Chronology of the Scam:

10/10/2006:  Mr. Pike gets a nibble.   Mr. Pike contacted through his web site www.stanpikedesigns.com to inquire about having an apothecary cabinet built, similar to what he has on his web site. 

10/10/2006 to 10/22/2006:   Confidence stage.   A constant exchange of e-mails working through design details.  Wood sample provided,   various drawings provided, and costs and build time estimates provided.   Note:  estimate 6 months to build!

10/22/2006:  The hook.   Mr. Pike advises that 10% is required to hold a place in the production schedule.  50% before production begins.    Mr. Pike states:   As of now, I think I can begin Dec 1, 2006,  how does that work for you?

10/22/2006:  Leap of Faith required.   BBB checked.  No listing at the time.  Verified mailing address existed.  Goggled for complaints.  Looked up his domain to see how long he had his site.   Check Mailed.

10/28/2006:  Hook Set.   I’m pretty sure I will be on target to begin Dec 1, need half the final price.  Check Mailed.

10/29/2006:  Mr. Pike mails a dated receipt, along with a signed cover letter.   Receipt has description of cabinet to be built, deposit amount, and “Will Send Pics if requested”.  Note to reader:  Pictures received to date:  0

12/14/2006:   Stall.  Email received from Mr. Stan.   I’ve been working on a comprehensive set of drawings for you.   They have taken a little longer than I planned, but I think they’ll give you a very good idea of what I want to do.    Note to reader:  Wasn’t this to start 12/1?  

 12/14/2006 to 1/28/2007:   Stall.    Work through more design details & plan revisions.   Of course there were errors in the plans that had to be corrected.

2/12/2007:   e-mail from Mr. Pike “I’ve Started”.  

2/12/2007 – 4/19/2007.  Silence.

4/19/2007:   Note to Mr. Pike.   How is the apothecary project coming along?  Do you have an ETA on completion?  A project Picture would be nice.

4/21/2007:   E-mail from Mr. Pike received.   He states, it’s #3 from completion out of 14.  Will send pics ASAP.   May ask for another partial payment when I send pics.    Note to reader:  No ETA?   Another partial payment?  No Pic?  

4/21/2007 – 10/9/2007:   Silence

10/9/2007:    Email sent to Mr. Pike.   We are nearly a year into this project.  The project was to take 6 months.   I’d like a firm ETA on when the project will be complete.   If you can’t provide an ETA, we need to start discussing remedy.

10/13/2007:   Calls to Mr. Pike roll over to Voice Mail.   Note to reader:  At least he still has a phone.

10/9/2007 to 10/15/2007.   Silence.  Mr. Pike won’t return email or phone calls.  

10/15/2007:  The dodge.  Finally Mr. Pike sends e-mail.

Sorry I haven't kept you up to date on the progress of your order.  Your 32-drawer walnut apothecary is under construction.  November will be a year since your commission arrived.   Your piece now is near the top of the list in the order of completion.  It isn't easy keeping everyone informed on their piece's progress.  With around twenty major pieces in the works at any one time for a one man shop,  this is one of the most difficult things to do and I will try to improve.  Thanks for your patience.  With regards, Stan Pike
Note to reader:   He must have forgotten the ETA and pictures.

10/16/2007:  First Refund Request.   A e-mail was sent to Mr. Pike trying to settle the matter.    The note pointed that Mr. Pike hadn’t lived up to any of his commitments.   He had not sent a single project picture, he refused to provide an ETA, and there were many inconsistencies in his correspondence.      Note to Reader:  No response

11/24/2007:  Second Refund Request.    Mr. Pike sent email stating action will be taken in 1 week if he doesn’t settle the matter.    Note to Reader:  No response.

12/2/2007:  Complaint with www.ic3.gov.   

The IC3 let’s you file a complaint on internet crime.   Their definition of Internet crime in their FAQ’s is defined as: 

Q: Do you have a definition of Internet crime that I can refer to?

Internet crime is defined as any illegal activity involving one or more components of the Internet, such as websites, chat rooms, and/or email. Internet crime involves the use of the Internet to communicate false or fraudulent representations to consumers. These crimes may include, but are not limited to, advance-fee schemes, non-delivery of goods or services, computer hacking, or employment/business opportunity schemes.

The IC3 site takes a short complaint, and then forwards it the appropriate authorities.  The obvious problem with IC3 is that they don’t tell you who they forwarded the complaint to, so if you aren’t contacted, there is no way of following up.  

IC3 Scoundrel Rating:  Good for venting.   A follow up note on who has jurisdiction would have helped.

12/10/2007:  BBB contacted, and case opened.   

Scoundrel Rating of the BBB.   Excellent.   This is one of the best resources when you have been scammed on the internet.

12/10/2007:  (He’s alive!)  After going silent, an Mr. Pike sends an email.    He states that  that he received an notice from the BBB, and was sorry to hear this as he has a clean record up until now.   

Note to reader: No pictures.  No ETA.  No offer of refund.   Mr. Pike for some reason claims that he sent a letter  “Before” he was contacted by the BBB.

12/11/207:  Response to Mr. Pikes email:   This is simple to resolve.  Return the money you scammed from me 14 months ago.

12/16/2008:  The letter Mr. Pikes wrote for the benefit of the BBB arrived.    Offers to put me in contact with people that can vouch for his reputation.  Letter is signed and dated.

Note to reader:  What does he think would be the point of having someone vouch for him now?   His integrity is understood first hand.    Also, the letter is post marked after he was contact by the BBB. 

12/10/2008 to 1/14/2008:   BBB tries to mediate.   Mr. Pike provides misleading explanations to the BBB, which were countered by his own correspondence.   Mr. Pike claims to be a misunderstood artisan.   Upon realizing documentation exists to counter his excuses, Mr. Pike cuts quits responding to the BBB.    BBB closes the case as unresolved, and posts a review of an unresolved complaint.

1/15/2008:  Received another misleading letter from Mr. Pike dated 1/11/2008.   Probably written for the benefit of the BBB, through he broke off talks with them.    Note to Reader:   Catch the word “Honestly” in the note!    Another funny point is that he says he hopes I will reconsider and let him go forward with the project.    When was he ever told to stop?   When might that ETA be?

1/15/2008:   BBB is an excellent resource.   Received letter containing helpful information.   A special call out to Elizabeth Crowley.   I was provided information about Massachusetts small claims court, The Massachusetts attorney General of Fair Labor & Business Practices, and the Mayor’s office of Consumer Information.

Feb/2008:   Attorney Generals of Massachusetts contacted.   Summary of scam provided by phone.

2/20/2008:   Form letter from the assistant Attorney General, Marcy Jackson received.     The short version:  No resources to investigate all the complains we get, suggest that you consult with private council.     Note to reader:  In other words sue ‘em, cause we not going to help.

Scoundrel rating of the Attorney General of Massachusetts:   No help.

It is understandable that resources are limited.   However, this is a case involving a few thousand dollars, where Mr. Pike has actually documented his own scam with signed correspondence.    If a simple case like this can’t be investigated, It is easy to see how Mr. Pike feels safe enough to openly run his web site.   A Google search shows that Mr. Pike has linked his site to dozens of legitimate craft sites.