Just a word of warning and extreme caution to anyone considering doing business with Bensopra Motorsports USA led by ringleader and serial scammer Ricky Kwan.
I had initiated my search for Volk Wheels for my F80. I PM'd some vendors and Bensopra is a M3post "gold level sponsor" and they had the best offer and supposedly the wheels I wanted inbound already. So by that token they earned my business.
I contacted Bensopra via PM's, but switched to Email by Ricky Kwan's Request.
I go ahead and tell him to send me a Paypal Invoice.
On April 20, he sends me the invoice. Along with 2 follow ups the same day asking me If I paid it. He hustles to collect, but not to deliver, IMO.
On April 21 I sent a deposit to Bensopra Motorsports USA/Ricky Kwan in the amount of $1890 along with the request to get centercaps. I tell him to add that to my final invoice after the wheels arrive. I tell him I will pay the remainder when he has the wheels in his possession.
On April 29, he contacts me letting me know he is waiting for information about containers from Volk. He tells me :
I give him the benefit of the doubt and Tell him, Ok - let me know.
I'm expecting a reply April 30th. Don't get one, even though HE'S the one that said he'd get back to me.
May 2 after seeing some troubling posts from another member (
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...0#post17931190) I send him this:
He buys himself some more time with this:
I'm hoping that's isolated and just tell him as long as he stays in communication I'm OK.
But Member EJT86's issues get worse and worse, then other members show his yelp and the Bensopra Eviction Notice.
Then I send this:
I don't get a reply by Email. So I call him, and I text him. He does not reply to Texts. So I call again and he answers. I tell him over the phone what I sent in the email.
I requested in this order:
1) PICS of my ACTUAL wheels. I want to know they exist.
2) Tracking numbers - Show me you intend to ship them.
3) Send me a Paypal invoice so I can settle as agreed.
4) drop them at the shipper
He said OK. He was having someone pick them up from Mackin, Which I assume is Mackin Industries.
He said he would call me tomorrow. He does not.
I send him This Email:
He does not reply.
I see him Bumping his other Wheels for Sale posts the same day within moments of me trying to reach him by phone.
So I post in that thread:
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1113849
The following morning I get this email
and I Reply back:
I call him to talk to him and he says I'm "Untrustworthy" and he won't give me my money back. He wants me to delete my Posts or I don't get my money back. I said I'm not deleting anything Unless I get my deposit refunded. He says no. I tell him that's fraud and theft and I'll call the police or FBI or whomever that he's committing internet fraud. He says "GO AHEAD." I ask him again, Refund or not Ricky. He says to call the police.
He posts in a thread that He's "done" with me - but not giving my deposit back. I don't know how you can be "done" if you're holding someone's money.
It's May 18 2015. I don't have pics of the wheels. No Refund.
So I've filed a Paypal Dispute. But went ahead and called Chase Fraud Services and they have given me my money back. I'll let Bensopra/Ricky Kwan deal with a large Bank's resources.
I should have just paid the few hundred more and bought from IND or Vivid Racing.
I see that he's a "Gold Level Sponsor" - But I do hope that m3post or whomever runs this site does a better job at vetting and monitoring the activity of it's vendors. I think that's why we are somewhat willing to hand over money to strangers hundreds of miles away. I'll also say this is the only time I've been burned by any M3post transaction. Hope this thread doesn't get deleted as I'm sure Bensopra/Ricky Kwan's sponsorship was expensive, but let this serve as a cautionary tale.