QTH.COM Swap Chat

I purchased a TM-742 w/2m,220,440 from Randy,kb8iii. He advertised the radio for $695 and "very nice" and everything works.

Well the radio arrived a few days ago. The first thing I noticed is the vinyl on the bottom cover was raised a bit on one of the front corners, and there was some green corrosion on the rear of the bottom module where the coax comes out of the radio. In addition there was rust all along the bottom cover on the back of the radio. Turns out that raised vinyl was from rust build up separating the vvinyl from the metal cover. Already not very pleased seeing this I proceeded to power the radio.

Well, the 220 module was DOA, no audio and suspecting severe water damage and not wanting to cause any further damage I disconnected the radio and emailed Randy. I mention the DOA module and water damage and not wanting to deal with repair estimates, etc, and as a care giver with little free time I just wanted to return the radio for a refund.

His response was that the radio when shipped was fully operational, of course no mention of the obvious water damage, rust, or corrosion. That it was an estate sale and that was that.

I responded to his email with the fact the radio was not "very nice" as there was no way the radio could be very nice or fully operational. Told him I could not afford to loose $700 on the radio. I have been retired for 15 years and that kind of money does not come easy. I asked him to contact the estate and if he was uncomfortable doing that to please forward the contact information and I would.

There has been no response to my request.

Any help to identify the estate or getting Randy of the dime would be greatly appreciated. I am sure the estate would not want to profit at the expense of others. (([email protected]))

Thanks, Hugh AE6YC ([email protected])
www.cvarc.org

hugh,
have you had any follow up from kb8iii ? thanks for posting and alerting us.
here is his contact information for all of us.
best 73 paul w8jn

KB8III
RANDALL J BENSON
1215 SMITH RD
XENIA, OH 45385
USA

Thanks Paul. Still nothing from kb8iii. I am starting to suspect it was not an estate sale and he is using that as an excuse to hide behind.

If he ever steps up and makes things right I will immediately post the results here.

Regards, Hugh

Hi

AE6YC reported a $700 bad experience with KB8III. I want to share my $5000 experience.

I bought a Icom IC-7700 from Randy. Randy said it was like new, and would be packed as new. Apparently Randy had it a short time, used it very little, and work has taken too much time from the hobby. A sad state of affairs that is inflicting too many of us who are still working and raising families. Randy fits into this category.

I spoke to Randy on the phone, and we talked quite a bit about the radio and life in general. This is always a good idea when spending a lot of money with somebody. In the end, I sent him a check and he sent me a radio.

What arrived was a fully insured box -- Icom's double boxed original shipping container. Inside was not what I expected... I expected a used, kindof new looking radio. What I got I can't tell the difference from a new radio from HRO. It was immaculately packed, care taken to put everything where it would be and wrapped as if new. Even the plastic screen protector was still on the radio. The set works perfectly. I am totally pleased. The deal with Randy totally exceeded my expectations.

The moral to the story is this... There is two sides to every deal. I suspect Randy is too much of a class act to get into a public discussion. Meanwhile, he has to go on living like the rest of us. While being held to public scrutiny sets a high standard of ethics, it is also the case it can be abused. Just because somebody "complains" doesn't always mean they are right, the complaint may go beyond what would ordinary be expected of a used sale. At best, a case of he-said, he-said. If my "new" radio breaks a week from now, I understand it is my problem. Randy did what he could by selling me a used radio that worked properly when I received it.

Thanks Randy

David McGinnis
K7UXO
Missoula, Montana