Vento now telling buyers they received "knock offs"!

Vento is now telling 2004 buyers their scooters are "knock offs".
That's right, according to another Phantom owner in New York, he has
been told by Vento that if his scooter is only 125cc that its not a
real Vento! I've been corresponding with this fellow who found me due
to my now nearly historic about Vento's sleight of hand regarding the engine size.

Anyway, today I received an email from him and according to him, Vento claims he didn't get a "real" Vento. Be warned, if you go to Vento with complaints about the mis-represented engine size, you may get the same answer!
My advise to him is reproduced here in full:

Did you purchase it from a local dealer? Does the dealer where it came from appear on Vento's list of dealers?

There is an EPA certification sticker under the seat, what information linking the
certification to Vento is on that sticker? (I have to check that out myself when I get home.)

One more avenue to pursue- let your state Division of Consumer Protection research it. I've not completed my form for the Utah's agency and submitted it but I was waiting until I had those same pictures I sent to you. Utah's form is a easy one-pager that's downloadable from their website. No doubt your state has a similar
form and complaint process.

Finally, I suspect that if your title to your scooter has the Vento name and model and serial number on it, that the DMV should be able to verify the serial number as being an authentic Vento number and provide certification to that effect. Titles are legal documents and I think it would fall on Vento's shoulders to prove that some
other "knock-off" vendor was misappropriating their name and serial number list.

Anyway, I think that's an interesting angle for the company to take, deny responsibilty by blaming it on an illegal knock off. There are knock offs out there for sale, though most of them have either been caught by the importation regulation folks and shipped off shore- or they have much better warranties than Vento! And cost less too.

Sooner or later- this is going to end up in a court someplace!