George Karacostas - [email protected]

[TimGud]

Purchased a few early bay Westfalia parts from George.
The parts were exactly as described and he threw in a few free parts as well! Thanks George!

[jbbugs]

I just bought a Berg Anti-shocker from George.He was RIGHT ON with his email,tracking#,shipping,and packaging.I wish everyone selling online was that good.No worries buying from this guy.A+ deal.Paul
_________________
Drag bus! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2MOVmKdhX4

69 OG paint Transporter
73' Super Beetle Champcar Endurance Roadracer
Patina my ass, that's a Rust Bucket!

[a.wilson]

I had bought a Fuel Injection decklid badge from George and am very pleased with the purchase. It arrived in great condition with the creative packaging and received it on a timely matter!. I had contacted him several weeks ago about the badge, but then had to wait to send payment until a week later. He was very understanding with that and held the badge until I could send The payment!. A very good seller indeed!!!.
_________________
Be kind to all critters. America's "H8TERZ" can drink sludgy used Motor Oil!


oemwolf

[dougkirk]

Bought an oil sump from George and before he would sell it to me he had to explain a stud problem that was repaired.

Its hard to find honesty for internet sellers like him.

I will definitely buy from George again.

[GjMan]

Maybe, dougkirk, because you’re a newbie I shouldn’t be too hard on you. But then you don’t have to be a long-time Samba member to know the difference between right and wrong.

You see, doug, I also was attempting to buy that Gene Berg sump you just aquired. When my friend George e-mailed me that the sump was sold before I even received his shipping quote, I asked him for some details.

Well, doug, George gave you up. Seems your “I’ll take it” wasn’t the first. In fact, mine was ahead of yours. That sump should have rightly gone to me. When I expressed my disappointment to George, he admitted he should have handled the sale better, and said he “just got caught up in the fourth guy (you) being so aggressive I did not use my better judgment.”

So, doug, you knew there were people ahead of you in line who had not been given a chance to send the money. Yet you badgered poor old George into letting you jump to the front of the line. What do you have to say for yourself?

I suppose I should chide my friend George for letting you push him around, but George is getting on in years and is easily taken advantage of.

[dougkirk]

Here is the reply I received from George when I asked if the sump was still available:

Kirk, here is the deal...Yes, I still have it... I have given four quotes to others that say they are buying it, but have not seen the money.. Yet------so maybe this is your lucky day... I just happened to be on this here computer thingy right now when you sent the message....
....Anyway,,,,I will check my computer and see who pays first for this item.

-----George

After I received the above I sent him a PayPal payment for the amount.

As far as badgering, All I did was send an email asking if it was still available, then when I recevied the above response I made the payment and sent him an email letting him know.

He then said I was the first to make the payment and he would ship it to me.

I knew of no promises to sell it to others, all that was mentioned was that quotes were made and whoever paid first got it.

[george4888]

I went to my "sent" emails and I did give Lonnie freight quotes for both Priority and for Parcel Post...So,,,,that means if I gave you freight quotes, which I did,,,,then the sump was still available for sale.....

You delaying making either arrangements to pay me or just sending in the money is not my fault and does not reflect on those people that ended up buying the item...

And,,,again,,reading the emails, while I thought you were the second person to write about it,,,,in fact,,,and this was also written to you, Lonnie,,,,you were listed as the third person.....So,,,taking this in order, giving everyone an equal chance to buy it was done...Also,,,,I wrote that the first person to send me the money would be the buyer,,,like,,,,that is normal.. You had options available to you that you did not use,,like sending me a few dollars by paypal to put the Sump on Hold,,,until you got back into town and then you could have sent the balance.....I cannot guess what your daily routine is, so when you wrote to me saying that I should have given you more time,,,,you are wrong.....

The fourth guy,,,,did not trick me and was not pushy as your comments state.. The only thing he did that upset you was to send me the money as soon as possible,,,,and I think that option was available to all that asked about this sump. Bad mouthing or insulting the man that had the brains to send in the payment instantly does not reflect negatively on him or me.... It is just good business, if someone really needs or wants to buy an item..... Personally speaking,,,I have delayed on items on the samba and lose out of some good buys,,,but unlike you,,,,I did not make a big deal about it... Sometime, we don't make fast decisions and delay on action,, for whatever reasons,,,and we lose out on good deals.....And,,,,this was one of those good deals.

There was a second Berg Sump,,,,which I wrote to the first guy ( who did not complain about me selling the first one) and this time, he did not delay and sent me the money,,so I have in fact sold one to the fourth person and one to the first person to write to me.....

Everyone that wrote to me with inquiries about this item were given freight quotes,,before the item was sold, so everyone was treated fairly, not as you state.

May I suggest in the future that you send someone a few dollars via paypal to "hold" the item,,,if you don't have the entire amount in your paypal account,,,or whatever the reason was for your delay.... Nobody is to blame for you missing out on this sale.. Except yourself......

Also,,,,,when I received the first three emails within hours of the ad running,, I knew that item would be sold fast....And,,that had nothing to do with there being a shortage of the sumps...Anyway,,,,,I did not take advantage of anyone from a money standpoint, even after I heard there was delays in getting new sumps from Berg Enterprises......I have seen others on thesamba mark up the price, when they realize there is a shortage,, but I did not do that.....

So,,,reviewing the facts,,,you were the third person to write to me...I did give you freight quotes and if you wanted the item, then you should have send me the money,,,,as you had the total,,price plus freight.... Since you knew there were others interested,,it seems to me that if you really wanted this item you would not have delayed with sending me the money, as you did....And,,,lets not overlook that I notified everyone when the item was sold, so you and others would know to NOT send your money.....but if you would have sent me money,,,a refund would have been given you ,, at once.. I think in four years selling parts on the samba,,,,giving refunds has only happened once or twice,,,so communication with others must be better than it was with you.

Take care,,,,,,,George4888
_________________
Home of Karacostas Car ( VW) Repair
"Keeping old VW's running like New!"
Past NHRA and IHRA drag racer
www.bayareavwclub.com
1969 Beetle, 2007cc engine

"Life is hard, but it's harder when you are stupid."

[M.C.Dragracer]

Got to thank you George, "a very honest guy", I'm the guy that bought the second sump, exactly what he described, I just missed on the first sump from lagging. I have sold many of items on e-bay and the Samba, people showed intertest in certain items, I held them waiting for payment, then never recieved it, lossing out on others that were really interested in the item.

Talk is cheap.

Thanks again George for your quick responses, and quick and prompt shipment.

Rick
MCdragracer

[Big Moe]

Ok George, Here it goes....... i bought that complete wiring from you, and I am very thankful.
I'm a Marine, and when I get home from where I'm station, I try to work on my project. I have got robed by people here on Samba, and Ebay as well.
I have to honestly say that you are of the few people that is worth defending our country for.
You were very honest, and offered me many options. I'm sorry I gave you a hard time at the beginning, But I guess you understand why now.
Thanks for offering your help when it comes to wiring my bug. I really didn't espect that. Well, I just got called in today, and I have to go back tomorrow. Hopefully you remember me if I come back, so you can still guide me through the process.
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Never give up, because your VW will never give up on you!!!!!!!!

[Ollie W]

George was great to work with. Not only were the heads priced right, but he was very helpful and nice to work with. He gave me an extensive description and I had no fear in buying these.
Oh, and his care in packaging was amazing.

I don't hesitate to recommend him.

Chris

[dmilla]

A great individual to buy products from. George takes the time to answer all questions, ships promptly, and stands behind what he sells. If George has what I need, I'm buying it!

[analogmax]

Thanks for the dash panel, everything just as described even some extra's. great to do business with.

[bugoholics]

I have bought many parts from George.Yesterday went down to see him and bought alot of parts and he treated me way more than fair! Great guy to deal with,thanks George! A++++ SELLER!

[Joe Reynolds]

I have to agree with all the positive feedback for George. I emailed him about an ad on Friday the 8th, we confirmed the price and shipping on Saturday and the manifolds came today (8/12). Talk about fast. Great packing and he threw in two packages of carb to manifold gaskets.

Great guy to work with and I'll be watching his ads in the future.

Thank you George!
_________________
Looking for a McKenzie Volkswagen License plate frame or dealer tag.

[jairoecanas]

I purchased a muffler from Geoge Karaotas. When I opened the item I found that the smaller mufller pipe at one side was damaged broken and eaten by rust.
I Called Mr. George by phone today, to explain the situation in regards to the condition of the item that he sold me and his answer was that he had sold me an used muffler and I could simply fix this on my own using JB WELD. In my opinion Mr. George's explanation is ridiculous because you cannot use a fllamable chemichal in a muffler that is used to avoid poisonous gases.
I do not feel satisfield with this purcharse

[Rustforlife]

Bought an NOS HD sidecover from George on Tuesday, got it Thursday. Thanks!

[theastronaut]

Just got off the phone with George. I'm not happy at all. I had a pair of Auto Linea heads for sale here on Thesamba that George and I had talked about by email for me to trade towards a pair of his 51.5mm JayCee IDA's. George had posted an ad for the IDA's here on Thesamba for $***, and clearly stated in the ad that he already had one person (me) interested in the carbs, and that he would give me till Monday afternoon ( July 20th) for me to decide if I wanted to make the trade. I emailed George last night (7/19/09) at 10:03 saying that I would trade (a full day before my time to decide was up).

Here's his reply on 7/20/09 at 12:12am :

"John, you would not believe all the phone calls I have received, as I placed the ad on the samba on Sunday,,earlier today,,,just to see what response it would get, but if you read it,,,I mentioned that one person had the right to buy it first,,,so I am being honest with everyone.

Okay,,,,,need to see the heads in great undamaged condition, so you really need to take care with packing them. If you agree to pay for the shipping cost to me on the heads, I will pay for the shipping cost on the carbs,,,to you. I think you will come out better on the shipping cost, that way. And, with the heads, need $*** in the way of either USPS money Order or payment via paypal. If using paypal,,,no paypal fees to you, but I have to see that the money cleared them. I really like USPS Money orders,,,,would get here before or at the same time as the heads get to me. Oh, please only use UPS Ground with them insured for $***,,that cost a few extra dollars, but it protects you and me aganst lose from damage or a lost package.

One guy tried to talk me out of selling them to you and wanted to send me $*** NOW, plus money for freight via paypal, and that was only one hour ago. He gave me all his address and phone numbers in case you back out,,,so you will not upset me, at all. You are getting a good deal and I agreed to accept the heads and $*** from you."


George emailed me again at 12:31am asking for my shipping address and phone number.

I was in bed by then so I emailed him this morning at 8:40am (7/20/09) to give him my shipping address and phone numbers, and to say that I would go ahead and remove my ad for the cylinder heads, as I thought we had agreed to trade. I repeated his shipping address back to him to make sure that I would be shipping out the heads to the correct location.

I didn't receive a reply so I called him today about 2:45. Not quite end of the day like he stated in his ad. I told him that I had went ahead and boxed up the cylinder heads and that I wanted to make sure I had correct shipping information. He then asked why I wasn't going to wait for him to send me payment for the heads before shipping them, as that was normal procedure. I asked him what he meant; we had agreed that I was trading my heads plus $*** for the IDA package that he had. He then informed me that he had sold the IDA's already, and asked if he could still buy the heads.

He clearly stated in the ad and in his emails to me that I had till tonight (7/20/09) to decide if I wanted to trade. I had emailed him last night (7/19/09) at 10:03 and told him that I would accept the trade.

He sold them out from under me this morning, as far as I can tell between 12:31am and when I called him around 2:45 this afternoon; well within my time to decide if I wanted them. In my opinion, if he was going to hold them until a certain date, he shouldn't have posted the ad for the IDA's until after that date.

I don't want to bash or badmouth George; that's not my purpose for posting this here. But I can say that I will not do business with him again, nor will I recommend anyone else to do so. Anyone reading this sees that my experience dealing with him was less than acceptable. I'll let that speak for itself.
_________________
Strive for perfection in everything. Take the best that exist and make it better. If it doesn't exist, create it. Accept nothing nearly right or good enough."
-Sir Henry Royce, co-founder of Rolls-Royce

'64 Beetle Sunroof OG Bahama Blue
'63 Beetle Vert
'66 Beetle
'88 Festiva L
'89 Festiva L
'64 Chevy C10
'66 Chevy C10

[george4888]

On the muffler, the man was told in advance that the muffler was used and was NOT in perfect condition. The little "hole" he complained about was about the size of the end of a pencil lead, and JB weld will certainly seal that small hole perfectly. He was in a big hurry as he has gotten a ticket for the wrong muffler on his VW, so I hurried up and packed the mufflet and got it to him in record breaking time. It was sold dirt cheap,,,as used. What in the world does one want for almost no cost ? Gold ???

On the 51.5 mm carbs,,,,, the buyer did not come across as having the money and with his many letters,,,it was trade plus money, as he was evidently low on funds. Even after selling the carbs to someone else, for cash, no trade, and the money was send to me ASAP, I offerred to make up the mistake, if there was one, by buying his heads, but he refused to sell them to me, so his loss. If he needed money, my offer of cash for his heads , he had for sale, was very sincere. He declined to sell me the heads. Considering the carb deal fell apart,,,you would think he would have gone ahead and sold the heads to me, if he needed the money. There is more going on here than presented. You would have to read all the extreme number of emails the guy mailed me, to get the idea there was a money problem, hence, delays on his part. I was not getting a good feeling about the heads, I wanted to buy from him, so best that it happened this way. Also, there was some emails, which got "lost", which I don't understand.

I have a reputation of selling "as desctibed" and "on time with shipments" and for " low prices",,,, so what you don't see in the forum is the other satisfied hundreds of buyers that have bought from me over the past five years. I work fast. If someone delays on paying me in one or two days, the item is sold to someone that has the money. This is just good business thinking, considering the poor economy times we are in.
I have sold VW's for over $10,000 and the customers were always satisfied. . Did the buyer of the muffler mention it was a $100 new cost muffler selling for only $10-$15, if I recall ? If he wanted NEW, he should have spent the money for NEW. And, I am also a purchaser of parts on thesamba. I pay people as fast as possible, when I buy parts from them. Usually faster than they expect. I have bought over $20,000 in the past few years off people on the samba with no complaints.
_________________
Home of Karacostas Car ( VW) Repair
"Keeping old VW's running like New!"
Past NHRA and IHRA drag racer
www.bayareavwclub.com
1969 Beetle, 2007cc engine

"Life is hard, but it's harder when you are stupid."

[Kalapaki Papa]

Very refreshing to do business with such a nice fellow! I bought some of his handles and received them the same week! Super emails! Great guy...there's alot of sellers here that could used a measure of George's 'schooling" in how to do business!
Aloha!

[Farfromstock]

George sent quick payment easy transaction!!! Aaaa++++