RUFUS - Don't trade with this man

[FF]

Hi All,

Before my controlled rant, those that have met me know I am a reasonable man. However …

I am still outstanding ‘payment’ for one of the Tribemeet jerseys that I organised for Glyncorrwyg last year. I got them through Bromley Bike and they made (only) a small profit for the work that Joe put in. I sold them on at the cost. Lots of you ordered a jersey and I just posted them off (UK, France, Singapore, Australia and the US) and everyone paid up promptly with cheques, paypal, swaps and all sorts. Perfect, almost.

I sent one off to Ryan Cathrall (forum name RUFUS) in the US. We agreed to trade for the equivalent value of Yeti tee shirts and general stuff that we find hard to get over here. I am still waiting, despite several e-mails – some of which he has actually answered. He has apparently suffered health issues after his wife left him. That’s not nice and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, but we had a deal.

Knowing I was going to the US tribe, I did some research and checked him out. He has a facebook page but this is locked down and the links do not now work. He also used to have a web site … www.rufusphoto.com/www.rufusphoto.com/RUFUS.html but this has now disappeared too.

I did trawl the site, especially the pictures. One picture in particular had a caption that led me to believe the chap in the middle was him. This guy turned up in Durango, I tried to check his details to see if it really was him, but didn’t get a definitive answer from Sarah during the weekend. As it turned out I was wrong, but thankfully I didn’t slap him. Chatting to Andrew about this over a diet coke, he told me that the same guy has done him over too – for a set of downhill wheels on eBay. Wheels that were not both 'downhill' and certainly not a 'set'.

I’ve also stumbled across this

www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3481458

He get's about doesn't he ?

The thing that has really hacked me off is how he has let all of us down. I’ve not been riding bikes that long and I’m not the best at going up or down or on the flat, but I have never met another mountain biker who has been anything but friendly and courteous and just accepted me because I ride a bike, best I can. What other discipline would you find a group like us out together ? Scant hanging around for people like me who can’t ride down the things he wheelies down. Olly and Sam out riding with Roden ? The whole vibe is brilliant, the atmosphere is relaxed and being a Yeti owner just makes it even better. The US Tribe meet re-enforced that view - 250 trusting souls in a field with about 400 bikes between them and not one padlock. Did anything go missing ? Nah, of course it didn’t. Good job this to$$er didn’t turn up.

Finally, in the days when I could access his web site, he had the nerve to list Yeti as one of his sponsors, along with a few others who, unfortunately, I didn’t write down. Needless to say that I shall be writing to Sarah at Yeti too. He doesn't deserve any help from anyone.

If this chap surfaces, I suggest you don’t trade with him or you will be out of pocket like Andrew, myself and a few others …

Rant over.

Fred

[yeti115]

Hi Fred,
Sorry to learn about your issue and I understand your disapointment.

But just one thing : did you ever heard about private life ? Would you like your life to be spread like you do today on this forum ? I would suggest you to modify your post in order to respect a minimum this. I don't talk about the core of the issue but about personal information you provide on Rufus. Having an issue with someone doesn't mean that you have to make a public trial mentionning private things.

Hope you'll solve your issue soon... and thxs for the warning.

[FF]

Hi mate,

point taken and, under normal circumstances, I would totally agree with you.

The fact that all of his other correspondence has been designed to fob me off leads me to assume his reasons for not settling up are also (probably) without substance.

I don't want to offend anyone else and apologise if my delivery comes across as personal.

Fred

Ok, let's talk about that funny coloured ARC X ... different and kinda like it because it's different.

[yeti115]

Hi Fred,

np ;-)

By personal, I was meaning the private situation of Ruffus (family, etc). I understand you're personally not happy with the guy.
Internet keeps data for ages. To have your name + your family situation pointed like that is in my opinion not fair.

Keep it on business level without giving private info.

Agree to discuss about the fancy ARC-X colors ! ;-)
Did yo usee the other post with turquoise wheels ?

[chksix]

Rufus delivered when I ordered from Yeti thru him.

[tribegrandaddy]

sorry but i agree with fred if he was genuine and if he had genuine problems he would have contacted fred and let him know what was happening
I know a lot of genuine people who have family problems me being 1 of them but they continue to be genuine
no one likes to be out of pocket and i am very disappointed to learn that a really nice guy like andrew has been turned over

Keith

[rufus]

I can finally sign into this forum again.

I was in agreement with Fred last year to trade a yeti UK tribemeet jersey for some Yeti gear that I was to buy on Yeti's online web store.
I received notification that the jersey had shipped about a month or so later as that is when they got to Fred so I ordered the gear from Yeti. If I remember correctly, don't have many of the emails any more, I received the jersey and the gear arrived around the same time frame.
Here is my personal situation from myself, I really don't mind if Fred posted it above. These are NOT excuses.
I have been battling intense headaches, 2x worse than migraines all day, every day for 2 years now. I received a head injury from an IED while in Iraq June 2007. I have been to every major neurologist, 16 hospitals, 47 medications, CT scans, MRI's EEG's, 12 Air Force base hospitals, etc with no luck so far. I recently was medically discharged from the US Air Force for this condition and I still battle them today.
At the time of the last correspondence with Fred, I was in Boston for over 3 months in the hospital, in and out. During this time, my wife left me and we subsequently got divorced.
I was battling major depression during the head condition and this just put me over the edge and I attempted suicide a few times. Thankfully I did not succeed and I am glad to be here today.
During the time in the hospital my ex wife was back in Vermont where I had her ship the box to Fred. I was told by her that she did and that it was shipped via USPS priority international mail. Either she did not or it was lost in the mail and still is. I have been cleaning the house these past few months to get ready for my move to Colorado and I have yet to stumble upon any of his items.
I have tried a few times to contact Fred with no luck and I have been told that he has been trying to contact me with no luck as well. I received an email from Sarah at Yeti with a link to this thread and Fred's email to her prompting me to try to get back on this site and try to get ahold of Fred so that I can at the very least send him payment for the jersey and maybe get him a few pieces of Yeti gear to make up for all of this.
As for Andrew, I did not pay attention to the rims and sent him the wrong one. He let me know of my error and I offered a refund. I am not going to lie, I completely forgot to send the refund and I sent him a message the other day letting him know that I am more than happy to honor that refund right now.
Yeti Cycles and the Yeti tribe are near and dear to my heart, seriously. I have ridden Yeti for a few years now and will continue for the foreseeable future. The "family" is unbelievable and is nothing like any other company. I am deeply hurt and disappointed in myself that I have given myself a bad name in the Yeti community and I am trying my hardest to get back on the good graces of all of you.
I am looking forward to resolving this matter ASAP.

RUFUSDESIGN is no longer in business as I recently sold the company to fund the move to Colorado. The website was taken down months ago as well as any other ways of contacting the company.
I did not try and hide anything from anyone at that time.

I DO NOT scam anyone and I do not try and one up anyone. I do not steal, cheat, etc. I have been burned more than a few times and I have been scammed before. It is a horrible feeling and I would never do that to any one of my brothers/sisters in the mountain ike community.

I look forward to running into all of you at the US tribemeet, on the local hill, on the trails, etc next time and I am always approachable, friendly and will ride with anyone, anywhere. I will buy the beer!!!

[Andrew]

Sorry Ryan,

not had any email from you.

As for the refund for the 36rim, just checked my mails and it was not offered.

Can forward our entire chain of emails if you like? I keep them all.

Andrew

[rufus]

I thought that I had offered a refund. My apologies if I did not at the time.

Regardless, I want to make everything as right as I can.

Oct 21, 2010 18:59:01 GMT Andrew said:

Sorry Ryan,

not had any email from you.

As for the refund for the 36rim, just checked my mails and it was not offered.

Can forward our entire chain of emails if you like? I keep them all.

Andrew

[FF]

Ryan,

I am willing to believe everything you have said going forward. I'm not going to comment on the past and would just like this sorted out.

I will e-mail you privately with my address and look forward to receiving the stuff you promised.

You can have some free advice too – I think you need to square away the issue of those wheels with Andrew too. He’s a good man and doesn’t deserve to be treated like that. Get in touch with him please.

Good luck in Colorado.

Fred

[Andrew]

Got a PM on the Ridemonkey thread from Ryan offering me a solution to this 14 months old issue.

Andrew

[yeti alps]

hi rufus, maybe u remember also me...?
Last year, in mid 2009 I saw on a forum that u offered for somebody to buy YETI Stuff from the official Store for him and send it to europe.
I got into contact with you by mail if u could do me also a favour... U said it would be no problem...
overall after several mails i tried my luck and send u about 370$.
from that point on u wrote me 2-3 times that u ordered the sutff and so on... but until today no items arrived or u answered any mails from me... i give up.
you cheated me completely...

Thanks, i will not tell here in the forum what I would tell u if i catch u... serious... F***

[Andrew]

Hi Yeti Alps,
Sorry to hear that, Rufus has been nothing but bad news to me.

Also, the solution he emailed about, nothing ever happened. So I am still out of pocket too.

Andrew

[yeti alps]

Hi Andrew,

out there, there arent only as nice people as I think u are... We know that already, but we give trust again and again...
Im done with the rufus story. I will not spend more time on this... I want to spend time to friends and things which are worthwile...

I think Andrew, u know me (my name) already, I only do not want that not as nice persons also know me...

once again I appreciative what u, Andrew do for the yeti folks. Thanks.

yours.... yeti alps..

[FF]

Hi all,

I guess it is about time to lay this to rest and move on. I did say to Andrew that I would monitor this until the New Year, but we are getting nowhere.

Despite a personal assurance from Ryan back in November that he would settle-up, there has been no further correspondence from him, despite me sending another reminder just before Christmas.

I think I will put this down to experience and give it up as a bad job. As I said at the start, I offered to sort the shirts because I could afford to front-up the money, it's a shame I had to take the hit along the way.

I will try not to mention this again but suspect I may ask for payment up-front if Ryan orders one of the next jerseys :-)

Happy New Year to all and hope your winter riding is going well and is slightly drier than mine.

Fred