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Interesting scam.. I think.

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by wedge40, Jun 21, 2008.

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  1. wedge40

    wedge40 Waiting build character

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    I was contact via private message about a dealership in CT that might be getting some Pri in sometime this week. I replied and told him I was from Indiana not [FONT=Courier New,Courier]Connecticut. But out of curiosity I ask what color and packages were they. He sent me an email to today with the colors and packages. "[/FONT]wedge40,

    1st car: SILVER package #1


    2nd car: Tan package #2

    asking price $28,990"


    I sent an email back saying I will not pay over invoice. I can go to Ford or Honda or who ever and get something else. I was going to ask if I at least get a kiss.:D
    Yes I would like a Prius, but like most major purchases you need to be willing to walk away if it's not to your liking.

    Wedge
    PS I did a search on this person ID and it doesn't show any messages post by them.
     
    #1 wedge40, Jun 21, 2008
  2. nick88

    nick88 New Member

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    Should forward the message to a mod so the person spamming can be banned. There's enough sharks out there in the water.
     
    #2 nick88, Jun 21, 2008
  3. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    Has anyone else gotten this PM? We've had some PM bots spewing spam in the past.

    Wedge, forward that PM to us and we'll look into it.
    copy this into the address field: Danny, Efusco, Tideland Prius, TonyPSchaefer

    Thanks.
     
    #3 TonyPSchaefer, Jun 21, 2008
  4. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
    Staff Member

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    Thanks, Wedge.
    Checking the Members log, it would appear that he has not made a single post. It wouldn't surprise me if he registered just to search for members in his area and send advertising PMs.
     
    #4 TonyPSchaefer, Jun 21, 2008
  5. BobA

    BobA New Member

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    Tony... are you back to selling names again?.... JUST KIDDING.. had to do that.. as I lurking <grin>
     
    #5 BobA, Jun 21, 2008
  6. wedge40

    wedge40 Waiting build character

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    Here's the fishy part. Not only is he not listed, but like I said, he is from Connecticut and I'm from Indiana, almost a 1000 miles apart.
    I just went to the website he has for an email and they are a legit business. Oh and they do have a Prius in inventory. Not the ones mentioned to me, but they do have one at MSRP. This just get weirder by the minute.

    He's still kind of hounding me.. But I find it humorous. Kind like when I use to get sales calls, I would sit and list to the whole speal and then say no thanks. Figured the longer I kept them on line the less other people they could bother. :D
    Wedge
     
    #6 wedge40, Jun 21, 2008
  7. lordbah

    lordbah Junior Member

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    I got the same PM. I'm in western New York state. Not as far away as Indiana, but I don't think of CT as 'close'. He wrote me before he even knew what package or color his incoming cars were. If he did have the car I am looking for, and it was a legitimate offer, I wouldn't have a problem with him sending a message.
     
    #7 lordbah, Jun 22, 2008
  8. N3FOL

    N3FOL Member

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    You should always ask for pics....:rolleyes:
     
    #8 N3FOL, Jun 22, 2008
  9. wedge40

    wedge40 Waiting build character

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    Pics? Anybody can take photos of a Prius.

    Wedge
     
    #9 wedge40, Jun 22, 2008
  10. Ct. Ken V

    Ct. Ken V Active Member

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    Hey, wedge & lordbah,

    Just out of curiosity, are you willing to give the name of the CT dealership (& their city/town) who sent you this e-mail? I'm just wonder'g if I've had any contact with them in the past. Thanks.

    Ken (in Bolton,Ct)
     
    #10 Ct. Ken V, Jun 22, 2008
  11. wedge40

    wedge40 Waiting build character

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    Ken I'd rather not say, cause they may not know anything about it.
    Like I said in one of my other messages, I can go to their website and look at the inventory. They show one prius available and it's not eve close to the "TWO" that the person offered me.

    Wedge

     
    #11 wedge40, Jun 22, 2008
  12. turboboy

    turboboy New Member

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    i got the same pm and responded by email. i was not surprised it was for prius over msrp. btw it was from the hoffman in ?hartford.
     
    #12 turboboy, Jun 22, 2008
  13. KayakerNC

    KayakerNC Member

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    You could go to the website, and the "contact us" page, which should give you the name and email address of the dealership's GM. Forward the suspected spam/scam and ask if this is legitimate.:car:
     
    #13 KayakerNC, Jun 22, 2008
  14. Ct. Ken V

    Ct. Ken V Active Member

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    turboboy,

    Thanks for letting me (& the rest of us) know the name of the dealership. Hoffman's (who has been undergoing reconstruction & who has not had much inventory probably due to no parking spaces because of their torn up lot) has been advertising for over a week that they have 55 Priuses ready for immediate sale & delivery. At the very end of the ad is when they tell you to "hurry on down before all the 2007's are all gone". I suspect they bought a bunch of ex-rental cars. I looked at the inventory the other day & they were all 2007's (except for one 2005) with anywhere from 12,000 to 36,000 miles (the 2005). They are asking between $26,000 and $33,000 for them. At those prices I don't think they're selling well in this area, hence the e-mails to people in other parts of the country.

    Ken (in Bolton,Ct)
     
    #14 Ct. Ken V, Jun 22, 2008
  15. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    I got an email from King Ubdala in Uganda ... he's been dethroned. He's using my bank acount to funnel $15,000,000.00 to his family. For such a favor, I get 15% ... what a great country.

    :p
     
    #15 hill, Jun 23, 2008
  16. freshmtt

    freshmtt Dachshund Addict

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    :pound::pound::pound:
     
    #16 freshmtt, Jun 23, 2008
  17. Admir

    Admir New Member

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    Hello there,
    I did not realize that some people would be so offended and spread negative rumor and report my PM as spam, just because I take my time to share some good news that we have 2 new Priuses available. It was my fault to PM "wedge40", I simply asked him if he lived in CT because we have a town named UNIONVILLE as well, but instead he developed a headline out of it. I just wanted to help some of you guys out, because from what I understand the waiting period for the prius is very long.
    Ps. Im sorry if I inconvenienced you in any way.
    -admir
     
    #17 Admir, Jun 23, 2008
  18. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    Admir,
    As I mentioned in the PM I sent you, we have dealerships and sale representatives who are active members here at PriusChat. We do not frown on that but we do ask that they first work with Danny the site owner and administrator to establish a relationship.

    In a grand over-representation of a potential scenario, let's imagine that a dealership in each state has registered at PriusChat. They would have at their fingertips a huge database of Prius owners and potential owners. Potentially, each dealership could send private messages to members identified as living in or near their state. These PMs could be updates on inventory status, new incentives, offers for trade-ins, or any of a myriad topics. Since it's likely that the PriusChat members would not have opted in for these PMs, they might liken them to the spam we all get via email. When members receive multiple dealership PMs every time they log in as well as the pop-ups as they load new screens, they will simply stop coming around. We merely want to avoid that.

    Once you have spoken with Danny, you will be free to start new threads in the Dealers and Pricing forum: Dealers & Pricing This is where potential Prius owners go to check in with registered dealerships.
     
    #18 TonyPSchaefer, Jun 23, 2008
  19. traugu

    traugu Rebel Tree Hugger

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    That is exactly what they did at Hoffman. I was working with someone from there for about 3 days, long enough to find out how they do business and then got my money back and went to a more reputable dealership. The Prius's that they have were owned by a rental car service (i.e. Hertz), and are the basic Prius. They are charging a crazy price for them too. I laugh every time I drive past the dealership and see them sitting in the very same parking space as the day/week before. They are a dealership that does business the way car dealerships did business back in the 60's and 70's. I have worked with many wonderful dealerships and found this one to be slimy. I actually had a deposit on a Prius from them but after dealing with them, decided to get the deposit back and wait another 1 1/2 months to buy one from a more decent dealership in MA. Buying a car is a big deal, lots of money, and I would rather spend it in a place where I am comfortable and treated well. [​IMG]
     
    #19 traugu, Jun 23, 2008
  20. Ct. Ken V

    Ct. Ken V Active Member

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    traugu,

    What town in Ct are you located in & is the Mass dealer by any chance Balise in W. Springfield (they've always treated me great)?

    Ken (in Bolton,Ct)
     
    #20 Ct. Ken V, Jun 23, 2008
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