Bench Craft Company
reviews and complaints

In May of 2008, I received an unsolicited phone call from Mark Hogan offering a bench sign promotion at Rancho Carribe Golf Course located on the Bolivar Peninsula beaches of Texas Gulf Coast. I paid $385.00 for a bench sign to be placed at one of the 9-hole sites and was promised my company would be the only one of it's type to be displayed on the course and would be delivered in the fall of 08.

Prior to the "fall" of 08, we had Hurricane Ike which devastated our peninsula and Galveston Island. We literally had neighbor's lose everything, some included their lives. The golf course was tore up and still does not exist today, eight months later. Like most of my neighbors, my home in Galveston was destroyed, but my office in Port Bolivar, located on the farthest west end, was only slightly damaged. This is where I live today...in my office. I contacted Bench Craft Company about getting a refund, but only received a voice message from Mark Hogan that the benches were still coming to the golf course. I again called and had to leave a message that there was no golf course any longer and would like a refund since the benches weren't even made and it was into February, 2009, six months past delivery.

Mark Hogan again returned my call and left a message stating he was calling in reference to my call about relocating my bench sign. Is this man for real. There is no place to relocate the sign. There is nothing left here. We just got telephone service back in April. How we take the conveniences in our lives for granted. That bench is the lowest of priorities to anyone who participated in this scam. Refunds! Refunds are what we are asking. There is no golf course to place them on. They are way past due. And now, Mark Hogan won't even take calls or return left messages.

Where is this state's attorney general? Why is he still allowed to scam people? Doesn't this fall under some type of fraud? HELLO LAWMAKERS. Why aren't you protecting WE THE PEOPLE? $385 doesn't seem like much money, but when you are starting over, it feels like a million.

My story is similar to many. I was sold a diamond necklace with fake diamonds. In other words I believed what the salesman was telling me about a gorgeous 18 hole golf course with 10 tournaments a year plus numerous corporate sponsored events. My advertisement would be seen by thousands of people each year and over 30, 000 new cards are being printed this year alone. All they need is a credit card, 50% down and an email telling them 'good to go.' Because apparently 'Good to Go is now my name.' I am not sure when signatures stopped being so personal. And they will tell me that I owe them money because this constitutes a binding contract.

Worse still, I spoke with the manager who told me that I was a liar. He not only argued with me, he tried to force a fight. He was waiting for me to threaten him. I only told his employee that he was being hunted and yes I mean it. I have now informed all the right people of the situation and will approach the client this company is representing.

Now I forgot to tell you that the golf course I am actually giving my money too has only 9 holes and is more of a locals hang out. Nobody there is going to look at my name or the advertising. They just want to get a few rounds of golf played and move on. This is the affordable golf course as opposed to the luxurious golf course down the way where the rich and glamorous tee off.

Am I mad? Yes, because they think I will just disappear. Not this time. I want my money back.

DON'T DO BUSINESS WITH BENCH CRAFT COMPANY... EVER.

Charley Cobb, the guy who inherited this company is a horrible person. He has been involved in Coupon Book Scams in the past! He refers to women as "Split Bottoms", he also calls them "slugs" because of the slim trail he says they leave while dragging their bottoms around the office. He refers to his male employees as "Slaps" and "Boy". He is proud that he has NEVER hired a Black Person, Proud he went to a high school where no "black person" ever graduated. He uses a slightly worse name for Black People also but I won't repeat it here. He constantly refers to any clerical work as "Women's Work" as if it is all menial work and beneath him. He promotes illegal and terribly unethical business practices, credit card fraud, identity theft, selling ad space to unsuspecting customers that won't be actually displayed for years when the customer assumes that the ad will go into affect immediately. Review their contracts, there never is any reference to any date when an ad will start or end. Buyer beware of these crooks! Once a customer gives them a credit card number, look out, you will be charged for unauthorized ads on other courses, renewals etc. even if you totally tell them "NO". 200+ Better Business Bureau reports against them in the last couple of years alone tells you all you need to know. Oh, they also have no use for the National Do Not Call List. They think that is funny and totally ignore it, they don't even know where to find it let alone pay any attention to it. Golf courses please beware and if you wish to have the services offered by Bench Craft, please find a different company that doesn't have this kind of baggage. There are some good ones out there that you can check on if you wish.

I know all of this because I worked there for many years when the original owners were in charge, Charley Cobb got lucky when the last original owner died in a house fire and he some how inherited the operation and without the ethical guidance of the original two owners, his greedy and crooked attitude has ruined a great company.

Charley Cobb who inherited Bench Craft after the real owner died in a house fire has been implicated in a Coupon Book Scam, refers to women as "Split Bottoms", is proud of "NEVER" hiring a black person, only he doesn't refer to them as "Black People", enjoys selling ads to unsuspecting customers years before they will ever be actually posted, refers to secretarial work as "women's work", promotes credit card fraud and very aggressive telephone solicitations, allows all kinds of unethical activities in the operations of Bench Craft Company ad sales. Please check him out and the company out before you consider doing business with this company!

Bench Craft Company victimizes customers and takes unethical and fraudulent sales practices to a new low. February 2007, a friend of mine was solicited via the telephone for the purchase of advertising space on a course scorecard. My friend opted to participate in the advertising offer, which was to begin May 2007.

In May, the advertising did not appear in the scorecard. The Bench Craft Company sales manager, Mark Hogan, said that the ad would be present in the following month (June).

In June, again the ad was not present. Mr. Hogan again said that the scorecard ad would arrive in July. Again, in July the scorecards arrived, however, the paid ad was not present. Again, Mark Hogan said that by August 2007, the ad would be printed into the scorecards. The advertisement was not printed in August a full 3 months later than promised.

A request for a refund, since the valuable summer golfing opportunity had passed, was refused. In September, my friend's credit card company entered Bench Craft Company in arbitration. Bench Craft Company lost. Instead of either printing the ad or refunding the amount, an additional $400 was billed on top of the $350 for the ad.

Bench Craft Company claims that a refund is against their policy as stated in their contract. My friend responded to Bench Craft Company that a contract was never provided. Bench Craft Company denied this and provided my friend with a contract with someone else's name on it.

This story gets worse. September, October, November, December 2007 passed with no ad. Every month Bench Craft Company refusing to either print the ad or provide a refund.

It is now March 3, 2008, a full year later. Instead refunding a customer, they sent the cost of the ad plus the additional cost of the arbitration they lost to collection with the aim to ruin a customer's credit.

I noticed Bench Craft Company has quite a long list of complaint filed with the Better Business Bureau. I can see why. The company supports questionable sales tactics, does not deliver on their services as promised, is dishonest about the agreement a customer enters into and attempts to cause harm. How do they live with themselves?