[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= 12px]Awww, Cycling Guy, I feel so bad for you![/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= 12px]I really, REALLY hate dishonest people, having been the victim of a few of them, myself, before I got older and a little wiser.[/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= 12px]Keeping in mind that I'm not a lawyer..... The first thing I would do is what you're doing -- go on every cycling forum you can find, and lay out the truth about this creep. Make sure you can prove everything you say, though I doubt he would sue you, since the last thing he wants is publicity.[/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= 12px]That's the key to the second thing I would do. Make his misdeed public. Most cities have a help-the-consumer advocate of some kind or another; here in Sacramento, it's "Call Kurtis" who is on one of our television stations, and really goes after shysters and puts his efforts on his show. Most of them give in quickly and pay the consumer their due, just because the publicity is so bad. Find one of those if you can. If you can't, (and maybe do both), go to small-claims court. You won't be able to get back all the $14,000, but you can probably get back whatever their limit is, usually around $5,000. The rest will have to be a 'stupid tax', but 5 grand is a whole lot better than nothing, and you will get the satisfaction back of doing SOMETHING besides succumbing. And even if the guy doesn't show up, you still win by default, so it's worth it. [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= 12px]Don't give in. People like this count on you just giving up. Go after him legally and with publicity. You may not win everything, but you'll gain some self-respect.[/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= 12px]Good luck. [/COLOR][/SIZE]
