ElvisJeep87
New member
No *real plan to repay, and he did provide a financial breakdown of assets but that’s it.
Issues with Inka Outdoors
- Thread starter Pathfinder7
- Start date
msujay2012
New member
Mike's wife is the COO of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. I wonder how the Chamber would view them going bankrupt and taking peoples deposits? As long as I don't get a return call or personalized email, I will keep digging and keep posting what I find out.
crazysccrmd
Observer
I’m willing to bet he will be the type to file Ch 7 bankruptcy, protect his assets and have the debts owed to customers discharged. I understand that life takes bad turns sometimes but he entered into agreements to produce products, took money and hasn’t delivered. His house, car, and possessions should all be sold at auction to repay those debts. It’s harsh to make a man homeless but there needs to be some kind of personal responsibility and consequences for his actions.
ElvisJeep87
New member
His email discussed Chapter 7...
ElvisJeep87
New member
I hope you all know, per Mike, this forum is the reason he is going bankrupt! Way to go guys ??
crazysccrmd
Observer
Weird, that’s the same excuse Pelfreybilt used when they blamed Tacoma World for all their problems.
ElvisJeep87
New member
Cowards hiding behind their own shortcomings as business people...IMO...which I’m free to have, here, in an open forum setting ?
Grendel Kahn
Member
That sucks I feel for you guys. I didn't realize Moby1 was heading in the same direction, but after reading the BBB reviews I can see it going in that direction. I was more than happy with the company that built my trailer. They asked for 1/3 deposit and when the time came for the second installment came due he told me he wasn't ready for it because the trailer wasn't completed enough for him to accept it. That showed me that he had great customer service.
Florida Native
Active member
Sounds like he's a bit confused about how causation works.I hope you all know, per Mike, this forum is the reason he is going bankrupt! Way to go guys
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ottsville
Observer
Looks like they've taken down their facebook page and stripped their website down to an email address. Sucks for all those who had campers on order.
@FrenchieXJ , your thoughts will most likely not be well received here, but I've been thinking similarly. Moby1, Inka, and at least two others over the last three years have put buyers in similar positions. Anybody who blindly makes a multiple thousand dollar deposit without doing some type of research, demanding a contract with a delivery date and/or insisting on making the deposit by credit card or other means that give you some leverage is asking for trouble. It's one thing to throw out a few hundred dollars to get on a waiting list and then part payment at project start. But really, unless it is a custom build, why would you trust a company that is building a standard product in their line, that is in high demand, and asking for you to put up $5k(I believe someone mentioned making a deposit in that amount) up front, sometimes months before your build will start? Doesn't that raise red flags to anyone?
@FrenchieXJ , your thoughts will most likely not be well received here, but I've been thinking similarly. Moby1, Inka, and at least two others over the last three years have put buyers in similar positions. Anybody who blindly makes a multiple thousand dollar deposit without doing some type of research, demanding a contract with a delivery date and/or insisting on making the deposit by credit card or other means that give you some leverage is asking for trouble. It's one thing to throw out a few hundred dollars to get on a waiting list and then part payment at project start. But really, unless it is a custom build, why would you trust a company that is building a standard product in their line, that is in high demand, and asking for you to put up $5k(I believe someone mentioned making a deposit in that amount) up front, sometimes months before your build will start? Doesn't that raise red flags to anyone?
Outside somewhere
Overland certified public figure brand ambassador
Lol, yeah I bet they did. They get to walk and their customers get screwed.
In today's world these people ripping others off thinking the law protects them are forgetting that modern society has lost it's damn mind. If people will act like animals over a political candidate I wouldn't sleep very well if I had ripped people off of their savings. Sounds like a good way to catch a beating...
That's new as 24 hrs or so ago. Trying to scrub online personal data. Just for posterity I give you:
Mike & Blair Stanford of Charlotte North Carolina
(See Pic Below)
Very true. It's been a trend for some time. When camping turned into the "overlanding" fad it is today both buyers and sellers started acting in bizarre ways. People dumping 20k or more into bank owned vehicles or buying 45k camper trailers with IRA money like that ******** is an investment. Even people that were going out and dropping 2k on rtt's, all for the hype of posting on social media trying to monitize a hobby. This is the result. I really do honestly feel bad for those that got ripped off but to be honest it was a 50/50 shot and the odds were not in the buyers favor. Sellers too are trying to capitalize on the fad. That's why you see bio's of people who were lawn mower designers or worked for unnamed fortune 500 companies jumping into selling overland crap. Not because they love the product, because their is a buck to be made. Hopefully cases like this will cause people to take a breath, a step back and evaluate their needs vs wants and be more financially focused in the future.[/QUOTE]
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Tex68w
Beach Bum
This is exactly why I can't bring myself to shell out 30-60% for a new FWC or AT Habitat/Summit. No word on an exact delivery date and that kind of money up front is just silly especially when you watch all of these former prominent and well known companies within the industry flounder and fail. I'd be willing to bet that 90% or more of these companies over leveraged themselves or spent freely with the deposit money long before it was ever put towards the customers build.
raiden1612
Member
I am in the same boat as many others here. Hoping for something back. If you read the latest update from Inka, my prediction is that it will file Chap 7 bankruptcy. The letter like others seems to dangle that carrot just a little more, with Mike putting in a last ditch effort for investors. I would imagine that this statement will provide him with more time to prepare the exit strategy and limit his losses as much as possible. He has closed shop and removed all employees.. Yet, Mike still thinks he will raise Capitol? I can't imagine anyone investing in a failed company. The email was sent with a version of how the company went from beginning to end. Many of us on the waiting list had no idea about his problems. And I'm not sure he would have, or did refund any deposits. I placed my order earlier in 2017 and I can only guess that the company was failing and still taking money from others.
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BritKLR
Kapitis Indagatoris
Not to go too far off topic, but seeing the growth of the Overland/Expo hobby since 2012, I always thought there was room for thread discussions and mentorship on how to start and run a new business in today's environment, so as to educate those that truly wanted to serve their customer. Living in "Entrepreneur and angel investor central" its fascinating what new business people expect when starting. It's even gotten worst with today's "Amazon/e-commerce" environment and "I want it all now" ownership mentality. There is nothing wrong with starting small and growing organically while serving your customer.
Best of luck as you move through this minefield.
Best of luck as you move through this minefield.
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