I am an idiot - Speaker Scam

[njale]

I am a idiot, i just bought 2 of these in a parking lot for $190 each.

Was leaving the mall parking lot - 2 guys in a van pulled up and said they install them and they had to dump these. They had to be a few towns over soon so they didnt have much time and there boss was going to take them for himself if they didnt sell them. I feel so stupid.

Now i have 2 big boxes going to sit in my basement for years

 

[aeviaanah]

Someone tried this on me as we'll. why not install them and take em for what they are?

 

[Frankiesurf]

Wait, you didn't buy two empty boxes for $380 did you?

 

[LabRatBrewer]

I brothers friend used to buy large (it was the 80's) speakers. They were poor quality and cheap. Then he'd go out to parking lots with a story like the OP. The buyer would naturally assume they were stolen and that he was getting a deal. A bad deal but probably not even fraud.

 

[TxBrew]

It was just an empty box? Typically they put trash and other crap in there for weight.

 

[the_bird]

Honest opinion?

If someone's offering me a pair of speakers out of their van in a mall parking lot, you *have* to assume that they're stolen. I don't see how you can possibly come to any other conclusion. "We have to sell these or my boss is going to keep them!"

And, if your intention is to buy stolen goods and you then yourself get ripped off... hell, you deserved it, 100%.

 

[Shooter]

I am a idiot

Yes, yes you are. Sorry, but you said it!

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Yeah, you made an unethical deal with unethical people and got burned. Im not totally unsympathetic but you did, in fact, get your just deserts.

Live and learn.

 

[Bookworm]

I had some guys in a van try to sell me some "super hi end" stereo equipment once. Story was that they install sound systems for bars and clubs but the load out dock gave them extra equipment that day and they could not take it back so on and so forth. They even had fake invoices showing that it was about a $4000 system. I looked the equipment up later and found it was cheap import crap that general will barley even work, and that it was a common scam.

Might be the same guys in a van that got you.

 

[DanH]

They've tried it on me too. When they approached a coworker of mine, he scanned the barcode with his iphone and the search results returned "white van scam." Pretty awesome.

 

[Wayne1]

http://www.whitevanscam.com/

 

[the_bird]

Was it these guys?

 

[m3n00b]

Lol.....I have had these vans pull up to me numerous times.

 

[ICWiener]

haha...sorry man. You should put the speakers in your van and try to sell them to someone. Maybe at a gas station or something.

Just kidding.

Anyways my story goes like this: My best friend in high school had a slightly dim-witted little brother who came home one day and proudly showed off his new speakers that he bought off the back of a van. They were actually really high quality. Carpeted studio monitors with metal cages over the cones, made for durability. When he was informed that they were likely stolen he freaked out. He was convinced that someone was going to come looking for him (again, not the brightest kid) so he asked me if I would hold on to them for a while. I said okay, I was a DJ back then and I could always use extra equipment. Anyways, he never wanted them back. That was 17 years ago, the speakers lasted me through about 150+ gigs and they still work great. Thanks van scammers!

 

[WesleyS]

I had similar situation come up, but not exactly the same. Some guys in a van pulled up while I was pumping gas and said they had some stereo equipment that they wanted to get rid of. The funny thing is, they told me the equipment had already been paid for, the guy held up an invoice, and said the customer just didn't take delivery. So if I wanted the stuff I could just have it. Well, what I always tell myself is if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. So I told them no thanks even when they persisted. They looked at me like I was crazy and drove off. I'm not sure what the catch/scam was going to be, but I wasn't willing to go any further to find out.
What made it even more suspicious is they didn't even circle around and ask anyone else, they just left and drove off down the road. So, the stuff was probably stolen and they just needed to dump it off on someone fast.

 

[Chadwick]

As someone who used to work in the professional audio business, I can tell you right now that there is no such thing as special high-end audio designed specifically for club, bars, etc. The equipment those guys use isn't any different than the equipment that any band, musician, or audiophile can purchase from Guitar Center, AMS, or Musicians Friend. This stuff will never be in a single box resembling home audio equipment.

However, what is done is done. I hope you are a bit wiser now for having experienced this. As a general rule, never purchase anything under shady circumstances unless you seriously KNOW about the stuff you are purchasing. It could have been much worse. There are chinese counterfeits of the most expensive guitars made in the USA and unless you are VERY educated on telling the difference you can easily lose $1000's of dollars to one of these. I personally own an example of one of these counterfeit guitars and only an expert can tell the difference. The serial # checks out, the hardware checks out, the only way to tell the difference is to disassemble it and look at minor differences in the internal routing. I paid $150 for it knowing it was fake and calling out the seller in a public place, he took my money and packed up the shop and left in a hurry. Before I called him out, he was asking $2000 for it. A bargain price, if it was real.

 

[njale]

no, the boxes i bought arent empty, the speakers are actually in there(no wires or power cord or anything though), its just everything online says they are really bad quality. The sell on ebay for $50 a box when i paid $200

 

[jakenbacon]

It's always a f**king van isn't it.... I almost got had in Phoenix by some ****** van guys, but didn't buy and later googled it to only find out they were scammers. When I saw them the next day in the same parking lot, I got their plate and called the police Haven't seen them since.

 

[MaxStout]

 

[Rahahb]

"What's Waldorf?"

"It's here" (points)

 

[PseudoChef]

Who walks around with $380 in cash anymore?

 

[GenIke]

My troll thread detector is pinging.

 

[DanH]

My troll thread detector is pinging.

Nah, it's a common scam and if it didn't work then they wouldn't do it. I don't see why he'd lie to make himself look dumb. He's admitting to having been at least temporarily a dummy.

Edit: no offense sir; I've been ripped off too; Craigslist

 

[Grizz]

Who walks around with $380 in cash anymore?

I do, I don't trust plastic.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I do, I don't trust plastic.

In GOD we trust, everything else we track?

 

[njale]

Who walks around with $380 in cash anymore?

i had $85 on me. I gave them $85, they put one box in my car. One of the guys got in my car and we drove a few blocks to a ATM while the other guy in the minivan followed. I gave him $140 from the machine. than i gave him $160 for a 2nd box

 

[Zuljin]

Just send me $20 restocking fee and I'll take them back. Geez. No need to post it all over.

 

[Zuljin]

Anyone want a good deal on never used speakers? Special HBT price.

 

[Grizz]

Anyone want a good deal on never used speakers? Special HBT price.

Don't do it njale!!

 

[chuckjaxfl]

At least he didn't try to sell you an oven door HDTV.

 

[bigmike99]

Ughhhhhh. My dad gave me a pair of huge carpeteed speakers one year for Xmas and guess what story I heard. Luckily I ended up with pretty good quality speakers and had them for a while.

 

[bigmike99]

Also....the 'sealed' Mac and IPad scams are all over NY. Usually an old book wrapped up inside or some crap. The ol' saying is if it seems too good to be true it probably is can't be more appropriate here.

 

[Shooter]

At least he didn't try to sell you an oven door HDTV.

This was right in my backyard. How did I miss this sweet deal?!?!

 

[JDGator]

i thought this thread was going to turn into the "i found this keg on the side of the road" thread. LOL

 

[GarageDweller]

doesn't everything in general chit chat and drunkin ramblings turn into the keg on the side of the road thread?!

 

[WesleyS]

i had $85 on me. I gave them $85, they put one box in my car. One of the guys got in my car and we drove a few blocks to a ATM while the other guy in the minivan followed. I gave him $140 from the machine. than i gave him $160 for a 2nd box

You did what?!?!
You let two strangers, who are doing shady deals for electronics out of a van, follow you to an ATM? At any point in this did you stop to think that they could pull a weapon on you, force you to withdraw your limit from the ATM and then kill you or beat you halfway there and then steal your wallet, car, etc. ???
Or any number of scenarios that end with you robbed of everything and/or injured.

 

[njale]

You did what?!?!
You let two strangers, who are doing shady deals for electronics out of a van, follow you to an ATM? At any point in this did you stop to think that they could pull a weapon on you, force you to withdraw your limit from the ATM and then kill you or beat you halfway there and then steal your wallet, car, etc. ???
Or any number of scenarios that end with you robbed of everything and/or injured.

i didnt think of that but now that you mention it

 

[littletommy]

This is why I don't give the time of day to anybody that approaches me unsolicited, trying to sell me something. The dopes going door to door selling meat, or pizza coupons, or whatever, and I certainly will not allow people to approach me in a frikken mall parking lot!

I had a guy from ADT alarms (I found out later he was really with the company, because my idiot neighbor bought a system from him) come to my door and his first question, with no introduction, was "what kind of alarm system do you have, sir" I busted out laughing, then said "you have 5 seconds to get the F**K off my property"!

Even if the solicitor is perfectly legal and legit, there's still a damn good chance you're getting hosed.
How do people fall for this crap?

 

[SupervisingChildren]

"And I have a bridge to sell you" as well as some "waterfront property in Florida" hahaha ;-)

 

[MaxStout]

This is why I don't give the time of day to anybody that approaches me unsolicited, trying to sell me something. The dopes going door to door selling meat, or pizza coupons, or whatever, and I certainly will not allow people to approach me in a frikken mall parking lot!

I had a guy from ADT alarms (I found out later he was really with the company, because my idiot neighbor bought a system from him) come to my door and his first question, with no introduction, was "what kind of alarm system do you have, sir" I busted out laughing, then said "you have 5 seconds to get the F**K off my property"!

Even if the solicitor is perfectly legal and legit, there's still a damn good chance you're getting hosed.
How do people fall for this crap?

We get those door-to-door burglar alarm salespeople from time to time. They ask the same thing: "what alarm system do you have." I tell them it's on a "need to know" basis, then whip out my cell phone and take the guy's picture. They always get nervous and leave right away. :cross:

We had a bad hailstorm here a few years ago. Within weeks, there were all kinds of storm-chasers coming around, knocking on doors and trying to sell roofing and siding jobs. My cheapskate neighbor across the street hired one of those gypsies, and I watched them nail asphalt shingles directly to the bare rooftop, with no tar paper sheathing installed between. A sucker born every minute.