QTH.COM Swap Chat

AMATEUR RADIO KE4IZA James Glenn Jr. Careful dealing with this DUDE
Its not advisable to send money to:

James Glenn Jr
14060 Brougham Court Apt 1
Plymouth, Michigan 48170

I recently found an ad on QTH.com for a Kenwood TS-850SAT with optional filters and the optional voice unit installed. Ad follows word for word:

Callsign: KE4IZA
Category: RADIOHF
Heading: Kenwood TS-850SAT

I have a TS-850SAT. 9.5 - 10 in looks and fully functional. CW, SSB
filters and voice board. Has hand mic, manual and power cord. The radio
has recently had a general checkup by AES and was ceritifed to factory
specs. I wanted to make sure it was all in good order before selling it.
Asking $725 + 25 shipping or make me an offer.

I emailed KE4IZA and confirmed what optional filters were there, he emailed me right back and said YK-88CN and YK-88SN. We negotiated the price at $700 shipped. At his request I promptly mailed him a US Postal Money Order for that amount and awaited receipt of the radio. After he received my money order I got an email from him stating that he received my payment. All was well until I got an email from him stating that he shipped the radio and it was working at the time of shipment but it would be AS-IS when I receive it. He stated he would not be responsible for any problems. “Oh geesh, what did I just buy” I thought. I emailed him back and asked “what’s up with that? You stated it was working, now you say tough luck if there is a problem.” I also said, “Had I known this up front I wouldn’t have not bought the radio.” He emailed back and said “Sorry if I have offended you, but in this litigious society I have to protect myself. Does not mean I am out to cheat you”
At this point I had an idea this deal wasn’t going right. Still he seemed like a nice enough gent, so I waited till it came in. When I received the radio I found it packed reasonably well and powered it up and it was working just fine as he described. The only problem is after running it a while, I discovered the filters and voice unit had been removed.

I emailed him back and asked where the options went. I got a short response that went something like “that is the way it was when I bought it”. Now the emails from him are very brief, vague and obscure. I really don’t care how the radio was when he bought it. My only concern is how he advertised it. Folks, when you advertise something with options, the options should be there otherwise it shows motive that you’re trying to trick someone into buying an item they might not otherwise buy. The acid test for understanding concept this is to consider advertising a radio that is genuinely loaded to the gills with options and advertise it as a plain radio with no options. Is that stupid or ?? It is just as dumb to cheat someone just cause you feel like they got too good of a deal.

I presume he had seller remorse and has helped himself to remove the options that belong to me and sell them elsewhere. I do not understand this type of behavior. If he had advertised a plain 850 with no options, then I could have not avoided buying his radio and this would not have happened. I presume he considered this prior to his listing the item. Hence his motive is to get someone’s quick cash on a advertised “good deal” and then send them something if not everything and hope that is good enough. To me that is just plain dishonest. I would not buy anything from this guy. Its obvious he’s hard up for cash. He made it plain that if there was a problem he wouldn’t be able to do anything for me. My guess is he is urgently low on funds and will go ahead stick it to you if that is his best option. People like this are dangerous and should be avoided at all costs.
I do have a copy of all email correspondence with him that will substantiate my story both here and in court if need be. I chatted with an attorney friend and asked if I need to fill out an affidavit and get it notarized in case I want to pursue this. Mainly in interest of future transactions of large amounts with other indiviuals. I really don’t want to put someone thru that much hell for $200, hihi.
I do bear some of the responsibility here in that I did not check his call sign on the QTH.com feedback forum. I pride myself of usually having good judgment of character by reading emails and talking with people on the phone. This time, I got bit. I should have checked his call sign here because KE4IZA had a similar run in with Chuck K6CVC. I have bought several times from Chuck and he’s the stand-up kind of guy you want to deal with. Had I read that post, I would have backed off as I am hoping you will when you read this. I am slightly amazed that I even received a radio. Chuck didn’t get off quite as easily. He lost $500.00 to KE4IZA and you can read that post here on the forum by doing a call sign search. It might save you some grief and bad feelings towards a great hobby. No one likes to get taken and avoidance is your most protective measure. I am sure KE4IZA isn’t going to make it good with me. So my post is mainly in helping others avoid getting cheated.

Be careful out there guys. Keep it fun and keep it safe!
73, N8BX

Hey Fred sorry to hear about your deal. Unfortunately there are idiots out there who would rather rip people off and steal their money than make an honest living. I hope something comes of this and you get your money back. For $200 I would put him through the wringers.

BTW, the cable pack I bought off you had exactly what I was looking for. Thanks again for the great deal.

Max VE3TMT

I have never had dealings with KE4IZA but have had two of the same sort of deals with a couple of eBay sellers - maybe we should ask for a photo of the inside of the rig(s) we are purchasing to show the filters, FM board, etc. BEFORE we send our money orders. Dick WA4WIP

Hi Dick, That is an interesting thought, but when you advertise something that has specifics, like options, they really should be in there. And then if they are not, the seller needs to take back the item and refund the buyer or make a price adjustment.


The picture is a good idea cause if the seller is not being fraudulent and indeed made a honest mistake in the listing, then he would soon see the options are not there and notify you the buyer.

In real life, what happens is you get a reply like, "I don't have a camera", or "My camera is broke and I can't take a picture".

Sellers that do that are only seeking a buyer that would not otherwise buy his item. Its a chance you take when buying on line, or at hamfests for that matter. This forum is one step toward elimination of this type of behavior. I for one will be checking it out every time I buy from an unknown seller.

73, N8BX

KE4IZA even attempted to reassure me he was shipping by sending me a picture of the box with address labels ready to go. I doubt it ever left his house. That is just another game to play manipulating people to take advantage of them.

Mike, WQ0A

I had agreed to purchase an SGC antenna tuner from this fellow and called him on the telephone. I did not get a good vibe from our conversation so I checked the feedback forum and saw not one but two negative postings about him. I called and said I would not be interested in the tuner as he has a history of not following through with his end of the deal...and he was upset. No problem as I was not out money for a tuner I would most likely not get. He called back and we worked out a deal as to where I will get a postal M.O. and he would send the tuner. When I recieved the tuner I would then overnight the M.O. This was a deal we worked out together. He e-mailed me the next day with info on shipping. He would send the tuner our USPS Priority mail. I never heard back from him again. I tried to call...phone disconnected. I tried to e-mail...several times and nothing. He seemed nice enough on the phone and even provided me with pictures and owned up to his other 'issues'. I would RUN from any dealing with this ham. I was out the cost of the M.O. and overnight envelope. It was better than sending him money fot something I would not get. I even spoke with a fellow he took for a Yaesu FT-857. He was out $500!

Darren