[mbriant]

I've been lucky enough to be approached by parking lot speaker sellers not once but 3 times. Over the years I've received at least a dozen faxed ( and more recently e-mail) offers of several million dollars if I would only help some poor African General's daughter transfer a huge sum of money into my bank account.

I've also been approached a few times ( and fell for it once about 3 years ago ) by a guy who walks up with a story that he lives out of town, is nearly out of gas, forgot his wallet, and needs $10 to buy enough gas to get home.

In Toronto there's been an old lady in the news who regularly sits on a corner in the financial district and begs for money. Local media discovered she lives with her son in an apartment, has leather furniture and a big screen TV. Now when she shows up at her corner, people who know about her, warn others not to be sucked in.

This devious behaviour ruins things for people who may genuinely be in need, but I'm so fed up with the scum who carry out these scams that now as soon as they start talking I tell them to piss off.

 

[chillysalsa]

The white van guys are in Canada too.

First year of university I got hastled TWICE by guys in the same white van... I'm walking along the street, and they just slow down beside me "HEY! You want some speakers???"
Me: "Uhhh... no thanks... "
Them: "They're really cheap, c'mon, we'll make you a deal!"
Me: "It's ok, really...."

And this went on for about a block, them driving beside me on a quiet street. Eventually I just started running for fear they would drag me in the van and molest me. I hindsight, I think that potential outcome would be almost as bad as owning a pair of Paradyme, or Research Acoustics, or Panaphonic speakers.

A search on the Asylum revealed this story.

 

[elrod-tom]

I was approached once in a hotel parking lot in Grand Rapids, MI. I was stunned...I mean, what conclusion am I supposed to draw?? Oh well....

 

[raymondlin]

A idiot roommate of mine in college actually fell for this scam, how I laughed! (I actually hated the guy, play his music loud without any consideration, make a mess everywhere, always taking the piss)

He believed the sales pitch from this white van man and bought a pair, and then he hooked them up to his Panasonic midi 3Disc changer thing. It sounded bloated and flat, horrible sound, the original panasonic speakers were better.

And him being such an ass all the time and thinking he bought a bargain, and I not like him much, I never told him!

 

[stuartr]

Quote:

Originally posted by raymondlin always taking the piss

I had to think about this for a second before I realized you were British. It still sounds funny. Probably not nearly as funny as if I were to say to you that I made a fabulous recipe from the Fanny Farmer Cookbook though......

Ahh, hair pie, a pungent fishy aroma, but quite delicious.

 

[andrzejpw]

Wow, I really don't understand why my dad fell for this scam. I mean, it's just not like him.

 

[raymondlin]

Do they sound good ?

 

[vwap]

Heh.. I dunno.. it seems quite of you have been approached by white vans.. Maybe I just don't hang out enough in parking lots, but I've never been approached by white vans with anything..

.. maybe I just look too broke to buy any of their "SALE!" speakers.

 

[Sol_Zhen]

Quote:

Originally posted by vwap .. maybe I just look too broke to buy any of their "SALE!" speakers.

Maybe we just look like rubes.

 

[vwap]

Quote:

Originally posted by Sol_Zhen Maybe we just look like rubes.

Or just that you're carrying a hundred bucks in your wallet.

 

[brent_mr2]

Remember in my first post I said the crooks claimed the speakers were liquid cooled? Well, I just realized something...any speaker can be liquid cooled if thrown into a cold body of water <insert rim tap> (and that's exactly where the speakers belong, teeheehee)

 

[brent_mr2]

One tip I learned from my super paranoid father is to blacken the credit card numbers on your payment slip at restaurants. They almost ALWAYS put the full number on it, this really SHOULD stop. With the payment slip just sitting there, with your expiration date and signature, it's the same thing as leaving your credit card there and it's fair game for anyone to take it.

Most people don't even think of this.

I was just in a restaurant tonight, there was a slip sitting there where I sat. I could have easily have taken it with no one knowing and went on a spending spree. But don't worry guys, I'm not interested in "ill gotten gain" (Gomer Pyle-ism).

My father was a phone salesman for a large reputable camera/electronics company, he knew of someone there that wrote down customer's credit card numbers and used them fraudulently. That has made me very nervous about giving my CC number over the phone. He was arrested and fired, but I don't know what happened with the customers.

To out-think a criminal, you have to think like one yourself.

 

[vwap]

Quote:

Originally posted by brent_mr2 One tip I learned from my super paranoid father is to blacken the credit card numbers on your payment slip at restaurants. They almost ALWAYS put the full number on it, this really SHOULD stop. With the payment slip just sitting there, with your expiration date and signature, it's the same thing as leaving your credit card there and it's fair game for anyone to take it. Most people don't even think of this. I was just in a restaurant tonight, there was a slip sitting there where I sat. I could have easily have taken it with no one knowing and went on a spending spree. But don't worry guys, I'm not interested in "ill gotten gain" (Gomer Pyle-ism). My father was a phone salesman for a large reputable camera/electronics company, he knew of someone there that wrote down customer's credit card numbers and used them fraudulently. That has made me very nervous about giving my CC number over the phone. He was arrested and fired, but I don't know what happened with the customers. To out-think a criminal, you have to think like one yourself.

While you may be able to take one, most places won't ship to addresses that either aren't your billing address, or if it's not verifyable with the CC company. I haven't found this to be true in all case (even though the company says it's company policy to verify with the CC company, I don't think they actually do..)

Most credit card companies offer fraud-reimbursements, though.. so even if you get jacked, you can probably prove that the address that the item was shipped to wasn't yours, and it was the company that shipped the item that was at fault. Thus, you'll get reimbursed/credited for the amount. [You should, anyway, unless your credit card company sucks.]

 

[stuartr]

Just about the liquid cooled thing...why would speakers need to be cooled anyway? Do anyone else's speakers get hot? What retards.

 

[brent_mr2]

If you look online there are some companies that offer liquid cooled speakers, but I seriously doubt you'll find any high end reference speakers that are liquid cooled.