first, did you pay by check or credit card? how long has it been? what kind of verification of payment do you have (cancelled check, credit card bill)?
if you paid by check, has it been cashed? if not, then you can pay $25 (maybe a little more) to your bank and cancel the check.
if you paid by credit card you can probably have the credit card company do some work for you. a lot of the bigger
cards will reimburse you up to a certain amount for "damaged, lost or stolen" merchandise... maybe not the full $8000, but a large percentage. i do not know if this qualifies, but it is worth it to find out.
if these methods do not work and you do not hear from the company again, i think $8k is enough to consult an attorney for. some good attorneys will give you "advice" for free (or a very small fee) and only charge you if you actually have them represent you. i doubt you will need representation, but an attorney will know some better ways to get your money back.
good luck!
oh yea, make sure to document EVERYTHING you do... phone calls to the company and the content of the conversation... before you consult the attorney (if you do), you might want to send a
certified letter to the company so you have proof that you are making an effort to obtain a refund.
[This message has been edited by Greg Harris (edited June 16, 2001).]