Mike Nanto - Cowboy Mechanic Smooth Scam Artist San Diego

This will be my last response, I am not going bother with arguing back and forth over who said what. I will supply what I have and let the court of public opinion rule on it from there. (CS: Here is my response as mentioned)

2. Jacob paid for work performed. nothing more nothing less. I would rather hire someone who is upfront about what will and won’t be performed than do something and halfway through realize he is in over his head.

3. Reading between the lines of "he confirmed what he could do" it does seem that yes, I declined to perform some work, this is also evidenced by his original complaint he had a leaking shower drain that was rubbing against the body of the coach, I told him I didn't know what could be done short of moving the drain and repair the shower stall. (e.g. I don't install electric waste gates. nobody wants sewage dumped while driving on the road, No I wouldn't drill a hole into the side of a Tiffin to install a parking sensor)

4. No complaints on rescheduling, I do appreciate people who let me know. It's difficult to give exact times, I try to schedule by windows of time because sometimes I am ahead of schedule sometimes I get behind.

5. There really isn't a supplies list I would need. I hadn't seen the airhorn or the backup sensors they were just given to me via text, I keep a good amount of fittings and some generalized parts on hand. As well as silicone and caulk etc. I had everything necessary to perform the work that I was willing to do and was provided to me via text.

6. Fact, I will upload the text conversation. Jacob stated "OK, I'm 5-10 minutes away."

7. Not to discredit but to prove the kind of person Jacob is, on Yelp Jacob goes by Roger W. 18 reviews on Yelp 14 are 1 stars, so and so lied to me, so and so scammed me Once in a while you’re going to get a bad cup of coffee or something isn't right but lose the sense of entitlement.

8. "He also attempts to discredit me by including many specifics in his story (times, dates, etc.). His specifics are obfuscating the facts and the real story. Don’t buy it. The facts obfuscate his blatant lies." I honestly don't know what to say but this sentence doesn't make any sense to me. How do specifics hide facts and how do facts obscure lies?

9. This is just going to be a he said he said argument. Every customers before Jacob and every customer after Jacob knows this. Oh and yes I do carry wingnuts, but the wingnuts that were originally securing the mirror came loose, rather than just tightening them I put Ny-Lock hex nuts on.

10. This is a he said he said but he did ask about installing air horns however he did not mention that he only had the air horns. I wrongly assumed he had a kit.

11. He is correct about the list, and yes, I have had plenty of "oh by the way" concerns. He did give me a rough idea of what needed to be done, and upon leaving on the second meeting we discussed installing D rings and some other odds and ends. This goes back to why I bill from start to finish, there isn’t always a labor estimate for everything, billing 4 hours on a job that a tech can do in 3 hours isn’t fair to the customer, billing 4 hours for a job that takes 5 isn’t fair to the tech.

12. I am not complaining about add on work, sure it may throw a wrench in scheduling and if it's something major or something needs to be ordered it can get re-scheduled. The only thing I didn't have was hardware that was the right size for his mirror, and airline. The key difference is space, I work out of an F-350 space is a limiting factor. If I was operating a brick and mortar What I don't have I could have delivered. I'm working in the parking lot, the side of the freeway or someone’s driveway, I simply can't have every size everything for everybody.

13. Another he said he said. They refunded them because I did go to bat for him and got it refunded because it was BS. Ill post the call history for review. I wasn't notified about the bad review till after Jacob and I spoke, East County Motors is not my business it’s a business I do work for. He was told this a couple of times.

14. I actually added a second number specifically to address that issue, I don't use Walmart phones, I started using Onetalk from Verizon. Second phone number that can ring multiple locations without needing a second cell phone. I did return Jacobs calls however the same can't be said for him.

15. I'll upload the text conversation. My records indicate a start time of 1PM. Although originally Jacob claimed we had a 6pm appointment.

16. Ill upload the call history. I don't want specifics to obscure facts that will then obscure lies.

17. I have never needed to process a refund, I was able to send the refund, my payment processor doesn't keep any information. Summary- I have plenty of satisfied repeat customers, Jacob can put his opinion out wherever he wants however he wants. Jacob plays the victim, if he doesn't get it his way on his schedule he throws a fit. He doesn't want anything fixed or made right, he just wants to complain. I only have one business name, my family is on the other side of the country and I am in the process of developing my online presence, Jacob is free to follow me on that pursuit and put his scorched earth policy into overdrive. He can hire thousands or millions of people, but I truly hope he isn't this way around his employees.

In response to Mike's allegations:

1. Yes, I use a second name when posting on RipOffReport. Not sure what is wrong with this.

2.  "He had some things on his list that I wasn’t comfortable doing." - He never told me this. He said he could do 'everything' on my list. Why would I want to pay someone $60 per hour if they are not comfortable? Sounds like a waste of money to me, and I am the one footing the bill so I am at a loss why I would do this.

3. "On our first meeting I indicated I wasn’t committing to doing anything but we could talk at a later date." That is not what happened at all. I showed him my list, he confirmed what he could do, then he asked that I reach back out in a few days so we can connect again and so he can continue.

4. "Later on 5/31 Jacob asked to reschedule to Sunday 6/3. " - True, I rescheduled 4 DAYS IN ADVANCE. I consider that plenty of notice. He could not offer a specific time by the way.

5. "The second meeting went well I thought, the bulk of work he wanted done that day wasn’t on the list that we discussed on 5/31." - Yes, exactly. This is precisely what I told him up-front. I said 'I will add items to the list as we make progress.’ That is the nature of customizing an RV. Also, he didn't even bring the supplies to work on what was on the list.

6. "We agreed to meet " a little after 12”, I arrived at the address that Jacob provided at 12:37." ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE whatsoever. I tried pinning down a time with him 4 days prior and he said 'Let's play it by ear and I will let you know the day of." I messaged him at around 9:30am the morning of the appointment and he messaged me back at 11:30am and said 'I will be there in 30 minutes'. Gee.....thanks for the heads up. I was about one hour away and did my best to race there despite the last-minute notice and his unwillingness to give me a specific time. The best he could do was ‘a little after 12’.

7. He includes my names 'Jacob, Adam, Roger' in the story to attempt to discredit me. Don't buy it. Look at the facts and judge for yourself. Also, if he is good, then why is he operating under multiple business names himself? Sounds a bit hypocritical to me. He showed up using the name 'Cowboy Mechanics' but I googled the address and that showed up as 'East County Motors'. I googled ‘Cowboy Mechanics’ and nothing shows up on Google. What other business names does he operate under that I don’t know about? Why does he keep changing his business name?

8. He also attempts to discredit me by including many specifics in his story (times, dates, etc.). His specifics are obfuscating the facts and the real story. Don’t buy it. The facts obfuscate his blatant lies.

9. "I had discussed with Jacob that yes I bill from when I arrive to when I leave and that that includes driving to get parts." Again, not true. He absolutely never discussed this. Again, doesn't a real RV tech carry wingnuts?

10. "Jacob identified a wobbly/loose D/S mirror. He did not mention this on 5/27 or the list he provided on 5/31." True, it was not on the original list (you forgot my initial comment 'I will add items to my list') so I respectfully asked 'Mike, this wasn't on my list, but do you mind checking out xyz because I just noticed this?' His response was 'Sure, no problem.' By the way, he did know about installing the air horns and he had an opportunity to look at the air horns because he saw them the previous time we met but he did not even bring the parts, so I gave him additional projects to work on because Sunday was the only day I was free during the week.

11. The latch door - Yes, again, this was not on my list but did you remember to bring the parts for the projects that were on the list? No, you didn't, so I created additional work for you. Again, I also mentioned multiple times that I would create additional projects as we worked our way through the motorhome and you explicitly said ok to this. Again, you also agreed this was a ‘piece of cake’ and you could handle it. I have owned two RV’s and have traveled full-time for 4+ years and every RV tech I have ever hired is ok arriving and then working on whatever is not working or needs to be fixed. They generally, however, want a rough idea of what they will be working on, and that is exactly what I did. That is the nature of RV work. My list only served to give him a general idea and also to find out what he could and could not handle. Again, he also did not even show up with the parts to work on what WAS on the list and he has over a week to do so.

12. Door lock - Yes, you get the picture. Not on the list but he said he could work on it. Why would he agree and then later complain that it wasn't on the list? Also, did he bring the parts for the items on the list? Nope.

13. I honestly do not believe he paid the locksmith. I believe he charged me $100 for the locksmith and paid the locksmith nothing. I heard him arguing with the locksmith and then the locksmith drove off. I was standing 5-10 feet away during the interaction and heard enough of the conversation to know that his story has holes in it. Why didn't he stop and ask me to approve replacing the lock at a $100 cost? After all, I was only 5-10 feet away. He didn't. I think he told him off and then charged me $100 for something I could not verify. I also never saw him pay the locksmith and he never gave me a receipt or invoice from the locksmith. He also told me he would refund the money if possible (more BS that snake oil salesmen tell their customers to make them happy). He tried to make the locksmith out to be the bad guy and acted like he was going to bat for me. All total lies in retrospect. Also, he completely dodged and ignored my calls until he saw a negative review online of 'East County Motors, Cowbow Mechanics, and whatever other business names he uses'. He then immediately called me the next day and asked to 'get together' so he could refund the money. Why on earth would the locksmith refund the money if they legitimately charged him in the first place? I texted him my PayPal email so he could refund the money. Of course, he never did and he continued to dodge my calls.

14. In response to his excuse regarding his phone problems. Read his reviews (good luck figuring out what other business names he operates under, he also has multiple phone numbers) – sounds like he used this excuse with other customers in the past. I am not the only one. If you are a real business, then grow up, throw out the WalMart phones and get a real phone that works and learn to respond to phone calls at an absolute minimum.

15. ‘A little after 12’. Yes, this is his response when asking him for an appointment. I guess this gives him the right to show up whenever he pleases and then immediately start billing the moment he arrives. Yes, he claims to be a professional and his appointment time was ‘a LITTLE after 12’. What does that mean exactly? 12:05? 12:20? 2pm? 4pm? Also, he ignored my texts early Sunday morning to confirm and he texted me last minute and said he was almost there.

16. ‘I called Jacob 6/6 12:28 6/7 1:14 6/7 6:32 6/8 6:46 6/28 10:20 6/28 was to inform Jacob that I was supposed to be picking up the refund from the locksmith. It went to voicemail and hasn’t been returned.’ – 100% complete and total lie. The only time he called me was when he noticed a bad review and when he returned my calls several days after I called him.

17. ‘I do need him to provide his true name as stated on some form of government ID.’ It was right on my credit card when I paid. Just log into your system and process a partial refund. Again, more mudslinging (which he preceded his review by saying he would avoid) in his attempt to discredit me. Not sure how using an alternate name on RipOffReports equates to be being a scumbag.

Summary – I have dealt with a lot of people in my life. I have hired hundreds of people in my business and have known quite a few that were dishonest. I legitimately believe Mike is dishonest and couldn’t care less and cannot help but lie to his customers. Another bad sign is that his parents own several RV businesses but he does not work with them. I could only guess that he was kicked out of the family business. He genuinely seems like a nice guy and he certainly pulled a smooth, fast one on me. He is a smooth, fast talker but I only realized after he left what happened to me. He kept me nice and warm and buttered up while I was there but then I realized how many holes were in his story after he left. Again, he seems like a nice guy (so did have other thieves I have met) but something about this guy really irks me. He talks too smooth and uses corny excuses, multiple business names and many different phone numbers and has no reviews online whatsoever but yet claims to be in the business a long time. Avoid Mike if you can.

By the way, I believe he operates under the following phone numbers:

760-215-4098

619-855-3930

760-484-0975

 I’m going to avoid all the mud slinging and go with the facts about my interaction with "Jacob” which is the name I was given but he may be Adam or Roger Yes Jacob (Adam/Roger) and I had a very good interaction on our first meeting (5/27). I felt like I was thorough in addressing his concern and prior to leaving we made arrangements to get in touch at a later date to complete some other things. He had some things on his list that I wasn’t comfortable doing. On our first meeting I indicated I wasn’t commiting to doing anything but we could talk at a later date. Jacob (Adam/Roger) contacted me numerous times after our first meetIng. If memory serves he asked about radiator fluid and where to get his radiator flushed etc. on 5/31 we arranged to meet on Saturday 6/2, later on 5/31 Jacob (Adam/Roger) asked to reschedule to Sunday 6/3. The second meeting went well I thought, the bulk of work he wanted done that day wasn’t on the list that we discussed on 5/31. We agreed to meet " a little after 12”, I arrived at the address that Jacob (Adam/Roger) provided at 12:37. I believe Jacob (Adam/Roger) was stuck in traffic, he arrived after 1PM. I had discussed with Jacob (Adam/Roger) that yes I bill from when I arrive to when I leave, and that that includes driving to get parts.

Jacob (Adam/Roger) identified a wobbly/loose D/S mirror. He did not mention this on 5/27 or the list he provided on 5/31. The D/S mirror was secured with a bolt and wing nut. I advised we could tighten it but I would recommend using a lock nut to ensure it didn’t loosen in the future. He agreed and in order to avoid multiple part runs moved on to the next issue. Jacob/Adam/Roger identified concerns with his screen door, this was easily rectified by removing the latch assembly, straightening the arm, and reinstalling. This was not identified on 5/27 or 5/31. The next concern was his door lock, I am not a locksmith and informed him that the only thing I can do is replace the lock, he agreed. This was not identified on 5/21 or 5/31. I went to Lowe’s which is located 3.6 miles from the location. I believe we spent about 15-20 minutes getting the parts, Lowe’s did not carry the lock, nor the cylinder. I googled a locksmith that was open and they agreed to repair the lock for 100 bucks. They showed up and tried to charge more and there was an argument. They took 100 as payment. I told Jacob/Adam/Roger that I would be contacting BSIS about the locksmith and whatever refund I got I would return to him. I replaced the D/S Mirror hardware with SS bolts and Nylock nuts. Jacob/Adam/Roger paid 12.47 for 5 Bolts and 5 Nylock Nuts. This was presented on his invoice as "hardware” Jacob/Adam/Roger paid 100 for the lock smith.

This was presented in his invoice as (Locksmith) I don’t know how to dishonestly mark up parts but I do mark them up, I do get preferred/wholesale pricing. It’s common business practice. It’s very difficult to kee parts on hand for every situation/repair, particularly if I haven’t seen the issue and especially if it has anything to do with hardware. My calendar shows an appointment at 6/1 12PM location TBD , a text from Jacob/Adam/Roger phone number ‭+1 (208) 425-6784‬ states "Thanks and see you saturday afternoon :)” 6/3 10:19 text from ‭+1 (208) 425-6784‬ What time today works for you? 6/3 11:36 text to ‭+1 (208) 425-6784‬ A little after 12? 6/4 12:03 text from ‭+1 (208) 425-6784‬ Ok 12:17 Jacob/Adam/Roger sends an address and states he is stuck in Marathon traffic. 12:37 I texted Jacob/Adam/Roger that I was on site. I don’t have any proof either way of Jacob/Adam/Rogers "6pm” appointment. We were originally scheduled for Saturday Afternoon. I can only partially rebut Jacob/Adam/Rogers alleged phone calls my IPhone keeps a very short call history. I had activated a new line as part of a CRM system I am installing, June 6th I texted him and told him sorry I’m having phone problems at 9am and 4 pm June 7th Jacob/Adam/Roger texted and said he called again but couldn’t leave a voicemail.

I called Jacob/Adam/Roger 6/6 12:28 6/7 1:14 6/7 6:32 6/8 6:46 6/28 10:20 6/28 was to inform Jacob/Adam/Roger that I was supposed to be picking up the refund from the locksmith. It went to voicemail and hasn’t been returned. I missed a call from Jacob/Adam/Roger 6/6 3:58 Nobody was able to leave voicemails on the new line because made a mistake when I set it up. 7/2 Jacob/Adam/Roger texted me asking to send PayPal refund to jake@acebutterworth.com 7/11 Jacob/Adam/Roger texted saying "more bad reviews to come until I receive the refund.” 7/11 I asked him Bad reviews for what? What’s the problem. Then I found this site. I am always appreciative of criticism and I am far from perfect, but Jacob/Roger/Adam doesn’t have anything to complain about. I have returned the parts I picked up for the things I was willing to do and we had discussed on 5/31. I am scheduled to pick up the refund from the Locksmith when I pick it up I will return it to Jacob/Adam/Roger. I do need him to provide his true name as stated on some form of government ID. Failing that I will turn it over to state unclaimed property Unfortunately I am not willing to do any more work for Jacob/Adam/Roger.