I got approached like 6 years ago at a gas station with this speaker buisness. The guy gave me this whole speech on the "professional speakers"...I started talking about the specs (i.e how many OHMS per channel...what the maximum Wattage....what kind of tweeter it has...etc)....and he didn't know how to answer that...but he kept saying that they are professional speakers...I told him I'd buy a pair for $20...he obviously wanted much more so he asked me "How much do have on you?!?" I told him "Five dollars"..lol
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yea this happened to me last year. a van drove by at the red light , they ask me if i wanted speakers for free . they said they would give it to me in the parking lot , but scre w that i told them to f u c k off . they got pissed and drove off . i knew something was not right when they said the word free
This happened to me last year. At a Wendy's on Woodbine just north of Hwy 7.
Same deal, white van, very persuasive guy, a "great deal"....I told him I'd buy them for $50 a pair. I even told him I'd get 2 pairs...I guess he saw through me when I pulled out my chequebook....
thats amazing, not to long ago a guy in a white van got my attention in the same fashion while i was pulling out of a gas station, i told him i was gonna reverse to see what he had, as soon as he parked, i drove off..lol, little did i know he was gonna try to scam me out of the 30 bucks i had in my pocket!
you now the funny thing is that this scam has been happing here for year, some fool tried to pull the speaker thing on me last year and when i ask to see it he said that sorry but he couldn't open the box, beacuse if he open it i would have to buy it.. and then when a cop came in the gas station he took off, and the cop ask me what that guy wanted and i told him that he was selling some speaker at a low price, and then the cop took of after them, and pull them over...
I actually got speakers that work – the rip off = they are no-name brand that they claim is Superior to other brand names, blah, blah, sales like pitch… and the BOX itself lists it as “Suggested Retail Price = $ 2600” or whatever… I thought I was being smart by asking to see the goods inside the box; they look good, and they work… but the no name brand is worth shiet!... Wanna buy them for cheaper? LOL
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Not everything I post or say on foro are necesarily true facts. <- THAT is a fact! :blankstare:
you now the funny thing is that this scam has been happing here for year, some fool tried to pull the speaker thing on me last year and when i ask to see it he said that sorry but he couldn't open the box, beacuse if he open it i would have to buy it.. and then when a cop came in the gas station he took off, and the cop ask me what that guy wanted and i told him that he was selling some speaker at a low price, and then the cop took of after them, and pull them over...
Every year, some people in Ottawa ask ordinary citizens to send them cheques with lots of zeros in them. In exchange, they promise to give you fine health care and schools, quality roads and public transportation, a modern, well-equipped military, and transparent government!.
Roberto Sanchez wrote: This Happen to me a few years Back, in the Parking Lot of Sherdan Mall (Jane & Wilson) A van Aproached me and asked if I wanted to buy Video Cameras at Lower then Factory Cost... The Cost was 100 for a Brand New Video Camera....since it was a good price, I paid The Guy. he then said that he had to finish selling a few more cameras, so that he had to leave right Away.......I went to my Car and when I Opened The Box, There was (UNA PIEDRA-a Rock) I drove Imediately around the Parking Lot But The Thief Was GONE................................ I hope my Bad experience may help most of you guys in The Future Cheers Roberto-- Edited by Roberto Sanchez at 13:17, 2006-03-13
I think that one is a different scam.
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what? you found Manuel Noreaga? In the Phillipines? He has a mansion? Ok, we on it, on it, right now!
This Happen to me a few years Back, in the Parking Lot of Sherdan Mall (Jane & Wilson) A van Aproached me and asked if I wanted to buy Video Cameras at Lower then Factory Cost... The Cost was 100 for a Brand New Video Camera....since it was a good price, I paid The Guy. he then said that he had to finish selling a few more cameras, so that he had to leave right Away.......I went to my Car and when I Opened The Box, There was (UNA PIEDRA-a Rock) I drove Imediately around the Parking Lot But The Thief Was GONE................................ I hope my Bad experience may help most of you guys in The Future Cheers Roberto-- Edited by Roberto Sanchez at 13:17, 2006-03-13
I had that happen to a family member in New York city!
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Not everything I post or say on foro are necesarily true facts. <- THAT is a fact! :blankstare:
DulceGalletita wrote: OMG this happened to me last year ... This whole $1000 speaker thing ... but when he asked me how much I would give him I was like whatever I had in my pocket and he was like what do you have and I only had a $2 LMAO!!! he was like ok thankz, have a good day tough cookie! :smile:
This Happen to me a few years Back, in the Parking Lot of Sherdan Mall (Jane & Wilson)
A van Aproached me and asked if I wanted to buy Video Cameras at Lower then Factory Cost...
The Cost was 100 for a Brand New Video Camera....since it was a good price, I paid The Guy. he then said that he had to finish selling a few more cameras, so that he had to leave right Away.......I went to my Car and when I Opened The Box, There was (UNA PIEDRA-a Rock) I drove Imediately around the Parking Lot But The Thief Was GONE................................
I hope my Bad experience may help most of you guys in The Future
LOL this happened to me 15 years ago at Woodbine centre... i got so caught up in the pitch i almost bought.. i knew the stuff was hot but it was the deal i was looking for, however common sense kicked in and i didn't buy... quite funny.
DulceGalletita wrote: OMG this happened to me last year ... This whole $1000 speaker thing ... but when he asked me how much I would give him I was like whatever I had in my pocket and he was like what do you have and I only had a $2 LMAO!!! he was like ok thankz, have a good day
OMG this happened to me last year ... This whole $1000 speaker thing ... but when he asked me how much I would give him I was like whatever I had in my pocket and he was like what do you have and I only had a $2 LMAO!!! he was like ok thankz, have a good day
Apparently, a very questionable sales program has been employed by van-driving teams of salespeople around the world. These infamous vans have stalked intersections and parking lots from London, England to Sydney, Australia to Geneva, Switzerland for the past several years. They have spread around the world and have not spared the highways and byways of the United States. They have established hunting grounds from Los Angeles to Cincinnati to New York to Orlando. It seems no city or town is safe. Where there are people with money, there will be people looking to make a fast buck.
Current Active Areas For This Sales Tactic
Atlanta, GA Boulder, CO Calgary, Canada
Cincinnati, OH Chicago, IL College Park, MD
Columbus, OH Edmonton, Canada London, United Kingdom
Los Angeles, CA Madison, WI Melbourne, Australia
Nashville, TN New York City, NY Orlando, FL
Philadelphia, PA Phoenix, AZ Portland, OR
Sacramento, CA Savannah, GA Sydney, Australia
Toronto, Canada Tuscon, AZ Washington, DC
If you are within 250 miles of any of these cities, be on the lookout.
What these people are doing follows a strangely similar pattern worldwide, which makes it hard to believe that this is not an organized effort. You can read through the many SIGHTINGS listed below from around the world to see the similarities.
In general terms, a team in a delivery van (generally white) or SUV will cruise the streets looking for a potential score... anyone who looks like they may have disposable income. They will honk, wave and be very aggressive at getting your attention. If you ignore them, you are lucky. However, many people will give in to their curiosity and see what all the excitement is about.
Upon luring the potential score to their van, they begin their rehearsed routine with a passion and excitement worthy of an Oscar nomination. They are very persuasive and aggressive. The drivers generally tell the person that they have fallen into an unbelievably fortunate situation. They present themselves as delivery drivers and/or installers who have just finished a job, telling the score that by inventory error, they have extra hi-fi speakers unaccounted for. They often tell the score that they need to get rid of them before they return to the warehouse and have to give them back to their boss. Some have presented themselves as speaker company representatives, while some have presented themselves as drivers for local audio/entertainment companies.
They present themselves very well and are very believable. They show delivery invoices, business cards to look very legitimate. Then they show you speakers they describe as high-end speakers worth well over $1000 per pair. They justify this claim with colorful ads in audiophile magazines or slick brochures listing a very high retail price. Even the web sites displayed prominently on the box justify the high price for the speakers. When the potential buyer begins to walk away, the driver then asks what the person is willing to pay for the "high-quality" speakers. Buyers have paid anywhere from $200-$1000 for a pair, thinking they made a great deal. The drivers have commonly been known to ask for extra "beer money" for giving the buyers such a great deal.
For people who are in the market for speakers, this may seem like a great deal. However, there are audio review web sites, such as AudioReview.com, which have given poor ratings on these speakers. Many have felt ripped off and tried successfully, or unsuccessfully to get a refund.
People who are not interested usually receive an increased dose of intimidation and pressure from these salespersons who don't like to take "no" for an answer. Some are lucky enough to walk away. Some give in to the intimidation because of fear. These people may assume because they got such a great deal, they could recoup their costs by selling the speakers to a friend or to someone on eBay, only to discover that it is easier said than done with the product's lack of name-recognition and poor re****tion.
The salespersons may give the buyer the impression that he or she is benefitting from a "shady" deal, giving no receipt and hoping the buyer would feel too guilty to ask for a refund. However, if you want a refund you are entitled within 3-days by law. You may pursue it by contacting the manufacturer or the local distributor.
An actual case reported on April 2001 by one of Scam Shield's own staff members was investigated. The speakers sold to him by the questionable salespersons listed a phone number to JAM Entertainment. A call to John Mehaffey of JAM Entertainment led the staff member to Mike Amoroso of the manufacturer Audio Wood Products (also known as Audiofile) in Chino Hills, California, which ships the product to regional/local distributors who have independent contractors (van drivers) who sell the speakers. Mr. Amoroso of Audi Wood Products referred our staff member to Orka Distributors/O-Town Sound in Longwood, FL. The manager of Orka Distributors denied any responsibility for the salespersons who sold his speakers.
Each person in the chain claimed to be running a legitimate business without any direct ties to the contract salespersons. The fact that these van drivers are provided with the means to deceive consumers and are still in business probably means that someone has done their legal homework.
It seems coincidental that there can be so many similarities in the marketing tactics nationwide and even worldwide without an organized and coordinated effort. Many elements of the sales pitch are consistent worldwide. Even the supplemental "beer money" is not an isolated incident. The distributors maintain their legitimacy, even though they work closely with these contractors on a routine basis. Responsibility does rest on the salesperson based on the misleading sales tactics they choose to use, but what about those that coordinate and train these people how to use these tactics? What about those who provide the misleading materials used by the salespeople? What about the company that provides the vans for these people to drive?
Read about the experience others have had with this scam and get info from people in your local area in the SIGHTINGS & LOCATIONS section. If you have had any experiences with the White Van Speaker Scam, please share your experience with others, because only through the sharing of information can we help others.
With some embarrasement I should say, the described above is precisely how they got me for $300 bucks - Anyone want to buy a great looking Home Theater System after reading all the above? ROFL
Beware, don't get ripped off!
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Not everything I post or say on foro are necesarily true facts. <- THAT is a fact! :blankstare: