Heads up on Hittel_used_pipes...stiffed me on appx $300

[rx2man]

This is a heads up on my dealings with forum member Hittel_used_pipes. He has not been on the forums for a few mos now. So may no be coming back. I repaired/restored 10 pipes for him. I am the "friend" who he posted about on his restored pipes. The agreement was $20 or $25 in credit toward pipes he had. I repaired 10 of them and am also out appx. $50 in shipping. Some of the pipes were in bad shape requiring a lot work to get looking good again. After sending the last of the pipes back he would not reply to my emails. Emails sent to his personal email as well as through ebay where he was actively selling pipes at the time. This was over a period of appx 4 weeks. After 4 weeks of no replies I assumed I was about to be screwed and I was. I did manage to get a reply from him and it just went downhill from there. I have traded and sold with more than a few forum members here and on other sites and have always came through on my end. To include a full refund on a pipe that did not meet expectations due to an error on my end. IMO Chris was looking for a way to stiff me and when I gave him a reason (and not much of one either) he jumped on it.
He is also not disclosing the amount of repairs done on some of the pipes. The Castello below had a lot of char on the rim and I ended up removing appx a 1/4 inch off the entire rim. This was not disclosed in the ebay listing. It was not the only one that required a lot of work that is minimized in his listings.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Castello-Castello-KKKK-Cantu-Italy-Carlo-Scotti-Estate-Pipe-/301674506744?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item463d33a9f8
Castello | Castello | KKKK | Cantu Italy | Carlo Scotti | Estate Pipe
YMMV, but hopefully this will help others not get screwed and be a little more cautious when dealing with him.

 

[xrundog]

Sorry to read about this. It's sad.

 

[rx2man]

Its a first and hopefully last. Was a little surprised as all my dealings with forum members have been pleasant. Made a few friends in the process to.....scrooge, doctorhoss, brass, mrenglish and others. Oh well, sometimes there are bumps in the road.

 

[danielplainview]

Sorry to hear you were ripped off. Shall we shame this dirtbag into exile?
Thanks for the warning.

 

[mcitinner1]

Is this the guy that inherited a crazy number of quality briars several months back?
Edit....Yep, I just checked....answered my own question.

 

[peteguy]

I am so sorry rx2man - you are a fine piper and should not be taken advantage of. I remember this guy asking all kinds of questions about his "family" pipes that he was put in charge of selling. Glad you said something as I have looked at a few of his pipes but no more - blacklist he goes. Not mentioning the topped bowl is funking boolshit.
Keep us posted if you hear anything more from him and I hope it somehow works out.

 

[rx2man]

@ mcitinner1.... as you already know is the guy that inherited all the pipes. So I dont really consider him to be a BOTL. Just a guy with a ton of pipes dropped on him.
@ Dave Re: the public shaming LOL. I just want to make sure anyone does any business with him to make sure they get their end 1st.
@ Peteguy, yes getting screwed out of a deal sucks and the cash lost for postage. Still not very happy about the whole thing. He also knew the pipe was topped as I told him in an email. He sent me some pipes with really charred rims requiring a lot more work than was was discussed but I repaired them anyway. Took a lot of time and time I could have used for the KC pipe show which in the end I ran out of time to get a pipe entered in the show.
@ booker, this is exactly that a heads up. A lot of dealings on the forums are based on trust and a persons integrity and or reputation. The Kyle Blacks of the world need to be outed.

 

[huntertrw]

rx2man:
If you perform an Internet search of the phrase Hittel Used Pipes you will find some interesting hits.

 

[rx2man]

@ huntertrw, those are by me as well. I was debating to post on the forums as things can get out of hand rather quickly. So I made the initial post brief just wanting to give people a heads up so they can cover themselves if they want to deal with him.

 

[ssjones]

I had also volunteered to do some pipes for restoration work myself, glad it never materialized. I guess his opportunistic nature prevailed.

 

[danielplainview]

@ hunter
Interesting hit indeed. Even comes with a phone number. I might call him on my lunch break at 3:30 am and see how he's doing.

 

[jpmcwjr]

The two posts from ten months ago are quite revealing. Not just a little bit of arrogance emanating from hittel. Sad.

@ Huttleusedpipes, IMHO, If all you want to do is sell pipes, then by all means pad your numbers with some of the above "tricks", but if you want to belong to the community then participate. You've been a member since Jan 2013, surely a 100 posts isn't a huge request in approximately 22 months.

My understanding of the Buy/Sell/Trade rules is to keep a sense of community.
But, I've been wrong before. Just my two cents.

**** ****** *****

Oh, hey there eBay shun guy! I just wanted to take the time to assure you, and (apparently no one else cares) only you that I will do my gosh-darnedest to earn my place in this community! Because according to you, my intentions are either vain, or impure, and I'm going to strike at the first chance I get to do whatever dastardly deed you have imagined I am planning. So, rest assured I will not be padding my post count, and I will not soil the spotless integrity of this forum with any of the shenanigans I had planned.
- I would like to give you a pass on being ignorant to the fact that my very first post on this website was an open letter to the members, making them immediately privy to my intentions - but I'd rather mock you and express my distaste for your incessant prying.
I have never tried to sell anyone on this website anything in an under-the-table manner, nor would I. I haven't even responded to the messages I have received about people wanting to help me sell my pipes, or consign for me, or to show them what I have so they can possibly buy them. Yesterday was the first time I even sent someone a link to my eBay, and that was because I was proud of the work I did, with over 50 pictures, and the description I laid out.
Yes, I am apart of this forum because I have thousands of pipes to liquidate, and I came here looking to learn about pipes, their worth, how to properly care for, and maintain them, and just add to the overall less-than-amateur knowledge base I had before I joined. I am also apart of this forum because I have always been interested in, and fascinated by smoking pipes. Every single one of the pipes that I ask about - regardless of whether or not I sell it - is one of the few tangible things I have left of my grandfather, and to be honest I am disturbed and offended that you continue to approach me in such a condescending manner in regards to my participation on this forum.
POSTED 10 MONTHS AGO #

ssjones
I'm sorry if you were offended hittleused, but I agree with what Jesse wrote. From my vantage point here's what I saw:

- you create a post basically asking how to skirt the rules

- your forum participation to this point, in nearly a year, has been meager.
We have seen this scenario time and time again. Folks sign up simply to sell their pipes and then we never hear from them again. It comes off to participating forum members as opportunistic and a bit distasteful.
If that wasn't your intent, then I've misunderstood this thread.
(and I know Sablebrush52's name is Jesse, because we've shared some meaningful communications over the past few years)

 

[rx2man]

@ ssjones......now I am really glad I said something. Exactly what I was afraid would happen. When he had not replied after a week and I sent another email I started to think it would not turn out well.
@ Dave, that is his work number. When I googled the address I sent the pipes to I realized it was his work address. Turns out he is a attorney and knows there is not a lot I can do to get even my postage $$$ back.

 

[huntertrw]

rx2man:
If you know in which state this apparent miscreant is licensed to practice law, then you might consider filing a complaint with its Bar Association alleging unethical behavior. There's more than one way to skin a (legal - or is that illegal?) beagle!

 

[captainprophesy]

Man I am sorry to hear that... That's some grade A bullshit! It really pisses me off when people try or do take advantage of others.
What city and state is he in?

 

[buroak]

There is another side to this story. If the other side is true, then rx2man is not wholly innocent in this sorry tale. I hope Mr. Hittel will return to share his perspective.

 

[seacaptain]

99% of lawyers give the other 1% a bad name.

 

[huntertrw]

"The story you are about to hear is true. The names have been change to protect the innocent..."

 

[woodsroad]

 

[mrenglish]

I've had several successful trades with Rxman and have found him to be above board. While there are two sides to every story, I would be very surprised if it came out that rxman was acting shady.