Henry G Jeanlouis

[Curnonsky]

I thought I would alert everyone that the infamous Henry G. Jeanlouis is back at it - and I was unfortunate to buy a Sansui AU-X1 from him that, needless to say, arrived looking very different from the photos he posted on eBay. I hope it is salvageable but it's obviously not going to be a small task to restore it. It powers on but I don't dare connect it to anything, so next week it goes to the local tech.

The name he is selling under is hartane_0, and he's been listing some pretty rare stuff recently that's sold for big money (at least my amp was cheap).

Caveat Emptor!

 

[lifer70]

Thanks for the warning.

 

[mjs1]

Thanks for the warning.

We are sorry about your experience. We had been following your AU-X1 and were fairly sure it was scam.
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/sansui-scams.703790/page-3

If you would, help us learn more about his Ebay scams.

Do you know for sure that it was Henry? What seller name was given to you by Ebay.
What did the X1 look like when you got it? He never shows serial numbers so you can't match your amp with the posted picture.
What was Ebay's response to your dilemma and what help or relief are they offering you?

Good luck. Please keep us informed about your progress in resolving this matter.

Marc

 

[Curnonsky]

It's him all right - the return address on the box is "Henry G Jeanlouis" of Valley Stream, NY. No way to tell from the username or feedback, of course. We'll see what eBay can do for me.

I wonder what the experience of the winner of the Technics amp/preamp he sold for $18,000 was?

 

[mjs1]

It's him all right - the return address on the box is "Henry G Jeanlouis" of Valley Stream, NY. No way to tell from the username or feedback, of course. We'll see what eBay can do for me.

I wonder what the experience of the winner of the Technics amp/preamp he sold for $18,000 was?

Thanks for the reply. Has Henry replied to you? What condition was the X1 in when it came to you? Was it packed appropriately? Was it insured?

Who knows if the Technics was a real sale or a come-on to lure other buyers?

Keep us informed and let us know whether Ebay does right buy you.

Marc

 

[Hyperion]

If that X1 was anything other than 'as described' it should either go back, +full refund, or have at the very least a partial refund. In the end it just depends if you think you paid a fair price for the condition it is in, but he shouldn't be allowed to get away with blatant misdescription.

 

[Curnonsky]

Just submitted my return request - photos of the unit make it clear it is not the one in the listing (heavy rust on top and inside, several decals missing, plus non-functional switches, etc. etc.).

Interestingly, eBay lists the seller as:

HARVEY TANENBAUM
77 Barnyard Ln,
Roslyn Heights, NY, 11577

...but the return address on the box is Henry G. Jeanlouis of Valley Stream, NY.

 

[LBPete]

I'll bet he claims that you are trying to return a different amp. He will tell eBay that he sent you the amp in the eBay photos and you are trying to scam him by returning a piece of crap.

- Pete

 

[bluesky]

If you paid using PayPal... get them involved.

PayPal has helped me a few times in the past with outstanding results. It's a process so be patient. Tell them the FULL story.

 

[mjs1]

If you paid using PayPal... get them involved.

PayPal has helped me a few times in the past with outstanding results. It's a process so be patient. Tell them the FULL story.

My two cents.

If you do an AK search on Henry Louis you get a series of threads discussing him as a scammer dating back to April 1, 2003. At this point I would guess that he is unaware of our forum or ignores it because his MO has not changed over the years.

I would recommend a discussion with an eBay representative pointing out the bait and switch (forward your pictures), and the discrepency between the listed name of the seller and the name on the return address, and the long history of Henry Louis in this forum (the fact that he lists his name as Henry G. Jeanlouis is priceless). Also get them to let you send them a picture of the box with the return address, and permission to send the amplifier back to that return address. Have proof that the box was sent to and delivered to HGHL (tracking). You and eBay can then wait and see what happens.

Marc

 

[Sansuiman]

Sorry to hear you got burned. We were discussing your amp in another thread on the subject of Henry "whatever his surname really is" of New York. At least now we know a bit more about his scam. So, he does ship something, just not what was pictured or represented. I was trying to figure out his angle, and wasn't going to risk buying from him to find out.

I would go after him hard via ebay and PayPal resolution process for misrepresenting the item purchased, and unless you really want that amp, I'd send it back if I were in your position. I am curious, is it a 100V only (Japan domestic market) version, or is it setup for 120VAC input? Most of his pictures are of JDM 100V versions, probably pilfered from someone else's auctions.

 

[Curnonsky]

It's 100v. The condition is rough enough where it will probably be expensive to revive, so I'll try to return it for a refund. Next time I'll wait for one to show up on Hifido.

 

[mjs1]

The AU-X1 and AU-X11 are not that popular in the Japanese market and you should be able to get one (100V model) at a reasonable price. You will need a transformer. This is a heavy amplifier so shipping is expensive and please note that it has black flag capacitors that need to be replaced and will need a stability modification. There are several current threads about this. If you can be happy with a 100V model this is a good way to go. I got an AU-X1 using Buyee in a Yahoo.jp auction and am waiting for it to be restored. For some reason the Japanese don't get as excited about the black flag capacitors as we do.

Marc

 

[Curnonsky]

Thanks for the Buyee tip - I've been thinking about using Rinkya but their fees are stiff.

I'm curious as to why the Japanese market values the AU-X1111 and AU-07 so highly compared to the AU-X1. Perhaps they have come to prefer a softer, more diffuse sound, one which is more tube-y?

By the way, "Henry Jeanlouis" has messaged me that I can return the amp for a refund - the return label hasn't appeared yet, though. And his Paypal account is under yet another name - "Joseph Weisel". What tangled webs we weave....

 

[smurfer77]

I hear bad stories about Buyee packaging. Take care.

As for the the Japanese not really going for the AU-X1, I don't think it's about sound. In Japan they tend to like newer things. It's the only place in the world I lived in where buying a house is actually not an investment because house prices decline consistently as a function of age of the house. That said, there are a few famous japanese who said the AU-X1111 is really the king. The AU-07 I don't know much about, but I suspect that is more about prestige (original price was high) and rarity than sound/performance.

 

[mjs1]

I hear bad stories about Buyee packaging. Take care.

As for the the Japanese not really going for the AU-X1, I don't think it's about sound. In Japan they tend to like newer things. It's the only place in the world I lived in where buying a house is actually not an investment because house prices decline consistently as a function of age of the house. That said, there are a few famous japanese who said the AU-X1111 is really the king. The AU-07 I don't know much about, but I suspect that is more about prestige (original price was high) and rarity than sound/performance.

My AU -07 was trashed in shipping. I gave explicit instructions including writing “This Side Up” on the top so that it wouldn’t be set on its side and have its weight, if set down roughly on the side, damage the front or sides. The gentleman who was in charge of doing this tried to comply but my guess is that he didn’t understand English and dutifully wrote these instructions on the side. In any event, I forwarded pictures to Buyee and got a full refund. They also allowed me to keep the amplifier which is cosmetically and mechanically impaired though partly functional. I would note that on some shipments, even when fragile and this side up were placed in the correct position, the UPS deliveryman to my work place in NY state left it on its side. At this point, I believe Buyee uses exclusively UPS although they had other options in the past.

The AU-07 was shipped by Buyee with the old packing method of using strips of carboard for protection. They have switched to some kind of form fitted plastic container which is much better and is as safe as anything I can imagine given the bulk and weight of these ampliffers. It seems somewhat like the insulation foam material in pressurized cans that you can buy at Lowes or Home Depot. Anyway, Buyee appears to cover damage in transit.

As far as popularity on the Japanese market, if you follow Hifido or Yahoo, it is hard for me to figure out what makes an amplifier desirable. The AU 9500, BA 2000, and the D907 are older models (the D907 is equivalent to the AU 919 and presumably has black flag capacitors) retain there value and seem to go for more than what we see in the US (over $1000). The AU X1 and X11 are not as popular, as I recall they go for about $600. The last TOTL solid state integrated the AU 907 NRA at 160 watts per channel into 8 ohms (year 1997, MRSP 300,000 yen, weight 33 kg) seems to go for about $1600. Certainly getting the alpha 907 NRA would give you “modern” alpha sound with as much power as an X1 with fewer immediate restoration headaches.
Best wishes to all and good luck to Curnonsky.

Marc

 

[Curnonsky]

I've been asked for an update:

Here's what happened: I filed complaints with both eBay and Paypal, mentioning that I though the seller was really Henry Louis, operating under another name (and another name still with Paypal). After a few days I received a return label - not sure if it was from eBay or the seller himself - and I sent the amp off (after carefully documenting everything). All I could picture was this immense rusty old amp showing up at some old codger's front door - "what da hell is dis??".
But no, to my amazement I received a full refund! Again, was this from the seller or eBay? I have no idea. But all's well that ends well, right?

 

[lbcgav]

I've been asked for an update:

Here's what happened: I filed complaints with both eBay and Paypal, mentioning that I though the seller was really Henry Louis, operating under another name (and another name still with Paypal). After a few days I received a return label - not sure if it was from eBay or the seller himself - and I sent the amp off (after carefully documenting everything). All I could picture was this immense rusty old amp showing up at some old codger's front door - "what da hell is dis??".
But no, to my amazement I received a full refund! Again, was this from the seller or eBay? I have no idea. But all's well that ends well, right?

Bravo!