Pro 2096 for $200 to good to be true? It was!!!

[rqueen2229]

The old saying that if it is to good to be true it normally is. I was checking Craigs List here in Louisville last week and seen a listing "Radio Shack Pro 2096 Scanner with 3 Year walk In Warranty Cost $499 New, You won't be disappointed"

Well I immediately contacted the person, because he listed his email, and he still had it. He stated he had listed it only a couple of hours before I contacted him. So I drove to Seymour Indiana the next day and met him at the TA Truck Stop. It was raining when he arrived and he handed me the scanner through my truck window with the owners manual and receipt. I looked at the front of the scanner and seen the Pro 2096 on the face plate. I plugged the scanner in to my power inverter and it immediately went to the weather so I was satisfied that it was operational and paid him the money.

I got home and went to program the scanner with scancat and kept getting a error message stating that "Incorrect Model". I must have attempted this for 2 hours and the results were the same. I prepared to take the scanner back to radio shack and noticed the serial number on the receipt did not match the one on the scanner. After further looking the small black identification sticker on the back of the scanner stated the scanner was a Pro 2055. That immediately explained why I could not program the scanner. Apparently the front face plate on the scanner had been replaced with a Pro 2096 face plate. Needless to say I was certainly taken. As you may expect after contacting the guy I got the usual F**k Off and such so I flushed $200.

I am only posting this so if anyone is buying a used scanner make sure you check the tag on the back of the scanner as well. The 2055 & the 2096 are exactly alike.

I guess I could list this bums name on here so that if any of you live around Seymour you can beware of any dealings with this clown, but I won't publicly list his name. You can email me and I will tell you.

[Forts]

That really, really sucks. What a scumbag.

[tommyscan]

I wouldnt protect his name!! Its mud as far as decent people are concerned. Even though its buyer be ware,its still unethical to do that and he should be publically humiliated as far as I am concerned!!! Sorry for your loss. I dont have a 2096 but know the value of having a good performing digital scanner. If you can save up I would buy the pro 197 the base version of the pro106. You wont be sorry!!!!!

[alphabravo1]

May not do much good, but file a complaint with the Jackson County Indiana Prosecutors office. They may know him... or he could be on probation or something.

You should be able to file a police report over the phone as well, again, may not help, but worth a shot.

[Smerri]

I say put the guys name down. You never know, someone else may go to purchase from him, give his name a quick search in the search engine and this could pop up and trace back to him, preventing him from ripping off any others.

[country2]

I'd contact his local police dept and see if there is anything you/they can do...if you can show proof of this transaction might be something that can be done.

I had a run in few years back (me and 6 other people) on ebay I used the guys email address and google to get his real name and address and contacted his police dept and they paid him a visit and we all got our money back.

[MPSCS]

You have his email address, he can be found.

[DonS]

Originally Posted by country2

I'd contact his local police dept and see if there is anything you/they can do...if you can show proof of this transaction might be something that can be done.

Unfortunately, it sounds like a "he said / he said" situation. The seller could very easily claim that the buyer physically examined the unit, plugged it in, powered it on, and was satisfied with what he saw. He could also claim that the rear panel model and serial number matched the front panel and receipt at the time of the transaction (essentially, accusing the buyer of fraud).

Without a search of the seller's premises to find the "real" 2096 chassis (i.e. the one whose serial number matches the receipt), it would seem to be very difficult to prove that a fraud took place.

[wcu02mpa]

Do NOT let this guy off. I am a former full time cop and let me tell you how to proceed with this. This is clear cut case of fraud. Print off all emails, take photos of unit assembled and then where it show that it is a Pro-2055 (Build a master file so that it progresses into a timeline as well as a technical portfolio) . Try to call the guy one more time (but record it). Contact the agencies in both your jurisdiction and his as well. I would travel to his jurisdiction and file a formal complaint with the Law Enforcement agency that his residence is in. Either they or you will file a formal charge with the magistrate. Each state is different so it all depends on where he is. This can go forward but you need to make it happen.

The detective will be know you mean business when he sees the master file. Send me a PM if you need any further on building this file.

Mike

[Caesar]

sorry for the loss guy, i wouldn't pay more than 200$ for a Pro-2096, to get a Pro-2055 for that price is truly a bad deal...

[mandlair]

Originally Posted by wcu02mpa

Do NOT let this guy off. I am a former full time cop and let me tell you how to proceed with this. This is clear cut case of fraud. Print off all emails, take photos of unit assembled and then where it show that it is a Pro-2055 (Build a master file so that it progresses into a timeline as well as a technical portfolio) . Try to call the guy one more time (but record it). Contact the agencies in both your jurisdiction and his as well. I would travel to his jurisdiction and file a formal complaint with the Law Enforcement agency that his residence is in. Either they or you will file a formal charge with the magistrate. Each state is different so it all depends on where he is. This can go forward but you need to make it happen.

The detective will be know you mean business when he sees the master file. Send me a PM if you need any further on building this file.

Mike

I think you have to tell the person they are being recorded though,dont you?Mike

[Viper43]

Only one of the parties needs to know they are being recorded. Deffinately do not let this guy off! He knew what he was doing and he needs to be put out of business. Also, notify Craigs list of the fraud as well.

V

[zzdiesel]

Does Craig's List have a complaint/fraud link of any kind?

[bobgolf]

can you get his address from the ad? id make him put that $200 dollars back into his house after i broke a couple of his windows. thats the least i would do...

[wcu02mpa]

As far as recordings go it depends on the state. In North Carolina the answer is: Only one side need be aware. In NC I can record you and not tell you (both in person and electronic) and it is admissible in court. In other states like New York....both sides must be aware they are being recorded for admissibility. Now here is where it gets tricky and out of my expertise; recording interstate conversations. In one state where "one sided" and other state where "two sided".....Someone else may have better knowledge here.

Mike

[mandlair]

Originally Posted by wcu02mpa

As far as recordings go it depends on the state. In North Carolina the answer is: Only one side need be aware. In NC I can record you and not tell you (both in person and electronic) and it is admissible in court. In other states like New York....both sides must be aware they are being recorded for admissibility. Now here is where it gets tricky and out of my expertise; recording interstate conversations. In one state where "one sided" and other state where "two sided".....Someone else may have better knowledge here.

Mike

That is where I must have heard it,I'm from L.I. New York originally.Mike

[hoser147]

If it was his idea to meet at the truck stop, he may have covered his tracks well, and used a public computer to do his dirty work. Hopefully you have his real name or info about him. I agree dont let this Scum get off. Best of Luck Hoser

[DonS]

Originally Posted by hoser147

If it was his idea to meet at the truck stop, he may have covered his tracks well

Unfortunately, he also has that in his favor. According to the initial post in this thread, the seller met with the potential buyer and handed him the scanner, the owner's manual, and the receipt for inspection. He also allowed the potential buyer to plug the scanner into a power supply, turn it on, and satisfy himself that it was operational:

Originally Posted by rqueen2229

So I drove to Seymour Indiana the next day and met him at the TA Truck Stop. It was raining when he arrived and he handed me the scanner through my truck window with the owners manual and receipt. I looked at the front of the scanner and seen the Pro 2096 on the face plate. I plugged the scanner in to my power inverter and it immediately went to the weather so I was satisfied that it was operational and paid him the money.

To me, it seems that the buyer might have a pretty difficult time demonstrating "fraud" given all of the opportunities to inspect the merchandise.

(I'm not saying no fraud occurred - just that the buyer might be hard-pressed to prove it based on his statements here, especially given the rather significant differences between the PRO-2096 and PRO-2055 weather displays.)

[SquierStrat]

so how is the 2055 workin for ya?