Last Updated on September 30, 2010 by Dave Farquhar
First things first. About a month ago I ordered an FIC AZ11 from GPS Computers. One of my readers recommended them because he found Duron motherboard/CPU combos for a Backstreet Boys song there. I agreed. The price was unbelievable.It took about three weeks, but I got my order.
Steve DeLassus found their service to be worse than the very worst Backstreet Boys song.
He ordered a motherboard a couple of days after I did. They charged his credit card on May 1. But Steve still hasn’t received the order. He never received the courtesy of a tracking number (neither did I) or even confirmation e-mail (neither did I). My order just showed up one day. After that, I was wary of doing business with them again, but I wanted to see how Steve’s experience went.
Steve had a couple of e-mail exchanges with Terry Holmes, GPS’ president. Holmes promised to expedite the order, so he should have received it on or around May 17. That didn’t happen. Since then, Steve’s repeated efforts to contact them via e-mail and telephone have failed.
Their initials are pretty appropriate. Their service reminds me of a gigantic pile of s–uh, never mind.
I’m not gonna call them crooks, so I’ll just let this suffice: Steve gets ripped off so you don’t have to.
And I notice Mwave.com has the same board for $72. That’s still a good price. They’re charging a bit more for the CPUs, but when you actually ship all of your orders and not just half of them, your margins are a bit lower, so I guess they have to charge more.
David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.
I think I was (one of) the people who found the low prices – on the Duron at least. They came in a newsletter from "The Tech Zone" (www.thetechzone.com). The low price references are actually links to iBuyer.net (http://www.ibuyer.net), a comparison shopping site like the one on CNet.
I’m real sorry to hear of the problems Steve is having. It’s a good reminder that services like iBuyer are just really "web spiders" that go out & hunt down prices. They say nothing about a business’ ethics. For that, it’s still caveat emptor… :/
Yes, it’s a bummer. Maybe I need to start asking when someone sends in a deal whether the reader has done business with the company.
I’m sorry too, because I bit, then passed it on.
I bit. I bought something from GPS Computers. Took a while, but I got my product.
Mwave.com is not an option for me, as I don’t have a US-based credit card and I’m not going to pay money to send them money. Too bad, they have some OK deals.
Being based outside the US, I have to check shipping policies VERY carefully before I order, as any company stating that they service international customers mean different things, depending on the company. Sigh.
I ordered memory from Crucial and a bunch of gear – two hard drives, a Voodoo card, an Inwin case, and a DVD-ROM – from Directron mid to late last week. The memory was here Tuesday. The Directron loot arrived today. GPS can’t even return email in two weeks. I’m tempted to call their long distance number to see if that works, but then it’s my bill.
I’ve laid it out – via an email to their president, CC’ed to their sales address – that if there’s no communication today, I’m reporting them to Yahoo shopping and getting a dispute letter from my credit card company. Yahoo will use a collection agency on them, and my CC company will "investigate". We’ll see what happens; they have until 9PM CST. But given that they’ve ignored my other attempts to contact them, I have a feeling I’ll have to be nasty.
You guys shouldn’t feel bad about this mess. It’s a bit hit-and-miss in e-commerce land these days. And Dave got his shipment just fine, despite a lack of updates. I’ve shopped via the ‘net for four years or so, and this is the first bad experience I’ve had. GPS has some shoddy business practices, and the market will eventually force them to change their ways or close their doors. At least their cyber-doors.
You want irony? I just tried to call GPS again, and – since sales and customer service never answer – I tried getting their technical support folks. After about 10 rings, I’m into their voicemail. And the message says, "Yeah, this is K.C. We’re unable to assist you right now…" Seems like this "Kaycee" doesn’t exist either…
Richard, how long did it take for your product to arrive? Where outside of the US are you located? Probably not eastern Europe, since GPS says on their info page that they’ve had a high incidence of credit card fraud from those parts. Ahem…
Steve, I thought you ordered from Directron on Monday. I know we were talking about specifics over the weekend and I didn’t think you got things ordered until Monday.
And someone named Kaycee’s working for GPS, eh? How funny.
Yeah, I guess my days were a little off. I ordered all the memory and loot Monday. Crucial delivered Wednesday; Directron, today.
I’m located in Trinidad and Tobago (islands off Venezuela)
There was something on their website that international orders would be delayed by 10 days (I think). So it took about three weeks. Lord knows they didn’t spend a lot on their UPS packaging (box for a modem turned inside out)
Maybe GPS is a one-man operation these days. Who knows?
I won’t belabor this thread much further. I called my credit card company last night and had them send me a dispute letter after reading this link (take everything in quotes, including the trailing period, if you want to read the horror stories): "http://www.resellerratings.com/comview.cgi?GPSComputerServices,LTD." Truly scary. But I’m tired of waiting them out. I think GPS is destined to fold.
I’m located in Ecuador South America, I wired to GPS around 1,790 usd for (Hard Drives, Processors, CD ROM, Floppy Drives)
I sent the money almost three weeks ago have sent a dozen e-mails, to know what happend to my order, no reply at all.
I think this is a fraud, need to know if somebody can help me with any reference regarding this guys, and how should I proceed.
Yeah, I ordered from GPS Computer services over 6 weeks ago and still haven’t received my package. On top of that they tried to bill me twice for the same order. I’ve sent approximately 10 emails to the pres and sales dept. with very little luck. I tried to cancel my order and get my money back but no reply.I’ve given them till 3:00pm tomorrow to reply before I call the BBB, and look for a lawyer for a lawsuit. I’ll keep you informed.
I got bitten too. Fortunately all I ordered was a very cheap hard drive (20GB for $60.00). Needless to say it never arrived. I wish I’d seen this first, I wouldn’t have bothered. I too tried multiple phone calls and e-mails with no answers. When I called, their voice mail said they were closed due to a menegitis outbreak (?!) so at least they’re creative. At any rate I’ve already mailed my dispute letter back to the credit card company and am trying my best to get them kicked off of Yahoo! The BBB will be next.
I ordered an Ipaq 3135 from gpscomputers.com on 9/20/01. The day after I ordered it, the page disappeared from their www site (I get nervous). I sent 5 emails over the course of 2 weeks asking about the status. I call 5 times. Twice I get through and the woman says it won’t be shipped till 10/5/01. I call several times till I finally get through on 10/2/01 when the same woman tells me it won’t ship until 10/30/01. I request a refund, which she claimed she would "walk it over to [paypal] after work", whatever that means (Her name was "Shirley", and she was hesitant to give me her last name – which I got anyways). I did some research on this company which was obviously criminal in nature.
Check out these URLs for literally 1000’s of horror stories:
http://63.236.73.49/comview.cgi?GPSComputerServices,LTD
http://63.236.73.49/g-h.html
http://resellerratings.com
I then swung into action (this is what I suggest anyone who this has happens to do:
1) I called their unlisted 1-800 number and used the CEO’s unlisted extension to get his machine:
Terry Holmes
1-877-389-0949 (ext 27)
Where I left a series of messages detailing the failure to deliver or respond to my past 20+ inquiries and demanding an immediate full credit to my paypal.com account (which is how I paid). I warned in both calls that failure to credit by account by the next day would result in complaints filed against him with paypal.com, yahoo.com, visa, and the BBB of Ohio.
If you can try to leave as professional a message as possible, (don’t be an angry customer: BE A LAWYER), i.e.: legal intimidation is what seems to work.
2) I emailed written requests of the same nature as the telephone calls, each time attaching my paypal.com email receipt.
Email them to both: tholmes@gpscomputers.com
sales@gpscomputers.com
Sure enough legal intimidation worked and when I woke up I had my money back in my paypal account (From Terry Holmes account, not a company one) and to be sure this is NOT A COMPANY. I sincerely doubt this is a legitimate business at all. It seems most likely to me to be some odd retail Ponzi scheme:
People order from gpscomputers.com, & wait & wait & wait, and finally request a refund: 1/2 never get anything, and 1/2 either get their refund after months or get their items (or usually wrong ones) plus other items worth more them their order as compensation. My guess is this is funded by new orders, other customers who will receive nothing.
Here is some other whois information about Terry Holmes and GPS Computers which some might find useful:
gpscomputers.com Registrant:
GPS Computer Services (GPSCOMPUTERS2-DOM)
P.O. Box 32
Vermillion, OH 44089
US
Domain Name: GPSCOMPUTERS.COM
Administrative Contact, Billing Contact:
Hoopes, Jason (JH13983) tempest@CENTURYINTER.NET
GPS Computer Services
283 Taylor St
Amherst,, OH 44001-2440
011-440-985-1467
Technical Contact:
Hostmaster (HO248-ORG) hostmaster@NETDNS.COM
eNIC Corp.
1916 Pike Pl #12-367
Seattle, WA 98101
US
206.329.7900
Fax- 206.329.7107
Record last updated on 07-Aug-2000.
Record expires on 05-Jul-2002.
Record created on 05-Jul-1998.
Database last updated on 3-Oct-2001 06:49:00 EDT.
Domain servers in listed order:
NS1.ELYRIA.COM 166.102.17.2
NS2.ELYRIA.COM 166.102.17.3
—
AND
—
gpscomputersvcs.com Registrant:
GPS Computer Services, LTD. (GPSCOMPUTERSVCS-DOM)
5679 Liberty Avenue
Vermilion, OH 44089
US
Domain Name: GPSCOMPUTERSVCS.COM
Administrative Contact, Billing Contact:
HOLMES, TERRANCE (THC402) THOLMES@GPSCOMPUTERS.COM
GPS COMPUTER SERVICES, LTD.
5679 LIBERTY AVENUE
VERMILION, OH 44089
440-967-0949 (FAX) 440-967-2702
Technical Contact:
AutoNIC – Yahoo! Store (NA97-ORG) autonic@STORE.YAHOO.COM
Yahoo! Inc.
701 First Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
US
+1 408 349 3300
Fax- +1 408 349 3301
Record last updated on 14-Dec-2000.
Record expires on 14-Dec-2002.
Record created on 14-Dec-2000.
Database last updated on 3-Oct-2001 06:49:00 EDT.
Domain servers in listed order:
ST-NS1.YAHOO.COM 216.136.225.202
NS5.STORE.YAHOO.COM 216.136.225.199
—–
Finally, you can find the CEO’s home phone and address with some simple search engine searches. I won’t give this out here, but it’s possible to aquire if legal action is needed/taken. I’m sickened that BBB, visa, yahoo.com, and paypal.com haven’t had this guy shut down or arrested for this stuff. I recommend that all people who have been affected file official complaints with the BBB, yahoo, and paypal.
Hope this information can be used to shut these crooks down permanently; the only downside is I never got my Ipaq for my birthday.
I bought a Laptop and a Digital Camera more than 5 weeks ago now from GPS computer services and (guess what?) have not received the items… Since I have not got a response from them, I’m beginning to think they don’t have half of the items they advertise in their web page, they just post them with their incredible prices to lure innocent buyers and just keep their money for a couple of months, make some profit out of this money and then (if ever) give the money back. Could I be right? I mean, could a company live out of interest yields of small amounts from the buyers?
My wife and I plus 200 other people where I work also (except for 3 who did get there orders)have the GPS blues. We all ordered laptops and got took. We ar trying to get our money back. Terry is running the company at the expense of the majority of people who order from GPS. When the 3 people who did get thier computers got them they came from PC MALL! Terry sent one guy who got tired of waiting $1,400. (His order was $500)Guess whos money that was? YOURS!!! and mine.
Hi, I live in the same town that GPS is located. I actually went to the store and talked to a guy "named" Harvey. Not that I have any reason to believe he is NOT named that.
The store seemed small. I didn’t see ANY computers besides the ones they used for orders or what not. They are running a deal right now on 500 dollar laptops, which is VERY tempting, even to chance it. I almost bought the laptop, but they didn’t take credit cards; which is understandable given they make little to no profit on a 500 dollar laptop.
But bottom line– they have an office building (duh). I have a few friends that ordered the computers. They told us that they would not ship out for 3 to 4 weeks. I want one, but don’t want to lose money either.
Let me know if I can help out in any way.
On 6/18/01 I ordered a 60GB DIAMONDMAX Hard Drive from GPS Computer Service. They didn’t send it. When I contacted them at the end of July, they said they would send an 80GB drive if I could wait until August 1st. They didn’t send it. I contacted them again on August 25th — again they said they would send the drive or refund, and then didn’t send either. I tried again in September and October — they promised again — and didn’t send it. On November 9th I asked again, and they said it would take two weeks (although their website claimed to have it in stock). I asked for a refund instead, and they said they would immediately — that was two weeks ago, and they haven’t responded.
This place only exits to scam people out of their money. I’ve seen this scam before. It doesn’t stop until the police arrest Mr. Holmes, and even then we will not see our money.
A colleague asked me what I thought of their laptop prices. At $500 for a $1500 laptop, my first thought was "scam!" And from the comments here, that’s sure what it looks like.
And it looks like they have a long record of this:
http://www.toledobbb.org/bbbcgi/adv_cgi1.exe?SRCHON=3&SRCHFOR=0015000033
To check up on other companies, here’s the main BBB search form:
http://search.bbb.org/national/search.html
Well, I got sucked in too. I’ve been waiting since 9/22/01 for three laptops. Terry Holmes listed two of them on the Bargain and Haggle web site, and he accepted my offer of $600 each. The third I purchased directly off GPS’ web site. They first promised they’d be shipped by end of October, but they keep delaying the shipping date. As of today, they said maybe I’d get two of the three shipped on December 14. I’ve sent e-mail to Terry Holmes threatening legal action if shipment doesn’t arrive by 12/7, but doubt it’ll be effective. I’ve kept a log of dates, times and substance of conversations with their staff, including their empty promises. I will be filling complaints with PayPal, Bargain and Haggle, and the BBB, and am considering placing a call to their local police department.
I got sucked in, too. Ordered three laptops, two of them from the Bargain and Haggle (not an auction but something like it) and one I ordered from GPS website. Paid for all three through PayPal. Today’s 11/29 and I’ve been waiting since 9/22. All I’ve received are empty promises. First they said by the end of October. When you’re lucky enough to get through and talk to someone, they give another date. Two weeks ago I was assured shipment by 11/27, but yesterday when I called they said maybe two of them by 12/14. I’m fed up and have threatened legal action if all three are not received by 12/7. I’ve kept a log of the date, time, and substance of all of my telephone conversations, and I’ll be reporting them to PayPal, BBB, and Bargain and Haggle site (not that it’ll do any good).
I wish you luck. As for me, their last promise was shipment on December 7. As I suspected, it never happened. I blew my top and got nasty with the poor receptionist who had the misfortune of working on Saturday. Bottom line is I got my money back today, minus $53.23 in PayPal fees, minus lots in phone calls, and minus interest on almost $2,000 for three months. I have sent them a request through PayPal for funds in the amount of $53.23 plus $5.00 for additional PayPal fees when they pay up (ha ha), and told them I’d forgive the interest incurred for the past three months as a gesture of goodwill. I’ve also made it clear to them in my conversations since Saturday that I am taking this further and have taken steps to report them to appropriate authorities, which I have. Also, Bargain and Haggle has sent Terry Holmes notice threatening to cancel his membership and advising me to file a report with the Postmaster General and the FBI (internet fraud). Shirley, the one full of promises, couldn’t give me an answer today when I asked her why she lied about these shipments. After all these weeks of comradery, today she was barely civil. Gee, and I thought we were friends! As I said, I hope you have better luck. As for the Ohio Highway Patrol, they probably have my laptops, or will probably get yours. Again, good luck.
I wish I would have seen this full page complaints earlier. I got tempted by the price too and ordered laptop on 12/13/01. I got charged on 12/14/01. Now I am not sure should i cancel the order or give it a shot.
I orderd one laptop one week ago. Two days later, I got an email from them:
Thank you for order. We will process your order and will ship within the
time specified by Ohio Law.
Is that a kind of tricky? Should I cancel my order ASAP?
Maybe those of you who have ordered recently will get lucky. Perhaps they’ve already been approached about their practices and are cleaning up their act. If you don’t cancel your orders, I’d be interested to know when you receive them, so please keep us posted. I’d definitely check with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office to find out the law in this regard. My initial email from GPS specified shipment within 5 to 15 days, but they told me on the phone they weren’t shipping for 28 days, which I could live with. But, as you have read, it was much longer than that. And, their web site still states their original shipping timeframe. Why don’t they change it? As for me, I’ve already started the process with my State’s Attorney General’s Office and the FBI. I will also file a report with PayPal, but don’t hold much hope with them because they make a darn good profit from all of the orders that go through GPS. What really burns me is that with full knowledge that he was in trouble in terms of supply, Terry Holmes went ahead and listed on Bargain and Haggle two of these laptops that weren’t even available any longer (straight from Shirley’s mouth), with no intention of delivering them. One of those models, the Armada M700, is still listed on GPS’ website as of today, with a note that it will ship within 5 to 7 business days of payment.
I heard about GPS around Nov 25 when my dad called me down at school. I attend the Ohio State University. We talked for a long while about, because I said for $500 it has to be a scam. Eventually we decided to try it. My dad lives in Cleveland, so his work takes him around alot. He drove to GPS in Vermillion. He said it was a small building with a couple of ladies working there. He put down his deposit for 4 laptops, and now we’re waiting. I’m not sure what to expect, but he said he’ll stop there about once a week to check up on it. If anything looks like we’re gonna end up getting screwed, I’ll make sure we get our money back. If anyone hears anything else, please contact me.
Quit your crying!!! You all are a bunch of babies!!!
Babies, no. Naive, maybe, to think we’d be dealing with honest business people. It sure taught me a lesson, to check up on so-called businesses before I send my money for them to use. Given GPS’ low ratings, I could have avoided all of this.
I was about to order a laptop from GPSComputers, but after reading these comments about the way GPS does business, I’ve decided not to get anything from them. Thanks guys..
I purchased a laptop on the 1st of December when GPS was selling them for $500. My family’s busniness is a member of the Better Business Bureau. In a newsletter we received today there were a few lines about GPS. "This firm sells computers over the Internet and is the subject of 150 BBB complaints, with more arriving every day. Many have been resolved, but the company has an unsatisfactory BBB report due to failure to correct the underlying causes of all those complaints." I made a call to the Toledo OH BBB today. I was told that GPS’s main complaint is the shipping time. The BBB said they do eventually ship out the products, it just takes longer than expected. I’ll just need to work on having patience.
I called and spoke with a woman whose name I did not request. I asked her specifically about the Sony Vaio laptop. She stated that the reason they can offer such good deals is an arrangement with the manufacturers–if GPS buys 500 units, they get this incredible break in the price. I asked how long shipping would take, and she answered 40 business days.
So I’m left to wonder–why would a legitimate business discount a product to $525 when no one else is selling it for less than $1500? Why not discount it to $1000? Why so low? If they were in Chicago instead of Ohio I would swear they must be mafia. Who knows?
Thanks, folks. I read above posts just before I am going to place an order. Now I won’t have anything with this company.
Good luck.
Maybe they discount the prices so low, because by the time you get them that’s all their worth. The technology is outdated and not state of the art anymore. Look at Deb’s comments from above, over three or four months and she received nothing. If she did get her mechandise it would be like buying a 486-SX when the current model is a PIII 200. Maybe the wholsalers and other shops can’t sell these models after X amount of time, so GPS gets them cheap. Just a thought.
Has anyone actually RECEIVED a laptop that they purchased from GPS?
Believe it or not, I know of two people who have received their laptops. I talked to the one guy and he seemed happy with what he got. He ordered the Compaq. I have been waiting for over two months for mine. A glimmer of hope? Definitely a crash course in patience.
IS there no way we can report this company to the authorities when there seem to be so many people having problems with the way they seem to be doing business.
I recently bought a compaq2700 from Frys Electronics for 1600$. And next day I heard from my friend that I could have got a similar one for $825. It sounded too good to be true. I was even contemplating returning it (at a 15% restocking fee) and ordering it from GPS. I guess I found the above comments really useful and strengthend my conviction to buy from well know dealers even if I have to pay more.
I wish I would have read all this before ordering the SONY VAIO laptop.( which is now $625)
I told a couple of more people at work and they also ordered and I’m sure that I will be blamed for the screw up. Does anyone think we will get the laptops? Is it better to cancel the order by calling the credit card company??
This site saved me some bucks and much hardache!!! Thanks.
Has anyone ever received their laptops from GPSComputers?
But you guys have saved me so much trouble. Thank you.
I ordere five notebooks off the GPS web site on October 30th and still haven’t received them!!! I must have called there about 100 times and either get "the voice mailbox is full" message or get put on ignore! The couple times I have talked to somebody they just tell me it will be another week.. They did offer to refund my money right on the spot but for the cost of the notebooks, I’d rather wait. The question is how long? I talked with someone this week and they told me without question I’d get my computers next week. If not, I’ll for sure be asking for a refund.
The guy who told me about GPS ordered his locally, paid $100 down and got it in 4 weeks. He is very happy with his IBM. He works near Vermilion and 3 of his friends bought one at the same time. He said the day he picked it up there were people lined up around the building waiting to pick their computers up. I ordered mine online and paid for it, then got worried and visited the store. There were people there placing orders. I was told when I ask how they sell for this price that this was a teacher discount deal that they had permission to offer to anyone.
I am keeping my fingers crossed that we will all get our laptops.
Well if the above explanation is the truth (which is difficult to decipher about this company), it is no wonder that the greedy people ordering three, four & five laptops never get them. I ordered one, recieved it and am very happy with it. Took about 4-5 weeks.
Dear "Explains alot", whoever you are, count yourself among the lucky ones. You may not be greedy, but you certainly are presumptuous. In any event, your explanation is anything but an explanation. If you’ll refer to the original threads that started this whole discussion, they didn’t involve "greedy" people. How about the person ordering, and paying for, one hard drive in June and still no delivery in November?! I’d say that’s quite a delivery problem, which GPS has a history of. I guess you could say I’m one of those "greedy" people, because I ordered three laptops, two of them from an auction-type site where Terry Holmes of GPS had listed them, and another directly from GPS’ web site. The laptops were for me, my mother and my daughter in college, which was made very clear during some of my many conversations with GPS staff. Not that it matters anyway. What is crystal clear is that the GPS representatives are, without doubt, liars. What is starting to become clear is that people living near Vermilion are getting their orders, maybe because they’re closer, able to pay GPS a personal visit and raise hell if they don’t deliver.
Hi everyone,
good to see that i am not the only one who is befooled by GPSComputers,just kidding.
like everyone else i got tempted and ordered a SONY VIAO laptop and the same story talked to shirley a many hundred times,got the same reply will be shipped next week.but when i didnt receive it for two months, just got lucky and talked to an employee which is not very common in GPS,and cancelled the order.
Before that i inquired the PAYPAL, they said they will not investigate if it’s more than a month,seems like all are part of this scam.Had a good fight with PAYPAL.
but as i said i was lucky enough to see the refund on my PAYPAL account but still waiting to get my CC charged back.
I would strongly suggest to everyone, if you are not living in the ohio state area dont ever think of getting into this mess,i have lost a lot on long distance and a hell of tension.
Sandeep
Here goes another guy (me) that was fooled by GPS. Ordered it on 1-2, read this thread on 1-3 cancelled it on same day and yet to get my money back…They keep on saying money will be returned in 5-10 days but nothing concrete yet.
Filed a complaint with Paypal and waiting to hear from them. They said they will investigate the matter.
My final alternative will be give couple weeks for paypal and then file complaint with my credit card company.
So folks, do you think I have any other alternative than what I am doing or plan to do?.
Please let me know.
Thank You,
-Sam
I have also received the run-a-round from these guys, since September 18! I ordered two ipaqs at that time and have only seen delays, false promises, no return phone calls. They tell me they are shipping one today, we’ll see.
Avoid ordering from GPS unless you have a great deal of patience. They seem to operate by taking the money and then finding out if the merchandise is available from the manufacturer.
Here are some key tips though, don’t waste money on long distance calls. Use their toll free number (877) 389-0949.
Know who to complain to:
Yahoo – http://shopping.yahoo.com/
Toledo Better Business Bureau – http://www.toledobbb.org/
Ohio Attorney General’s Office – http://www.ag.state.oh.us/
Reseller Ratings – http://www.resellerratings.com/g-h.html
A+ Ranking – http://www.aplusranking.com/
These last two are useful because they may prevent others from the same folly. Good Luck!
Wow – a lot of love in this thread!
I have dealt with Terry on 3 purchases now and he has done nothing but been cordial and accomodating. When you place your order, it is true – expect a 4-6 week delay in receiving your product – but you WILL get your product. Since he orders in quantity to get his discount, he is able to pass it on to you – so have a little patience. I have ordered several notebooks at a time and have received all of them without a problem. All are EXACTLY what he says on his webpage and are brand new in the manufacturers box – sealed. Terry has experienced some growing pains, some staffing problems, has moved his location, and has experienced some delays of his own with the vendors he uses – BUT he has always taken the time to speak with me through Email and instant messages to try to accomodate my needs. I think the key here is to be patient and trust that you will receive the items you ordered. I have a lot of trust in Terry and his company and feel sad that a few people on this list have had problems. Send an email to Terry at THolmes@gpscomputers.com and I would bet that he responds to your inquiry within a day or two. You have to realize that he has had a lot of sales, receives a lot of emails, and tries to handle it all as best as he can. Be patient… email him… You WILL get your product.
Thanks for listening…. and on a second note – he did NOT make the remark tied to his name in the previous thread. Whoever did that I am sure was trying to be funny – but Terry would never make a remark like that and then link his name to his website.
Vicki
I was reading through some of these gpscomputer bashing articles and was astonished to hear the bad things about T Holmes, shirley, and gpscomputers itself. I personally bought a laptop from Blair Johnson who had nothing but good things to say about gps and the way it’s operation runs. Not only did he mention quick service but he talked about the friendly assistance that shirley provided him with. If anyone has any questions or comments feel free to email me.
I can understand that because of the holidays, growing pains, staffing problems, moving location, and vendor delays, we have experienced delays in receiving our orders, but in my opinion that does not excuse some of the business practices of GPS. I did in fact email Terry Holmes, but I never received a reply, that was over a month and a half ago. The only email I have received from GPS without my prompting was when I got the email confirming my order, and even then it was an automatic response. The original email said there was 5-20 days for shipping my order. Then I got another email that said "we will process your order and will ship within the
time specified by Ohio Law." What is the Ohio Law? I have never found where it is specified. Then I called on the phone. I was told that now it was 30 days for shipping. Then I emailed. Now it is 40 days. I have emailed again and now it is 60 days. Do you see what isn’t happening? I have to continually contact GPS on my own to find out what is going on with my order. Never once have they emailed me to inform me of the delays. Also my concerns aren’t so much about the delays as they are about the fact that GPS has my money. How many businesses take your money before they have the product to ship out to you? Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate the fact that I found a great deal, if that’s really what it was. My question for the people that feel Terry Holmes is doing a good job, why doesn’t he make sure that the consumer stays informed? I have checked GPS’s website MANY times and have found that the products that are offered are updated, the prices are updated, etc. How hard is it to add a small paragraph to the main page explaining that there is a delay in the orders? I would think this would reduce the headaches GPS is receiving when many of us call or email them to find out the status of our orders.
Good luck everyone!
P.S. Since having posted the report of the BBB, GPS’s complaints have risen from 150 in December to over 200 on January 15th.
Kyle,
You must be working for GPS Computers. I think Kyle Larson/Shirley is the same person and thats why she has nothing but "GOOD" things to say about herself.
Now that they started to accept Credit Cards, I decided to give it a shot and see IF I would get my Laptops. I ordered 2 IBM laptops priced at 625 each on January 26th.
Haven’t heard anything from them yet.
I ordered two of the HP 5475 laptops back on december 1st. I’m somewhat miffed that they have decided to substitute Omnibook XE3s for them – the omnibook uses shared video memory subsystem, the pavillion 5475 had dedicated graphics RAM. Aside from that the switch doesn’t bother me much.
People who keep asking about OHIO LAW: it’s 8 weeks. 2 months. I’m coming up on that in a day or two and I’m getting really antsy… now that i have people’s extensions I’m going to try those out see if it helps.
All the reports I’ve seen say that you *will* get your crap eventually, for the most part. Like I said, ohio law says 8 weeks, by 8 weeks they need to either ship or offer you a refund. If they do neither they’re breaking the law, but if they offer refund and you decline that’s your problem.
Oh, and WHAT THE HELL is so hard about only hitting "submit" ONE TIME?
My co-worker bought a HP5475 laptop back in late November and he keeps hearing the same story.
When he bought it they said 5-20 days to ship. Then he called in Dec. and and they told him it would ship Jan 1st. Guess what, Jan. 1st came and went and still no laptop. He called again a few weeks ago and they told him Jan 31st. Well that’s today and he’s been trying to contact someone to get a tracking number. He’s left messages since yesterday and he’s been promised someone would call him back in an hour or so but that hasn’t happened yet.
I’m sure he’ll get it sooner or later (probably later) but in the mean time they’re earning some good interest on everyone else’s money.
I think I know that co-worker! Interestingly enough, I suspect that "Ohio Law" doesn’t really matter much. The fact is, when an order is placed, a shipping time frame of 5-20 days is stated. That constitutes a verbal contract between two parties (money is exchanged, and terms are agreed upon.) The fact that the shipping lead-time is also "written" on the web site constitutes a written agreement. Interesting things to think about!
Good Luck.
I ordered a Sony VAIO in the begining of January and if I don’t get my laptop, I am making my lawyer call them. If they are breaking the law, they should be penalized and I will go all the way to see them pay for all this.
To quote more on the "time specified by Ohio Law"…
from the OAC section 109 of Ohio Consumer rules.
I’m calling them some time today, hopefully i can get an answer, I’ll followup here if they tell me anything new.
We ordered back in Nov. 2001. GPS said 5-15 business days. Then on the 20 th business day they said 20-40 business days. When we went in on the 41st business day a GPS worker told us, "most people are willing to wait 60 business days for the price." Nice! Their infamous lines seem to be, "we were expecting a shipment today, but it hasn’t come in yet." and, "Yours will be here by the end of next week." Just keep repeating till nauseous.
Well, I just got off of the phone with them.
More accurately, I sat on hold for 10 minutes and then was told "I’m sorry about the wait, can I get your name/number and I’ll have someone call you back."
Grrrrr. I just want freaking status – I really don’t care if it takes another week or two, I just want to know WHEN to expect my laptops!
It’s frustrating as hell.
Gotta lov it!
This whole thing is pretty insane, i cant believe that ohio law is actually being looked into already, obviously there are alot of disatisfied customers. I have been waiting almost 2 months now for an IBM laptop, i dont care if I have to wait another few weeks as long as i actually get it because the price is dope! Despite the price, this is just bad business tactics. Oh well Ill keep waiting.
I have been waiting since Nov 23rd and they told me it would ship on Jan 31st and then I called that day and they told me that because of inventory it would ship Feb 14th. How can people work for a company where they know that they are lying to all the customers. I call all the time and they take my name and number and say they will get back to me, but they have never called. I tried to tell them that and they said nobody was available and all they could do is take my name and number and have someone call me. The only person who looked up anything was the infamous Shirley. She seemed nice but if they change the shipping date one more time, I think I am canceling. I will never do business with this company again. I don’t care how good the prices are.
Finally I got a hold of someone helpful… I called at around 9:30AM EST today. She told me that the laptop I had ordered (HP5475) was on about 2 week backorder… ugh. They claim that my order was recieved on 12/20/01, even though I have emails from paypal and their sales department stating that my order was recieved, the first on 12/1/01, then a few more, the last on 12/11/01. How this works out to 12/20 I’m not sure… but anyway.
She told me it’d probably be another 2.5-3 weeks or so, which is consistant with their claims of 8 weeks, plus the backorder they supposedly have. I guess I just have to sit on my hands some more. It pisses me off that it took me THIS LONG to get through to someone who could finally tell me what I wanted to hear.
*sigh* as long as I get my laptops, I guess I can’t complain too much, for that price.
Also for those who think their price is the greatest. Go to Best Buy and look at the latest prices on laptops, your "Deal" is not the greatest anymore, while still good (if you ever receive it) it’s not worth what you originally thought, and it’s no longer the latest and greatest. Keep waiting…for your refund.
People lets not be childish about it. This is a serious issue and we all have hundreds of dollars stuck with a company that does not care to provide an answer to this laptop mystery. This is probably the most stupid thing I have ever done and I can’t believe I am actually waiting for the "invisible" laptop.
GPSCOMPUTERS is a totaly unethical and unprofessional company, which is trying to cheat people. I had placed an order and subsequently cancelled it , but till date i have not received the refund.Can someone help on how i can get my back money or should a lawyer be brought into this.
I’d like to tell you all to becareful, I had problems not getting my order. I got luck and got a refund. THANK GAWD. Anyway, if you go through paypal they only represent you for 30 days. Problem being GPS doesnt even usually send if at all until 25 days (business). So if you dont receive it at that time.. Well your pretty much screwed. Also most credit cards only represent you for 60 days. So becareful of these little loop holes. So dont let it go to far. Dont sit there waiting for something that won’t ever come and then have nobody to represent you.
Ok, I ordered too. I see all these complaints, but these guys are still selling?
I too have waited for about 2 months and am promised a call back but nothing. But they are still in business. I mean I can
wait more, as I only paid $500 for a HP, but are orders fulfilled at all? They must be otherwise they would have been shut
down by now….
And notice how I only submit this once and not 10 times like some people have done!!
Well.. i still dont want to think i have been fooled. But anyway is the guys name Terry Holmes or Jody Holmes since BBB says Jody Holmes. Well may be neither i think after hearing all this.
I work with two guys who ordered laptops in November. One waited about a month then sent an email to Terry Holmes mentioning he might have his lawyer get involved. GPS immediately replied that they cancelled his order and refunded his money (at least he got his money back).
The other guy is still waiting and they just keep telling him it’ll ship in a couple weeks. In any case this is obviously not a legitimate company otherwise they would repsond to customers complaints. They don’t give a crap about you. They have your money and are making a nice bit of interest each day.
I noticed Terry Holmes was listed on his local Vermilion, Ohio School Technology Advisory Board in 2000. I wonder if they know what kind of business he runs? Check it out here:
http://www.vermilionschools.org/boe/techplan/advisory/minutes/nov2000/
Don’t you think we should send our URL to Vermilion Schools and let them know that they have a crook on their board?
Well, it is all well and good that someone looked into Ohio law. I would suggest looking into federal law as well regarding commerace.
—pd
Hi. My name is Dave. I own this place.
I don’t mind you talking about GPS at all. I just ask one thing–after you hit the Post button, PLEASE don’t hit the back button and then hit the forward button! That’s what’s causing all these duplicate posts.
Thanks.
-Management
In response to "jabba":
[QUOTE]
I work with two guys who ordered laptops in November. One waited about a month then sent an email to Terry Holmes mentioning he might have his lawyer get involved. GPS immediately replied that they cancelled his order and refunded his money (at least he got his money back).
[/QUOTE]
One of GPS’s listed policies is that "any complaints filed with any agencies will result in the order associated with that complaint being cancelled."
I guess they call "talking to a lawyer" filing a complaint.
But they did state it on their terms of service, so the guy has no reason to be annoyed at the order canceling.
Don’t you get it Braden? Your desire for cheap laptop has been dashed, but you keep dreaming of deal of the century.
It’s okay to dream. Some of us must do it. It keeps us alive this way. If it weren’t for any dreams, there would not be any happiness in this world. Happiness is essential.
I too ordered some notebooks about three months ago and still haven’t received anything. I’m local so I visited them every now and then and always get the same story.."we’ll be happy to give you your money back or can wait and I guarantee you’ll get your computers". I happened in there not too long ago and noticed on the screen they had over 5000 unread emails!!! Nice huh!!! I think I’ll wait just a few more days then get my money back before they go out of business.
GPS IS NO MORE!
Check out their webpage. They are finally not selling anything anymore. I think they are finally going out of business. NO MORE GPS, the world has just become a better place to live.
The Ohio Attorney General filed a lawsuit against them. Here is the information if interested. Does anyone know what we do from here to get our refund?
http://www.ag.state.oh.us/pressrel/GPS%20Computer%20Services.htm
Maybe if Enron has any money left over, thet’ll give it to you Chad.
Hope you charged it and haven’t yet paid your bill, because MasterCard or Visa are your only friends in this scheme.
"Nieve Braden" and "Dream On" need to get a life.
Have a life, oh Concerned One, also received my laptop, prior to the ship breaching and going down for the last time, it wasn’t an easy swim. However, not condoning this piece o’ sh!t company and the thieves running it.
I completely condon the company and the crooks behind it. Believe me!! I have filed a complaint online with the Ohio Attorney General and I want to see Terry Holmes and his gang end up behind bars for fraud and lies. I still can’t believe that this guy was on the Technical Board of the Vermilion Schools. Lets see where this guys ends up.
Of course I charged it and no I haven’t payed the bill. I left $500 on it and filed a dispute. Dream On, you actually recieved your laptop? How long ago did you purchase it? I talked to someone at GPS and they are planning on honoring current orders. Who knows, maybe they will. It is better than having to pay $25,000 per order that they did this on if you are them.
Chad, after going through all this, I don’t even want their stinking laptop. I just want my money back and I am going to get it. I filed a dispute with the credit card, sent a dispute to YAHOO and have filed complaint with Ohio DA’s office. I don’t think you will get the laptop, so hurry and get your money back.
Good Luck!!
Here’s a snippet from The Blade, a Toledo newspaper:
"VERMILLION, Ohio – Ohio Attorney General Betty Montgomery is seeking the appointment of a receiver to take over a firm here which sells computers over the Internet.
GPS Computer Services Ltd. violated state sales practices laws by failing to deliver merchandise in a timely manner, the attorney general said in a lawsuit filed yesterday in Lorain County Common Pleas Court.
Her office, along with the Better Business Bureau in Toledo and Vermillion Chamber of Commerce, were flooded with complaints from customers who waited up to two months for merchandise for which they paid. The lawsuit seeks a $25,000 civil penalty.
Owner Terrance Holmes couldn’t be reached for comment yesterday, but told The Blade Monday that he was attempting to resolve the complaints."
Thanks for letting us vent, Dave.
I have placed an order for 20 laptops. I gave a $2000 deposit. How do I get my money back. No email response, no return calls. I just want to talk with someone to get my money back. I paid via certified check… I’m nervous I wont see my money. Does anyone have any advise?
I have a Sony ordered too. I drove to Vermilion this morning after seeing the last few postings. There was a CLOSED sign on the window and a notice they were closed for an employee meeting, will reopen on Tuesday and Thank You for your patience. There was a second sign for used computer equipment.
GPS site says to contact them via AOL instant messenger for the status of your order but they weren’t online.
Kinda makes me sick in my gut when I think about how much money they scammed us out of.
So sounds like they are possibly selling all their computer equipment and closing down. Mike, I would call the Ohio AG and ask what to do. At least you didn’t pay for all the laptops. You would think that they might start giving us straight answers now that they have been revealed but everything stays as it was. Just a bunch of garbage. Did anyone ever talk to someone in customer service? They were so rude and never very helpful. Well all we can do is hope that things turn out okay, but if they go bankrupt then we are all out of luck.
For those of you who do not know, the Ohio Attorney General has requested the the trial court appoint what’s known in legal terms as a "receiver." A receiver is third party appointed by a court for the purpose of preserving property of a debtor pending an action against him whenever these is a danger that, in the absence of such an appointment, the property will be removed or destroyed. If GPS winds up declaring bankruptcy instead of defending the civil suit brought by the AG, a similar individual (known as a "trustee") may be empowered to take charge of its assets and preserve them for sale and distribution to creditors. A receiver may or may not be appointed here; it all depends on whether GPS is able to convince the trial judge that its remaining assets (whatever they are) will not be dissipated pending resoltion of the civil suit. If GPS declares bankruptcy instead, a trustee will probably be appointed right away. I’d like to be able to give you rosier news, but the fact is that neither option is very likely to produce full refunds for everyone given that GPS may well be in over (way over) its head.
Well I’m another person waiting endlessly on a laptop that I am now convinced will never come.
I filed a complaint at:
https://www.ifccfbi.gov/update/default.asp
Not sure what good it will do, but if we all complain…
-CR
receiver appointed by the court:
http://www.chronicletelegram.com/archive/html/2002/february/021602/news/local3.html
OK, I should set one thing straight. (I think I told this to Dave, but never posted it in the comments here.) I received a call from Terry Holmes the Saturday after I sent my last email. Unless the person I talked to was lying, Terry Holmes is a *she*. Not Terrance. She said she had been on vacation, blah, blah, blah. That she would send my order second day on Monday. Of course, by this time, I had gone to a dealer with a clue, so I cancelled the order from GPS. I *did* get a refund. But this was before the walls really started falling in.
In any case, as I told "Terry" on the phone, business practices like GPS’s won’t keep a company around for long. And now they’re in some serious legal hot water. At $25K per incident, and with 200+ complaints, Terry could be working some extra jobs…
Reading some earlier messages in this discussion, it *is* interesting to note that the gpscomputersvcs domain has a *Terrance* Holmes as an administrative and billing contact. Let me tell you, though, folks: I’m not deaf. Unless Terry has been receiving Swedish injections, the person that called me was a *woman*, which ticks me off even more. And who would name their daughter Terrance? Deception by proxy…
Lucky me! I got refund from GPS…Thanks to paypal. I ordered Sony Laptop on 1/2 but got suspicious about their practise after reading several articles and cancelled it on 1/3. However, no one at GPS would help me get my refund. I called probably 50 times and wrote several emails but nothing worked.
I filled a complaint form with paypal on 1/30 and one fine morning (2/13) I received an email from paypal saying GPS credited the amount.
Now when I read GPS shutting its doors, it chills me thinking about the number of people who have invested their money. Hope everyone gets their money back. Contact paypal or your credit card company to get your money back. It is almost impossible to get money back from GPS.
Hello all, since we are on the subject; I would like to share my experiences with everyone. I ordered 5 laptops late december after a friend of mine that I go to school with referred me to GPS computers. After ordering them, I found this website and kind of flipped out. I wrote Terry an e-mail and waited a week…. No reply. I then wrote him an e-mail that basically said "Give me my laptops or face legal action" He responded to this e-mail very propmptly and was for the most part, very helpfull… for a while…. He told me that my laptops were going to ship by the end of the week. naturally, I was stoked! So I waited until the end of the week and no laptop, no tracking number etc. (this was the week of Jan 7th) So I wrote him back again, in a polite matter and said " Where the hell are the laptops that were going to ship ". He did not respond. I then called them and like everybody else, did not get an answer at all, in fact they told me I had to wait till the end of feburary. I was pissed so I went on his personal IM and talked to someone who was very helpfull and told me that my products will ship on Jan 21st. to my amazement, by the end of that I week I received 2 of the 5 laptops! I was excited except there was something strange about it…. They did not come from GPS computers, they came from PC Mall?? I called PC – Mall and they said that Terry had paid $1600 a piece for these!! Then I was thinking to myself.. What kind of business people are these! I realize now that GPS used YOUR money to buy MY laptops and ship them to me because I was an annoying customer. At the time I didn’t care too much, I just wanted the rest of my products. They never did show up and I know it never will, so I disputed the remaining charges on my CC and called it good. I was lucky to recieve 2 laptops, I am sorry for all you people who paid for me to get them. Hope you are able to work it out and get your money back. Not that it matters anymore, but Terry’s IM is GPSGARAGE (He uses AOL) for all those still seeking answers.
GOOD LUCK!
I won’t repeat the same story that is already written here over and over again. Just the conclusion, which is definitely different, but not without a hassle and much worry. Ordered laptop 11/28. Delivery 4-10 days. After lies via phone (only after i sent email threatening to report them to the FBI, which I did anyway), I finally drove out there to check the place out. Was promisted delivery in 2 more weeks. Called, and was asked if i could wait one more week and Terry says he will give me a laptop case for free. I figured another lie. I agreed stating i would arrive on 2/14 to pick it all up. I sent a confirming email on 2/13 saying I would be the next day. Terry emailed and then later personally called me to confirm. (Does sound like a woman, btw) I DID get my laptop on 2/14 and I DID get a FREE, very nice, leather case. I believe I am the exception. Many of my friends, ordering at the same time as myself have not gotten anything. They did not take the time to call, email, or visit the place either. As stated by others, they take care of those who threaten the most. I had to remain polite and business like trhough the entire ordeal as I had heard they would just cancel orders if you got too nasty. Interestingly, if you read the Ohio Law and then pay attention t the promises made by GPS, I think they are operating within the law when you actually do here from them. Those who have placed orders and not contacted GPS for updates are the consumers that GPS is breaking the law with. When you talk to GPS, they promise a due date or politely say they will refund your money if you prefer not to wait. That is what the law says they have to do. In the mean time they have everyone’s money and we have no product, all very legally it seems.
I am trying to stay up to date on all of this for my friends. I am disabled and have a little more time during the day than they do to follow the continuing saga of GPS. Now that the Attorney General has stepped in I am not sure what will happen. They are allowed to complete orders that have already been placed. I suppose we have to wait and see if they file bankruptcy or not. I may try contacting the AG office to see if I can get updates directly from there. Good Luck to all….
Kit ^..^
If you’ve been ripped off by GPS, this link provides telephone numbers so you can file your claim with the Ohio AG:
http://www.toledobbb.org/bbbcgi/adv_cgi1.exe?SRCHON=3&SRCHFOR=0015000033
Norm Funk is the investigator on the GPS case. He can be reached by e-mail at nfunk@ag.state.oh.us or by phone at 216-787-3282.
Also, although it’s a bit dated now, here’s another article from the Toledo Blade concerning GPS’ travails (http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?SearchID=73089628376453&Avis=TO&Dato=20020213&Kategori=BUSINESS06&Lopenr=102130038&Ref=AR):
Toledo BBB among agencies flooded with complaints about computer site
By GARY T. PAKULSKI
BLADE BUSINESS WRITER
VERMILION, Ohio – When gps Computer Services, Ltd., here began advertising laptop computers at the low price of $500 on its web site last year, orders poured in from around the country.
But now, the Toledo area Better Business Bureau, Ohio Attorney General, and Chamber of Commerce in this 12,000-resident Lake Erie resort community are flooded with complaints from angry customers saying they’re sick of waiting for merchandise.
"I feel their pain and I’m trying to help them out," replied Terrance Holmes, gps’s 37-year-old founder and chief executive.
He was unprepared for the huge response to the offer, he conceded. A bank account holds $169,000 collected from customer credit cards for laptops and other computer equipment.
But the money is controlled by an online payment service, which, because of complaints from anxious buyers, will issue refunds to them but no money to the company to buy computers to fill orders, Mr. Holmes said.
"We have closed the account for excessive consumer complaints for non-delivery or delayed delivery and are holding the funds to process existing and expected consumer refund requests," said Vince Sollitto, spokesman for PayPal, Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif.
About 500 orders, dating to November, remain unfilled, the gps chief conceded.
Officials at the BBB in Toledo are frustrated by the problems. "We’ve received about 200 complaints," said Jan Muir, dispute resolution specialist. "Most end up being resolved with a refund or delivery of the merchandise. But they keep rolling in."
The gps chief met in December in Columbus with an aide to Attorney General Betty Montgomery. Mr. Holmes said he has been working with the agency to resolve complaints. Ohio’s deceptive sales practices act requires mail-order firms to deliver orders within eight weeks or offer the customer a refund. Firms that violate the law can be fined and are subject to other civil penalties.
Stephanie Beougher, a spokesman for the attorney general, said agency policy prevented her from saying whether an investigation is under way. She confirmed, however, that gps customers have filed 58 complaints, including 20 since Jan. 1.
The firm has dropped the online payment service, PayPal. gps now bills customer credit cards directly. But the card isn’t billed until five days before delivery, eliminating a big source of complaints, Mr. Holmes said. PayPal billed when the order was placed, he said.
Price increases have helped reduce problems. The cheapest laptop advertised on the web site now is $725.
Mr. Holmes described himself as a computer systems specialist who was unprepared for the rapid growth experienced by his firm when he went from a firm offering computer classes to an Internet retailer a year ago. Sales soared from $200,000 in 2000 to $2.5 million in 2001. "I was caught off guard," he said.
I ordered mine August 21, 2001. I too have followed the phone call, e-mail pattern and know no more and still don’t have my laptop. I can’t believe they can get away with this! Fortunately for me, I purchased through my VISA, not an online payment through my credit card, and feel fairly sure that VISA will refund if I never get satisfaction. Does showing up at their door do any good?
I was waiting for a Sony Vaio since December 13th. I have since disputed my charge. I am going after GPS Computers AND PAYPAL. Regardless of PAYPALS terms and conditions, the knew all about this scam and did nothing because they were profiting the MOST! I ordered a laptop in Aug, 01 and got a PayPal refund 23 days later and so didn’t thousands of others. Why didn’t PAYPAL question this vendors account and the excessive refunding going on? Because they were getting a commission on every debit AND credit. Somehow I knew this was a scam from the beginning – but I guess I was looking for trouble. I have filed a complaint with Attorney General and my credit card. Who know what that will do. Thanks for all your feedback, it helps to commisserate together. If any of you want to make some money with a legitimate on line business, check out my web site for a free business opportunity. http://www.telecom-mom.com
WOW!!! I’m lucky enough to be local and have visited GPS many times. Every time it’s the same story. I finally put in for a paypal refund today, I’ll keep you posted if I ever get my money back. After a bunch of research, I think I have an idea of what happened with GPS. It seems there’s a ton of people out there on different auction sites who sell brand name notebooks at unreal prices. Only they don’t! They accept these ridiculously low bids then have you wire them the money but never ship anything. Wired funds are virtually impossible to recover. Maybe GPS thought they had found a way to make a buck by buying these computers and reselling them. Their mistake may have been to market the computers, take orders and collect money before finding out they couldn’t actually get any product. Just a theory!
i love gps!
Well Jonathan,
You got me going there. I had actually chatted with someone from gps in yahoo, I sent a offline message and they responded immediately. They are still promising laptops for everyone, I dont think thats gonna happen. I have filed my complaint at bbb, paypal and have to dispute charges with my credit card. I hope i get my money back. Thanks to Dave to let us use this place.
I cant believe you guys are so stupid – after all that happened you still bought from them – well i bought rather paid for one of their laptops last year and soon after i was warned about GPS – i tried contacting them nicely for about two weeks – then it was email Terry Holmes and threaten him with legal action – i was refunded the next day. The GPS site says they have stopped taking orders from Feb. 14th GPS can rot and goto hell and Terry Holmes well damn him
Just passing some info along…..
I also ordered a laptop from GPS (back in October).
Last Tuesday I called to get an update on the situation
and they told me the story of the Attorney General and
the receiver and suggested that I try back early this week.
I got through on their 877 line today (it’s been months since
I’ve gotten an e-mail returned) and the woman with whom I spoke
said that the auditor has requested and received a continuance from the AG and that they hope to have more information *next* Monday or Tuesday. I’ll let you know how that goes….
I just called today (2/27/02 @ 1:25 PM EST) and got the same line about the Attorney General coming in and shutting down the business so they could audit it.
They also mentioned that they *did* obtain a continuance, but they are still unable to receive or ship computers due to the stipulations of the audit. Thus, while the business is still open, they can’t send us our crap and their bank account continues to generate more interest off our money. Grr. The woman i talked to also said several times "you will get your computers"… Oddly enough, while I only ordered TWO laptops, they have me down for FOUR… I only paid for two… so who knows what will happen there. 🙂 (Can’t say I’d complain if i got 4 1ghz laptops for a total of $1000 🙂
Hopefully the AG will either see that things are ok and let the business continue, OR he’ll shut them down and we’ll get all of our money back.
Hopefully.
–Braden
the thing is those clods tell different people different things . . .the truth, as I understand it, is that they have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Translation? No one will get any money or any laptops-not now, not ever., Bankruptcy protects people from creditors and allows them to reform or even re-incorporate themselves . . .wake up . . . .its all done. Credit card company can’t get any money from a bankrupt payee . . . itsa the law . . .just chalk it up . . . . .
I have ordered from GPS several times and the only time I have not received my product timely is in this last month or two – when Paypal froze their accounts due to customer complaints. With GPS unable to pull the funds from paypal – they were unable to order the notebooks through their source – so in essence, the whiners complaining that it took over 30 days to receive a notebook – at WELL BELOW RETAIL I must add, have caused the rest of us to be caught up in this turmoil.
I have received about 10 notebooks from Terry at GPS and had ordered 10 more – of which I was refunded right before the paypal freeze/attorney general actions.
If you all had been patient, it is my belief that everyone on this list would have received their notebook within the 30-60 days. If I had to vote here – it would be more against Paypal for freezing the GPS account moreso than GPS themselves. I have ALWAYS been able to get through on the 877 line and have been able to speak to Terry most of the time in regards to the current status of orders. I receive replies to my emails to them 9 times out of 10 – maybe because I exercise a bit of understanding rather than a lot of finger pointing.
GPS is trying their best to recover from this setback, but it is my true belief and hope that they will overcome this and be able to deliver even more product to me. I believe they are going to use a different merchant for credit card processing, which will totally alleviate any concerns with paypal. It is my understanding that Terry has requested the refunds to be given from the paypal account, but the attorney general and receiver has stopped paypal from issuing any more refunds until they are through with this audit.
Since I have spoken to Terry about this – I trust him to turn this around. I just wish the people on this list would really think about their words and actions and what the total ramifications are, rather than creating this spiral of negativity.
Vicki in Nebraska
Okay People,
I reported GPS to Yahoo Shopping and they e-mailed my complaint to GPS and Terry Holmes e-mailed me back saying that my credit card was "incorrectly" charged when it was not supposed to. My credit card was charged two days after I placed the order and how can it be incorrectly charged. I will tell you what I told him..that he was selling us something HE DOES NOT HAVE and now he is in deep sh** and according to him my credit card was credited a month ago..Yeah Right. I asked my credit card company and they don’t see the credit and neither do I.
Wake up people, this man is a fraud. By the way, Yahoo e-mailed me yesterday and told me that they have dropped GPS Computers from their Listing. So, go figure..
Yahoo gurantees up t $750 if the one of their vendors does not deliver under the Buyer Protection Program. I would highly recommend you all to check that out as well.
This message board is very helpful so keep it coming.
Dave,
Thanks man..i have claimed my money back from my creditcard//Thanks to u again for hosting this page cos..this is the only one i can get to…
LOL, you guys are all suckers!!! I’m off to Cancun!!! The computer’s are in the mail!!
Just to let you all know, my credit card was credited back $625 this morning. For the ones who didn’t, do as I did. File a complaint with your credit card company and also at Yahoo Shopping. When you placed the order, it was through Yahoo Shopping and they have Buyer Protection program. Check it out:
http://shopping.yahoo.com/protection/buyerprotect.html
So, file a claim there and they will contact Terry Holmes and under such pressure his best option would be to beg, steal or borrow that money and return it to you.
I am sure it will work as it certainly did for me.
Good Luck
I have been to the so-called store, GPS that is. My garage is a nicer place, and almost as big. If anyone had been to the store/facade prior to buying online, guess what, you would have never purchased anything from them, EVER! They have been getting by with their scam/airplane interest game due to the distance the net gives most of their customers. Vicky from Nebraska, if not an actual employee at GPS, should consider herself the luckiest person alive and should go play the power ball immediately. None of the “success” stories make GPS any type of legitimate business.
Hey Vicki in Nebraska, or should I say Shirley in Ohio. I can’t believe you are actually blaming everyone from PayPal to the screwed consumers for this mess and making Terry and GPS look like the victims.
If I had to vote here…I would say you are a GPS employee. None of your points make any sense.
You must have some sort of special connection to get to talk to the big kahuna, Terry, almost everytime you call. No one else here seems to get that royal treatment, nor do they get their emails or phone calls returned.
I think you tried a little too hard with your third paragraph…you give just a little too much info from just a consumer’s point of view. But then again you’re personal friends with Terry…he must tell you all about his failing business.
Guess what, I don’t care how far below retail they are alleging to sell products for, the fact is they did not deliver in the alotted time…how about you tell Terry about this web site the next time you talk to him and let him post himself.
Vicki…I can’t believe these rude people on this site either. How dare they voice their concerns over being screwed out of their hard earned money. Negativity is just not right! If more people like Vicki worked at GPS we’d all have our product by now…or atleast we wouldn’t be so mean! Shame on all of us!
Oh yeah, the fact that you say you’re from Nebraska adds a nice touch…no one would ever think you’re really from Ohio this way!!!
30-60 days Vicki, I was informed from their website it would be 5-7 days. Am I such a whiner when my credit card was billed the same day as I ordered and five months later, boom still no product? Let me whine some more, if a company needs my money before it can order a release from their source, it doesn’t sound legit from the get go. Paying for goods or services prior to their existence (without your agreement) is against the law. IT’S CALLED FRAUD & IT’S ILLEGAL. Why do you think the attorney general stepped in, because things are running smoothly, THINK AGAIN! if your gray matter is capable of seeing through your charcoaled colored glasses. Oh and by the way Vicki, according to your post Posted by Vicki in Nebraska @ 01/28/2002 11:56 PM CST you stated that he orders in quantities? He surely doesn’t order as many as Best Buy when they order a laptop model by the tens of thousands. Quantity discount by some rinky-dink, little obscure computer store with one garage space location in Vermilion, Ohio. WAKE UP, something stinks and it isn’t the legitimate customers or company’s that GPS is leading on.
Can anyone tell me, what is the best way to get back refund from GPS, I paid through Paypal, and its been 2 months from now.
I paid through Paypal too and they refuse to do anything since it was more than 30 days ago. I tried contacting the AG’s man, Mr. Funk and got the following email –
Our office has filed a lawsuit against GPS, and the company is now in receivership. This could be time consuming and we may not contact you until the legal process has been completed.
Please go to our website to file a consumer complaint online and you may wish to view the press release at http://www.ag.state.oh.us , any significant updates to the case can be found at this site.
BECAUSE OF LEGAL CONSTRAINTS, PLEASE BE AWARE THAT WE CANNOT ACT AS YOUR PRIVATE ATTORNEY. We will, however, do all we can to help you.
I hope this information will be useful to you. We thank you for making contact with our office. If we may be of further assistance, please contact our office.
Norman R. Funk
Consumer Protection Investigator
Office of Ohio Attorney General Betty D. Montgomery
Frank J. Lausche State Office Building, 11th Floor
615 Superior Avenue, West
Cleveland, Ohio 44113-1899
216.787.3030
nfunk@ag.state.oh.us
So now what???
Carol
I was suckered just like the rest of you. I got in touch weeks ago with Melissa on instant messeger and she told me that she would refund my money until the laptops I ordered arrived. That date was March 1st, 2002. We’ll I called March first to find out if it was going to happen and I was told that the Attorney generals office had shut down their operations until further notice and that I could not receive my refund. These people are really sad human beings. Does anyone know where Mr. Holmes lives. We should attach all his personal assetts and leave him on a street corner some place. I spoke to Paypal on this within the first month of the transaction and was told that if I didn’t get my stuff I could file a complaint. What they neglected to tell me was that I could only do it within 30-days. They are refusing to look into the matter. Any suggestions? I have filed a complaint with the attorney generals office.
I just told you guys all about how I got my money back. Well here it is once again and if it worked for me, it will work the same for you.
1) When you placed the order, it was through YAHOO Shopping. Yahoo Shopping gurantees you up to $750 if the vendor does not deliver (Read their Buyer Protection Program):
http://shopping.yahoo.com/protection/buyerprotect.html
2) I also filed a disputed transaction with my credit card company. I told them all about GPS and that AG’s office is looking into this and it makes a very ligit case.
3) I filed a complaint with AG’s office.
Since I e-mailed Yahoo Shopping, they right away e-mailed Terry Holmes and he had no choice but to answer me right away. I copied Yahoo Shopping and kept them updated with the whole thing and sure enough, I got him trapped. It took about 2-3 days and there it was; my $625 came back to my credit card.
I think my credit card company looked at the whole situation as I gave them all the URLs (The news from AG’s website, this message board) and they believed me and refunded me.
I hope this works for you guys as I didn’t want to be the victim here as this whole thing is pretty messed up. I hope Terry Holmes goes to jail for fooling so many people.
Good Luck.
State Files Suit Against Local Computer Company
Many Consumers Seeking Refunds
POSTED: 3:07 p.m. EST March 5, 2002
VERMILION, Ohio — A good deal on a computer turned bad for one Vermilion woman and for many other consumers across the nation.
On Your Side Troubleshooter Chris Caswell said that the state is taking action against the local company that is selling the computers.
The Ohio attorney general’s office was tired of getting complaints about GPS Computer Services, so it filed a lawsuit two weeks ago.
Many consumers like Cassandra Carey called Five On Your Side seeking refunds.
Carey said that she ordered a notebook computer for only $500 in November.
"It sounded like a good deal," she said. "I didn’t think anything about how it would end."
Other consumers across the nation also placed orders online with GPS. Like Carey, they did not receive their products within eight weeks, a deadline set by Ohio law.
"Well, after two months, I kind of figured I wasn’t going to get it, and the answers that I was getting were so unclear, and they couldn’t really tell me anything," she said.
In its suit, the Ohio attorney general’s office is asking the court to fine the company for violations and reimburse consumers.
After Five On Your Side sent letters to GPS, some consumers, including Carey, received refunds.
"At least I got my money back," she said. "I didn’t throw it away."
So what was the problem with filling the orders?
Five On Your Side asked GPS’ president, Terrance Holmes, who declined an interview at this time.
Since the lawsuit, GPS isn’t selling computers anymore, only computer classes. But according to Carey, the company hopes to be back in the business before long.
"They told me that they would keep my name on the list," she said.
Remember, whenever you order a product online or otherwise, it’s a good idea to pay by credit card so you can dispute the transaction.
Also, check out the company’s refund and return policy, and check out its record with the Better Business Bureau.
GPS had an unsatisfactory record before Carey placed her order.
Many did not place their orders through Yahoo Shopping Mr. or Ms. Concerned One.
Has anyone heard anything else about what is going on? I know the AG stepped in to help, but the issue here is that GPS waited too long to offer a refund or ship the product. By taking their time, the AG is just delaying things even more. When can we expect a refund or laptop?
They were giving refunds until the AG stepped in. Too bad, now that the governments involved this crap will be in litigation for months and GPS may go bankrupt before any of it gets resolved. Our government at work; shut them down, end the complaints and let the courts work out the rest. I guess that’s the easy way out for the AG and to hell with what’s best for everybody with something to lose.
BTW, nice post Mike Ock. Real helpful and very mature. That’s what happens when Mom and Dad don’t watch what the kids are up to on the computer.
I have been sending emails to Terry quite often in the past few weeks and he has always answered. I ordered my laptop on Dec 5, and of course I am waiting like the rest of you. I know several people who have recieved their laptops and are quite happy with them. I put down 100.00 and I feel if I receive my IBM Thinkpad for a total of 500.00 I will be happy. If for some reason I don’t get it, I will at most be out 100.00 and will have learned to be more carefull in the future. I wish them luck in returning to business.
Received all the my money back from credit cards and Paypal. A little birdie told me that Terry’s has little over a million in funds through GPS (that the AG knows about)(They need to check under his bed). Remember, Paypal, all credit cards and yahoo are on to him. This is cash baby. He could sit jail for for under 10 years knowing a cool million was waiting on the outside.
Oh the other bit was, a couple of months back, one message posted joked that because some law enforcment ordered computers they would get theirs before everybody, for obvious reasons. Well they we’re half right. ‘Bout half got to go moble computing.
All this info came from a person who paid in full for their unreceived computer. Doh!
Can anyone help me? I paid for two laptops back in November through Paypal and realized that paypal did not bill my credit card as I had expected. When I contacted them to try to credit and rebill my credit card instead of the money sitting in my account they refused. Now they are telling me that they will not investigate on my behalf because I am over their 30-Day policy. Can anyone make a suggestion on this? Am I as screwed as I think I am. THIS SUCKS!!!!
HA! Not only did I get my refund, a week later my laptop showed up! Then to top it off 2 days after that I got another refund!! I’m ahead by 500 bucks and I got a free laptop!!!!
I LOVE GPS!!!!!
For all those needing to get your refund, I have some advice for you. Call the Terry holmes private phone number. Although you may not get a hold of him directly, you will get a hold of somebody. Here is the number: 440-967-2035. Also try his instant messanger GPSGARAGE.
Oh yes, you can try his e-mail too at tholmes@gpscomputers.com.
hope that helps
Wow…. First let me say that I do NOT work for GPS. Maybe I was one of the fortunate ones who are able to reach Terry and recieve returned emails, but I did in fact receive notebooks from him on 4 separate occasions since August of 2001. I feel bad for Terry only because of the few occasions I have spoken with him he represented himself sincerely and emailed me proof of what was happening to him and his business in regards to the AG.
I trust him in the fact that he has never misrepresented himself to me and always held true to his word. I can only speak for how he has dealt with me – not the rest of the people on this list. I wish you all had the same experience as I have had with GPS. If I had not received my product, or had money tied out there still, I would more than likely be screaming too!
I do feel bad for all of the people who have their $$ tied up throughout this litigation and I hope that Terry and the AG office has this reconciled soon. I do believe that Terry and the staff of GPS is/are trying to do what they can to get through this. I have a close friend that is waiting for 2 notebooks, and we are told nothing can be done until the AG clears them. I believe Terry will take care of my friend when this all clears.
Would I purchase from Terry again? Yes.
Do I believe I would get my product? Yes, in time.
I would prefer to pay for the item when it ships to avoid having my $$ tied up for a month or 2, but I realize that if this is what it takes to receive the product at such a great savings, I am willing to bite the interest for the 30-60 days. I was unaware that Visa/MasterCard had revoked his priviledges, which is why he resorted to Paypal for payments – so that is news to me. I used Paypal for the first notebooks and also for the last set. I never saw any other method posted until Yahoo paydirect came into play in January when all of this trouble really began.
I hope that everything works out…. .for everyone concerned. For those of you that waited too long for Paypal coverage, seek remedy through your credit card company directly to maybe receive your refund more timely.
Vicki in Nebraska – YES – Nebraska
Does anyone have documentation of a complaint they filed back in July/August/September of 2001 with Paypal? This is my only hope of getting my money back from them. PLEASE HELP!?
Any updates yet on the lawsuit if its settled or not.
Is Paypal doing anything in refunding as that is what I used.
This is so frustrating. When I sent an email to gps, I did get a reply back (an automated message of course!) saying basically that they are in a receivership due to the suit and can put me on the list (wow they have a list now i wonder how long) if I want a refund. They must be making tons of money off the interest which can be used to pay off their legal fees so as someone mentioned in an earlier post above they shouldnt go bankcrupt.
Just now, I called Norman Frank(216-7873282) who is in representative of Attorney in General Office of Ohio state. This guy said the pre-trial will be held after SIX MONTH!!!!!! My God!
That damned GPSCOMPUTERS!!!!!
I also called Norman Funk and it’s true. Pre-trial is scheduled for 6 months from now. He said the only thing we can do is file a complaint with the AG office and wait it out. I hate GPS! Also, a buddy of mine said that his credit card was just charged again for a computer that he ordered 4 months ago. Check your credit card bills and make sure they aren’t trying to get you again.
It’s unusual for it to be this quiet around here… If there’s news, feel free to post it. It’s all working again.
Has anyone heard anything lateley? I am one of the fools that paid in full up front.
I’m still waiting around to hear something from the AG… My uncle is a lawyer, I had him look into it… He said the amount in dispute for repayment of damages to everyone is something like $10,000. I doubt that would cover everyone that’s complaining HERE, let alone all those who haven’t said anything.
I’m betting we’re all pretty much screwed.
Well.. GPS company also open Auction on Ebay “thchaser200”, I won 4 days ago and I’h sent money order to him before read all the complaint here> I’m so worry that he will not send the item for me.
by the way His address and the phone number have change also
http://www.neosa.org/directory/search/details.asp?record_temp=2609
Gps Computer Service
330 Yorktown Pl.
#B1
Vermillion, Ohio 44089-2105
Contact: Terry Holmes
Phone: (440) 967-0949
Fax: (440) 967-5330
Email: tholmes@gpscomputers.com
Web: http://www.gpscomputers.com
This is the information about the USER from Ebay
“Jody Holmes” and “Terry Holmes”
User ID: thchaser200
Name: Jody Holmes
Company:
City: Vermilion
State: Ohio
Country: United States
Phone: (440) 254 – 1176 Ms. Jody A. Holmes, Vice President
Business Type: Computer & Electronics Services, Other
View Location Map
Jody Holmes is the Vice President. Jody Holmes is also the designated customer relations contact for the company.
The information in this report has either been provided by the company, or has been compiled by the Bureau from other sources.
Information from resellerratings 3/26/02 11:15 AM
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1908-p1.html
had you receive the item AL Simmons? well might be I could be wrong. we’ll see when I will get the Item or I will lose my money $4xx :(.
http://cgi2.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=thchaser200
So many compalint allready!!
It certainly appears that Vicki in Nebraska, Al Simmons, and all the rest of GPS’ apologists and justification hounds here have all been proven wrong once again. “thchaser200” (aka Jody/Judy/Terry Holmes from our old friend, GPS Computer Services) has now been suspended from eBay for engaging in the same type of fraudulent behavior that got them sued by the State of Ohio in the first place. I am certain that this is a violation of the receivership order, and I’m also sure that Mr. Norman Funk is aware of this blatent attempt to circumvent it — something they’ve tried to do before, by the way. When will the suckers of the world learn the truth of the old adage that “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” — especially in light of the incredible amount of negative information available about these jokers all over the ‘net?
From time to time I pop out here to see what has been said. I am using the Laptop I got from Terry right now – it does exist. Did I get the other ones I ordered in January – No… I am caught up in this receivership mess right there with you… along with other friends who ordered. It is truly a mess. I hope everyone gets their money back or the laptop they ordered ages ago. To date – I have ordered 8 laptops and received them, ordered 10 in January and did not receive them. Maybe the squeaky wheel gets the grease….
Good luck all.
V
Poor Vicky, at least you made enough profit on the computers you bought and resold to more than cover the deposit you lost on the undelivered ones. Maybe you’ll quit sticking up for them now. And al simmons, I think you ARE Terri Holmes. I feel a lot worse for the people I know that bought them as gifts for their kids, or bought them because they couldn’t afford a legitimate deal. Theose are the people that get hurt the worst. That money means a lot to some people. I live in Lorain only a few miles from Vermilion, and I’ve heard all kinds of horror storys. The idiot that sold 30 on ebay collected the money and quit his job then never got the computers gets no sympathy from me. Here’s areal update for you, GPS building is empty. He was evicted and Terri is probably going to jail. Not for not delivering the computers he had orders for originally but for continuing to charge credit cards after the ag told him to stop, just to get money to keep his busuness going. Hey Terri ! How many o’s in STOOOOOPID? I think I feel the worst for all the people that bought from him for the right reason and the poor slobs that worked for him that’ll probably never get jobs again. Guilty by association. Somebody send him some soap on a rope. He’s gonna need it.
I just got off the phone with the AG’s office and they have ordered GPS computers assets liquidated. Yeah! However, the bad news is they don’t feel they have any assets to seize. The suggestion was that we file a class action lawsuit against Terry Holmes personally. I understand that these type of lawsuits benfiet the attorney’s and not us but wouldn’t it be worth while to see Terry with nothing? His nice house, car, bank accounts all frozen? Please email me if you are interested in being apart of the suit.
Looks like terry is at it again! Check out this link and enter the contact area. Come up to the tchase3?? Sounds too familiar doesn’t it? http://app.infopia.com/Shop/Control/Storefront/fp/SFV/8374
http://ratings.auctions.shopping.yahoo.com/show/rating?userID=tjhcomputersnet
Hope you got your money, because the end is here and there won’t be much generated from the following:
http://www.barck.com/0914.html
Protect yourself from the scammers out there.
I hate to have to say this, but it’s all over, folks. GPS’ remaining assets, meager as they were, have already been seized and auctioned off. A class action lawsuit would therefore be useless (even if you live in Nebraska), and everyone’s essentially SOL. Terry and the rest of the corrupt crew at GPS Computer Services could conceivably wind up serving a little jail time, but that’s little consolation to those who lost their shirts because they failed to heed the age-old adage: “If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.” Before too much time passes, someone ought to do a post-mortem analysis of the posts here. I also want to extend my sincere thanks to Dave, who’s been a generous and kind host to all the scam victims who’ve visited here over the past year and a half looking for information and/or hope.
Just wondering if anyone has heard any updates, I got taken just like the rest of you, if you know anything, please send me an e-mail.
Until it’s over… and the AG is far from through with this. There are some lawsuits pending too..
According to the Ohio AG’s page on GPS Computer Services (http://www.ag.state.oh.us/consumer/GPS.htm):
“By agreement of the parties, on July 22, 2002, the Court ordered the Receiver to take possession of and sell all assets of GPS Computer Services, take possession of funds in all bank accounts of GPS Computer Services, establish a bank account in the name of the Receiver and deposit all funds received from GPS Computer Services and from the sale of its’ assets. On September 14, 2002, the Receiver held an auction. The proceeds from the auction appear to be minimal.
At this time, our investigation into this matter continues. There has been no trial date set. Our office has received almost 1200 consumer complaints against GPS Computer Services.”
While there may be other pending lawsuits as well, you can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip — in other words, there are simply no assets left to pay any future judgments. Terry’s website is gone, as are all of his many (illegal) storefronts. It may be harsh, but I include his former employees (aka “crew”) as well, because although they clearly had to be aware something was terribly wrong, but did nothing except parrot back the official company line to wait — month after month after month, and complaint after complaint after complaint. I talked to some of thsose “honest people” several times, and whether they intended to or not, they perpetuated the fraud Terry committed.
Amazingly, some poor, completely unrelated schmuck has actually (and obviously unknowingly) adopted Terry’s discredited company name; see http://www.gps-future.com/gps-computer-services.html
If anyone’s got any additional updates, please feel free to post them.
got suck into it, also have not been able to recuperate any funds that where taken from my visa card, is there any info or suggestion from anyone….
We have started a Yahoo Discussion Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gpscomputersnewsgroup
Ralph
Regrettably, your Yahoo group apparently never got off the ground, since it is entirely bereft of any content. As I have said before, the sad truth is that it’s all over but the crying….
Does any one know anything new in this?
last i knew i filled a complaite with bbb they made me do a complaint with the state
any update?
There is a pretrial on June 13th for the AG’s case. It does not look like GPS has to appear, just the attorneys.
There is a trial scheduled for 01-26-04 as per the docket.
I got a Bankrupty notice
comment
I purchased a laptop back in Dec. 2001 via PayPal which charged my American Express card, didn’t receive the laptop. Refused to pay it and am now in
debt to American Express $1600.00+ I am now talking with a collection agency and have to decide whether or not to pay it in full or ask for a settlement. I can’t understand why PayPal wouldn’t issue a credit to AmEx when they knew 6 or more months before I made my purchase that this company was negligent and fraudulent. I am contacting PayPal one more time before I turn this over to the FBI and 60 minutes. I think we are all due our justice – especially for those of us that paid, but did not receive. If there is anyone out there that would allow me to use their name for retribution on GPS/Terry Holmes, please let me know as soon as possible. Thanks.
http://www.loraincountycpcourt.org/nxhist.exe?casen=02CV130731
Here he goes. Somebody send him a soap on a rope.
wow, finally something is going to happen, yeah right, still wont see any money!
we should all send him black roses with a note attached “we ship next day”
but then again, i have no intension on sending this guy any more money!!!
This just appeared on the docket today.
IT IS THEREFORE, ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED THAT DEFT GPS COMPUTER SERVICES, INC IS PERMANENTLY ENJOINED FROM DOING BUSINESS WITH OHIO CONSUMERS, OR DOING BUSINESS IN OHIO WITH OUT OF STATE CONSUMERS: 2) CIVIL PENALTIES ARE IMPOSED UPON DEFT IN THE AMOUNT OF $200,000.00, PAYABLE TO "OHIO ATTORNEY GENERAL", DUE UPON JOURNALIZATION OF THIS ENTRY, IN PARTIAL RECOGNITION OF THE HUNDREDS OF VIOLATIONS OF CONSUMER SALES PRACTICES ACT, AND THE OHIO ADMINISTRATIVE CODE. DEFT IS ORDERED TO REIMBURSE CONSUMERS WHO HAVE BEEN INJURED BY THE ACTS AND PRACTICES OF WHICH PLNTFF COMPLAINS, IN THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF $769,240.22 TO THOSE CONSUMERS LISTED IN ADDENDUM A 4) AS A MEANS OF INSURING COMPLIANCE WITH THIS COURT’S ORDER AND WITH CONSUMER PROTECTION LAWS OF OHIO, DEFT, ITS SUCCESSORS OR ASSIGNS, UNDER THSI OR ANY OTHER NAME IS ORDERED TO MAINTAIN IN ITS POSSESSION AND CONTROL FOR A PERIOD OF 5 YEARS ALL BUSINESS RECORDS RELATING TO DEFT’S SOLICITATION OR EFFECTUATION OF BUSINESS IN OHIO AND TO PERMIT THE OHIO ATTY GENERAL OR HIS REPRESENTATIVE, UPON REASONABLE 24 HOUR NOTICE, TO INSPECT AND/OR COPY ANY AND ALL OF SAID RECORDS AND IT IS FURTHER ORDERED THAT THE COPIES OF SUCH RECORDS BE PROVIDED AT DEFT’S EXPENSE TO OHIO ATTY GENERAL UPON REQUEST OF OHIO ATTY GENERAL OR HIS REPRESENTATIVES 6) DEFT IS ORDERED TO PAY $15,000.00 TO THE "OHIO ATTY GENERAL" AS REIMBURSEMENT OF LEGAL FEES AND INVESTIGATIVE COSTS, DUE UPON JOURNALIZATION OF THIS ENTRY. 7) COSTS TO DEFT. SEE JOURNAL. VOLUME # 926 PAGE # 1578
The AG has not named Terry Holmes personally in the suit, and therefore since GPS was is an LLC, he does not have to pay this, only the company does.
It looks like the AG is done with this and GPS does not exist anymore
GPS is no more, I live in the next town and have watched the entire episode unfold, it was in all the papers. At the height of the business GPS had a line around the building of people putting deposits down on those laptops. Alot of people from his own town were left holding the bag. One city councilman even. Then after the collapse law enforcement sold off the equipment at an auction (there was very little to be had). GPS was removed from it’s office space and it was re-rented to another business. I read the verdict against him but don’t know what the end result really means. Does he walk? Does he not? Who knows?