K2MAK / N2VQ - Be your own judge

Share information regarding your recently completed deals with other ham operators. ONLY BUYERS AND SELLERS directly involved with the transaction can post in this forum. If you have a report of a scam by someone pretending to be a ham, please post in the Scammer Reports forum instead.
Forum rules
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.
Post Reply
KN6QB
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 5:10 am

K2MAK / N2VQ - Be your own judge

Post by KN6QB »

Just to be up front ,i would not deal with this guy again,K2mak Ken Mak .Listing was under K2-Mak .He did that to list because he had been bared from listing here on QTH.I thought it was a typo at the time and didnt pay much attention.He had a heil mic listed i e-mail and worked out a deal,he said i better act fast he had 2 others interested.So i finalized the deal and sent a money order.He received the money order,was jolly on the spot to that date with e-mail then it stopped!! I left him e-mail on 3 different days each being 2 days apart 10 days after he received money order.I got no replies from him.

After checking and with Scott and finding out some details,i thought Holy Crap i got ripped .With no response,tampered call sign, changed address, and no phone listed.But after i found out his Yahoo e-mail and expressed how unsatisfied i was and also with Scotts help.I received the mic 3 days later.

I was undecided on logging this,but figured i should.That way no one else will get upset like i did.So if you don't mind waiting a month or two on delivery,he is your guy.Im reasonably sure Ken is honest and had all the intentions in the world.But he sure went about this deal all wrong.To keep it straight the deal from start to finish took 1 month and 2 days! Wonder how long it would have taken if i not said a word and let it play out its course.

Jim Kn6qb
w9xc
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Jan 23, 2010 7:51 pm
Location: Illinois

K2MAK: Another bad experience

Post by w9xc »

In early July 2009 I arranged with Ken Mak to buy the following items as he had advertised on QTH.com:

"I have for sale an excellent condition ICOM 756 PRO-II HF/6 meter radio. It comes with power cord, manual, and SM-20 microphone."

I queried him:

"I assume "excellent" means no cosmetic issues and 100% working to spec; please advise if different."

and he replied:

"The radio works to spec and no cosmetic flaws."

I paid via Paypal, and, because I remitted in two payments a couple of days apart, I added some extra funds to cover any inconvenience. To make a long (like 7 month) story short:

1. It took about a 3 weeks to get Ken to ship the radio after receiving my payment. He claimed problems from a divorce, no box, etc. etc.

2. When it arrived the SM20 had a broken mounting bracket that had been glued back to the mic with a thick coat of some kind of glue that looked like plastic metal and was spread all over the mic barrel. Definitely not "excellent". Well, I guess by the letter of his replies he never actually said the mic itself was excellent, did he?

3. There was no power cord.

4. The rig seemed to be OK when checked but I believe it actually has some intermittency in the display screen.

5. I emailed, called, and cajoled Ken to send the power cord I had paid for, and he claimed a) he was going to get one from HRO and have it sent to me, then about a month later, after more contacts from me, b) that he had the cord and would send it the next day. He never has sent the power cord to this day (late Jan 2010) despite repeated emails and phone calls. He doesn't answer much email, and I followed up all my phone contacts with confirmatory emails.

He seems to run or be involved with a repeater on the Empire State Building with the call K2MAK. See: http://www.hamrepeater.net/

The info I have on him is:

Kenneth Mak
2566 West 17 St.
Brooklyn NY 11214 (Not the same as QRZ entry for K2MAK)

646-592-1728 - cell

Bottom line: This was about the worst ecommerce transaction I've ever had. Don't deal with Ken Mak.

Update: K2MAK has changed his callsign to N2VQ.

- Les, W9XC
w8jn
Posts: 619
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2003 1:21 pm

new address

Post by w8jn »

please let us know the alternative address he uses so we know when ken the crook is trying to scam us?
is this ken mak? its the only picture on his web site with no name (3 pictures actually)
http://www.hamrepeater.net/P1011383.JPG
thanks paul w8jn
w9xc
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Jan 23, 2010 7:51 pm
Location: Illinois

Post by w9xc »

Ken Mak has an ad on Eham tonight...

http://www.eham.net/classifieds/detail/314361

The email in the ad is "k2mak@yahoo.com". There is a picture of him in his Eham profile page:

http://www.eham.net/user/profile/K2MAK

There is also a thread on him on the QRZ forums:

http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php?p= ... ost1569770

- Les
w8jn
Posts: 619
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2003 1:21 pm

ken mak is now N2VQ

Post by w8jn »

new call for a ken mak N2VQ
K4ICL
Posts: 663
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2003 1:07 pm
Location: Greenville, SC
Contact:

Duh!

Post by K4ICL »

Im reasonably sure Ken is honest and had all the intentions in the world.
I'm not. Anyone who fakes a call sign is practicing overt dishonesty. He is a fraud, plain and simple. He has intentions alright--stealing.

K4ICL
W6GQ
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2007 8:45 pm
Contact:

Post by W6GQ »

He has been banned at the zed, I am glad you made this thread.
N5IZ
Posts: 47
Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2007 1:21 am

k2mak

Post by N5IZ »

i see he has a radio on qrz for sale.would you trust him i would like to deal with him on the radio...73 n5iz
w8jn
Posts: 619
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2003 1:21 pm

NO NO NO

Post by w8jn »

Check his feedback. I personally would stay miles away from him!
73 Paul w8jn
N5IZ
Posts: 47
Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2007 1:21 am

Re: k2mak

Post by N5IZ »

N5IZ wrote:i see he has a radio on qrz for sale.would you trust him i would like to deal with him on the radio...73 n5iz
i am not dealing with him(k2max)taking advice and running away.i see he just got band at qrz..thanks for advice..the guy should have follow through with each deal he made .tell how and what the equitment is put it up front and it want come back to bite you later....73 ray n5iz
N8ERM
Posts: 261
Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2005 12:43 am

K2MAK / N2VQ - Be your own judge

Post by N8ERM »

I have contacted the other site's.
N5IZ
Posts: 47
Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2007 1:21 am

Re: k2mak

Post by N5IZ »

N5IZ wrote:
N5IZ wrote:i see he has a radio on qrz for sale.would you trust him i would like to deal with him on the radio...73 n5iz
i am not dealing with him(k2mak)taking advice and running away.i see he just got band at qrz..thanks for advice..the guy should have follow through with each deal he made .tell how and what the equitment is put it up front and it want come back to bite you later....73 ray n5iz
Post Reply