The White Van Man had commeth (merged thread) (1 Viewer)

[Neil Joseph]

I merged these two threads that deal with the white van into this thread.

 

[John*K]

I'm glad you weren't going to sit by and watch someone get hosed.

Thanks, Chris S.

 

[McPaul]

perhaps this is merely the sniper's side business?

 

[Darren Davis]

White Van guys. I had my first encounter with the White Van guys (actually it was a light gray/blue Kia Sonada) this Thursday. I was travelling down a busy road with my windows down and I passed the van and the guy in the passenger seat yells, "Hey, dude!" at me. I look back and I see the van racing up towards my car (we're both travelling at about 45-50 mph still) and he tries selling me speakers from a moving van! I yell, "No!" many times, trying to rebut his constant sales pitch. Well, the van dropped back and I thought it was done for. I needed to get into the left lane (the lane the van was still in) because my turn was coming up. Well, I put on my turn signal, look behind me, and start to change lanes when all of a sudden I hear an engine revving up. I quickly check behind me and it's the van speeding up and honking. The bastards nearly hit me and I had to jerk my car back into my original lane. The passenger then tried to sell me the speakers again. I told them, "No!" and then dropped my speed and got behind them. It turns out they were turning down the same road I was so I had to follow behind them a bit.

 

[Matt Jesty]

IMAGINE, they have a website now!
direct to you to avoid those ridiculous dealer mark-ups !
The manufacturing of these high quality speakers are done in china so you are assured of a great price!
You don't need to hear them just look at all these reviews by people you don't know!
Sound better that the B&W's that cost 3 times as much!

 

[Matt Jesty]

The silence is deafening.......
(wispers to self "go away thread, go away")

 

[Mike Veroukis]

I never, ever thought it would happen to me! I read about it here and in Home Theater Magazine. I was refueling at a Mobile oasis on I-294, just outside of O'Hare airport when a white mini-van appeared out of no-where. "Hey, do you want a home theater" What? "Do you want a home theater, you know, surround sound." Nah, I already have one. "Get another one". No. And off he drove. When I was leaving I saw the van by the semi-trucks looking for their prey.

What is it with those white van guys?!? Either they're selling crappy speakers or shooting people with sniper riffles! Either way they're bad news! STAY AWAY!

- Mike

 

[Matt Jesty]

I heard all those "White van" speakers are sitting on a dock
in california and the company is trying to calm the people at gas stations who have "pre-ordered" from the guys in the van!

 

[Matt Jesty]

Please excuse the double post ,but I thought that was kinda funny........*sniff..."nobody thinks I'm funny"..*SNIFF**, SKULKS away....

 

[Dave Poehlman]

Yaknow, I've been approached twice here in the greater Milwaukee area over the past few years. I must have that gullible look to me.

The first time they shouted their sales pitch at me as I was driving down the road! I just said "no thanks" and drove off.

The second time they approached me in my Home Depot parking lot as I was loading MDF for a future DIY subwoofer into my trunk (I thought there was a bit of irony there) I said, "no thanks, I like to build my own" The guy in the passenger seat looked at me like I was a freak and said "you make your own!?!?" and the driver peeled away and probably said, "don't talk to those DIY'ers..."

I'm debating what to do next time... should I just brush them off? Should I try to sell them some of my speakers? Should I play the audio geek and get their heads spinning with all sorts of technical questions (the longer I detain them, the less time they have to go and prey on someone else)?

 

[Matt Jesty]

Dave, you just gave me a great idea....I bet I could use up a whole afternoon of their time making 'em believe I was gonna buy....

 

[Robert_Gaither]

I'd like to meet them so I can bridge my Altec 9444A/SA (600w at 8 ohms) and set my pre-amp (a Technics SH-AC500D) to center large, no sub, and all others small and hook one of these babies up to the center pre-out and play a few test tones from my Stryke audio freq sweep CD and watch it melt . It would serve them right.

 

[Charles J P]

I think some people are just more trusting than others. They want to believe in people, think positive.

I dont buy this. To me if someone says "These are stolen" or "the warehouse gave us an extra pair" or "we need to unload these before our boss finds out" and you bite, then the fact that you got taken with a shitty pair of speakers is just instand karma.

 

[Mark LS]

IMAGINE, they have a website now!
direct to you to avoid those ridiculous dealer mark-ups !
The manufacturing of these high quality speakers are done in china so you are assured of a great price!
You don't need to hear them just look at all these reviews by people you don't know!
Sound better that the B&W's that cost 3 times as much!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++
Well... here's an interesting flash... those "reviews by people that you don't even know" might be a whole lot more valuable than selling whatever is spiffed this week in your store... I know the game... I played for 13 years... and I know how "it works" Matt... Most of those folks have done HUGE homework (maybe at your B+M establishment) before inviting our speakers into their home... (interesting thought, huh?)
I hereby issue YOU the following challenge... If you will share with all of us what store you work for (maybe Bryn Mar)... I'll fly out with my "Chinese Speakers" (and other veiled references you've made to them) and we can listen together to anything you have in our price class... the ONE caveat... you'll have to report the truth in what you've heard (if you can)...
I've taken the liberty of copying over a post you made on another thread to make my point clear...
I can't wait to hear from you...
See below...
How much more cansolidation can there be?
Can retailers actually shave the after tax profits of @3% even more?
Can the internet buis. model survive without retail"listening stations"?
If it can will we all wind up with e-marketed, chinese ,white-van-internet-site schlock?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
For the record Matt... I take personal umbrage to this post... You are sadly misinformed and ill-educated about the benefits of manufacturing in China... not just for my business... but for many others...
I reference the following facts for you and anyone else that cares to read about them...
a. THIS business does not have ONE single outlet anywhere in North America... You will NEVER be my listening station...
b. see this series of articles JUST PUBLISHED by the Los Angeles Times... www.latimes.com/china
You will have to register Matt... but I suggest you take a moment and read (and maybe even learn) about what is really taking place in China...
I was a retailer for a number of years (13 to be exact)... and I do NOT see this business as the end of everything B+M... In fact... as we do not sell receivers etc. we are contributing mightily to YOUR stock and trade...
My further suggestion is that you look yourself and your business squarely in the eye and decide how to compete with the likes of av123 and others that will surely come...
For the record... I'd LOVE to learn what B+M establishment you work for... I would personally bring my "Chinese speakers" out to YOUR place of business and we can listen together... This would be an invaluable lesson for you.
Of course we have the advantage of no dealer markup... but we have an even more important advantage... Our products are WONDERFUL... and the marketplace is talking (and listening)...
Get a clue Matt... your arguements hold water IF you provide a service you can legitimately charge for... ONLY then should someone step up and shop with your establishment... Brave new world my man... better get ready...
Wishing you all the very best...
A pissed off...
mls
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mark L. Schifter
President and Founder
Perpetual Technologies / www.av123.com

 

[IraSWeiss]

My new next door neighbor just bought a pair of Dahlton KV2500TI speakers from a truck that supposedly was an overstock. Anyone ever hear of this brand? And just to think I was going to go shopping with him for some equipment.

 

[Matt Lopp]

I had almost the exact same situation as Chris Carswell.

My younger bro called me all excited about the deal he got on $2000 speakers from a white van. He doesn't have a lot of cash, so he could only afford $200, but they took it. They even followed him to an ATM so he could get the cash. He was really happy that he lucked into such a deal.

I researched the speakers and told him he was scammed. Immediately after telling him, I felt terrible that I burst his bubble. If it wasn't for me, he would have blissfully been happy that he got great speakers he otherwise could never have afforded.

Did he deserve to get scammed because he ignorantly bought misrepresented "overstock" sold using predatory sales techniques? You decide.

Should society allow the white van salesmen to continue their scams? Hardly.

Eh. It pisses me off because I hate seeing my little bro scammed.

 

[Charles J P]

Wow, I'm not sure what happened here, what with all the thread merging. I dont think anyone was making fun of direct-order speaker manufacturers, but rather the fact that the white van guys have a website. I'm no sure if there was a big misunderstanding or what. I really dont think anyone is making fun of the products sold at AV123.com I'm really confused.

 

[Josh Matthews]

It's apparently a very elaborate scam. I was approached once back in college (8? years ago). The guys drove right up to me and asked me if I wanted to buy some speakers for a good deal. I can't remember what the story was about them, I think he said he was just the delivery guy and they accidentally gave him two sets or something like that. I asked him how much and he said they were worth $1000 and why don't I make him an offer. I offered him $75.00, not because I was being clever, but because I wanted him to go away and I was in college and $75.00 was really all I could get. He tried to haggle the price up and asked me if I knew anyone else who would want them. He also suggested getting a friend to go in on them with me. When I indicated that I was, in fact, a college student, and the aforementioned $75.00 already contemplated several contributions from my buddies, he drove away.

I would occasionally see the white van lurking after that. About a year later, one of my friends (the one who had money - I think we all knew that guy in college) bought the speakers. They gave him a catalog which showed them as "top of the line." He actually called some number which was on the catalog and asked what the top model was without revealing the "deal" he got and they confirmed what the van guys told him. I never had the heart to tell him.

 

[Matt Jesty]

chinese ,white-van-internet-site schlock?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +
Mark, I'M truely sorry ,I was refering to the "DOGGDIGITAL.COM" SITE AND THE WHITE VAN SPEAKERS THEY "MARKET", NOT quality products sold buy anyone else...
This is what the thread is about....
If you think that any of that is directed at you, I apologize for not being more carefull in the scope of my responses.....

 

[Charles J P]

Did he deserve to get scammed because he ignorantly bought misrepresented "overstock" sold using predatory sales techniques? You decide.

Which, you will notice is not what I said in my post. I was referring only to people who buy thinking that they are getting a great deal on a stolen product or because the installers are "ripping off" their boss by only installing 4 pair of speakers in the club and selling the 5th pair to some "lucky" guy. The stories vary, but I have heard too many stories that involve the speakers being obtained in a shady manner. If you buy them anyway, then like I said... instant karma.