Mr. Barry Carr
My brother and I have been die hard KISS fans for over 30 years. Around 20 years ago, my brother had a Halloween Party and he dressed up as Paul Stanley. To his surprise, I showed up in a Dressed to Kill - Gene Simmons costume, thus pictures were taken and history in the making. My brother had no idea I was dressing up as Gene and I had no idea he was dressing as Paul. This past Halloween, as I am walking down my hallway, I noticed that picture of my brother and I dressed as KISS. My brother invited my wife and I to a Halloween Party again, it would be awesome to dress as Gene Simmons again and surprise my brother. Here's my story....
Part One
I decide to search the internet for a Gene Simmons costume to purchase. I contact Jen aka Kiss Costume Girl. Kiss Costume Girl replied to my email stating that a Dave McClusky from (Hotter than Hell tribute band), her partner would contact me. While waiting for a response from Dave, I searched EBay and found a Gene Simmons Love Gun costume so I contacted the seller to see if I can get it before Halloween. Dave McClusky calls me and it happens to be the same person I contacted on EBay - seemed kind of strange. He tells me he has a Gene Love Gun costume for a sell price of $750.00. I talked to him several times on the phone and he said that he can make necessary adjustments to the costume and leggings so that I would have a perfect fit and guaranteed me it would be ready and delivered prior to Halloween. He also said that he would provide me with the make-up and brushes along with instruction to paint my face like Gene. I decided to purchase the costume from him for $750.00 and I NEVER received it which in turn ruined my Halloween surprise. He basically took my money and went to Hawaii and spent it. I sent several emails to Dave and Jen aka Kiss Costume Girl. They responded with story after story stating that they would pay me my money back in full as they were waiting for pay checks and told me to relax because if they were not going to pay me back why would they respond to my emails. Well here it is February and I am no longer getting responses back from either of them or did I ever receive my costume or money back. I have a email train to prove all of my claims. I totally got taken advantage of. Come to find out, I am not the only one. They took advantage of several individuals according to their feedback on EBay. Unbelievable...
Part Two
I then decide to contact Dave McBrayer also known as "Bald Guy" to order two costumes. A Paul Stanley - Rock the Nation for myself and Gene Simmons - Rock the Nation for my wife. Dave states that he is excited to create a Gene Simmons - Rock the Nation for my wife as he has never done one before. I decide to have him do my wife's costume first so I can see his quality before attempting to construct mine. and Thank God I did. I paid Dave $1300.00 for my wife's costume and Dave is one of the nicest persons I have ever dealt with on the phone, that was a ploy. He sends several email pictures of the progress of the suit as I instructed him to make some small changes. After about a month, I follow up with Dave via a phone call with my wife on speaker phone. Dave says the suit is just about completed except for the body suit was ruined when he boxed it up and he had to order a new one, Dave also mentioned to my wife that he would make any necessary adjustments to the suit if it does not fit. Well, here we go again. We receive the Gene Simmons - Rock the Nation costume and it is absolutely horrible. The suit is five times to big for my wife, the boots are torn, the body suit is ripped as Dave attempted to cut cotton spandex with scissors to make a v cut body suit, the boot and covers are ripped, there are studs in the box that have already fallen off, there is no lining behind the studs and my wife scratches her skin putting it on. I have included pictures for your viewing pleasure. Needless to say, my wife is not pleased with the quality and wants it fixed. I contact Dave to let him know what has happened, he never responds to my email, he never responds back to my phone calls. So again, I am out $1300.00 from Dave McBrayer and out $750.00 from Jen aka Kiss Costume Girl and Dave McClusky. Interesting enough Dave McBrayer website is no longer available. I feel sorry for these three individuals. I hope they sleep well at night knowing that they are all scam artists. Take the money and run... Unbelievable....
Part Three
I now decide with without hesitation, to order a Paul Stanley - Rock the Nation and Gene Simmons - Rock the Nation costume from Barry Carr. I checked out his web page and was very impressed with his quality and craftsmanship. I felt comfortable with talking to Barry live and reading his testimonials on his blog also doing a reference check to make sure I was not going to get screwed again. After 3 weeks, I received my Paul Stanley - Rock the Nation body suit, boots, choker, belt and vest. I was blown away by the custom work that Barry does from the custom fit to the smallest most accurate and stunning detail. I am waiting for my Rock the Nation leather jacket still as it takes a little longer to complete. This weekend, my wife received her Gene Simmons - Rock the Nation costume from Barry and simply stated, "It is Awesome". Perfect fit, detail and craftsmanship. I have included pictures of Barry Carr's work vs. Dave McBrayer's work so you can see the difference yourself. Thank you Barry for your honesty, dedication, service and quality craftsmanship.
Too all the KISS fans out there wanting to order custom KISS costumes, be aware of the individuals listed in this letter - Jen aka Kiss costume girl, Dave McClusky and Dave McBrayer - You will be scammed out of your money. I have email documentation, Pay Pal and credit card receipts proving my claims and statements and are without question truthful and honest. I was an innocent KISS fan simply wanting to purchase a few custom costumes and I got taken advantage of by what I consider scam artists.
You be the judge...
Warmest Regards,
Randy
