BEWARE!!! John Pringle VE7BBG many fake call signs VE7 VE8 even VK!!

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As of Dec 9, 2013: ONLY BUYERS AND SELLERS directly involved with a transaction can post here. Do not post replies in any topic if you are not the buyer or seller in the transaction being discussed! If you believe you can help the buyer or seller, please use the Private Message system to communicate with them. NOTE: if you have been scammed by someone pretending to be a ham, please post in the Scammer Reports forum instead. See viewtopic.php?f=2&t=136 for additional rules.
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VE7CY
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:33 pm

BEWARE!!! John Pringle VE7BBG many fake call signs VE7 VE8 even VK!!

Post by VE7CY »

After many buy and sell deals over the 51 years I have been licensed, this was the first time that I got screwed.
I have just posted the entire text exchange on a FB Group that is private and requires that you join the group.
I will repost it here now.
Basically on December 28th 2020 I purchased a Kenwood SM-230 Station Monitor.
I made an eTransfer of $375 Canadian dollars...... about $280 USD
He promised to ship the following day
He did not.
He promised a tracking number.
He did not.
He promised double packing.
He did not.
He promised that it had an original manual.
He did not.
He assured me that it worked perfectly.
It did not.
He lied multiple times with multiple BS excuses.
Unfortunately, I did not do any due diligence prior to sending the money.
He vanished from FB and Messenger.
I did some detective work and got his cell phone number.
The Messenger and iMessage text exchanges are attached.
He is listed here on QTH.com as using several call signs.
VE7JZ etc etc and ALL are bogus.
Search this forum for other older reports with call signs etc.
His call is VE7BBG real name JOHN PRINGLE
He lives on Vancouver Island, BC Canada.
His phone number is at the top of the text exchange videos attached.
He is an equal opportunity scumbag ........ he has screwed US and Canadian hams.
BEWARE!!!
This site will not accept a video file .mov or .MP4 so I will just post the iMessage ending to the transaction.
And YES, after this exchange, I actually not only got my money back but he refused to provide a return address for me to return the 30 day late, defective SM-230!!
I have since repaired it.
Go figure!!!
The thought crossed my mind to offer the scope at no charge to the person who was ripped off the most by him either USA or Canada.
73
Ray VE7CY Vancouver BC Canada
----------------------------------------------
If you want to see the initial Messenger text exchange go to FB Group named
"BC HAM RADIO SWAP AND SHOP" and look under DISCUSSION dated 2/3/2021
You will need to join the group for access.
Alternatively, email me and I will send the 2 video files to you.
----------------------------------------------
To those of you who have been screwed by John Pringle or any of the other names he uses....here is my story.
On December 28th 2020, I made an offer on a Kenwood Station Monitor......here are the FB Messenger text exchanges and also a cell iMessage exchange from this past week.
I am sharing this to expose this scumbag and to prevent others from getting screwed going forward.
Below is the END of the saga....
View the 2 videos attached first.
I found out his cell # and texted him.
Here is the conversation cut and paste.
First play the two videos that started on FB Messenger.
Then he vanished from FB.
His Canadian cell # is 1-250-268-7880
He lied on several levels.
Different excuses over the period as to why he had not shipped.
Family Covid illness and then a logging friend was killed.
The initial posting had pictures, front and back of the scope.
He says that his "first" shipment to me was "lost" by Canada Post. And he had to drive 280km to "buy" another scope.
Amazing how the "second" scope had the SAME serial number as the initial posting!!
Really?
Not only is he scum but he is a very bad liar.
He said he would ship the following day..... he did NOT...
Had I not found out his cell number, he would never have shipped.....and I would have been out $390.
73 to all.
Ray VE7CY
Read this one last... watch the 2 videos first.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
A full 3 weeks after payment and zero communication from him.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is the text exchange.
John, when can I expect the tracking number and the SM230 scope???
Everyone you sold to is talking about this issue. Well??
Unlike others I did not go on line with a rant.
I cannot afford to lose $390. Please do the right thing.
Either ship or refund the money.
I am waiting for your response.
Have the decency to respond.

sorry i am busy with family right now i will get back to you later this evening

Thank you. I will take you at your word.
So, can you tell me what’s going on?

when i am finished shortly

Tonight? Right?

yes brb to you in 10

Ok.

ok here is what i did. i just drove about 280 km to buy a sm-230 because i am not going to wait any long and nor are you. you paid me for one and it look like canasa post has either lost it or it's sitting on one of 11 trailers sitting right now at richmond sort. i know because a friend is a super and they have not been able to catch up since a covid outbreak at the sort just after xmas. so here is a tracking number for you and please be advised i paid for a signature as well to protect you and me. I am sorry for any inconvenience that this may have caused you. I went away almost 3 weeks ago because my best friend was killed in a logging accident and i have been using my ham radio sales to help his wife and kids because they were left with nothing and possibly homeless. anyhow i left someone in charge of shipping my items which now looks like an epic failure on my part and now this mess that i am trying to correct. again sorry for any inconvenience that this mat have caused you. here is the tracking information 0103415000877617
.
Ok. Shipped when?

i bought it an hour ago and shipped it immediately to you.
i will attempt to claim insurance next week. you should vet it in a few days as i shipped it express
you need to sign for it

Ok. That’s good to hear. Too much s**t talk going around.

i made sure i kept my deal honest goes a long ways. again apologies

When it arrives I will be sure to tell on line. Thank you.

that samuel has a burr because of this so he claims poor me. reputation looks in ruins now because of his greed. i will resort to ebay to finiish so i can continue to help out my friends family. cheers

Cheers.

Tracking number does not exist??
Where is canada post open at 7pm on Saturday nite?

apparently it does maybe i transposed a number

Ok let me open and look
does that work now?

oh ok

No. That’s the nu
Bet you typed. Maybe not in system yet.
oh ya perhaps being that its late tonight.
maybe give it a try in the morning should be there

Will do. Nite.

yup now to drive back up island. ughhh. no worries let me know if you're having a problem with it tomorrow
did you try the tracking information today?

Yes. It shows now. What’s the condition of this second 230?

works well. seemed in reasonably good condition
clean trace
Can you send me the copy of the full post receipt?
What happened to the first one?
all functions worked
?
i do not know. it was given to canada post and that was the last i saw of it. apparently they are quite backlogged due to outbreaks of covid and shortages of truck drivers causing trailers to not move for long periods of time
i type slow sorry

Ok. Have the receipt handy?

not right now why
?
A full copy when you can.
Insured right?

again why.

yes i also insured

Why not?
Any reason why not?

other information not pertaining for your parcel
i preserve others privacy. if that is a problem sorry.

Really.? That receipt has my postal code in it. I can see it. Whose privacy are you protecting?
Well?

yes i sent you a picture of the receipt area pertaining to your parcel. i did that for your convenience. the rest of the receipt has personal information i will not release
and why is it your business?
i await your explanation

If there is any explanation to be given it’s from you. If I didn’t text you when were you going to tell me that you shipped and it got lost? Answer that one.

sir i did what i did to keep my word. i did that at great cost to me. i am not going to give you personal information of myself or others.

And why you deleted all trace of yourself on messenger?

i did not.

You took my money and promised to ship next day. You did not do that.
That was over 3 weeks ago.

excuse me are you a peace officer? no.. i
I sh
I SHIPPED IT VIA CANADA POST AND TO BE DECENT I REPLACED IT TO KEEP MY WORD NOW APPARENTLY YOU WANT MORE THEN I AM PREPARED TO GIVE YOU AND YOU THINK I WILL JUST HAND YOUR INFORMATION YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO. NO. SORRY BUT THIS IS RIDICULOUS. I EXPLAINED WHAT AND WHY I DID WHAT I DID TO KEEP MY WORD OBVIOUSLY THAT WAS UNACCEPTABLE. THANKS
Actually you did not do what you promised. And you gave me two different excuses.
Not a peace officer eh? How do you think I got you cell number? You did not give it to me.
zTHERE IS PERSONAL INFORMATION THAT IS ON THAT RECEIPT THAT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS AND IS PERSONAL IN NATURE AND THAT IS ALL I AM GOING TO SAY
FINE RAY DO YOU WANT I FULFILLED MY OBLIGATION TO YOU TRACK YOUR PARCEL SND ENJOY YOUR DCOPE
ID PLEASE
??
well
sorry but i am only prepared to go so far i will protect myself and others regardless.
i am waiting sir
ok thanks. have a wonderful day. enjoy your scope when it arrives
oh and i could have sold them on ebay for much more but i didn't think those prices were realistic. i am sorry for the inconvenience caused to you.

Let’s see if I get what I expected and leave it at that.
And the information on the receipt is MY personal information. If there is any of your personal information on the receipt clearly you dont want me to see it. I wonder why??
Well, you sent me a piece of crap. It was packed badly. It was lose at least 6” on all sides. The plastic scope cover was off. It does not work properly on MONITOR while transmitting. Have not checked band scope yet.
I suggest you refund my money and I will return it to you.
Depending on your response I will tell you what’s coming next.
You picked the wrong guy to screw.
Good. You read it. Now respond.

Refund the money and I will shut my mouth.

i will respond but not when someone ORDERS me too. I will deal with this tomorrow so i don't respond with anger

Too late tomorrow. I asked. Not ordered.

DEMANDING A RESPONSE IS NOT WHAT I WOULD CALL A REQUEST

I am the one that should be angry.

i will deal with this tomorrow when i am not around family thanks
.
It’s been a month. I am entitled to be pissed.

i also need access to my laptop to deal with it which is not here.

Always an excuse
You are full of excuses. Family COVID then friend dead. What next? No laptop?

not an excuse. reality. whatever. i i am on a lousy old iphone

Deal with it fast unless you want to read ALL about it on line EVERYWHERE.
Do the right thing unless you want to read about it on line with ALL the details.
You have no right to be angry. You screwed too many people.
Very simple. Are you going to refund the money or not. Make up your mind.

i will deal with it when i can use banking

One month to ship and no contact.
Are you going to refund the money?
Yes or no?
And you will need my email address for banking.

i answered you i do not have access to BANKING. UGGGHHH

Simple answer please. Yes or no?

YES

Ok good.
My email for refund
ray@
Thank you.
Give me the address to return it.
Ok. Thank you for doing the right thing. Good night.
I am waiting.
If you read my text last night I said this.
“I suggest that you refund my money”
There was no order or demand.
Are you going to keep your word?

yes when there is money in the account as there is not enough to send today so friday morning is my next pension thats the best i can do. this is not an excuse this is a FACT.

Fair enough. BTW my CPP and OAS was deposited in my account yesterday.
I will wait till Friday.
Your address?
Well? I am waiting.
It’s Friday. You made a promise.
Ignoring me is not going to drop this.
I have already prepared my response.
If the refund is not made today here us what I am going to do.
I am going to publish on FB, QRZ etc and every USA and Canadian ham gear swap sites, your name, phone number and full screenshot of every text exchange we had including email with all you excuses and promise to refund.
You shipped me a piece of crap almost 4 weeks after you took my money and offered multiple BS excuses.
It will be much cheaper for you to refund my money.
The choice is yours.
I told you, you screwed with the wrong guy.
Once I publish on line it will too late.
It will include your real name and phone number.
Then everyone in Canada and USA that you screwed will be after you.
Today!!!
Not tomorrow, TODAY!
If I had not found out your phone number, you would never have shipped this crap unit. That’s fraud!
I WILL follow up with the RCMP also.
Think before I go ahead.
The choice is yours but only for today.
Tomorrow is too late.
Refund today?
Yes or no?

i said today. PERIOD

Ok. I will take you at your word.
Obviously NOT as for what you have just said.
Just preparing for another excuse.
That was just so you know the consequences of screwing me.
By what time will the refund be made??
Exact time. So I know when to publish if you don’t keep your word.
My patience has run out with you.

i will do this this evening as you wont stop this bullshit. want a time. 8 pm
i have answered your questions

Ok. At 8.01pm today, Friday January 29 at exactly 30 days since I paid you, I WILL publish.
i will keep my word. i was going to deal with it shortly but you insist on acting lime a child with constant threats. What do you expect acting lime that.
You promised Friday. Today is Friday. I asked!!
Nothing wrong with that.

did you see what you sent me? no more
please.

I am the one who should be pissed.
NOT YOU!!
Pissed.
Refund the money and I will not bug you again. Simple.
its one thing to inquire which is
perfectly fine but what you call bugging is now much more then that AND YOU KNOW IT.

i will be back here at 8
Oh, and the online exposure will include ALL the call signs and names you have used. VE VA and even VK.

Ray you have been asked to stop. So please do so now
8.00pm today. FINAL.

Obviously you wont stop.

Ok thank you.
Oh. Read what you said.
“Friday MORNING is when my account will have enough money”
morning is before noon and i am now busy and i said 8 so that is that". END

You think that I give a flying crap that you are busy?
You are a bullshitting scam artist.
Refund the money by 8pm or else.
Simple.

i have been polite with you i said i get money friday morning you were asked to stop more than once you asked for an exact time i provided that but you will not stop. 8 pm i will initiate etransfer as i said.

Ok. No need for any more discussion.

To my surprise, 2 hours before the deadline of 8pm,
I received an eTransfer of my money back in full.
However, he decided not to include return insured mailing
charges therefore I still have the Kenwood SM-230 Station
Monitor in my possession in Vancouver BC.
He did not provide the requested return address.
I am tempted to give the scope to whoever was screwed the
worst...... open to suggestions.
He goes by various names....John Pringle John Pringle III
Chris Pringle
He uses various call signs
.VE7BBG and others listed in this 20 year
old QTH.com Swap Chat series of complaints from amateurs in both Canada and the USA that he has screwed. See this link on QTH.com viewtopic.php?f=2&t=466&p=34665... has been scamming all his life....so do NOT expect him to stop now.
For the month of January with zero communication from him,
I was sick to my stomach that I had allowed myself to be screwed in a ham deal.
In my 51 years being licensed on 3 continents, with many swaps, trades, purchases and sales under my belt, this was the first time that I have been screwed.
Since I got my money back, I could have kept my mouth shut but
that would have bothered me for not doing the right thing.
That is the reason that I am posting this story.
Expect him to use a new name and email address going forward.
He is not going to stop!!!
Beware!!
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n2maq
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2017 6:48 pm

Re: BEWARE!!! John Pringle VE7BBG many fake call signs VE7 VE8 even VK!!

Post by n2maq »

Glad you got your money back. He got me for $370 back in 2017. Tons of excuses, then he blocked me.
wa4wnc
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Nov 28, 2018 6:17 pm

Re: BEWARE!!! John Pringle VE7BBG many fake call signs VE7 VE8 even VK!!

Post by wa4wnc »

I got screwed too. His name supposedly is Fred Archibald and his email is: hfarchibald@ns.sympatico.ca

email I sent him after I received the defective unit:
Hi Fred - I wanted to let you know the generator is useless below 190 MHz. The signal is completely unstable and is full of harmonics. SEEMS to work ok above 200Mhz. The price was way high considering the condition of the unit. Not to mention the shipping! $300+ (US) for a signal generator. How could you not know it was not working properly. My guess is you did know it had issues and wanted to get rid of it. I guess I learned my lesson again.

Randy WA4WNC


Hello Randy,
I'm very sorry that the Wavetek is not working properly. I used it for > 18 years, and only had a single problem with it. That was in the power supply, and I think I replaced a diode and a cap or two. It worked from about 200 kHz to the rated 525 MHz from the time I bought it until I sent it to you. I did NOT sell it to you in defective condition. I DON'T rip people off. Radio is my pleasure and hobby.
I sold it because I bought an HP8640 which has a number of features superior to the Wavetek, and I had no need for two such instruments.
What was done to it in transit I have no idea. As you can see, the manual is very thorough: I would suggest reading a bit and follow the manual's troubleshooting tree. In phase-lock loop systems like this one, slow drift over years may bring the circuit to the point where the loop (PLL) will not lock properly, and in many cases only a simple adjustment of a critical cap or inductor is needed to restore the lock. Does the red frequency lock LED come on promptly when you turn the Wavetek on? On all frequencies? If not, this is probably your problem.
Following the manual, check all DC voltages with a good high Z meter first. Listen to the master oscillator on 10 MHz with a good radio while you try working and non-working frequencies. Re-tighten all screws: something may have come loose in transit. If voltages and MO frequency are good, proceed to the PLL.
Again, I'm sorry for your problem.
Good Luck,
Fred VE1FA


His response said it was MY problem. I have a modern spectrum analyzer and the signal is all over the place He is a complete a**.

Randy WA4WNC licensed sine 1967.
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