Hall of Shame: Bikers bilked by chopper chump

This is Chris, he likes choppers. This is Keith. he customizes choppers.

Chris took his chopper to be customized at Keith's chopper shop, but was left in pieces.

And Chris isn't the only one to bring his ride to Keith's motorcycle shop and wind up with a pile of parts.

From arguing with his customers to making excuses to me. One thing is for sure, Keith Konarske is no easy-going rider.

Wolchek: "All these people are contacting me saying you're a crook, that you've taken their bikes and hold them for hostage."

Konarske: "I have a lot of very good customers, I've done some super awesome jobs. It's just the few, the few who don't want to pay their bill."

Chris is a biker. After a crash a few years ago, his back is full of pins and screws. But he still loves his motorcycle.

"I took it to this place to have it customized so I could sit back a little more and it would be more comfortable on my back," he said.

On June 2nd, Chris brought his favorite bike to "1 of a Kind Kustoms" in Dearborn Heights. Keith Konarske the owner, said he could do the job, fast.

Chris says Keith said "Give me the money and I can get the parts and we can have it done it four to six weeks."

Chris says he made Keith promise the work would be done so he could ride all summer in comfort. He was so serious he paid Keith $10,000 up front.

But after a month it wasn't ready.

"Nothing got done," Chris said.

After two months it wasn't ready. Now, in mid-August Chris had had enough. Chris called Keith and demanded answers.

"He said two of my guys quit on me and one of the guys was executed by a gang and I said 'Okay, what does that have to do with my
bike?'"

Chris says Keith cursed him out and hung up on him. A few days later the texting began.

Keith texted:  "When you get back, text me and I'll have everything ready for you. Do not come in to the shop. No one else there need to deal with your lack of
empathy."

Chris texted:  It’s not that I have a lack of empathy, I paid $10,000 in advance to get my bike done. I am sorry for your loss but my bike should have been done by now."

Keith texted:  'Nobody here wants to finish your bike.'

The text thread ends with Keith telling his customer, who gave him $10,000, "Sad about your motorcycle. You're an idiot."

Chris had to get the police to come with him to get his bike which was in disrepair.

Another guy named Chris, Chris Watson, had a similar problem when he brought his bike into 1 of a Kind Kustoms.

Keith promised him: "We can do this. a realistic time to have it done is two to three weeks. we'll get you back on the road and your bike will be the best sports bike in Detroit."

After paying thousands of dollars, the bike was never finished.

"It was there a total from September 2014 to June 1, 2015," Watson said.

And even then, his bike was just a junk pile. Chris Watson called police, sued and later won a judgment of $2,865.

And when I went to the court to pull Chris' case, I found a bunch more like this guy, Derrick.  

His complaint? "I paid to have my motorcycle lights repaired. I'm still waiting since February."

Derrick also won in court and was awarded $1,083 dollars.

Then there's Joseph. His complaint was he paid for the work which he says was never done. Joseph sued and was awarded $255 in his judgment.

Kenyatta took the business to court after ordering some saddlebags for her bike.

Wolchek: "How long was it supposed to take?"

Kenyatta: "They said a month but it went on and on."

And on, for a whole year. She won a judgment of $1,440.

And on the very day I was at court getting these documents, Keith Konarske was busy losing yet another lawsuit to a guy named Jonathan, who was awarded $879.

So who is Keith Konarske? Well he's a convicted felon who spent much of the 90s in prison, got out and started customizing motorcycles. He claims he's been doing it for 15 years.

Time for me to jump on my dirt bike and go meet a dirt bag.

Wolchek: "I want to ask you about this guy Chris Gleeson."

Konarske: "Yep."

Wolchek: "He brought you his motorcycle in June."

Konarske: "Yep."

Wolchek: "He paid you $10,000 up front."

Konarske: "Yep."

Wolchek: "Well, what happened with that?"

Konarske: "What happened was he couldn't wait for me to finish it. I had two deaths, my wife's grandfather passed away and then also our mechanic Nick, who was a friend of mine for 13 years, was murdered."

Well, I looked up that murder and it took place on August 7th. Chris was promised he would get the ball back in early July.

Konarske: "I told him don't come to my shop, don't come in, don't call up front because someone with such a lack of empathy like you have, don't need to come talk to anyone that
works here."

Wolchek: "So this guy, you say he had no empathy and that's why he didn't get his bike?"

Konarske: "No, he didn't want to wait."

So, that unsympathetic Chris got his disassembled bike back on August 23rd after paying $10,000 up front.

Konarske: "He said, 'Sorry about your losses but I can't wait.'"

Wolchek: "Did he have to have the cops down here to get his bike back?"

Konarske: "No. He had them come because he wanted them to come."

What about Chris Watson? He says he had to call the cops as well, after waiting nine months."

Wolchek: "Why didn't you finish that guy's bike? Did somebody die on that one too?"

Konarske: "He didn't pay me."

That's just not true. According to a court complaint I read to Keith.

Wolchek: "It says 'I was told by the owner to 'Kiss his ass, let's go to court.'"

Wolchek: "Did you say that to him?"

Konarske: "No. That didn't happen at all."

In fact, the chopper chump has an excuse for all the customers that sued him.

Wolchek: "He got a judgment against you too."

Konarske: "Yeah, and he came back and vandalized this place."

Wolchek: "Jonathon Burke?"

Konarske: "Yeah you know what he did, he was scamming me on the whole thing."

Blah blah blah. And remember, Keith lost all these cases in court.

"Hey Keith Konarske, you took all those customers for a ride, I'm going to take you for a ride right into the Hhhhhhall of Shame!"

Chris Gleeson is suing, that case goes to court next week. Chris Watson says he's had a hard time collecting the money he was awarded when he sued and says Keith still owes him more than $1,000.

Keith denies that. He did show me one of his happy customer's bikes and claimed the guy was thrilled with how it came out. When I asked him how long that guy  waited to get his bike back, Keith admitted over two years.