Victim Location 60565
Type of a scam Home Improvement
We located an ad on Craigslist for a company by the name of Wood Monkey Shop which was located in St. Charles, Illinois for handmade furniture. We looked at the website and read the reviews which all sounded promising. We went back and forth emailing Dave and decided on ordering two benches and two chairs. Dave asked to be paid up front via PayPal which we reluctantly did. We placed the order early November and Dave stated our furniture would be done by Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving came and went with no delivery. Dave did stop over in November when we were not home to pick up a drawer as he claimed it would help him match the stain. We were then promised time and time again it would be just a few more days. Dave always claimed the stain needed one more day to dry or he was having car problems and couldn’t make the delivery. We even offered several times to pick it up to which he continued to immediately decline. We were promised pictures and updates which we also never received. Dave continued to promise just one more day and then said we would have our product by Christmas. That holiday came and went and we still had nothing. I ended up calling my local police department and filed a report for the stolen drawer. Dave knew the money was a civil issue and I would have to file a claim with PayPal or hire an attorney in order to get it back. Dave made yet another promise to refund our money. The refund wasn’t received as promised so we filed a claim with PayPal. PayPal completed their investigation and our money was refunded. It was obvious Dave was going to steal our money with no intention of making a product. I did a little research online as it appears Dave possibly has two last names and this isn’t the first time he has been involved in a scam.
Victim Location 60613
Total money lost $1,021
Type of a scam Home Improvement
Wood Monkey Shop, owned by David "Dave" Regal, advertised custom made furniture on Craigslist with delivery. Scammer has a store front in St. Charles, IL. Quoted a price for a farm table, a bench, and two chairs. Provided varieties of wood and stain finishes- was shown in person products and options at his store front. Scammer was paid through PayPal and never delivered table. Provided multiple excuses ranging from a broken computer, phone, bad weather, busy taking a class, and having a sick infant in the hospital and needing surgery. Prior to being asked for a refund, scammer said he purchased and sent a money order, which was never received nor was it asked for. Next, was asked for a refund through PayPal- scammer continued to make excuses about his legal rights through PayPal. After the fact, it was discovered that scammer has a history of writing bad checks, tax liens, and has served jail time for such. He has a history of promising goods and services through a prior business, Regal Builders 2644 Williamsburg Drive, Algonquin, IL 60102 , and also did not deliver (as noted on BBB).