Interesting White Van Scam Article

[jsulzinger]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/white-van-speaker-scam-explained-181521887.html

 

[Clint Eastwood]

I had one of these guys try to run that scam on me...he was in the parking lot of a store and when I started to ask him some tech questions he was lost...you could tell he new nothing about audio...he did have some verbal skills...he was probably an ex telemarketer...but he was out of his element..

 

[fac23]

Almost happened to me 20 years ago… it was two guys, expert salesmen both of them… fortunately someone else walked by, yelled at them to f off and snapped me of the trance. Lucky me.

 

[Jim the Oldbie]

I once had a couple of those guys try to flag me down as I was driving my work truck, making a right turn through an intersection they were stopped at. I mean, I would've been blocking traffic if I had stopped there to talk to them. This was obvious to them; they just didn't care. As I drove by, I could hear the driver yelling, "HeymanlemmehookyouupIgotspeakersampswhateveryouneedman..." I said something like, "Dude are you kidding me?" But before I could even finish my sentence he was already yelling, "Okay F#@& YOU then," and squealing off. The whole encounter was kind of ridiculous.

 

[skherbeck]

Happened to me 30 years ago when I was 18 just as I was leaving an atm... he told me he had just finished installing these speakers at a local black angus restaurant and had extras ( at that time black angus had a dance floor)...I bought them and enjoyed them for 15 years! They were about 3 feet tall with a 12 inch woofer, a 4 inch, and a tweeter... no brand name that I can remember... guess I got lucky!

 

[Simon A]

A guy I knew bought some really crappy ones from one of these scammers and I have really enjoyed telling him he'd been had and rubbed it in every chance I could get.

He liked to brag about stuff he knew nothing about so it felt great making him eat some much deserved humble pie.

 

[JonUrban]

I used to see those guys in the '80's. Big white truck or van, "Hey buddy", they just did a huge job and had some extra speakers on the truck and didn't want to have to bring them back, either the boss would be pissed or they didn't want to have to unload them. I never actually saw what they were, if they had a brand, or if they were actually decent. I would always listen for a short moment then walk away, usually leaving some other slob to continue the conversation with them.

Thanks for posting that link. It's amazing the fake brand names they use, they are so close to legit that people who didn't know that "Linear Phase" wasn't "Phase Linear", and stuff like that. The sound of the brand sounds legit. Too funny.

Well, at least they haven't evolved into phone scamming. It's best to leave that to the fake IRS guys who call and say the Sherriff is on his way and only a credit card can stop him.

 

[surround.sound.enthusiast]

I had this happen once too, on Lansdowne Street in Boston about 20 years ago. The way the van pulled up quick and asked if I wanted to buy speakers from out of the drivers side window, I assumed the were trying to sell stolen merchandise. Or were out for a kidnapping or mugging. I wasn't in the market (for any of the three possibilities!) and wasn't interested, so I told them no and kept going. They said no problem and took off again.

 

[jimfisheye]

I think these guys grew up and graduated to buying buildings that look like a store. Parking lot, painted signs, logos, employee uniforms and everything! I won't say the name but a more literal version of the name would be Worst Purchase. The very same out of their element bit with any technical details too.

Likewise, you might get lucky with some things. But it's all facsimiles.

 

[leevitalone1]

You see the shit for sale all the time on CL. Home Theater complete set up! 2000 watts! Unfortunately, they prey on our ability to be cheap, and jump on good offers. Until you get home, and set the shit down, open the box and you know immediately you got taken. Run back to the spot and of course they are gone- look on CL and odds are you will see one or two items, selling for what the poor dude got suckered in for.

 

[MrSmithers]

There’s a famous saying “If something seems too good to be true - it usually is...”

These sneaky fuckwits have no shame. They don’t know I know my speakers. I’m always going to stick to my Wowers & Bilkins...

 

[jimfisheye]

I've seen pictures posted online of facsimile speakers that had "tweeters" that were a complete facsimile decoration. No wiring or speaker assembly - molded and painted plastic!
I'm not sure what part shocks me more. That someone would have the balls to produce such a thing. (Think about the process... Submit design drawings. Commission a factory. Every step, there you are documented as being full of shit.) Or that someone could hook them up at home and not immediately return them with a complaint of all 5 (hehe) tweeters being blown!

That $1000 USB cable that preys on people not knowing the difference between analog and digital signals (nor apparently their ass from a hole in the ground) comes to mind too.

 

[Clint Eastwood]

I used to see those guys in the '80's. Big white truck or van, "Hey buddy", they just did a huge job and had some extra speakers on the truck and didn't want to have to bring them back, either the boss would be pissed or they didn't want to have to unload them. I never actually saw what they were, if they had a brand, or if they were actually decent. I would always listen for a short moment then walk away, usually leaving some other slob to continue the conversation with them.

Thanks for posting that link. It's amazing the fake brand names they use, they are so close to legit that people who didn't know that "Linear Phase" wasn't "Phase Linear", and stuff like that. The sound of the brand sounds legit. Too funny.

Well, at least they haven't evolved into phone scamming. It's best to leave that to the fake IRS guys who call and say the Sherriff is on his way and only a credit card can stop him.

There is a new twist on the phone scamming....the scammers got hacked...they don't realize it but someone spoofed their number and when I get the call it shows up on my caller ID as "Illegal Scam"...that put a smile on my face

 

[holland123]

Yea i remember these jackasses too, used to drive around all the time, Unfortunately in my area these windowless white van pieces of shit people are grabbing women and children for sale as sex slaves! A big problem in the detroit area and noone seems to be able to do anything to stop it.

 

[Jeff ss]

I've bought those too back in the day. Nothing special, but at least they worked. Sold them on cl just a few years ago. Also had a guy building them in my warehouse complex. I believe he built them for this specific reason, and that was their marketing technique. I have never seen them anywhere else for sale. Only in the home depot parking lot lol. The ones I bought actually had a full color glossy brochure!

 

[skherbeck]

I went to a “huge sale” at a Holiday Inn a few months after I bought the white van speakers (audio equipment, tools, appliances, etc)... bought some beautiful 6x9 speakers for my car... sounded like crap and I threw them away. (I was 18!)