Another Victim I just today stumbled across this thread by accident. I was another one of those trusting souls who got screwed by Jim Burek. I never posted anything on this board at the time it occurred, because I felt like such a fool and a idiot. Also, because Jim was such a "hero" in the Buick community, I assumed nobody would believe me. I now realize that I wasn't the only one being cheated and scammed. My story is exactly like the others - I contacted Jim in August of 2006 (by email) and talked to him about building me a big-block engine and switch-pitch transmission. At that time, Jim was (I thought) a respected and much-recommended vendor on this forum. After hashing out the details, I sent him a check for $5000 (which was 50% of the agreed final price). For almost 2 years, I waited for him to deliver on the the promised deal. He kept stringing me along with excuses, delaying tactics, and outright lies. When I called him, he would assure me he was working on it, but _____ _____ was holding up the job (fill in the blanks with any excuse he could think of at the time). I kept letting him get away with it, because I simply could not believe he was lying to me. My wife thought I was crazy to keep trusting him - my co-workers just shook their heads and said "Kiss your money good-bye". Finally, in June of 2008, I admitted defeat and wrote Jim a long email detailing the complete history of his failure to meet his promises. I asked ONLY that he refund my deposit, and promised him if he did, that I would not trash his name in the public forums. (Actually, I was so embarrassed by my own stupidity that I didn't want to admit to anyone how gullible I was.) He said he could give me half the money back at that time, but I would have to wait on the rest. To his credit, I did actually get a $2500 PayPal payment the next day (minus the 2.9% PayPal fees). That was the ONLY time during our entire "relationship" that he ever kept his word. I contacted the BBB in El Paso in July of 2008 and filed a complaint against PAE Enterprises (Case # 99138174). They tried to go through their "arbitration" process, but Jim never responded to their attempts to contact him. I kept writing him emails for the next year or so, and for a while he kept saying he was trying to get the rest of my money together. Then he finally quit responding to my emails, and I stopped writing. I considered trying to pursue the matter through the Texas Small Claims court, but after consulting with a attorney decided it wasn't practical for me to spend the time and money to travel to El Paso for that process. So I finally just gave up, and I now assume I will never recoup my lost $2500. I know my dollar loss is small compared to some of the other people posting in this thread. To me, what is even worse than the monetary loss is the destruction of my faith and confidence in those who should be considered trustworthy. I was convinced that Jim Burek was a stand-up guy, and I deluded myself into thinking that he would do what he promised. I have always believed a real man should honor his word - to me a verbal (or email) agreement should be as binding as a written contract. And because of that belief, I got burned. If Jim could fool me (and others) so easily, how could I ever completely trust another engine builder? Not that it really matters now... In 2006, I had a unique window of opportunity to buy my dream engine; a time when my personal and financial situation was able to support such an expensive (for me) purchase. Sadly, thanks to this con man, I missed that opportunity. I am retired now, and living on a modest fixed income. I will never again be able to convince my wife (and partner and best friend) that such a large "hobby related" expenditure is justified, nor would I even try. Fortunately, my old Skylark still runs fine with the original 350 and will suffice, but it will never be the car I have secretly desired for all these years. Jim Burek didn't just cheat me out of my money - he also cheated me out of my dream.
I can't emagine how I would feel If my engine build with Jim Weise went south like these stories and my money and my dream of building this car was crushed due to greed and thievery. I really feel for all of you
I am sorry for your unfortunate dealings with Jim Burek and feel your pain. There are engine builders in our Buick community that have ethical business practices. Of course there are still unethical people that have been known to take advantage of unsuspecting Buick members by not furnishing what they have paid for. Ask questions on the V8 board and get references from several people and that will possibly help alleviate this happening again.
In Retrospect Curtis, I am positive that most of the vendors in the Buick community and on this forum are honest and trustworthy...I simply had the misfortune to encounter one of the rare Bad Apples (or, a former Good Apple who fell on hard times and somehow felt justified engaging in unscrupulous actions) I will take 50% of the blame for what happened to me, because I did not take reasonable precautions against such a unlikely scenario. I should have insisted on a written, detailed contract spelling out our exact agreement, with a guaranteed completion date, and penalties for breach of contract. I should have kept a much closer watch over the process (including visits to the shop) and insisted on frequent updates with photo evidence of progress. I should have kept my deposit to much less than 50% of the total price. There are so many things I should have done, and didn't. I don't excuse Jim Burek's actions in any way, but I could have reduced my own pain by being a better, more informed customer. I hope other forum members (and guests) can profit from my unfortunate experience, and avoid a similar situation. Remember: Caveat Emptor! You also mentioned asking questions and getting recommendations...the very first thread I ever started on this forum was a somewhat feeble attempt to do just that. I didn't take it far enough, and I didn't ask the right questions, but at least I tried... Link to my first post: http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=109014
I recall reading about this months or years ago-all too bad and many words written by Jim over his bad situation. As was said, similar is experienced by many at times. It's the CHOICES we make in dealing with adversity that make the difference. I think that many in and out of our jails/prisons didn't start out to defraud, but the choices and decisions they made led them there. Once your rep is gone-hard to recover it-good luck to all-
I haven't posted here in forever...My Buick is still patiently waiting for me to do something...but I became aware of this Bulldog situation some time ago and was waiting for the outcome. In Feb 09 I began an email conversation with Jim B. and at the time the situation was pretty hopeless...I felt like I ought to do something to help so I sent him $500 via PayPal. This was entirely my initiative from beginning to end, he didn't suggest anything at all. I had seen his contributions to the Buick community in years past and wanted to help out. I didn't any illusions it would help him with the Bulldog mess at all, but it would at least put food on his table for a little while. The money was freely given with no expectation of any kind of repayment...it was a gift to help a man that was down. Obviously, the situation hasn't improved, but I still hope that Jim will be able to get back on his feet and begin making things right with all the customers that were wronged. It's never too late to try to make it right until after you've taken your last breath.
Chuck Avery-your explaination of events was extremely well communicated. You have nothing to be embarrased about. Please don't become hardened and not trust your fellow man again. I'm very sorry to hear about what happened and can only hope you have the best of luck in the future. I wish there was something I could do, but obviously, the damage has been done. Shame on the man that did this! You have no worthy excuse. If this weren't a family oriented board, I'd have to get :af:
Jim, I appreciate your letter. I was wondering what happened to you, and now I know. I'm sorry about the lose of your mother. When I got to that part in your letter, I got up from my seat and gave my mother, soon to be 89, a hug and told her "I LOVE YOU". How fortunate I am. I always wondered what happened to the Aluminum Block. Getting ripped off sucks. Happened to me in 2006-07 to someone who claimed I was "like a brother." I want you to know what a great job you did for me on my 455. I'm the guy who crated-up my engine and transmission, then shipped it from Crosby (Houston) TX. I had previously live in El Paso. Then about a year later, I brought my frame where you installed the dyno tuned engine, reworked transmission, gear vendor unit, and your 12 bolt 373 posi rear. Best of luck in the future. May God bless you. Gary Hasse
