REGINA — Customers of Leon’s Manufacturing continue to have concerns about the company’s ability to deliver.
Edmonton lawyer James Raworth said he has three clients who have either filed, or are in the process of filing, claims against the company.
He said they are all almost exactly the same.
“Leon’s sells the product, does not deliver it, repeatedly assures the client that, ‘oh, don’t worry, it’s coming. It’s coming.’ And then fails to deliver and fails to refund the money and eventually fails to contact the clients,” Raworth said in an interview.
Only letters from a lawyer appear to have any effect, he said.
In the last several years similar complaints have arisen about the Yorkton, Sask.-based company from western Canadians and people in other countries. Some of them have gone to court.
On Jan. 24, 2024, Raworth and the lawyer representing Leon’s signed a settlement agreement stating the company would refund Colin Bergsma $27,300 for the Ramrod he purchased but never received.
The company had 60 days to pay but did not meet that deadline.
The settlement included a non-disclosure clause, but Raworth said since Leon’s had breached the agreement, he and his client could speak publicly.
Bergsma said he purchased the equipment in March 2022.
“I’d looked at many different ones and then found Leon’s being a local Canadian company, decided if we can work something out I’ll just buy from them. You know, support local type of thing,” he said. “I guess some alarm bells should have kind of went off maybe from the beginning because every time I talked to the salesman at the time, the pricings are lower and they’re going to swing me this deal and that deal.”
Bergsma said they reached a deal on what he was told was a demo machine ready for delivery. He contacted his leasing company, finalized the paperwork and then after waiting several weeks for the equipment to arrive, couldn’t reach the salesperson. When he did finally reach him, he was told the company was building him a new machine and it would be ready in three weeks.
Other customers have reported the “three-week” timeline.
Bergsma, who operates a landscape construction company in Edmonton in summer and drives a truck in the winter, was nearby, so he stopped at the Yorkton plant.
“They’re scrambling and (saying) the reason (for the delay) is because the machine was a diesel, so if you want to switch to a gas machine we can get you one built right away,” he said.
The company revised the purchase order to include a refund of $2,000 because he was switching to a less expensive piece of equipment and they would deliver it in three weeks.
“Everything’s always three weeks,” Bergsma said.
“That three weeks passes, nothing ever came out of it.”
Like others, Bergsma contacted the Alberta and Saskatchewan farm implement boards and ended up hiring Raworth, who had successfully represented another client in his dispute with Leon’s.
He said even with the negotiated refund he will still be out his legal fees and interest.
Leon’s chief executive officer John Malinowski previously denied the company had cash flow problems, but Bergsma and Raworth both found that hard to believe.
Raworth said he has tried to get in touch with Leon’s through its lawyer, but the company hasn’t responded.
The Western Producer did not hear back from Leon’s lawyer before press time.
Meanwhile, Bergsma said a court date set for May was still in place even after the settlement was reached. He expects that to now proceed.
