitar would be [just a rational move with no loss of self-respect involved], but looks like I'm just too "proud" (for the lack of a better word). I'd rather lose my hard earned cash than make any deals or agreements with someone who lies to me and steals from me (and then bravely insults me from a safe distance, LOL).

So yeah, I might not be acting the smartest way possible here, it would just make me feel too bad I think 

Peace


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## narad (Sep 14, 2016)

jrui said:


> I saw some new ones of vik, he still paints to the bloodwood top , which will peel off



???


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## Blytheryn (Sep 14, 2016)

How does this guy still have any business at all? His official website is down and the first thing you get when you google the guy's brand is well not stuff about his guitars.


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## Lorcan Ward (Sep 14, 2016)

Blytheryn said:


> How does this guy still have any business at all? His official website is down and the first thing you get when you google the guy's brand is well not stuff about his guitars.



He has a very long wait list, can sell in-stocks in a few hours, NAMM builds are always pre-sold and is still quite in demand despite how hard it is to deal with him. 

It looks like the forum is down too. He stopped using that a year or two ago and focused entirely on FB. Google never forgets though.


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## feraledge (Sep 14, 2016)

To anyone blaming the OP for not just taking the guitar as is, I wouldn't fault him. Vik makes it clear that whatever he did to try to fix the guitar just made it worse. If the OP wasn't happy the first time, sure wouldn't be now. Paying another luthier to try and fix it would be insult to injury and he's never going to sell it for anything close to what he paid for. It would be a loss and if I were him I wouldn't even want it around.
The upside is by having some communication with Vik has him not denying he has the guitar meaning you have better legal standing to follow up with. 
But you should also probably remove any of your own comments about what you would be fine with losing. Not going to help you.


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## Jonathan20022 (Oct 29, 2016)

Can confirm, had a .... situation with someone who screwed me across the pond. And after they did essentially what Vik did here (Shift the blame, act high and mighty, become rude and unresponsive to requests), I went to my lawyer and asked about anything we could do. Can't do much when you're dealing international and the proof of purchase and Facebook conversations aren't really something that's held as perfect evidence even if I spent the money to pursue legal action. So it's an expensive lesson to take, but just take the opportunity to tell him to .... himself, that he's a scumbag and move on.

A lot could have been done differently here, Vik is still a criminal and at fault here. Hard to believe that people feel like you can fault the buyer at all, he clearly still liked and wanted his guitar back. Not an uncommon attitude for people stuck in these situations, and Vik wouldn't have honored this in any form or way.

I'm very glad you decided to be open about your situation, I'm considering taking a Vik in right now and it has me on the fence hearing about the finish issues and potential functional issues it could have. I might just save myself the headache and pass on it.


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## ElRay (Oct 31, 2016)

chassless said:


> ^ search for Devries guitars on google for a good, hearty laugh. Make sure to check some video reviews too.



But I don't think Devries ever truly shafted anybody. He promotes his obvious crap, puts out his obvious crap, and anybody ordering anything expecting more than obvious crap is like complaining that the cheapy "made by an amateur blacksmith in his back yard DIY foundry" hammer you bought is worthless for removing nuts.

Ray


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## chassless (Nov 2, 2016)

^ true, Devries is as painfully obvious as he can be


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## Caparison7 (Jul 8, 2017)

Omg , I just sent my Vik caprice 7to him, fix the neck problem. I have to pray....


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## diagrammatiks (Jul 8, 2017)

Caparison7 said:


> Omg , I just sent my Vik caprice 7to him, fix the neck problem. I have to pray....



Well this is interesting...
Forgive me but I have to ask..why. And what were you thinking. 
Serious inquiry.


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## Caparison7 (Jul 8, 2017)

diagrammatiks said:


> Well this is interesting...
> Forgive me but I have to ask..why. And what were you thinking.
> Serious inquiry.



I don't know about this things .
I hope he's good guy and send my baby back to me.


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