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japan car exports

Discussion in 'General Truck Info' started by kepow, Nov 17, 2008.

  1. kepow

    kepow Member

    I sent Steve 10 thousand dollars to get me some trucks in July
    I have since been told they are out of business as of oct 31
    i did receive an email from jce in nov about the 9th
    I thought they were reputable as they came highly recommended by others on this forum
    Whats the scoop? Steve,,,,dont leave me hanging




    10 g is a large amount of $$$$ to me
     
  2. Subaru

    Subaru Member

    :rolleyes:Phone him on his cell
     
  3. kepow

    kepow Member

    got the number?
     
  4. Subaru

    Subaru Member

    Not sure if I switched it to my latest cell
    Try calling his usual line.
    Pm me and I can give you a website from Vancouver of one of his importers if you want.
     
  5. kmoneil

    kmoneil Administrator Staff Member

    Sent you all the info I have.
     
  6. kepow

    kepow Member

    anybody have steve smiths cell number> i am starting to feel like i have just been kicked in the nuts for some 10 g is a lesson learned.....for me it may be devastating
     
  7. Griz

    Griz Member

    out 100,000 yen

    I have about 100,000 yen @ JCE and have had no contact with Steve Smith since the middle of September. Once he owed me money the emails stopped being answered. I know several dealers got a going out of business letter around November 3rd but I did not get even that. Nice man to do business with:frustration:
     
  8. Subaru

    Subaru Member

    All of my financial dealings with Steve were great.
    Not 100% sure what has happened recently,so just keep trying to contact him and I am sure he will eventually get back to you:)
     
  9. kepow

    kepow Member

    i wish i had a reason to be hopeful
     
  10. jtpc

    jtpc Member

    Don't give up and keep at trying to contact him. I've found that if you bug someone enough, they will find a way to make it right even if they had intentions of hoping you would just give up and they'd keep the money.
     
  11. Here's the info I have for them, I never purchased anything from them but they sure were trying to get me to buy, i'm thankful I never cared for their system of getting trucks. I hope this helps, I don't know who will answer but they are all from JCE>


    Tel: +81-52-739-2660
    Mobile: +81-80-3641-9705
     
  12. kepow

    kepow Member

    UPDATE


    I talked to Steve for more than half an hour on the telephone tonight.

    He didnt have to call me.....he chose to

    JCE are trying their damndest to do the right thing.... Steve could have dissappeared into the bowels of Japan.....but he called me and I have to believe he spoke with sincerity.

    Im good with our conversation and although I still have some nervousness about my shipment...I am sleeping better now than I was last week.


    Best of luck Steve and I will submit to this forum with my progress

    Ken Powell

    Alberta Canada
     
  13. Acerguy

    Acerguy Moderator Staff Member

    Best of luck to you and to Steve. Thanks for keeping us in the loop.
     
  14. Subaru

    Subaru Member

    See,told ya so:p
    A little nail biting at times,but it will all work out in the end:)
     
  15. Griz

    Griz Member

    It's not nail biting but disappointment in a person I trusted to do the honorable thing.

    I paid cash up front to buy 7 trucks with AC but upon loading, the container would hold only 6. The 7th truck was left in Japan to be sold. The 6 trucks arrived but only 5 had AC and the one without AC was one Steve Smith bought from a friend not a auction truck. I agreed on October 7th to a 99,956 yen credit on my account for the 7th truck and no AC on the other.
    I expected to use this credit on my next container of trucks. My last contact with Mr. Smith was October 13th all email since that have had no response. I know other JCE clients have received going out of business emails and even phone calls. I have not heard from Steve Smith. Nail biting - NO, Disappointment - YES
     
  16. Subaru

    Subaru Member

    The SC KS3 I got from Steve came with a suprise as well---it had A/C,unknown to me at time of purchase,and it even works :D

    Hopefully the 1000CDN or so will not make or break you-
     
  17. bc mini trucks

    bc mini trucks New Member

    jce was great

    steve and his crue !!!! top notch. two cans and nothin but love.
    what is up with all his staff leaving ...o well thinking of #3 where to go
    steve.... can you email some info on what is up...
     
  18. Cape Ape

    Cape Ape Member

    anyone heard from steve

    Just wondering if anyone has heard from steve recently. I know he has left me and some other members on this forum hanging for a while now. JCE shipped me 3 containers with insufficient speed limiters and then left me hanging on the legal fees and fines they were supposed to pay. I have about 50k reasons that I would like to hear from him.
     
  19. bc mini trucks

    bc mini trucks New Member

    jce service

    no i haven't heard from him for a while sorry
    i just received my trucks the other day and they are the best yet
    all the best to to Steve and crew. thanks for the excellent service
    marry xmas to all
     
  20. oldschool

    oldschool New Member

    container

    Was thinking of going with them for a container Best i wait and see. Let us know one way or the other.
     
  21. Timetripper

    Timetripper Moderator

    To my understanding they are not in business anymore.
    They are not taking orders as they no longer there.
     
  22. kmoneil

    kmoneil Administrator Staff Member

    Yeah they're not anymore. Than banner is still on the site because they paid for it and its just about to expire. So just 6 more days and it will be gone.
     
  23. MichTrucks

    MichTrucks Moderator Staff Member Supporting Member

    As I understand it they are just out of the US market as are all others due to the EPA thing and are very much alive for the Canadian market.
     
  24. Griz

    Griz Member

    I know other JCE clients have received going out of business emails and even phone calls, with promises to make good his debts. Has anyone received what was promised?
     
  25. Pmc

    Pmc New Member

    He hung us out to dry also. He screwed up our first shipment by sending it to Memphis for Customs in Oct. and stole our money and trucs from the second shipment. All told we're out $38,0000

    Pmc
     
  26. Timetripper

    Timetripper Moderator

    Yikes and double yikes :eek: :eek:
     
  27. DarinRay

    DarinRay Member

    Dang a plane ticket is only $1,000 round trip. :) :)

    Darin
     
  28. steve_nagoya

    steve_nagoya Member

    Ok, I've got to come in and make comments in hopes that everyone can see what is happening. While this may not be the smartest thing I do to make comments in a public forum, I think there is a lot of garbage being said.

    I decided after the EPA regulation came through, that it basically did in my business.

    Cape Ape's containers: I wish people would tell all the information. Here goes: Yes, we had 3 containers held up at port. All 3 did have problems with speed limiters. 2 containers were taken to the Free Zone of the port and the speed limiter issue was fixed. We paid for all of that. The 3rd container was "apparently" inspected and deemed not to have speed limiters at all. Cape Ape said the EPA inspector checked a couple of the trucks.

    I paid to have 1 container sent from Japan to Cape Ape's client to make up for the 3rd container. Also, I paid Cape Ape for 1 container, 19,000USD, to compensate for their delay in business so they could buy some trucks from another supplier. They paid back some of the money. They held back money to cover the initial costs for a lawyer to dispute the very stiff EPA ruling. I did not have any choice in this matter but to go along with it. I don't have the total figures, but we did pay some of that lawyer fee.

    The 3rd container was ruled to not have speed limiter plates at all! It was held up for nearly 6 months at port. I kept asking for Cape Ape or their shipping agent to expidite the return. They kept getting the run around from the EPA laywer. In the end, the EPA said they were not seizing the container and it could have been released at any time!!!! REALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In the end, we paid for the return of that container, send a container to Cape Ape's client, and paid nearly 6 months, or 12,000USD, for the storage fees and such.

    Here is where it gets good. We received that 3rd container in our yard in the summer. We unloaded 2 trucks and noticed they were not shifting out of 1st gear. One of my staff lifted up the center console, and guess what: a SPEED LIMITER!!!!!!!!!!! We quickly checked all the other trucks and they all had speed limiters. I called Cape Ape to tell them, we took pictures of the speed limiters. I took depositions from the 5 people (3 British, me, and 1 Japanese) present when unloading the container. I sent all that to Cape Ape. They said they'd let me know what was happening. I really didn't hear much about what happened after that. If they recall, I suffered a stroke in 2008 soon after learning that the containers where in trouble. I wanted to press the EPA into a law suit, but was told by Cape Ape they wanted to do their stuff first. I figured I had a very good case since the EPA's incompetant inspection caused my company so much financial damage and my personal health suffered (yes, the stroke cause vision loss and I also had a heart operation in May...some of my clients, including Cape Ape, know about this).

    So, how do you think I feel about this situation. I got screwed too!!! After all the requests to get the container released, after Cape Ape said they were doing what they could, and to have a container returned that could have been fixed at the free zone...I wasted a huge amount of money on nothing and my health suffered. So, that's about where we are on that. Thanks to the over 20,000USD spent on that, it made our company suffer too. I stood up and dealt with the problem of the speed limiters, paid for everything to get them fixed. To have something sent back to me at a great expense and no one on the US side really helping, can you imagine how I would feel? The sad thing is that I got no help from Cape Ape about going after the EPA.

    As for the Memphis client: no where was it agreed to not have the container cleared in Memphis. I could share the e-mails he sent regarding what he was trying to do to bully the customs people in Memphis into just releasing the container. Since he brought this to a public forum instead of dealing with me privately, as others have kindly done, I feel that I have to defend myself rather than allow such attacks. I also stated to this client that the rest of his trucks are still here in Japan, and we don't owe him any money. We did send several to auction but nothing sold. The cost of trucks at auction has dropped and no bid met the minimum reserve. He has 3 trucks here in Japan, and no money. So, his statements are truely false. In a recent email I even offered to send him his trucks as some people are able to import.

    Grizhunter and I have communicated through e-mail and hopefully have a resolution. He has been kind enough to understand our situation. Thank you for that.

    Like I said to other clients privately, I have pledged that while JCE is no longer in business, I will do what I can to get them their trucks/money. People have started seeing a return of trucks/money and can now vouch that I am doing what I promised. It will take time for people to see a full return, but I am doing everything I can. People also have to remember that the EPA regulation stopped/delayed importing of trucks. I can't just sell trucks or return money so quickly. People bought from auctions, not from our stock. So, as the auction broker, all I could do is try to resell the trucks at auction.

    This decision of getting everything back to people I made because while this is just business, people have assets here and have trusted me. The EPA regulations killed a lot of businesses. I could have easily just walked away and gone bankrupt. Instead, while some may not see it, I promised to return trucks/money. JCE is dead, and I'm trying to etch out a living with exporting in order to make money to pay people back, as well as send them trucks now that the EPA is allowing some of our good clients to import. Fortunately I have people standing by me and believe in me and help me get the right thing done. Attacks and half-information does not help me help my clients. I hope people can understand where I am and that in time I will have done the right thing.
     
    Last edited: Jan 29, 2009
  29. kepow

    kepow Member

    I sent some money to Steve just before all the **** hit the fan.
    He easily could have walked away with my money and disapeared. I continue to work with Steve and although these have been trying times for both of us....... I have nothing but confidence that I will be treated honestly and fairly... Best of luck Steve .. and I will let eveyone here know how my situation turns out
     
  30. DarinRay

    DarinRay Member

    Well like normal there ARE two sides to every story. Sure does stink when you hear someone's health suffered. :( Hope everything works out for EVERYONE.

    Darin
     

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