ATLAS Cooler & Tumbler June 2016 Group Buy-- Customer Feedback

[Zbot]

Anybody else thinking lawsuit, as a group?

Reason I say that is, we are losing money even if we get a refund for two reasons. I have passed up buying other coolers at good deals because I thought I had a cooler coming soon. We also had to pay interest fees, which would have been pointless if we all get canceled/refunded. At that point, I want all my money back I paid into this, including the interest which I wouldn't have otherwise accrued. From his end, the money was obtained under false pretenses by us.

Would that even be possible?

At this point, when you are costing customers money, I think a simple "please cancel your order" and "I'm sorry" just doesn't cut it anymore. Just like anywhere in life, you have to be responsible for your actions.


At this point, I want my cooler. I've invested too much time and money into this to walk away. To cancel would be to give up and loan my money interest free. I simply refuse to do that. Maybe I'm too stubborn?


Just thinking out loud.

 

[Trick]

Scam! Cancelled and filed a dispute. Pretty pissed off to say the least.

 

[Lastcar]

Anybody else thinking lawsuit, as a group?

We also had to pay interest fees, which would have been pointless if we all get canceled/refunded.

You didn't HAVE to pay interest fees. If you pay your credit card balance in full prior to 30 days you are not charged interest.

If you have an annual fee for your card, you have that regardless of this transaction or not. It is a flat fee.

As far as a lawsuit, I am no lawyer. I don't even play one on TV.

I assume you'd have to prove damages.

Even if you could, what would you expect as compensation?

Would that amount make the time, energy and money spent worthwhile?

Yes, it is a crappy situation. Yes, it may take some folks more effort to get their money back than others. Some may not get it back at all.

My feeling is it is a live and learn type thing. Not letting Atlas off the hook. For my own sake I'd work to get your money back via Atlas or the CC company and then I'd turn the page and move on.

Legal action seems like it'd drag this out longer than it needs to be.

Full disclosure...I was fortunate enough to get my money back earlier...but what I really wanted was my three coolers.

 

[Trial153]

There isn't much grounds for a suit here. Sucks for sure however that's about the extent of it.

 

[Zbot]

You didn't HAVE to pay interest fees. If you pay your credit card balance in full prior to 30 days you are not charged interest.

If you have an annual fee for your card, you have that regardless of this transaction or not. It is a flat fee.

As far as a lawsuit, I am no lawyer. I don't even play one on TV.

I assume you'd have to prove damages.

Even if you could, what would you expect as compensation?

Would that amount make the time, energy and money spent worthwhile?

Yes, it is a crappy situation. Yes, it may take some folks more effort to get their money back than others. Some may not get it back at all.

My feeling is it is a live and learn type thing. Not letting Atlas off the hook. For my own sake I'd work to get your money back via Atlas or the CC company and then I'd turn the page and move on.

Legal action seems like it'd drag this out longer than it needs to be.

Full disclosure...I was fortunate enough to get my money back earlier...but what I really wanted was my three coolers.

As an individual, of course its not worth it.

Buts lets do some math.....say we have 1000 customers that have to pay $10 in interest on this. That is on the low end but a good number to worth with. That is $10000 in damages caused by this company, at their fault through either carelessness or other nefarious reasons. That's not chump change and would hit them where it hurts.


Maybe its 500 buyers, maybe less. It doesn't matter....money lost is money lost. At the very least, its lost interest on the loan you gave them unwillingly and under false pretenses.


I doubt anything would come from it....but it would a bad mark on their record regardless of outcome. I also doubt everybody would be willing to come together to do it.

 

[twall13]

I don't think you would get much in a lawsuit looking for damages. I'd be tempted to sue for specific performance. Since they have not fulfilled their contract, they are still obligated to do so. In the end, that's a tough battle for very little reward. As much as I'd like to stick it out and make them deliver at the promised prices I just don't feel like they will deliver in the end. I cancelled my order now so I can still get my money back through my credit card company. In the end, I'm out the use of that money for a few months and have to look like an idiot with the other two people who went in on my order.

One thing is for sure, they lost my business forever. If they have hopes I'll buy from Walmart, they can forget it. Both Atlas and Rtic are off my list forever. I'll be putting my money towards a Canyon cooler now. I get that the guy was trying to make the best business decision he could at the moment, but it's a pretty crappy way to do business when you treat your customers like this. If he had any business sense to begin with there are a multitude of ways he could have avoided getting to the point where he had to make the decision to boot us in favor of Walmart.

 

[xziang]

Even if you can/could sue it is a LLC, correct me if I'm wrong but Ben Jones would just close up shop and file for bankruptcy under that LLC.

Either way it isn't worth it providing we get a full refund! Go to the links previously listed and file a dispute etc.

 

[Roy68]

Regarding interest charges

I received my refund via my dispute to the charges through my CC company. I've received that refund, and I had let this particular charge float through for almost 2 months as I grew skeptical about this panning out. Along with my refund I also received a refund for the interest charges that related to the original order costs.

 

[huntinfool84]

not sure what is going on but his other business seems to have good ratings. Or at least the address he has on his website return policy page. 607 West Main st. Fredericksburg Texas US 78624 is also a place called The Coop or thecoopfbg.com does not really look like a warehouse setup at all.

 

[Laqua3030]

I have filed complaints with both the TX BBB and Attorney General. I hope each of you have as well. If there is anything that we can do to force his hand it will be through them. The guy is either a pure con-man or has a room temperature IQ. The fact that he chose to pick a battle with a group of guys whose common traits include: Stubbornness, Patience, Perseverance and Grit should tell you something. I'm not sure he's aware of the misery that could come raining down on him. It's 2016 and he owns 2 restaurants. He may be able to block comments on face book and LinkedIn but he can't do anything about Google Reviews and Yelp. If someone were extra motivated they could start trashing The Coop and his new BBQ restaurant. Having a one star rating and a bunch of comments about how the place is owned by a con-man wouldn’t be good for business. I guess that would be my nuclear option. Public shaming is probably as close to justice as any of us will get and really the only other chip we have to play. The internet is written in ink and this is going to follow him for a long time.

I’m going to hold out. I’m concerned that he could file for bankruptcy but I’m too hard headed to tolerate being taken advantage of. I didn’t offer him this deal. He offered it to me. If he doesn’t like the terms that’s too damn bad. They were his terms!

 

[twall13]

I have filed complaints with both the TX BBB and Attorney General. I hope each of you have as well. If there is anything that we can do to force his hand it will be through them. The guy is either a pure con-man or has a room temperature IQ. The fact that he chose to pick a battle with a group of guys whose common traits include: Stubbornness, Patience, Perseverance and Grit should tell you something. I'm not sure he's aware of the misery that could come raining down on him. It's 2016 and he owns 2 restaurants. He may be able to block comments on face book and LinkedIn but he can't do anything about Google Reviews and Yelp. If someone were extra motivated they could start trashing The Coop and his new BBQ restaurant. Having a one star rating and a bunch of comments about how the place is owned by a con-man wouldn’t be good for business. I guess that would be my nuclear option. Public shaming is probably as close to justice as any of us will get and really the only other chip we have to play. The internet is written in ink and this is going to follow him for a long time.

I’m going to hold out. I’m concerned that he could file for bankruptcy but I’m too hard headed to tolerate being taken advantage of. I didn’t offer him this deal. He offered it to me. If he doesn’t like the terms that’s too damn bad. They were his terms!

Be careful of slander. Stating what he has done on all those sites is okay but tarnishing his name by calling him a "Con Man" has the potential to get you in trouble. Stick with facts you can prove and you'll be fine. There are plenty of facts out there that put him in a bad light at this point.

 

[bonz]

Here's good ol Ben Jones of Fredricksburg, TX
View attachment 40154

 

[bonz]

Apparently Ben Jones and his Sister Abigail Jones of Fredricksburg, TX own an event center called the Coop.
http://www.fbgtx.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/1198
The Coop | Facebook

Funny, look at the 2nd pic on the Yelp page...a couple of atlas coolers.

The Coop - Bars - 607 W Main St, Fredericksburg, TX - Phone Number - Yelp

 

[mtswampfox]

Be careful of slander. Stating what he has done on all those sites is okay but tarnishing his name by calling him a "Con Man" has the potential to get you in trouble. Stick with facts you can prove and you'll be fine. There are plenty of facts out there that put him in a bad light at this point.

we are in a nation of political correctness and every kid wins a trophy. Sometimes I long for the mob days when the trademark of a Louisville slugger was imprinted on a forhead.

 

[bonz]

Ok, just filed my complaint with the AG

 

[bonz]

Be careful of slander. Stating what he has done on all those sites is okay but tarnishing his name by calling him a "Con Man" has the potential to get you in trouble. Stick with facts you can prove and you'll be fine. There are plenty of facts out there that put him in a bad light at this point.

So he's not a con man?

 

[twall13]

So he's not a con man?

As far as I'm concerned he is a con man. But if I slander his name on review sites that effect his livelihood and he comes after me I have the burdon of proving he is a con man or I'm liable for any loss to his business as a result of my slander. In not saying it's right, it's just the way our civil courts work. I personally think the jerk deserves what he gets but I'd hate for it to come back on one of us down the road.

 

[HuntHarder]

Get over it guys.... If he doesn't refund your money, then get worked up. I am pissed too, but there are much larger fish to fry other than this guy. The situation sucks, we were all probably lied to on multiple accounts and funded his startup. In the end though, so long as my refund comes back, I am out nothing. I can get over a Chinese knock off cooler pretty quick. Lets be honest, the amount of interest we would have earned on $1k is not very much over 3 months. A lot of times in life, the cheap deals are usually not the best deals. We all tried to save some money with an unknown, unproven company, and got burned. Luckily, if our refunds get awarded, we lost very little, and learned a bunch.

 

[pyrannah]

cancelled order on Tuesday, no refund received yet, I did email them asking for a status, no response.

I've now filed a CC dispute.

I'll file with the BBB soon

HuntHarder, I agree, but it SUCKS being taken advantage of, and I do not rest easy when someone got one over on me whether I spent 150 on a cooler, or 5 bucks... It pisses me off. I feel really sorry for those who spent 500 and up.

ben

 

[crazyhawksfan]

I personally had over 700 bucks invested. For a 22 year old blue collar guy just trying to save enough to go out west and hunt elk with my buddies each fall it's a bit of a blow. Would of bought my elk tag. Just realy grinds on me that some guys are like "oh big fn deal get over it"! This guy is a scam and a dirt bag. Not going quit bitchin till the money's back in my account.

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