RentaDucati.com Rent a Duc LLC David Johnson Internet Paypal scam and rental of faulty motorbikes Los Angeles Internet, Los Angeles

My company had $2500 stolen by this internet-based scam website rentaducati.com and it's owner "David Johnson" in October 2016. 

I was seeking a 1 day rental of a Ducati for a company project, for which the cost was $500 (1 day rental fee and mandatory collision insurance) plus $2000 (security deposit). The only method of payment accepted was Paypal - I paid through my company's account and received a phone call from David Johnson confirming the reservation. I had my driver, a professional motorcycle rider with 10 years of professional experience, get in touch with David about pick-up. 

The first red flag was that David refused to deliver the bike, and refused to allow my driver to pick up at a place of business. Instead David would only meet my driver in a Starbucks Parking lot in los angeles. We later discovered that if you pick up an item that was paid for by Paypal (instead of having it delivered, or receiving it from a place of business) that Paypal protections no longer exist. When my driver arrived at Starbucks, he said David was trying to rush the inspection of the bike, especially when my driver noticed fluid leaking from the bike. Knowing that this project was quite simple and didn't involve any stunts or experienced manuevers, my driver loaded the bike onto his trailer for transport to our set the next day.

When my driver arrived to set with the bike, he prepared to take the bike on a test drive before the shoot to acquaint himself with how it runs. After approximately 1-2 minutes on the bike, riding it simple down a closed street, the chain broke and flew off the bike. My driver said this is extremely rare and very dangerous. Had he not been a highly experienced driver, a serious accident could have occured, especially if the bike had been rented to ride on a public road instead of a film set.

I called David promptly, and he tried to offer to send a replacement bike, however he did not have the exact same model which is what was required for the film. We agreed that I would send the bike back on my driver's trailer by the end of the day and receive a full refund once it was back, and I set out to find another rental company with the same model bike. 

My driver returned the bike, and I received an email from David apologizing for us not being able to use the malfunctioning bike, and offering 6 free rentals from his company for future use. I responded that this was a one-time situation and I do not often rent motorcycles, so I would just like the rental and deposit refunded as discussed. David then 100% disappeared.

I filed a claim with Paypal, who ruled that they couldn't help me since we picked up the motorcycle from a Starbucks instead of a place of business or had it delivered. I then took it to Chase bank (which was linked to our Paypal account) and they ruled in his favor because he submitted a statement from an auto repair shop (over one month after the rental) confirming that the bike was damaged. We all knew the bike was damaged, which is why we were not able to use it. Chase has closed the claim, so now the only option is to take it up with Visa (the issuer of the Chase card used) or to sue him in small claims court (which many have not been able to do since he has no formal place of business, according to reviews I found online).

Included in the $500 rental price was the mandatory insurance, not to mention as a production company we have full insurance coverage as well. If I had damaged his bike like he has not decided to claim, why hasn't the insurance I paid for covered it? Why hasnt our company insurance been involved in filing a claim? This is what insurance is for. Why will David not respond to a single email or phone call? David is a scam artist that has found the loopholes he needs to steal money from customer by abusing Paypal's terms.