Tampa Florida is now home to the White Van scam pushing crap electronics, most notably the Olin Ross brand. Ridiculously, this company is operating under the popular scam name: "Alliance Distributors, Inc." and you can see their Tampa Florida address and phone number above. I will detail the scam below, give you methods of recourse, and describe these dirty Con Artists.
1.) You can get your money back. So do it.
The unfortunate thing is, that if you're reading this you've likely already been scammed by these Cons pushing Olin Ross speakers, or some other crap. Hopefully, they wrote you a receipt. If not, recourse may be a little more tricky. Here is how you get your money back:
A.) Call their phone number (listed above) and leave a message describing your intentions for a refund (they will not answer the phone). Have the receipt and the equipment with you. Repackage the equipment if you opened and inspected it. Make sure all the components are there.
B.) Go to their location (listed above) and be there a little before 8 AM EST. The grunts arrive around then, and the boss follows shortly. The boss drives a Lincoln Aviator (SUV), champagne colored, and is prone to wearing dark sunglasses. He is late 20's, early 30's, relatively short, with dark hair.
C.) They will ask you how much you paid for it, who pitched you (the one doing the talking during the sale), and why you're returning it. Simply say, "This is not what I was expecting. I want a full refund, please." You will be mad, and angry, but it is important to be courteous, at least until you get your money back.
D.) There is a good chance they will say that they "do not have the cash on them, can you come back tomorrow?" They probably do this hoping you will give up, and not return. Either way, if this happens, get the Boss's cell phone number, and call it while you're standing right there to make sure it works. Have him copy your receipt, and mark on the receipt "refund required, tomorrow". Show up the next morning, same time, same plan, and get your money back.
E.) You'll get your money back. It might take two trips, but you'll get your money back. If you're nervous, or apprehensive about confronting these Con artists at Alliance Distributors in Tampa Florida, bring someone with you.
2.) How does the scam work?
A.) They are part of a shady merchandising distribution cartel that receives overstocked / over manufactured equipment from overseas, like China, at dirt cheap prices. Their scamming business comes fully equipped with professionally printed brochures, and full color printed packaging that lists MSRPs of outrageously high prices, like $1,899.99, or $2,999.99. They buy this junk in bulk, and get it for dirt cheap.
B.) The boss hires a bunch of con-prone, and morally indifferent people, who have likely fallen on hard times, or looking for easy money, to help run the scam for him. These are the grunts that stock the equipment in the white vans, and roam around different parts of town, casing people, and "closing deals".
C.) Since they are commission based con-grunts, the white van scammers at Alliance Distributors in Tampa Florida are likely in charge of fabricating their own pitches, and scam techniques to boost their sales. But, undoubtedly, they go through a training process, from the Boss, that teaches them "standard operating conning practices". This includes things like 1.) how to start the pitch, and create a impulsively believable situation, 2.) how to substantiate your claims, by using brochures, and quick-talking jargon, 3.) how to let the buyer name a price, 4.) how to protect the company by writing fraudulent receipts, 5.) and of course, how to spot potential targets, and most likely a whole gamut of other, sophisticated con moves.
C. 1) The pitches all have common lies: Equipment Lies: these speakers are wireless, they are bluetooth wireless, the center channel is a receiver, you can hook it up with red and white wires (RCA), or HDMI, or to other popular consoles / TV Receivers, they are made of real redwood, the list goes on. None of it is true. Deal and Source Lies: They will most certainly lie about how and why they are getting rid of the equipment, like: we over ordered and are trying to get rid of them, our boss said we could sell them for a cash bonus, the person who ordered them canceled their order, a certain portion of the sale amount if for them, and will not go on the receipt, etc... Quality and Price Lies: They will say these systems are worth thousands, and show you brochures, they will say they are top tier brands with certain technologies like bluetooth wireless transmitters, they will claim they are made of hardwood, or redwood, etc...
D.) Given such a high, and demonstrable MSRP, and letting the customer (read: victim) name his price, they are likely to get hundreds of dollars over the real market value of this equipment. They are then instructed to come up with some "off-setting" story that changes the amount they're going to write on the receipt. Like, "hey, I gotta put something on this receipt, I get to keep the rest as a cash bonus, so I'm just gonna put like, $99 bucks on here. Is that cool?" The customer, likely seduced by the deal, and the charisma of the Con artist, will let this important game-changer slip right by.
E.) Changing the receipt value allows them to make money even when the merchandise is returned! Plus, they count on the fact that a large percentage of people will just take it, and not return the shoddy, heavily over priced, and sold through deception, speakers / electronic equipment. Many do not have the courage to confront these con artists. But you should.
F.) There is a certain genius to their scam that helps them get away with it. After the scam you have a product, that functions, and a receipt, that you signed (most likely) that says "I paid this for this product". So, on the surface it appears legit. But, it is not legit. It is a crime called Theft by Deception. The grunts could look at jail time, fines, and long probation sentences. The boss's could go down for multiple counts of grand theft by deception.
3.) Besides getting my money back, what can I do?
That's a great question. When you're getting your money back, take notes on everything! Address, people's names, types of brands they're selling, number of people in the operation, plate numbers - as much as you can! Write negative reviews on google, yahoo, or any other private forum. Write up reports such as this, contact your local news stations, and most importantly, contact the police, talk to the detectives, and get tails on these people. They may not think so, but they are committing crimes, and can be arrested and indicted for them.
If anyone from Alliance Distributors, Inc, in Tampa Florida is reading this, and they're nervous about their Olin Ross White Van Speaker scam business, hear this: You were seduced by a Con artist, because you are a Con artist. You have surrounded yourself by other Con artists and it is only a matter of time before you get conned - bad. It will happen.
CONCLUSION
Don't let them win. You have the power to get retribution. Use it.
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