# Horrible experience, Vik guitar is scammer, stole my money and sold my guitar



## vikscammer (Jun 7, 2019)

Hi Everyone, 

I had a very bad experience about VIK GUITAR and VIK, he scams my money, does anyone have the same situation? Can we get together to fight against him? AT LEAST let less people lose money. Here is the whole story as below and evidence email, fb message as attachment, let's stop his crazy greedy action from now on. 

Story:
1: I talked to him about 1 custom build last August/2018, he promised to deliver the build in 6 months and ask for full payment upfront, fortunately, I didn't trust him too much and we agreed deposit and balance before delivery eventually plus he promised if he can't deliver in time, he will give me 10% discount every extra month. (see attachment email). 

2: He told me he has a 7 strings *Paradise Island* for Namm and can get ready to sell right away, I paid him full amount and he agreed to deliver at the end of Dec/2018, BUT he never deliver, several months later, he get ready for this guitar, but he said he doesn't think i will enjoy his guitar and he want to refund me and he sold this guitar on reverb!!!!* ,*it is so ridiculous excuse and I never get the refund!!! And he ignore my message, email and everything, so I think he is 100% scammer!!!! Evidence as attachment. 

*Anyway, It is horrible shit experience for me, and I think there must be some other victims have the same experience as me, VIK IS TYPICALLY LIAR, SCAMMER AND HE NEVER DELIVER YOUR ORDERS WITH THOUSAND DIFFERENT EXCUSES. During the time being, he told me he was sick 2 months, he was busy for Tosin project, he doesn't have money to refund but he sold my guitar......it is horrible, I just want to let this article go public and no people get scam, and also, I suggest all of victims get together to go after him...it is criminal, he stole people's money and move to USA enjoy his life, it is not fair!!!!*


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## MaxOfMetal (Jun 7, 2019)

https://sevenstring.org/threads/vik-duality-8-string-run-closed-run.220532/



Please don't spam this in every forum section. Vik is a known scammer. You're preaching to the choir.


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## vikscammer (Jun 7, 2019)

i am not trying to spam, could you tell me where is the right place to post this thread, thanks man. he is crazy


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## MaxOfMetal (Jun 7, 2019)

vikscammer said:


> i am not trying to spam, could you tell me where is the right place to post this thread, thanks man. he is crazy



Here is fine for now. Just keep it to a single thread. Thank you.


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## diagrammatiks (Jun 7, 2019)

Sorry this happened to you...
But you ordered a vik in 2018. Did you do any searches or due diligence before sending money?


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## Jason B (Jun 7, 2019)

Why did they change Holloway’s username?


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## M3CHK1LLA (Jun 7, 2019)

i thought vik would have learned by now and try keep the negative past behind him...


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## Jason B (Jun 7, 2019)

M3CHK1LLA said:


> i thought vik would have learned by now and try keep the negative past behind him...



Why avoid what doesn’t stick? The fraud works out for him every time and, even with people he’s screwed being in the Anaheim convention center with him every year, he’s kept his health.


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## Fred the Shred (Jun 7, 2019)

Every time I check on him, it's the same discourse, and many others have had a similar or worse fate. His Reverb ads sell, he manages to capture audiences unaware of the whole SSO fiasco (let's face it, this is a rather niche community in the grand scheme of things), and the internet is chock full of people who will not do a background check on a builder, as they are blissfully unaware of scams such as these.


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## vikscammer (Jun 7, 2019)

bump!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Seabeast2000 (Jun 7, 2019)

That one photo of Vik and those two others from recent US past seems to tell the story. At least to my outsider eyes.


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## narad (Jun 7, 2019)

The usual. I feel bad for you, but you managed to find this forum after the fact no problem -- you should have put in the effort to do it beforehand. I talk to so many guys over the years that hear the horror stories or complaints and go for it any way, with no sympathy for the guys that are already out tons of money. In that case I feel like you're partly to blame for winding up in this situation, and partly to blame for financing the next round of Viks, preventing other people from getting their own money back. 

Do not give Vik money. End of story.

And also please post details in some sort of chronological order. This is like the story of Vik scamming people as directed by Christopher Nolan.


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## jaxadam (Jun 7, 2019)

I think it’s a great idea to post his banking account and routing number.


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## ArtDecade (Jun 7, 2019)

Vik... scamming?! Is water still wet?!

You could probably forward this to the authorities in America. Trump might even deport him back.


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## jaxadam (Jun 7, 2019)

ArtDecade said:


> Vik... scamming?! Is water still wet?!



No.

http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=6097


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## Jonathan20022 (Jun 7, 2019)

The funny part is I know a few guys who think he's alright just because they're getting treated halfway decently with occasional updates. No matter how much warning there is, there will always be someone suckered into ordering something from a scammer.

There are still BRJ defenders to this day, some of it is unfortunate and some of it is blatant ignorance.

Contact your form of payment, Paypal/Credit Card/Bank and file a chargeback as early as possible if you actually value your cash. The longer you wait the worse it'll be for you, if you paid for something and he never delivered and you have proof. He gets hit with a the consequences of that chargeback and you get your money back. If he offers to patch things up do not believe him and get your money back anyways, don't believe him.


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## Seabeast2000 (Jun 7, 2019)

Could bonding/insurance be a bonus for custom builders or is that only a state-specific thing that wouldn't apply to interstate sales? Seems there could be an escrow company or something, and surely I'm reinventing the wheel, doesn't the Bay have something like this already?


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## Fred the Shred (Jun 7, 2019)

Given that the OP's payments will at least partially exceed most banking entities' cashback time limit, chances are quite slim at this point, which is a shame.


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## Jonathan20022 (Jun 7, 2019)

Yeah that's a real bummer, Paypal extended their disputes to 180 days from purchase but most banks are 120 days. You might still be able to open some kind of investigation and maybe get resolution with a bank, a buddy of mine got his Corelia Kickstarter funds back a year or so after it went down and things weren't happening.


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## Pietjepieter (Jun 7, 2019)

sorry to hear this, always bad when something like this happens.... but damn we have the internet, do you research before spending that much money!!

I love some of the guitars he build but damn I would never buy one, just because of the many bad stories going around!

Hope that you can get your money back in the end! No matter what, you are the victim here, hope you find a way out!


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## InHiding (Jun 7, 2019)

Really sorry for you. It would kill me if something like this happened. I bet those guitars are NOT cheap!


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## Konfyouzd (Jun 7, 2019)

Jason B said:


> Why did they change Holloway’s username?


That moment when shit gets real.

I can't fault OP for his timing in entering the fold. I can only be thankful I was HERE early enough to know what to expect from certain builders...

I apologize now for not being more helpful.


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## IbanezDaemon (Jun 7, 2019)

How is this utter bell end still in business especially now that he's in the Sates?


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## Konfyouzd (Jun 7, 2019)

IbanezDaemon said:


> How is this utter bell end still in business especially now that he's in the Sates?


Ignorance. Is. Bliss. 

Until you lose money being ignorant

Class action lawsuit? All of SSO gets $4? Let's do it.


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## IbanezDaemon (Jun 7, 2019)

Konfyouzd said:


> Ignorance. Is. Bliss.
> 
> Until you lose money being ignorant
> 
> Class action lawsuit? All of SSO gets $4? Let's do it.



There has to be some legal avenue that can be pursued. This is outright fraud.


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## Konfyouzd (Jun 7, 2019)

IbanezDaemon said:


> There has to be some legal avenue that can be pursued. This is outright fraud.


I would tend to agree with you, but the American legal system surprises me on a regular basis. Sometimes in my favor. Often not...


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## IbanezDaemon (Jun 7, 2019)

Konfyouzd said:


> I would tend to agree with you, but the American legal system surprises me on a regular basis. Sometimes in my favor. Often not...



That wouldn't surprise me at all...the law is an ass....as was famously written. Tell me..would one of the big obstacles be the financial side of it? I'm guessing so. I'm in the UK and whilst I haven't had need of legal services in decades if I did and under certain conditions you got your legal representation paid for.


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## Konfyouzd (Jun 7, 2019)

IbanezDaemon said:


> That wouldn't surprise me at all...the law is an ass....as was famously written. Tell me..would one of the big obstacles be the financial side of it? I'm guessing so. I'm in the UK and whilst I haven't had need of legal services in decades if I did and under certain conditions you got your legal representation paid for.


Well...

*preemptive knock on wood*

I'm usually fine in terms of my ability to finance legal representation when needed, but that's part of what bothers me.

I keep disposable income available and thus am--in some cases--better off than a less financially well off person with the same good intentions as my own.

But I can afford to have a lawyer tell my story; those I've known cannot. I don't like *that*.

In situations where I've temporarily utilized public defenders the representation is basically an amicable walk into the mouth of something that will chew you up and spit you out. Untenable on certain levels in my opinion despite my (*one more knock*) ability to avoid trouble thus far.


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## Jonathan20022 (Jun 7, 2019)

Vik made things much harder for himself legally by moving his business into the states, but there are still a number of roadblocks behind the typical "see you in court" threats people love to toss out. The time, cost, and stress that comes from filing papers against someone in the states is that most people can't afford to use up any of those resources.

Class action lawsuit is always thrown around too, our folks on the forum are too scattered and disorganized to put together something like that and making it a reality. The closest we got was with BRJ, but literally nothing ever came of that. A Facebook group was produced and someone ordered a private eye to investigate the prior building where Bernie worked out of.


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## _MonSTeR_ (Jun 7, 2019)

Maybe we should all club together and put someone through law school? Given there’s a new “ultimate luthier turns evil” thread every 18 months, in about 100 years, we might be breaking even...


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## Konfyouzd (Jun 7, 2019)

_MonSTeR_ said:


> Maybe we should all club together and put someone through law school? Given there’s a new “ultimate luthier turns evil” thread every 18 months, in about 100 years, we might be breaking even...


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## BIG ND SWEATY (Jun 7, 2019)

This sucks and all but I don't feel bad for guys who get themselves into situations like these. You're already on the internet finding these luthiers to get a build from so why not spend an extra 30 seconds googling to figure out what kind of businessman they are before giving them any money? I get that its harder if its a newer builder but this is ViK, it takes all of 10 seconds to find out the guys a cunt.


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## Jonathan20022 (Jun 7, 2019)

Or maybe some foresight and research prior to throwing down thousands on anything 

I've probably put 8 hours of research into my PC's monitor upgrade the past few weeks, no harm in making sure what you're paying for is legitimate.


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## Konfyouzd (Jun 7, 2019)

Jonathan20022 said:


> Or maybe some foresight and research prior to throwing down thousands on anything
> 
> I've probably put 8 hours of research into my PC's monitor upgrade the past few weeks, no harm in making sure what you're paying for is legitimate.


Logic?

Get the fuck out...

We don't appreciate your kind around these parts.

EDIT: I don't often think in more than one language at a time, but when I consider what I just said alongside phrases like "De que parte es usted?"...

Some of you get it...


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## narad (Jun 7, 2019)

Jonathan20022 said:


> I've probably put 8 hours of research into my PC's monitor upgrade the past few weeks, no harm in making sure what you're paying for is legitimate.



That said, I'm not sure if that's exactly optimal either. initial-budget + (8 * hourly-wage) probably puts you in the bracket of items that are unequivocally better than the ones you're considering.


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## spudmunkey (Jun 7, 2019)

narad said:


> That said, I'm not sure if that's exactly optimal either. initial-budget + (8 * hourly-wage) probably puts you in the bracket of items that are unequivocally better than the ones you're considering.



But that time spent isn't just finding a good price, but also finding the right product to save you hours of aggravation later. If I had spent 10 more minutes researching my miter saw before I impulse bought, I could have saved $5 but then I also wouldn't have to rotate every 4x4 to cut it twice to get all the way through.


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## Jonathan20022 (Jun 7, 2019)

narad said:


> That said, I'm not sure if that's exactly optimal either. initial-budget + (8 * hourly-wage) probably puts you in the bracket of items that are unequivocally better than the ones you're considering.



Well just to put things into perspective, you definitely don't need 8 hours of research to tell you not to order a Vik. "Vik Guitars" on Google brings up the homophobic stuff and his official website, then page 2 leads you to some other repeated postings but also the 8 string run thread on SSO. Brands like Blackwater/Decibel didn't get this much coverage, especially mainstream coverage so that requires a bit more time to find out those are dead brands. Even if your wages comes out to $500 in a work day, 8 hours "lost" is still a better deal than losing what, 4 - 5k like OP?

The comparison to the monitor in my case is definitely not 1:1, it's more that shopping around will find me the exact specs (32", G/Freesync, 4K, etc) for the right price. And the time in research would reveal that ASUS has historically some of the worst warranty CS in the world, leaving people waiting months at times to get working stock to replace defective hardware past the original retailer's return window.

Buying sight unseen is never a good idea, less so in scenarios where your money is in limbo hinging on the morality of degenerate business owners who shouldn't have customers in the first place.


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## narad (Jun 7, 2019)

spudmunkey said:


> But that time spent isn't just finding a good price, but also finding the right product to save you hours of aggravation later. If I had spent 10 more minutes researching my miter saw before I impulse bought, I could have saved $5 but then I also wouldn't have to rotate every 4x4 to cut it twice to get all the way through.



Just saying - there's a compromise. That's why it's important to keep these threads around, keep them with informative titles, and generally be sure to mention these issues whenever there's an NGD or other thread that might entice one to reach out and purchase one. 

If you search for Vik experience/reviews/scams, at least in my area, you currently don't get any of these threads on the first 2 pages. You do get all the fallout articles from the homophobic comments, and if you want to go ahead and buy from a guy knowing that you get what's coming to you, but the whole separate issue of withholding thousands of dollars from customers is sadly not front page on my searches.


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## Jonathan20022 (Jun 7, 2019)

Ah yeah I didn't take that into account, Google definitely curated my search results so it's pretty fair for someone to fall for Vik if they just run into the instagram or facebook page if they've never heard of him before.


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## Jason B (Jun 8, 2019)

narad said:


> I talk to so many guys over the years that hear the horror stories or complaints and go for it any way, with no sympathy for the guys that are already out tons of money. In that case I feel like you're partly to blame for winding up in this situation, and partly to blame for financing the next round[...]preventing other people from getting their own money back.



This willful ignorance is why we have two Kiesel threads.


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## Randy (Jun 8, 2019)

Plot twist, vikscammer is Vik because every time a thread gets bumped over a scammy luthier, there's a handful of people who put in deposits just to be edgy.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jun 8, 2019)

Randy said:


> Plot twist, vikscammer is Vik because every time a thread gets bumped over a scammy luthier, there's a handful of people who put in deposits just to be edgy.


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## Hollowway (Jun 8, 2019)

Jason B said:


> Why did they change Holloway’s username?



 While I don't wish this on anyone, I do have to admit I felt a little joy in learning this happens to other people. Even I am wise enough to not order from Vik though! (And bonus points to OP for posting this during Pride.)


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## lurè (Jun 8, 2019)

Randy said:


> Plot twist, vikscammer is Vik because every time a thread gets bumped over a scammy luthier, there's a handful of people who put in deposits just to be edgy.



This actually worked for me with the Kiesel never again thread.


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## ramses (Jun 8, 2019)

Vik's address is in Santa Rosa, CA??


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## metalstrike (Jun 8, 2019)

Jonathan20022 said:


> Well just to put things into perspective, you definitely don't need 8 hours of research to tell you not to order a Vik. "Vik Guitars" on Google brings up the homophobic stuff and his official website, then page 2 leads you to some other repeated postings but also the 8 string run thread on SSO. Brands like Blackwater/Decibel didn't get this much coverage, especially mainstream coverage so that requires a bit more time to find out those are dead brands. Even if your wages comes out to $500 in a work day, 8 hours "lost" is still a better deal than losing what, 4 - 5k like OP?
> 
> The comparison to the monitor in my case is definitely not 1:1, it's more that shopping around will find me the exact specs (32", G/Freesync, 4K, etc) for the right price. And the time in research would reveal that ASUS has historically some of the worst warranty CS in the world, leaving people waiting months at times to get working stock to replace defective hardware past the original retailer's return window.
> 
> Buying sight unseen is never a good idea, less so in scenarios where your money is in limbo hinging on the morality of degenerate business owners who shouldn't have customers in the first place.



Off topic I know but what monitor did you end up getting?


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## Jonathan20022 (Jun 8, 2019)

metalstrike said:


> Off topic I know but what monitor did you end up getting?



I'm probably grabbing the curved Acer ET series. Samsung makes a good 32" it seems like .


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## Flappydoodle (Jun 8, 2019)

1. Yeah, you should have known better

2. Bizarrely, it seems like you *did* know better. You say you didn't trust him, so you only gave him a $3500 deposit instead of the full $5500... what?

3. Honestly, you do seem very annoying from your disjointed writing here, multiple postings, and the few messages to him which we can see. 

4. You also showed his messages, but rarely yours. I suspect you were incredibly annoying as a customer, and it would be perfectly fine for him to ban you as a customer, refund you etc (assuming he actually does refund you)

5. Did you actually get refunded? If your only gripe is that a guy decided to sell the guitar to someone else and refunded you, that isn't really a scam.


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## diagrammatiks (Jun 8, 2019)

Flappydoodle said:


> 1. Yeah, you should have known better
> 
> 2. Bizarrely, it seems like you *did* know better. You say you didn't trust him, so you only gave him a $3500 deposit instead of the full $5500... what?
> 
> ...



Man defends vik. I call bingo


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## Flappydoodle (Jun 8, 2019)

diagrammatiks said:


> Man defends vik. I call bingo



Not at all. But OP is giving us half of a story. And he left out important details like whether he got his money back or not


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## budda (Jun 8, 2019)

Flappydoodle said:


> Not at all. But OP is giving us half of a story. And he left out important details like whether he got his money back or not



It is indeed important.


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## Jonathan20022 (Jun 8, 2019)

vikscammer said:


> but he said he doesn't think i will enjoy his guitar and he want to refund me and he sold this guitar on reverb!!!!* ,*it is so ridiculous excuse *and I never get the refund!!!* And he ignore my message, email and everything, so I think he is 100% scammer!!!! Evidence as attachment.





Flappydoodle said:


> Not at all. But OP is giving us half of a story. And he left out important details like whether he got his money back or not



Considering the amount of people who have been left without a guitar nor their money, I'm pretty sure this is a real account.


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## narad (Jun 9, 2019)

Flappydoodle said:


> 1. Yeah, you should have known better
> 
> 2. Bizarrely, it seems like you *did* know better. You say you didn't trust him, so you only gave him a $3500 deposit instead of the full $5500... what?
> 
> ...



Did you not catch the ~"You're so annoying, I'm refunding you and keeping 10% for being so annoying" bit? That's classic Vik. Make the store policy up as you go.

But it still counts as a horrible experience to have someone take your money, use up your time, arbitrarily sell the guitar to another guy (who likely offered more), and refund you. I'm not in the interest-free loan business. I've had it happen to me once. I was refunded an extra $1k for the botch up, which I still wasn't particularly happy about.

I mean, a tiny bit of sympathy on my part if as an artist you feel that the customer is not going to fully appreciate your art. But if that's the case, vet before the sale. Don't sell to randoms on Reverb.com. As soon as you step into that position, you're a store first and an artist way, way, way second.


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## vikscammer (Jun 9, 2019)

Flappydoodle said:


> 1. Yeah, you should have known better
> 
> 2. Bizarrely, it seems like you *did* know better. You say you didn't trust him, so you only gave him a $3500 deposit instead of the full $5500... what?
> 
> ...


 * I NEVER GOT MY REFUND, EVEN IF I GET MY REFUND, I AM NOT FUXKING BANK FOR LOAN BUSINESS, PAY THE MONEY AND GET THE MONEY BACK WITHOUT ANY INTERESTS AFTER 10 MONTHS? I AM PRETTY SURE YOU ARE VIK OR HIS FAMILY, YOU ARE SO FUNNY TO REPLY LIKE THIS. *


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## USMarine75 (Jun 9, 2019)

^ he went all caps _and_ red.

I tried to read it, but this is all I see...


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## budda (Jun 9, 2019)

Yeah he definitely isnt


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## narad (Jun 9, 2019)

USMarine75 said:


> ^ he went all caps _and_ red.



_And_ bold.


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## Lorcan Ward (Jun 9, 2019)

Some of the not so nice messages I sent Vik after I finally got my guitar didn’t even get that kind of response from him. You must have really got to him to get him that annoyed. 

It looks like like he eventually snapped and is now holding a grudge towards you. There’s no point telling you now that his business practices are common knowledge on the net with many detailed threads here but you need to seriously cool down a bit. From the screenshots you posted it looks like you were constantly looking for updates and setting deadlines. Knowing Vik that does not go down well. Like a lot of builders you give them money and sit back hoping they will build your guitar in a timely manner with an occasional nudge from you on progress. 

You could try send a polite formal email about a refund and how you are being forced into looking for a chargeback, which you should be doing. Just ring your bank and discuss it, consumer law is pretty concrete in most countries and from there look into the legal route if you really want to, but you may come out with less money.


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## Flappydoodle (Jun 9, 2019)

narad said:


> Did you not catch the ~"You're so annoying, I'm refunding you and keeping 10% for being so annoying" bit? That's classic Vik. Make the store policy up as you go.
> 
> But it still counts as a horrible experience to have someone take your money, use up your time, arbitrarily sell the guitar to another guy (who likely offered more), and refund you. I'm not in the interest-free loan business. I've had it happen to me once. I was refunded an extra $1k for the botch up, which I still wasn't particularly happy about.
> 
> I mean, a tiny bit of sympathy on my part if as an artist you feel that the customer is not going to fully appreciate your art. But if that's the case, vet before the sale. Don't sell to randoms on Reverb.com. As soon as you step into that position, you're a store first and an artist way, way, way second.



Haha, well I did see that. Not sure the legality of that. (Though I think from the wall of red caps lock text and OP's general postings, Vik probably isn't wrong about him being an annoying customer, haha)

Totally agree that it's a bad experience. And as I said earlier, anybody doing basic research before handing over $5,500 should have known better. The fact he didn't 100% trust him, so only handed over $3,500 is odd though, lol

I agree with your point about being an artist. But aside from that, if you took a deposit (for custom guitar, commissioned art, a website, whatever) and then the customer is constantly up your arse, emailing and messaging you, changing things, making accusations etc, it's reasonable to "drop" them as a customer IMO. Again, we only have OP's side of that story. IMO, combined with Vik's history, it's like a match made in hell.



vikscammer said:


> * I NEVER GOT MY REFUND, EVEN IF I GET MY REFUND, I AM NOT FUXKING BANK FOR LOAN BUSINESS, PAY THE MONEY AND GET THE MONEY BACK WITHOUT ANY INTERESTS AFTER 10 MONTHS? I AM PRETTY SURE YOU ARE VIK OR HIS FAMILY, YOU ARE SO FUNNY TO REPLY LIKE THIS. *



You're not doing a good job demonstrating your calmness and rationality here

I do hope you get your refund though. But as you now know, this is a risk with any sort of commissioned purchase, whether it's a custom guitar, a website etc. It's why you should deal with people in your legal jurisdiction. It's why you should have signed contracts. And even then, you have to accept that risk. RAN guitars went down recently, and they were one of the most reputable around. Vik is a known scumbag. Even if you just google "Vik guitars", all the front page is negative feedback. You surely saw that and chose to still go ahead.


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