Where is Randy Fulkerson?

[Krush]

I orginally posted this on busnut BBS here:  http://www.busnut.com/bbs/messages/11/13985.html?1152158837



First, I appologize for using this board in this manner, but if you hear me out you'll see I have tried all other avenues.

My name is Jay and I live in Virginia. I'm a college student at Virginia Tech and I own a couple old DD powered vehicles, including a 1990 gillig city bus.

In May of 2005 I won an ebay auction with Randy for a 3.42 Rockwell differential for my bus in the amount of $510. I spoke with randy on the phone before bidding on the auction in order to arrange logistics of getting it. He said that he had to make a delivery to New Jersey in a couple weeks and he could bring the diff and I could meet him there, but I had to pay first. I felt he was an honorable man of his word by his feedback and bussnut postings so I had no problem paying him. He said he'd call me in a week or so to make arangements.

Well days came and went and I never heard from him. I checked back to his website and saw that he had fallen ill. Having recently lost my mom to cancer, I figured the last thing he and his family needed was me nagging him. I tried calling a few times and only got a machine. I left messages and nothing was returned. Eventually the phone number went out of service and the website went down.

In novermeber or dec 2005 I FINALLY found an old cached page with a cell phone number that randy answered (up until that point I had no idea he was even alive). I told him who I was and what had happened and he said "i dont remeber, I sell lots of parts, but email or fax me your information and I will get back to you". Well several emails later and many faxes and I got no response. Not only that, the cell phone number I had is disconected now. However, the fax number works and I have sent multiple faxes and got no reply.

What I am asking is if somebody here has any contact info on Randy or knows antyhing about him that could help me out. I feel I have been more than reasonable and fair. I have already exhausted other avenues (including ebay, paypal, and credit card company).

I tried in Novemeber AND december to contact randy so I could possibly make a trip out to MO, but I couldn't find him. Like I told him, I am in college and this is not chump change to me. The more I try to be rational the more I feel I get screwed. It's beginning to look like my only form of recourse is the court systems.

Again, I appologize for this post. I read the site and it is a great wealth of knowledge.

Thank you,

Jay

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Jay,

Sorry for your troubles with that seller. I don't belive anyone here know's him, but, you should take some action before things get worse.

Keep us posted.

Nick Badame-

[Dallas]

Jay,
I too haven't been able to contact Randy Fulkerson. He rebuilt the engine and transmission on Meinhart Lagies Flxible a while back. I was asked to call Randy and get some information from him to help set up the Jakes and injectors and transmission.

Unfortunately, it seems that Mr. Fulkerson has disappeared from the face of the earth.

He had, at one time a great reputation in the DD and bus area of expertise, but in the last few years has lost that.

I think your only recourse is to contact an atorney and have them take it from here.

Sorry for your trouble, I wish I could help more.

Dallas

[coachconverter]

I'm pretty sure I read that he died about a year ago.  His wife was selling off all the stuff on their lot.

I hope I'm wrong, but pretty sure he passed on last year.  I always heard good things about him.

[Krush]

Well, I spoke with him on the phone in Jan 2006.  He seemed to be in better health at that point.

[gumpy]

From a year and a half ago.  I don't think he died, but I don't think he's still in business.

==================

Posted on Saturday, January 22, 2005 - 7:40 pm:     

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note from Jaclin Fulkerson: It is with great difficulty that I write this note to all of you. R. W. Fulkerson Bus & Bus Parts, L.L.C. is going out of business immediately.
http://www.rwfulkerson.com/

[Krush]

But he still would owe me my money, since I actually paid him, not his business.

I'm gonna have to do some detective work I reckn'.

[Buffalo SpaceShip]

Here's a Fulkerson listing in Randy's town of Sedalia, MO. Might be a relation at least: http://tinyurl.com/e8qre

No charge for that little piece of detective work! 
bb

EDIT: and it sure looks like you can park a LOT of busses at that address: http://tinyurl.com/fveaj

[Barn Owl]

Jay,

Few things will keep you as broke as collage, but collage and a bus, now that is true poverty. I didn't graduate from Virginia Tech, but it's a great school. I am up in Roanoke so I am practically your neighbor. The situation you are in is an example of one of the reasons I only do transactions with paypal. I tend to be a trusting individual, but through the school of hard knocks, I have had to become more careful. If the person I am attempting to do business with doesn't take paypal then I move on. It's just too easy to scam trusting people anymore. When I use paypal I make the transaction with my credit card. That way if paypal does nothing to correct the problem, I still can dispute the transaction through my card.  You only have sixty days, but that is enough time in my opinion to know if things are going to work out. Doing business this way has saved me several times. If I have to, I tend to pay down payments, with the remainder paid upon the completion of the deal instead of upfront in full; this is especially true if you are having work done for you. I know being a collage student you know all about paypal, but I'm just posting what I do. Graduate, make millions, and this won't hurt as bad.

Good Luck.

[Krush]

Barn owl,

I totally agree with you.  I actually did use paypal AND a credit card, but that 60days is long past.  I'm young in comparison but I've done many deals so far and I have usually been a fair judge of character.  That is why I paid up front.  I also go into "internet" deals with the idea that if it goes really bad and I loose my money, I'm not totally poor (win some, loose some). 

I don't believe I was truly screwed over intentionally.  Rather, it just seems to be a comedy of errors and misfortune. 


SpaceShip, thanks for the numbers.  I'm gonna cold call them and see what I can learn.  I'll keep ya'll updated.

[series60]

Looks like Randy has re-surfaced in the flea market section of the other board, along with a discussion of his reputation. 

[|@n]

I know Randy and I can help you. Email me at your convenience.

Ian

[gumpy]

Yeah, this one comes come up every few months on this board and others. Generally it's from someone trying to find him or get satisfaction on a deal which he didn't follow through with. He certainly gets mixed reviews. Some people got the parts they ordered, some didn't. Kind of a hit or miss situation. A search of the archives brings up many references to his past; a lot of speculation, a lot of hearsay, and a lot of personal testimony both good and bad dating back to when he had a business in AZ. I've never had any dealings with him, but his name is well known on the bus boards.

I was under the impression he was no longer in business, as his wife had posted back in early 2005. His name had been absent from the boards for some time. Now, as series60 pointed out, he has resurfaced on BNO Flea Market in the last week or so with several ads for engines and trannys. The contact information he left is as follows (posted here for future reference for the next busnut trying unsuccessfully to reach him) :

Randy Fulkerson
719-431-3653
rwf@rwfulkerson.com
http://www.rwfulkerson.com

[DrivingMissLazy]

I have also posted this on the other board as to my opinion about Randy Fulkerson.

I have to disagree with you on this continuing problem of whether Randy has/should be automatically forgiven for all the past problems that have been attributed to him. Just because he is an advertiser or just because you know him does not automatically forgive him for all the past allegations.

Whether these are (any or all) legitimate complaints, many have never been cleared up on the board for everyone that reads here to fully trust him. Based on this, I would be tempted to trust him about as much as I trust Sam Walker.

This is, I believe, his third location in as many years and each time he has moved there has been a long period of board inactivity. And this last time he suddenly appears with a long list of expensive parts and no explanation of what happened in the intervening months or anything to try and resolve the problems that have been mentioned by previous customers.

The purpose of the boards is to try and help busnuts find reliable sources of needed parts and to also alert them to possible problems experienced with vendors who advertise on the boards.

Please understand that this is a personal opinion and is by no means meant to condemn Randy, but I really feel he has some explaining to do about his previous business activities, and this would be one of the places to do this.
Richard

[akbusguy2000]

I agree with Richard.  Those of us who have monitored these bus-related boards for a long time know that complaints and unresolved issues (commonly failures to deliver as promised) have been associated with the name repeatedly.  The excuses and explanation of the issues by Mr. Fuilkerson have always been associated with his frequent moves, business changes, and the failure of third parties, starting with the bankruptcy of Consolidated Freilghtways.  I have never done business with him, nor would I,  but I do recall that at least some of the issues were resolved over time.

If anyone is in need of a method to contact him, here is what may or may not be his current profile, taken from the BNO board.  Note however, that his first problems arose when moving from Arizona, his wife reported over a year ago that he went out of business while in Missouri, the profile says Texas and the phone number has an area code in Colorado??

lotsa luck
 





Profile of Randy Fulkerson


Username: Rwf
Full Name: Randy Fulkerson
E-mail Address: rwf@rwfulkerson.com
Last Logged In: September 25, 2006 
Registered: May 13, 2003 
Total Posts: 14
Status: Registered Member
City: Dickinson 
State / Province: Texas 
Country: USA 
Bus Make & Model: (Hidden) 
Personal Home Page?: (Hidden) 
E-mail Address: rwf@rwfulkerson.com 
FMCA # (if applicable): (Hidden) 
Indicate here, if you can offer any assistance to anyone in need of help (breakdown, etc), and how others can contact you.: Emergency breakdown assistance/parts

719-431-3653