IndyKlipschFan Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 Drive-By Rip-Off: Salesmen Push 'Deals' On Electronics Smooth Salesmen Get Men To Buy Flashy-Looking Stereo Equipment POSTED: 9:58 am EST November 21,2007 INDIANAPOLIS -- Right before the busy holidayshopping season, drive-by salesmen are setting up shop in parking lots, convincing men to fork over their hard-earned cash for shoddy stereo equipment not nearly worth claims made in the sales pitch.The salesmen are described as charming and smooth, so suave that they deserve an Academy Award, Call 6's Rafael Sanchez reported.Men are the target of the sales pitch -- often young men that might be fooled by flashy-looking merchandise -- and men who traditionally carry cash. To make sales, victims who don't have cash are sometimes asked to be followed home or taken to an ATM to complete the primarily all-cash deals.Call 6 visited the Indianapolis base for Dream Audio Works, at 8760 E. 33rd St., which trains the sales staff and provides the merchandise, but has no storefront.The company was initially excited about a visit from Call 6, but they weren't so thrilled when Sanchez started asking questions about their products and sales tactics. Representatives declined comment and locked Sanchez out.Kevin Brokamp had been looking for the business since two men pulled up to his car to sell a home theater system they said was valued at $2,000.Brokamp bought the equipment for $325, and it isn't even worth that, according to independent tests that were conducted."It's very high pressure. Very, 'You've got to act now,'" Brokamp said. "He essentially said, 'My boss told me that I should not come back to the shop tonight with these in my truck. I'm either going to throw them away or I'm going to give people like you a deal.'"Consumers in central Indiana have made complaints that the products don't live up to their packaging. Call 6 took a hidden camera to a meeting at which people were recruited to be "mobile retailers," selling the stereo equipment."There's nothing out there that I've seen or experienced that pays you more," said Tom Huynh, Dream Audio Works' manager. "I tell guys, 'If you make $800 a week, that's a bad week.' It's all about making over $1,000."Workers who got people to make a purchase for at least $400 have their pictures posted, with the cash they made.The electronics, sporting the name Genesis Media Labs, are loaded into a variety of minivans and pickup trucks, almost all with Michigan plates.Hidden cameras were there as the equipment, billed as being worth $2,000 to $5,000, was sold in the parking lots of banks and shopping centers.Often, men were approached near ATM machines, where quick cash is an easy get. Call 6 bought some of the equipment and had it tested by Klipsch Audio Technologies, an Indianapolis-based company that is a leading global maker of home theater systems since 1946, and was one of the first U.S. companies to make loudspeakers.Their engineers reviewed the Genesis product in their echo-free room, known as the anechoic chamber.Frequency tests found the system was prone to distortions. When it was taken apart, experts said the components inside the supposedly $5,000 system, were among the most basic on the market."The amount of power that we measured was wholly inadequate for a home theater product," said Jim Garrett, Klipsch product planning director. The sales pitch does not normally target women, because they are less likely to welcome an approach from a stranger.Employees are sold the equipment for less than $300. Call 6 called the company's corporate offices in Cypress Hills, Calif., and were referred to Mary Conway on Nov. 19. As of Nov. 21, she had not returned the call, Sanchez reported.Indianapolis requires transient merchant licenses for companies conducting business in the manner Dream Audio Works does. The city said it has no record of the company having that license. Hmm The white van people alive and well.. hahahahahahaha buyer beware!! http://www.theindychannel.com/news/14658998/detail.html Watch Trey in the above video on the site too... Wooo hoooooooo You go Arvis!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 Hey cool, Trey is famous - though everyone already knew that. That had to be a fun day in the lab - I wonder if they did any power testing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 Great for Klipsch providing a community service in analyzing this white van gear. Is it one of those force of nature things that the guy ripped off was named: Kevin Brokamp ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 I'm going to drive around to find one of these guys on purpose- and rip him to shreds! BWHAHAHAHAHA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 I'm going to drive around to find one of these guys on purpose- and rip him to shreds! BWHAHAHAHAHA Could we get a video of that [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 I see a lot of white van items being sold on the Minneapolis craigslist so apparently they're being sold around here. I'd love to have a run-in with one of the sellers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 Not sure I get the point here. There are no guns involved. Guys are selling Home Theater systems for $325 that are cheap and don't work all that well. Are there better HT systems you can buy for $325? Which ones? Aren't these guys just a 'mobile' version of WalTarK-Mart? I mean, have you looked seriously at what they sell in those stores for a couple hundred dollars? I bought a $45 toaster in Target recently and it wouldn't even cook ONE PIECE of toast. What am I missing here? P.S. Before someone mentions "false or misleading advertising" let me ask this: Does a Bose Wave Radio really "fill the room with rich clean sound like a big stereo system?" C'mon on now - beating these guys up? They are the future audio wire salesmen! I will promptly send them the Juicy Music for a job if I run into any of them [] Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 "My boss told me that I should not come back to the shop tonight with these in my truck. I'm either going to throw them away or I'm going to give people like you a deal." Well, if you're just going to throw them away, why in the world would I want to pay for them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 I bought a $45 toaster in Target recently and it wouldn't even cook ONE PIECE of toast. What am I missing here? The manual? [] P.S. Before someone mentions "false or misleading advertising" let me ask this: Does a Bose Wave Radio really "fill the room with rich clean sound like a big stereo system?" Depends on who you ask [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyKlipschFan Posted November 23, 2007 Author Share Posted November 23, 2007 The "sales pitch" I get is along these lines..... "We went to deliver these speakers from our warehouse, and they gave us too many speakers." "We thought we would sell them to you at a great discount cause we can't go back with them". I slow down, look a little puzzled and say what's your name.... So _____ <name>, so your saying someone you work with accidentally gave you more on your load up... (They usually jump in at this point yes.. and this is like a 5000 system too... retail, we can cut you a great deal..blah blah blah....) So I mention to them, did anyone teach you as a kid that this is... what your doing is... is stealing? What your doing is wrong and will probably cost if not you, someone else their job because your selling misplaced now stolen from the inventory merchandise? They usually get very defensive.. At this point how I am the loser... How I am passing up this "great deal" on equipment... I have been called a number of names... flip out my phone at this point and dial 911 say I am calling the cops right now... as I see them RUN into the truck and speed away... One guy said he probably does not have a stereo anyhow.. I laugh to myself... "Oh, if they only knew?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest srobak Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 Embezzlement over $1000 is a felony in most states... nice angle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 "My boss told me that I should not come back to the shop tonight with these in my truck. I'm either going to throw them away or I'm going to give people like you a deal." Well, if you're just going to throw them away, why in the world would I want to pay for them? duh....... just follow the truck a few blocks until the price got cheaper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnum29 Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 This scam has been going on for quite some time. I personally know a guy who bought a "surround" sytem for 400$; and this guy is not someone that you would call stupid, but he sure feels that way now after losing 400$. The brand that these guys were selling was called "Kirsch" and they had a really good looking website to back them up. I hated to break the news to him about being scammed; they used a standard routine of spiel on him( Google kirsch or speaker scams) , right down to the last bit about "how's about throwing another 20 in so a brother can get a lap dance"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 "My boss told me that I should not come back to the shop tonight with these in my truck. I'm either going to throw them away or I'm going to give people like you a deal." Well, if you're just going to throw them away, why in the world would I want to pay for them? duh....... just follow the truck a few blocks until the price got cheaper LOL I dunno.....it's shady enough selling bootleg speakers out of a white van.......and I'm thinkin' it would be really stoopin' below their level following them around waiting for them to throw away the unsold merchandise. We'll leave that for the meth-heads...... OTOH, are they even worth "free"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 Craig - - OUCH dude! Just kidding around LOL!! I was thinking you must of had plenty of experience dealing with similiar slick willy types back in the day with your old Paragon dealers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 W.C. Fields said, "You can't cheat an honest man; never give a sucker an even break, or smarten up a chump." As mdeneen has suggested, anyone collaborating with the scammers to ostensibly cheat someone else (employer, shipper, etc.) is fair game. Another cliché is, "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is." Whenever someone suggsts that he/she and I can take advantage of a third person, I'm grateful to learn that the first person is dishonorable and not to be trusted. A similar scenario plays out when "the other woman" (or man) who breaks up a marriage is surprised to find that the cheating spouse with whom they are invloved is cheating again. One more cliché; when you sleep with dogs, you shouldn't be surprised if you wake up with fleas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLSamuel Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 I'm going to drive around to find one of these guys on purpose- and rip him to shreds! BWHAHAHAHAHA Make 'em cry Michael, make 'em cry. I suspect most of this crap isn't any better than the junk that can be found for less at WalTarkMart, maybe bigger boxes but probably less guts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLSamuel Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 ... P.S. Before someone mentions "false or misleading advertising" let me ask this: Does a Bose Wave Radio really "fill the room with rich clean sound like a big stereo system?" C'mon on now - beating these guys up? They are the future audio wire salesmen! Well, compared to a $39.99 boombox, the B*** W*** Radio probably sounds pretty good. Maybe the $39.99 boombox owner is the target customer? Probably not so good compared to a mediocre big stereo system. And not even in the same county compared to a good big stereo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 when you sleep with dogs, you shouldn't be surprised if you wake up with fleas This explains SOME of my issues... [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 The "sales pitch" I get is along these lines..... "We went to deliver these speakers from our warehouse, and they gave us too many speakers." "We thought we would sell them to you at a great discount cause we can't go back with them". I slow down, look a little puzzled and say what's your name.... So _____ <name>, so your saying someone you work with accidentally gave you more on your load up... (They usually jump in at this point yes.. and this is like a 5000 system too... retail, we can cut you a great deal..blah blah blah....) So I mention to them, did anyone teach you as a kid that this is... what your doing is... is stealing? What your doing is wrong and will probably cost if not you, someone else their job because your selling misplaced now stolen from the inventory merchandise? You're missing it altogether. These aren't thieves or delivery drivers at all. They're trained salesmen pretending to be thieves, who are selling fancy-looking junk at apparently great prices. You'll notice that the driver and helper usually have laminated flyers describing the merchandise, so you can see what a great value it is. Doesn't that seem odd? They have a number of brands of speakers, all poorly made of the cheapest possible components, often with brand names that look or sound similar to quality brands.It's a speaker marketing company that has no public location and no return or warranty issues, since the sucker customers think they bought from thieves and have received stolen property, something they'd never normally do, but "It was such a deal!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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