White van scam on Craigslist?

[RamblinE]

I auditioned a pair of Theater Research speakers once and I could see the despair in the owners eyes when I told him that I didn't like the way they sounded and that I wouldn't buy them for even $30. Really, I thought I was being as nice as I possibly could.

Now tonight I saw a home theater from Kinetic Loud Speakers on my CL. I did some Googling and I didn't get past the Wikipedia page on the white van scam, where Kinetic is listed as one of the phony brands.

Is there any way to report this to the authorities? Or does this just fall into the grey area of wrong, but not illegal.

 

[Montycat]

I think you summed it up. It's all about Caveat Emptor, buyer beware. You used it by not buying from him; he had not when he met the guys on the street.

Tact in these situations is tough. I'd just say "sorry, not interested" without mentioning price unless pressed on it.

I get asked for advice all the time about audio, computers, and other stuff as I am considered a bit of a geek. I especially know a lot about bicycles having been in that business for over 20 years. I've seen people who are really proud of the piece of crap they just bought, possibly even new, and when they ask my opinion I have to say things like "umm...nice decals!"

If I get into that awkward despair moment I sometimes will get out of it by saying how particular I am.

As for reporting it, what authorities would listen? Craigslist might take action if someone broke their rules, but all that means is they would delete the posting.

 

[jdrum1]

I try to remember that the person selling these on Craigslist may not even realize they have been scammed.

Around here they are now listing complete systems that include a projector. Brand name and box matches the speakers. Bet that's a great picture!

 

[89grand]

My local CL is infested with White Van garbage.

I've made a couple of ridiculously low ball offers a few times, just to be a jerk, but generally I just ignore them. There isn't much that can be done about it.

 

[KrisM]

My local CL is infested with White Van garbage.

I've made a couple of ridiculously low ball offers a few times, just to be a jerk, but generally I just ignore them. There isn't much that can be done about it.

CL and kijiji here are loaded with Nuance speakers. Ugh. All the pawn shops, too.
I was given a set of Theater Research speakers a while ago. They were part of a bunch of stuff, take all or nothing kind of a deal. They were a "sub" and satellite set-up. I was thinking of hooking them up to hear how they sounded, but I couldn't. I knew I'd be asking for that hour of my life back. They ended up at a GW. They are some other poor sucker's problem now.