So I just got taken by the "Wahldorf Home Theater" scam. (1 Viewer)

[CB750]

These scams only work because gullible folks like to think that they actually scored a great deal of getting a $2,000 system for $200. Criminals don't fence stolen goods this way, as they would easily be caught. Who in their right mind would think that a $2,000 speaker system accidentally ended up on a delivery van and driver is not accountable for the goods in his possession.

You also see an bit of drama in these purchases as you return the the days in America where most consumer products from cars, furniture and appliances were negotiated with lots of emotion and poker faces. Talking the seller down a few dollars is part of the deal and it's built into the scam.

 

[Giati]

im not sure if this has been answered allready or not yet but if u unscrew the black and the red pieces there should be a hole stick your speaker wire in and screw it back down tight and wala

 

[sunny204632]

Maybe u can contact the Customer service to get some help!!!!

 

[rheba324]

BTL99 It looks lokeI bought the same brand you did mines a tower I was wondering if you were ever able to hook your up - even worse for me I only got one speaker for 120.00 bucks they rushed me and said it was a wireless hometheater system asked 800.00 I said i couldnt even come close to that he said how much could you offer i said 100 he saidno at ;east 150 i saidno then the second guy said ill sell mine for 100 as i was getting my money out of my car the other guy ran over and opened my car itsv a hatchback he put it right in the car i never even got a close look at the box when i gave them the money theyhaggeled another 20 i gave him 10 more then felt bad and gave him the other 20 i am so pissed i hope i run into those bastards again ! i really do so now i have one worthlesss speaker aaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggghh

 

[safesinger]

Years ago I went to a job interview that was for managers.
And basically was the White Van scam they put out a Manager opening capable of making $$$$ a week.
When you get to this warehouse they have like 15 different applicants standing around while 10 guys are trying to sell you into driving around in a van selling these cheap ass crappy stereo equipment.
They load like 2-3 people per truck and show you the ropes on how to rope in victims to buy thier junk products I was young then and remember after seeing it I never went back it was terrible.
This place operated out of Tampa bay Florida.

 

[rickmar1905]

by a white van man nocking on my door, i was recently offered a "£2000" spring memory foam mattress for £200??? the springs were clearly visible so obviously not a foam matteress. he gave the same rubbish that he had come from wales to england to deliver some mattresses but had a couple left after making all his deliveries but his van was still jam packed and had obviously delivered nothing yet. it was labelled up with fake hire company stickers and his tax disc was not from wales either. me and my partner kept him talking for a while then asked him about what iv stated at wich point he closed up and drove away. at the end of the day, if it sounds to good to be true, it usually is.

 

[chuckg]

Well, I'd just stay away from white vans...

 

[shunli]

Recently I was anno[FONT= 宋体]y[/FONT]ce of [FONT= 宋体]it[/FONT] , thank you for this act and let me learn a lot, I want to take advantage of it

 

[BatJack]

Your post does helps more than most with the links. My Godson calls me all excited and asks me if it is legit. My response was stolen or broken but the $2000.00 MSRP stole his youthfull attention AND HE BOUGHT IT ANYWAY.............................

This was done Monday, Oct. 25th, 2010 in Madisonville, Kentucky, USA.

Sold through Alliance Distributors from the back of a GOLD Chevy Tahoe with Tennesse Lic. plate. We have plate #.

My name is Jack, I am a Hack, and if I can't get his $200.00 back I will figure out how to at least salvage them. Biggest threat is most people don't know speakers will catch fire if too much juice is applied.If you are not an Electronics Tech DO NOT MESS AROUND with them. They might make good car or van system for parties, as long as you don't tell people where you got them! LOL ;}

Will update later.....................................

 

[Mike Frezon]

Jack: Welcome to the HTF. I hope the info/members here are able to help you and your godson.

Originally Posted by BatJack

This was done Monday, Oct. 25th, 2010 in Madisonville, Kentucky, USA.

That's a week from now.

 

[dr1k1ng4su]

Originally Posted by SJBJDJ
My husband just bought 2 of them for $200 each. Same kind of van but this was in Georgia. The guys said the company they worked for accidentally put 3 extra of the WD-305HT systems in their van and when they got done with their installation of one that someone actually purchased, they wanted to get rid of the extra ones trying to make some money. They first said $900 for both but my husband said no. They took out the catalog and showed him that they retail for $1,999.00 each. When he came home to tell me this, I googled the name Wahldorf Home Theater Systems and found this model and their site seems legit? I'm not sure why everyone is calling this a scam since the product came in factory sealed boxes and came with all the items that is listed on the Wahldorf site. Perhaps they were stolen? I'm not sure. The guy did jot down his name and tel# on a receipt from a sound company that sells this kind of stuff. I tried to call the sound company on the receipt (not the guy) and then decided to hang up.

I used to work for this company. the whole we got loaded up with extra speakers is just a sales pitch. Every single thing in the van is actually for sale. The items are not stolen they are just bought for roughly $140 per set. So even if they get sold for 200 there is still a profit made. this makes it easy to sell because the box say a riduclous MSRP and you sell it as if it extra and you just want to make some cash so you dont care what you sell it for. But you should take in consideration who in the right mind would sell a home theater with a MSRP for 5,000 for 200? Your pretty much getting what you pay for unless you pay what they ask for right off the bat. If you can get them down too 200 then its like any other cheap brand you would buy at a store.

 

[ohm99]

Did you ever figure out how to hook them up? Do they actually work? We got took on the same thing!!

 

[jsims7178]

I guess i should know better than to buy something out of the back of a van but i too fell for the "wahldorf" scam. Out of curiosity do the speakers still work? Also i have four connectors at the back, how do i connect those to a TV

 

[gene c]

Most often the speakers still work, you just didn't get what you thought you were getting.

You can't connect speakers straight to a tv or display. You need a receiver to accept the signal (either from a cable or satillite box or the tv's audio output, if it has one) and amplify it.

 

[jsims7178]

how much would you guess a cheap costs?

 

[Mike Frezon]

John: Welcome to the HTF.

I moved your post to another thread on the same subject.

Good luck and welcome to the HT hobby! Listen to guys like Gene--and other members--and they will help you a lot.

 

[gene c]

Originally Posted by jsims7178
how much would you guess a cheap costs?

Depends on what you want. Stereo, surround sound, features, etc. Say $100-300. Feel lucky? Look for a good used one on craigslist. Make sure it works before you hand over the money.

 

[audiogod]

Actually Wahldorf is not a scam, it originally was a great german audio production company, what happens is is that companies just starting off want to make a great deal of money so they decide to start mass producing their products which in turn lowers the price so they can sell more units, yes your quality goes down from handmaking to machine making, but your revenue goes up. I have been in pro audio for 20 years and Ive heard and seen wahldorf before. Speakers that are a great buy are not almost the most expensive. Ask the sales people question whether they are in a white van or a store. Whats the sound impedance, airspace neede, RMS wattage, Whats the cone made of, whats the surround made of, whats its excursion rate, whats the magnet weight, is it a singel magnet, double stack magnet, or triple stack magnet? these are questions they SHOULD be able to answer, if not they should have paperwork and spec sheets showing these answers. If its a stack magnet dont buy it, the more magnets it has the crappier the speaker.

The white van technique is common no matter the goods being sold, A company, set up as a distributor is buying the product in massive bulk quantities whihc makes the amount they pay less, they in turn sell it straight to the consumer cutting out the middle man, why pay for a building, utilities, renters insurance, and all the other jargon with hiring employees, when you can sell the product out of the back of a vehicle, and pay your few employees commission only and give them a 1099 at the end of the year? Simple as pie.

Check out the speakers hook them up, check out their frequency range with an RTA (real time analyzer) if you have to, you can get something like this at radioshack for cheap like 10 bucks. If they sound great good buy, if they dont sorry man check out what you buy before you pay for it, if they wont let you check it out say no, their loss not yours.

Good speakers will either be made out of kevlar, aluminum, titanium, or rubber. Butyl surrounds should always be rubber the thicker the surround the better the speaker. Those two posts you see on the back are the best connection you can get for home audio. Its the best electrical connection you can get and they are gold plated which makes for a stronger rate of flow. Just keep your cables as short as possible from the speaker to your audio output device, sometimes you cant that is if you are running 5.1 or 7.1 Dolby surround, the farther you have to go with the cable the more interference the speakers are susceptible to and the less power they will receive, which calls for a bigger amplifier or receiver.

Any other quations?

If so hit me up I can help you with anything audio related.

 

I was just caught off guard today in a hurry to pick my son up from school and ran into these guys and they kept on until i caved in and bought. I too live in tenn and these guys were driving a gold tahoe with a commercial licsense plate. i did not get the number. i did get ine of their names it is eric ciccerelli. i did report them to the police and it would be a big help if i could get that licsense plate number from you. thx alot.

 

[mattCR]

Ignore anything else said to defend it. The practice of "selling out of a van" means you have no warranty, no receipts, no recourse in case of anything being wrong.. you're stuck.
More then that, several states have recognized this as a complete scam, so your initial interpretation is correct.

Right now, several states in the Southeast are aware of this scam, with these product names are investigating.

http://www.scamshield.com/Sighting.asp?country=none&state=Florida&article=1



http://www.ripoffreport.com/audio-electronic-retail-stores/wahldorf-home-theate/wahldorf-home-theater-alliance-8b38b.htm

DO NOT EVER BUY from some shady guy. Go somewhere where it can be setup, seen to operate, function.. where you have a credit card transaction or a reputable business you are dealing with. This is a scam. Sorry it happened to you. Many states are aware of this, and you filing a report with what information you have will help bring them to justice.