Think you've Heard it All?? (semi- resolution 4/14)

[papalondog]

I agreed to a purchase of an old Winchester a little over a month ago, off of one of the popular websites. As I always try to do, after a discussion on the phone, I sent the certified funds and FFL out the same day. A couple of weeks went by and no gun, no answer to emails, no answer to phone calls...... it starts. Finally get an email stating that I should have the gun by now, but do to a death in the family, he is out of town and has no access to the tracking number. Another week, no gun, no responses to my attempts to contact him. Finally an email stating that he must have put the wrong address on it, because they sent it back to him. He promises to send it out the next day and call me with the tracking number. Another week goes by, no word, no answers to emails or the phone. The phone rang today (another week went by), it was him. He had been in the hospital with the flu. He told his wife to take the gun in the house, but she didn't and left it in the garage. The dog chewed through the box and chewed the buttstock off of the gun. He will send me my money back when he can, he doesn't have enough money right now.

This guy is either the most unlucky dude in the world, or I am being scammed. I think I know which......... should I call the authorities?????

 

[sigp220.45]

My cynical mind tells me he's a liar, and not a very good one. I'd wait a week or so then assume he's a thief as well.

 

[DougE]

I think I already would have.

 

[Bob R]

I think I already would have.

Call the local law where he lives, post it on every gun board you go to, file a mail fraud claim (it won't go anywhere but it will make him think), and if someone is local that you trust and would chat with him that wouldn't hurt either.

He is a thief and a liar, IMO

bob

 

[Xfuzz]

Sorry for your loss...............
Would be lucky enough for him to be in Texas ?

 

[VM]

Lonnie - I would ask the seller for a picture of the chewed up stock.
If he won't furnish that immediately, I'd call his local authorities.

 

[papalondog]

My wife has always said I was a push over. I tend to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I emailed him and told him I needed the money ($1000) by the 19th. After that, I may arrange a little vacation road trip to Oklahoma...........

 

[Moonman]

This person needs a little time in the GREYBAR HOTEL. I don't think it would be there first time. I would notify the postal dicks as he may have a pattern and history to add to.

 

[Nicksterdemus]

Sounds like he's stringing you along a long winding trail, so you have to wonder how many other folks are paddlin' the same boat.

I'll give you odds that your not the only one.

I'll even give you odds that there's been a small epidemic of chewed up buttstocks in that neck of the woods...

 

[akviper]

Unless it's a rare collector piece it seems he could replace the stock and get it sent off to you for a lot less than what he owes you. I smell a very large rat and believe he is scamming you. Make a theft complaint with the local PD in his jurisdiction. The dog ate it, yeah right.

 

[Hermann]

Sounds like he's stringing you along a long winding trail, so you have to wonder how many other folks are paddlin' the same boat.

I'll give you odds that your not the only one.

I'll even give you odds that there's been a small epidemic of chewed up buttstocks in that neck of the woods...

That is EXACTLY what I was thinking ......

 

[S-W4EVER]

Damn, I hate thieving liars, lying thieves, and thieves and liars.

 

[ect1222t]

I've been on the other end, and yes, people can be that unlucky. To make a long story short, I had bought a gun from a fellow forum member who accidently sent the wrong gun (same everything but dash) and was awaiting a reply when I went in for a "routine" doctor's appointment. It wasn't "routine", was hospitalized and kept sedated, and I basically fell off of the face of the earth for almost 3 weeks, leaving the poor guy hanging. I had his one gun, he wasn't hearing from me, and I lost out on the gun I wanted. I did return the gun I had after I got out of the hospital. So unexpected things can happen. But I'd give him a time limit and then notify everyone from the Boy Scouts to the Marines and everyone in between. -Ed.

 

[oldman45]

I say file charges with the Feds. On the surface, he has several Federal violations and that is far more serious than local charges.

Time is also a factor. The more time that elapses, the more difficult prosecution will be.

 

[neiljrosen]

Contact the police.

 

[oldfella]

Same here, exactly same excuses - my case was with riffle parts... does he happen to live in Louisville, KY?

Pete

 

[Raider]

I wonder if the BATFE would be interested in the case. Maybe the Oklahoma State attorney too.

Charlie

 

[DCWilson]

It's good to give people the benefit of a doubt, but I don't think you owe them the benefit of two doubts, or five, or 17, or however many you are up to now.

I also believe you were way too generous to give him until the 19th to make good on restitution. This guy made himself a loan out of your pocket to cover some other expense he had, and now he needs to get a loan from someplace else to cover the debt he owes to you. I would email him again and tell him that if you don't have full repayment in hand after Wednesday's postal delivery, you are filing charges. That gives him one day to scare up the money, and the post office two days to deliver the mail that they can move between big cities in one day, and deliver to small cities in two. If he doesn't perform, on Thursday morning you go after him.

I don't think you owe him the courtesy of anonymity, either. If I had run into a bad deal, I would be happy to identify the bad guy's handle and the web site where he was trolling for victims. So please let your friends on this board know who it is they should look out for on other web sites.

I hope this works out for you. I haven't yet had this problem, but I know that I could at any moment.

 

[DOEBOY1]

i would consider taking a trip to that address and see what he had to say maybe even what other guns he had in his possesion to make good on the deal. but you can believe i would make sure i got gas money and time paid for. i did notice on a post the mods put up about a warning on someone else that seemed the take advantage of people why not do a sticky in the forsale catagory of would be theives? would atleast give us some referense as to who did what. also if you sell anything on this forum why not send a "how was the transaction" form to the buyer? would it be that hard? am i loading too much on mods who do a great job here anyway? i have been trying to do this with contractors in my area that don't pay or slow pay. Doeboy

 

[2152hq]

Contacting the local PD in his location would be my start.
An obliging agency may get someone to contact the individual face to face to inquire about the situation especially since it involves a firearm. That can go a long way sometimes in getting them back on track and your money on the way.
Perhaps junior isn't even legally supposed to be in possession of a firearm and the local L/E are well aware of him.

In my past experience, the BATF will want nothing to do with it, but perhaps you would have better luck these days with a complaint of similar facts.

Good luck with it all. It's the nightmare senario that all internet buyers fear most I think. No gun and no money.