Several customers have complained about Rapid Lift.

Forklift supplier Rapid Lift's reputation is in tatters and the company itself may be on the verge of ruin, leaving behind a string of irate customers who are owed either money or forklifts.

Despite efforts to contact the company, Forkliftaction.com News has been unable to speak to owner Jodi Dillon or her husband Graeme Dillon, who worked for Rapid Lift following the liquidation of his previous forklift business, Independent Forklift Services (IFS) (Forkliftaction.com News #330).

In March this year, Graeme Dillon was committed to stand trial on two counts of fraud that concern a number of transactions in relation to IFS (Forkliftaction.com News # 594).

Now Rapid Lift is under fire from several customers who have accused the company of accepting payment upfront for forklifts and then not delivering the orders.

Forkliftaction.com News spoke to a number of disgruntled customers, mostly small businesses, now under pressure having paid thousands of dollars upfront for products that they have yet to receive.

Among them is Robbie Lupica of Lupica Steel Fabrication in Western Australia. He tells Forkliftaction.com News that he was sold a forklift by Rapid Lift in September 2012 and paid around $20,000 for the custom-ordered unit. He claims he's made multiple phone enquiries since and been given one excuse after the next. Now he's calling in the police.

The tale is familiar. A Northern Queensland business owner is also contacting police after paying over $100,000 upfront for a forklift in October 2012 that Rapid Lift is yet to deliver. "I've been told it's in China. Then I'm told it's awaiting shipping. My messages get ignored or passed from one person to the next. Then they just stopped getting back to me."

One anonymous complainant directed Forkliftaction.com News' attention to an online customer complaints website called PissedConsumer.com. It appears from the comments that there are many more customers who have been stung by Rapid Lift's business dealings.

Peter Clark of Golden West Cabinets in Bunbury, Western Australia considers himself one of the luckier victims, having only lost a deposit of $4,250. He paid Rapid Lift the deposit in December 2012 for a forklift that was never delivered. He tells Forkliftaction.com News that he's made "hundreds of phone calls" to the company regarding the matter, without success.

In a surprising twist, just two weeks ago, he finally received a response from Graeme Dillon in reply to his email asking for a refund of his deposit. In the email, Dillon offers to deliver a different forklift or, if Clark prefers, he agrees to refund his money via a cash deposit. Clark immediately responded that he'd prefer to get his deposit back.

However, the money has yet to be returned and after leaving another 40 or so messages, Clark doubts if it ever will be.

Ironically, Rapid Lift's website boasts about its "Accelerated Service".

"Accelerated service means no stuffing around. We know your time is important so we will treat your requests with urgency, professionalism and a commitment to ensuring your total satisfaction. We want to exceed your expectations by giving you distinctive levels of service quality and after sales service. After all - you are why we are in business."

Customers may beg to differ.

Meanwhile, Rapid Lift's premises in Coopers Plains appear to have been vacated, and a Forkliftaction.com News inspection found no sign of business activity at the site.