How to deal with stringers ?

So.... since I've been visiting this site I've had a few "stringers" as I call them that like to lie or not respond when requesting a follow up response via email, pm or phone calls.

Stringers are those guys who "desperately need a favor" or "OH, I have that part" and never reply which usually ends up wasting half a day on my end each time. You know, these are things like someone offering to pay me, or give me merchandise if I would only go and spend half a day looking at an old car for them locally and send them pictures via email only to have them flake on me and not follow through with their end of the bargain.

Some have offered me deals on hubcaps, carburetors, cash and misc other parts of all kinds that they either outright lied about or maybe they are just game players (If your reading this dirtballs you know who you are, I won't name names but you know what they say about karma).

From now on everything will be done on an up front basis. Fair trade is suppose to be fair but some folks on here take advantage of folks who have good intentions so beware of the jokers, they are out there...

They're called "SCAMMERS"

The inter-web is full of em.

They're called "SCAMMERS"

The inter-web is full of em.

With all due respect I have to disagree Joe.

I agree the inter-web is full of these types but when it comes to helping others in the vintage car/parts area I sure didn't think they would be so prevalent.

Scammers are the vermin that are out to con you out of either information or substantial funds, while stringers on the other hand are those that seem legit and even well respected and liked on this board but deep down they like to try and manipulate in order to run a person around town looking for parts all for nothing, stringing you along until they have the answers they were wanting.

My guess is these stringers are just looking for information in regards to parts or answers about the parts they have (monetary worth, rarity, etc...) so they can get an idea of what they can sell them for. Sure it would seem as if I'm gullible and have it coming to me for trying to help but some of these guys are well established here and have been around a lot longer than most of us.

As I said, from now on everything will be done up front. Keep in mind I love helping others find the answers and I realize some guys have to see the parts in photos before they are willing to know what to offer but these dirtballs are the ones who say things like "if you do this for me I'll send you a dash out of a yada yada ya..." then once they get pics I never hear from them again or they have every excuse in the book not to send the part to me that they promised as trade. Pretty low if you ask me...

30DodgePanel, you are exactly right, there are some real - uh - well, lets just say folks that purposely mislead and use others out there. My example from back in 2010 was a fellow that called and emailed multiple times about a car I had for sale that he wanted to make sure was "authentic" in his words. After many, many detailed pictures showing very plainly things that were undeniable and correct for the car I had offered, he suddenly dropped off the face of the earth it seemed.

A few months later, a lady called asking if I still had the car, but I had already sold it. She said a fellow she knew was building one out of a lesser model, but was making it exactly correct as he had been collecting info and pictures from "a friend" of his. Turned out to be the same creep that had been so desperate to "buy" mine and had been using my pictures and info to build a fake all along. I told her a rather uncomplimentary thing to say to him for me, and explained the whole story to her. She seemed quite upset that there were folks out there like that, and I was certainly upset at what he had done and was doing. I fired off another email to the address he had been using, but never heard back. Now, there really isn't a good way to have known this was going to be the outcome, but it sure made me a much more suspicious, questioning, careful guy when representing things I had for sale. Hope your luck gets better, and this was a one of a kind for me, not including the regular one time tire-kickers and promiser's that are out there always when people stuff for sale or wanted.

I've only run into one bad apple on these forums. We bought a parts car from a forum participant that aledgedly had a "clean" PA title. It was clean alright, the seller had used bleach to try to remove the previous owner's signature. Sadly that bad apple still posts on here from time to time offering cars for sale. Luckily for us we didn't need the title.

I've only run into one bad apple on these forums. We bought a parts car from a forum participant that aledgedly had a "clean" PA title. It was clean alright, the seller had used bleach to try to remove the previous owner's signature. Sadly that bad apple still posts on here from time to time offering cars for sale. Luckily for us we didn't need the title.

I agree Restorer32,

the great majority of guys on here are great to deal with but as John Byrd said, there are some bad apples out there. I'm just saying no more favors for anyone. If I don't get the money or parts up front before I do the leg work locally then I won't waste my time and gas going to take photos for whatever their motives are.

And for those pretenders out there that promise "oh I have that part for your restoration" - then months go by with no response even after reminding them several times only to be promised more BS.....

Buzz off, I don't need the parts that bad.

With all due respect I have to disagree Joe.

I agree the inter-web is full of these types but when it comes to helping others in the vintage car/parts area I sure didn't think they would be so prevalent.

Scammers are the vermin that are out to con you out of either information or substantial funds, while stringers on the other hand are those that seem legit and even well respected and liked on this board but deep down they like to try and manipulate in order to run a person around town looking for parts all for nothing, stringing you along until they have the answers they were wanting.

My guess is these stringers are just looking for information in regards to parts or answers about the parts they have (monetary worth, rarity, etc...) so they can get an idea of what they can sell them for. Sure it would seem as if I'm gullible and have it coming to me for trying to help but some of these guys are well established here and have been around a lot longer than most of us.

As I said, from now on everything will be done up front. Keep in mind I love helping others find the answers and I realize some guys have to see the parts in photos before they are willing to know what to offer but these dirtballs are the ones who say things like "if you do this for me I'll send you a dash out of a yada yada ya..." then once they get pics I never hear from them again or they have every excuse in the book not to send the part to me that they promised as trade. Pretty low if you ask me...

It sounds like you got burnt pretty bad. If that's the case just name them and move on. In my opinion these stringers you refer to represent a very, very small percentage of the people on this site. We can't let those few people spoil it for the majority of fine people.

Every barrel has a bad apple ! I'd rather concentrate on the good ones !

Wayne

Reminds me of something that happened to me several years ago (not on this Forum but a Chrysler one). I was looking for a drivers side inner front fender for a 46-48 Chrysler.

A supposed well established member of the Forum said he had one, sends me a pic and I send him a check for $100+.

I email him to find out if he got the check - he says yes and he will ship the part to me ASAP. We all know what the end result was - he got my money, I got nothing.

Now, I was on some other MOPAR Forums as well and this guy was on them, too. So I would send messages to people whom he responded to about having parts for them, trying to warn them about what happened to me. Guess what. I got thrown off of one Forum and the Moderator sent me a foul-mouthed email

informing me that "I was done" as a member. Funny thing but many other members jumped in trying to defend me but I was banned. Oh well! No great lose as far as I was concerned.

We all know the saying....."One bad apple"......

Joe

Reminds me of something that happened to me several years ago (not on this Forum but a Chrysler one). I was looking for a drivers side inner front fender for a 46-48 Chrysler.

A supposed well established member of the Forum said he had one, sends me a pic and I send him a check for $100+.

I email him to find out if he got the check - he says yes and he will ship the part to me ASAP. We all know what the end result was - he got my money, I got nothing.

Now, I was on some other MOPAR Forums as well and this guy was on them, too. So I would send messages to people whom he responded to about having parts for them, trying to warn them about what happened to me. Guess what. I got thrown off of one Forum and the Moderator sent me a foul-mouthed email

informing me that "I was done" as a member. Funny thing but many other members jumped in trying to defend me but I was banned. Oh well! No great lose as far as I was concerned.

We all know the saying....."One bad apple"......

Joe

Sorry to hear about that Joe, sounds like you handled it honorably.

If you don't receive a part from me I do whatever it takes to resolve the issue. I have a couple of really good contacts who have helped me on items that were either lost or damaged in the past, besides that, if you never receive an item from me I give refunds accordingly depending on the situation. I watch for scammers and you wouldn't believe the stuff they try and pull so I have to confirm the package is lost or damaged before I will refund, pictures and receipts don't lie. All my items are tracked and most medium to large items are insured so both parties are covered.

It sounds like you got burnt pretty bad. If that's the case just name them and move on.

I'm just warning others who may be thinking of doing someone else a "favor". I already said I wouldn't name names, I'm not a snitch, but I do believe in accountability. Calling them out by name is not holding someone accountable, it's trying to humiliate them and that is not my intention at all. They know who they are and that's the most important thing.

Here's proof:

Funny, since I posted this some have come forward with responses and finally decided to be accountable and follow through with our deal. Did they see this thread ? I don't know but if they did it's to bad it had to take a thread like this for them to respond...

I understand people are busy and we all have our personal life to deal with, all I'm saying is don't write a check your arse can't cash, if you don't intend to follow through with a simple deal then don't waste peoples time.

BS walks as the saying goes.... I just don't like being strung along regardless what the situation is. Just warning others on the board that they are out there. And yes, I realize they are a very small minority, most folks on here are very honorable.