Trying to do a Favor,but Left holding the Bag........

[W2TI]

We've all done it ...held something for someone that wanted something you had for sale,but could not pay till the next week or end of the month.So you do the Favor,others have done it for me too.No problem Hams helping Hams right??
I was trying to sell or trade Two Icom 718's here on qth. Im trading the second one to a ham in Ohio and thought I sold the first one to another ham.Am I mad No...Dissapointed well yes.I guess it is a sign of the times..........After almost a week I get this late email......




The response is from:

Name: Jerry Sparks
Callsign: KJ4FY
E-mail: jxxxx@netzero.net

The response is:

Mike I'll take the rig and I can get you a USPS money order in the mail next Thursday.If that is agreeable with you then let me know.Are you good in QRZ look up for your address.Thanks Jerry In
Reidsville NC 27320 73 Mike From KJ4FY

On 1/23/2012 10:37 PM, jws84@netzero.com wrote:
> Mike I regret to inform you that I will not be able to purchase the IC-718 from you unless you send the rig out to me first.The reason being when I looked up your call on N4MC's VANITY HQ
> web site the call W2TI jumps back and fourth between the names Malcolm E Mayercik and Michael P Bellow.If you want to send the rig to me then I'll be glad to get you a money order out to you when the rig arrives.If not then I'm out of this deal.I hope there is no hard feelings but I have been burnt in the past and I'm just trying to play it as safe as I can.If you do not want to do this then I understand and no hard feelings. Best Wishes Jerry KJ4FY

[NJ1K]

That's about the lamest excuse I have ever heard on here, ha..

[KE3W]

I just jumped over th N4MC and your name really does change a few times - why is that?

[NM7L]

The N4MC Callsign Lookup data for a particular call includes ALL historical information regarding that call (at least post-1991; sometimes as far back as 1981). The only data point of that information that is valid is the one where the call is marked as "ACTIVE".

If there is any doubt as to the identification of a particular callsign holder the FCC database is the de-facto standard.

[KE3W]

I hear ya NM7L. But ya got to admit - with all the "scamming" going on these days (hijacked callsign, etc.) - it does get a little scary. If I only checked N4MC and saw two different names for the same quarter - I would get a little concerned. I went over to FCC and it only showed W2TI's name, etc. which made me feel better. Maybe W2TI can explain and point to FCC for the real verification? Anyway, thanks for the education on N4MC.

73

[NY7Q]

Well, all ya gotta do is go to the fcc site and it will give you the truth always.
The site in question is a great place to look up calls, but some folks just don't get it about the historical data......shame shame

[KE3W]

Just for the record NY7Q - I do undertand "historical" data but the two names were for the exact same time period - twice - above each other. That to me had nothing to do with "historical data" - just two people using the same callsign. We all realize that callsign's can be used by more then one person as they do get recycled over the years. My Dad's callsign is now being used by another person - but you can see the break over many years. The callsign we are talking about right now are for the exact same quarter twice - not over years.

[kk9a]

You should research a seller before you agree to make the purchase! I personally see no red flags with W2TI and this is just a lame excuse.

[W3WN]

You can also look at AE7Q's http://www.AE7Q.com site for historical data, all of which has been downloaded from the FCC.

Specifically looking up W2TI (see http://www.ae7q.com/data/CallHistory.php?CALL=W2TI ) you'll see that Mr. Mayercik was the official licensee from at least 1986 through 2008, and Mr. Bellow obtained the call in 2010. (You'll also be able to see who else applied for the W2TI call). There is or was no "jumping back", it's pretty straight forward.

Now I don't know the individuals in this incompleted transaction, and in no way do I want to sound like I'm casting aspersions on anyone. My first impression, though, is that the buyer for reasons unknown could not or would not compelte the transaction & was looking for a way out.

I've been in this situation before. I was once asked by a friend to "hold" some equipment for him, he'd pick it up and pay me in cash at a local hamfest a week or so hence. Day of the hamfest, he bought someone else's gear instead, and had a lot of excuses why he didn't stop by and at least tell me. No hard feelings; I just never dealt with him again except on a cash-in-hand basis.

So, best thing to do going forward, IMHO, is simply not offer to "hold" an item for someone who may be a tire kicker or have other deals pending. If they are serious, they can give you a deposit... make it refundable if they don't complete the transaction by a certain point in time. But again, why go through the hassles? First comes with the cash, first served, no problems.

[KJ4FY]

Buyers Beware This is a response to Mike(W2TI) on your post here
I guess as a buyer you do not have any rights anymore.If you see what you think is a red flag you are blindly supposed to follow through with the purchase anyway.Well,at least that way (right or wrong) you won't get bashed on a forum even if you did tell the seller to send the radio out and when you received it you would send him the money order.I guess it must be a law somewhere where the buyer must send the money first even if he sees red flags.Well I'm not buying that law either unless you send it to me ratified and not by Mike
(W2TI ) And other Hams who think Buyers don't have any rights.
KJ4FY

[kk9a]

Buyers Beware This is a response to Mike(W2TI) on your post here
I guess as a buyer you do not have any rights anymore.If you see what you think is a red flag you are blindly supposed to follow through with the purchase anyway. KJ4FY

W2TI has a positive feedback history. If a negative report occurred since your agreement I could understand your position, but that did not occur. In my search I found nothing unusual or negative about W2TI and he is someone I would certainly buy from. Nothing changed regarding W2TI's status from the time you agreed to purchase the item and the time you cancelled. It is customary for the buyer to pay before the item is shipped and W2TI was nice enough to wait for you to obtain the funds. After you agreed to this you are now trying to change the terms and expect him to ship the item and you'll pay for it later. I doubt he will do this but perhaps he will agree to your original terms if you made a mistake looking at the data on vanityhq.com and really wish to purchase the Icom radio.

[k4kk]

Buyers Beware This is a response to Mike(W2TI) on your post here
I guess as a buyer you do not have any rights anymore.If you see what you think is a red flag you are blindly supposed to follow through with the purchase anyway.Well,at least that way (right or wrong) you won't get bashed on a forum even if you did tell the seller to send the radio out and when you received it you would send him the money order.I guess it must be a law somewhere where the buyer must send the money first even if he sees red flags.Well I'm not buying that law either unless you send it to me ratified and not by Mike
(W2TI ) And other Hams who think Buyers don't have any rights.
KJ4FY

Buyers have rights. So do sellers. Try to buy anything online and have it shipped to you before paying. It won't happen.

If you bothered to actually look at the vanity callsign page, you would see clearly that Mike is indicated as "ACTIVE" for W2TI. That doesn't mean he is perfect but it does mean that you raised a red flag that doesn't exist. If you were looking for a way to gracefully change your mind it would be better to say, "I changed my mind." Challenging his honesty is NOT the right choice. That is particularly true when the only thing you have to question is based on your inability to understand a website.