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Old 08-18-2005, 05:35 PM   #1
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27 Foot Airstream for sale...

Quote:
I am in the process of purchasing a vintage
airstream..... a dream of mine. But...here, in the
midst of the payments...I have had an accident in the
river and broken out 10 of my teeth. So, I am going to
have to go to Mexico or Costa Rica to have some
extensive dental work done. I would like to cash out
the trailer so that I can make that trip. The man who
is selling me the trailer will not let me out of the
deal but will allow me to sell the trailer and cash
him out.
The trailer is a shiny little 27 footer.... with the
bathroom in the tail. It does not have a sofa... I had
planned to look for a rattan sofa for it. It does need
some cleaning up and a few parts on the lighting
fixtures.
It's too late at night to call you now.... I'll try to
get ahold of you soon.
Cat.....
I received the above email from a very sweet and kind lady named catherine inocencio just recently. I was so moved that I wanted to try to help her in anyway I could. Apparently, she went to learn whitewater rafting at a place in Nevada and at some point in the water she was struck hard in the jaw by something that the instructor was holding (wakeboard or lifesaving device?). Extensive damage that she cannot afford due to being self employed. The rest is in the email which I have gently edited to protect her private info.
The rafting company apparently made her to sign a legal release and have given her the "brush off". This after the instructor ADMITTED it was his fault at the time of the accident.
Anyway, I felt so bad that she felt her shiny AS dream was going up in smoke. I had the idea that there may possibly be someone here in the forums that may have some ideas on how to help. A member who is a dentist? Donation? Dont know...but we are a community and this is one of our own.
I dont feel comfortable publically publishing her contact info...so please contact me if you want to help and I will give it to you. Thanks everyone.
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Old 08-18-2005, 05:42 PM   #2
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How do you know this person? I hate to be paranoid, but I immediately think scam when I hear of strange hard-luck stories like this. Someone making payments on a vintage 27ft trailer? Travelling to Mexico or Costa Rica for dental work? Selling a trailer she doesn't actually own yet? All very odd circumstances...
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Old 08-18-2005, 05:48 PM   #3
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An unsolicited email from a previously unknown person? Tragic accident involved? No legal remedy? Boilerplate releases? Her description of the Airstream in question is very “thin”. Travel to Central America isn't cheap.



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Old 08-18-2005, 05:54 PM   #4
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Ive spoken with her several times on the phone and it isnt a scam.
All she wanted from me was to help her find a buyer for the AS.

I really didnt expect this kind of response at all.
I guess thats what I get for "thinking"

Boy, the world really has become a hard, fierce place anymore.
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Old 08-18-2005, 05:56 PM   #5
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Thumbs down I smell a...

I am very suspicious of this type of email. While I may not dismiss this out of hand, I would want more information. Was this email sent to you, or to you and ten thousand of her closest friends (mass-mailing)?
I recently got an unsolicited email from a long-lost uncle I never knew I had, wanting me to put up $25,000 so he could unlock his safe deposit box where he had $36 million stashed. And he would send me half...
If you really want to help this person, be very careful. If you just sent this along so we could be aware of another scam, we appreciate it.
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Old 08-18-2005, 05:58 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chikagurl
Ive spoken with her several times on the phone and it isnt a scam.
All she wanted from me was to help her find a buyer for the AS.
I really didnt expect this kind of response at all.
But I guess thats what I get for "thinking"
In this day and age, when we get deluged with thousands of scammers "phishing" for cash, or personal info, we tend to think the worst first. It is not that we are naturally suspicious, but we have all learned (some of us the hard way) to be wary of these requests.
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Old 08-18-2005, 05:59 PM   #7
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Tooth ache and headache

StefRoberts may have a good point.....I have helped some folks once who never paid me back and I have still some things from them that I cannot use.....(although I have a whole box of harley parts I will probably sell after I get a sportster out of the parts done). Sad stories are part of life and helping others does help all of us sometime. If there are lots of people who want to buy a Tradewind AS then I would probably tell this lady to e-bay it or put it in our classifieds. She might even make a few shekels and be able to fly to Costa Rica and get new chops.
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Old 08-18-2005, 06:03 PM   #8
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A member of my immediate family is an asst attorney general in Reno, NV.
he's spoken with her about the legal stuff.
It isnt a scam.
I get plenty of that and I know the difference.
The contact wasnt unsolicited...she wanted to sell the trailer...period.
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Old 08-18-2005, 06:09 PM   #9
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Well, if she wants to sell a trailer, then she should put it in the classifieds. You are welcome to help her do that. Likewise, you are welcome to help her put it on eBay. But otherwise I don't think there's any way for people to help her, unless you are soliciting for donations, and I'm not sure that's an appropriate use of the forum.
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Old 08-18-2005, 06:51 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stefrobrts
How do you know this person? I hate to be paranoid, but I immediately think scam when I hear of strange hard-luck stories like this. Someone making payments on a vintage 27ft trailer? Travelling to Mexico or Costa Rica for dental work? Selling a trailer she doesn't actually own yet? All very odd circumstances...

There are people in this world who dont have very much.
It sucks.
I know this because Ive been there before.
I spend about all of my days now feeling REALLY lucky.
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Old 08-18-2005, 11:19 PM   #11
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what a bunch of skeptics here........first of all dental work is much cheaper in mexico and or canada,second i think we should help her out with a donation or if one of us is a dentist maybe he could help her out. on the other fourm i belong to [thunderbirdnest.com] we routinley help out our brothers and sisters,and even have a group called the gypsy thunderbirds that's mission is to donate and or help the needy.
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Old 08-19-2005, 12:35 AM   #12
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Feeling no shame...

We agree with Stefrobrts that an ad can be placed in a number of places including this forum. But tossing out vague information and expecting everybody to leap is not the best way to go because frankly, it does look suspicious.

People on this list are more knowledgeable than your average bear when it comes to Airstreams. A description like "shiny little 27 footer" and "bathroom in the tail" just sound a little fishy (get it - tail, fishy - sorry I couldn't resist but after all they are LANDYACHTS - get it, LANDYACHT - O.K. that was weak).

We, as a community, have a collective knowledge of Airstreams that may even surpass Airstream's own knowledge on Airstreams.

It is unfair to suggest or even imply at any level that we are a harsh community by not offering a totally positive response to this. I for one can not be made to feel guilty for expressing my suspicions on something and will not be shamed into action. The suggestion that Stefrobrts offers is help and shouldn't be discounted because it is the best offer of help that this community can make - networking. When someone tries to shame me into helping I lose interest in situation and lose trust in the shame-er.

Looking at the traffic this web site gets, an ad for a trailer does get a lot of views. In fact we have some friends who actually drove all the way to Idaho to look at a trailer that was listed on this forum. Unfortunately it didn't work out and they came back empty handed but it does go to show that stuff listed on this forum does get looked at. The people selling the trailer had a hard luck story as well and were also making some sort of payments on a trailer. People are in need all over the place and as far as I can see - help is what you make of it.

I say list it in the for sale section and post pictures. Once that is up - let us know on the forum and we start looking into it. Many of us have friends who are looking for and airstream and that is how it gets sold. And that is what you were looking for - right?



Quote:
Originally Posted by chikagurl
Ive spoken with her several times on the phone and it isnt a scam.
All she wanted from me was to help her find a buyer for the AS.

I really didnt expect this kind of response at all.
I guess thats what I get for "thinking"

Boy, the world really has become a hard, fierce place anymore.
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Old 08-19-2005, 02:41 AM   #13
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Disclosure...

I wonder if it is important to disclose that one is a broker or sells refurbished airstreams professionally (i.e. not just randomly on eBay) when looking for help with selling an airstream for someone 'in need'. It make me feel uncomfortable to think that someone is possibly acting as a broker but not disclosing that fact to everybody.
I mean that sometimes a footprint on the internet can get real big...

I could be could be wrong - it is only the first few hours of our vacation!
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Old 08-19-2005, 06:08 AM   #14
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[QUOTE=desi arnaz]what a bunch of skeptics here........QUOTE]

I would maybe give this story the benefit of the doubt but I would not touch it with your ten foot pole.

Would you like me to send you the check I received for 40K for my 20K MH???? I spoke on the phone at least six times with this clown before he sent me a check that was twenty thousand too much and asked me to send him 2k in the meantime to get the glitch fixed. The check is a very impressive counterfeit, watermarks, gold tinsel, the whole nine yards.
He had written many emails, phone calls and even offered to come to my house. It was very good, but when it is too good to be true, it probably is.

Skeptical..You betcha! Some of us veterans of the forums have seen several scams that visited this very forum. Ssam artists look for everyway they can to get in your pocket.

And the most scammed organizations are those that are organized to help the needy. They typically have deeper pockets and are less scutinizing.
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Old 08-19-2005, 06:24 AM   #15
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on another Forum I frequently visit, a member unexpectedly died leaving wife and young children. The Forum members pitched in to help the family, wtih selling a car that was in the middle stages of restoration, and the lady knew nothing about what to do to sell it, get it finished, etc. It really took the burden off her for that and raised some needed cash.
The difference there is all the info was forthcoming, photos and descriptions were presented, and the obvious truth was plain to see.
You can't blame anyone for being sceptical and careful in this day and age when rip- offs and scams are everywhere expecially on the net.
I think our community here would be helpful if all the "cards were laid out clearly on the table".
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Old 08-19-2005, 06:25 AM   #16
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Needy Indeedy

Quote:
Originally Posted by desi arnaz
on the other fourm i belong to [thunderbirdnest.com] we routinley help out our brothers and sisters,and even have a group called the gypsy thunderbirds that's mission is to donate and or help the needy.
Oh, by the way, I need a new fridge for my 36 little shiny MH,
Can you help a brother in need?
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Old 08-19-2005, 06:56 AM   #17
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Chikagirl, you still have not given us any information about how you know this person. I think 5 people have asked and all you could give was "I have talked to her" and "my DA friend talked to her." And in an online world, friendly forum or not, it makes sense for people to ask questions before they help anyone.

I think most of us here count ourselves "lucky". I'm sure their are many stories here of how people have not only rebuilt their airstreams, but rebuilt their lives. And how many small business owners are there here? (pause for a minute while we raise our hands) I think we can all sympathize with her story.

Too bad you didn't post "how do I create a classified add for my friend?" The response would have been much different.

Kathleen
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Old 08-19-2005, 07:25 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Buttercup
I wonder if it is important to disclose that one is a broker or sells refurbished airstreams professionally (i.e. not just randomly on eBay) when looking for help with selling an airstream for someone 'in need'. It make me feel uncomfortable to think that someone is possibly acting as a broker but not disclosing that fact to everybody.
I mean that sometimes a footprint on the internet can get real big...

I could be could be wrong - it is only the first few hours of our vacation!
Whether Im a Bible salesman, a nuclear scientist, or make jelly donuts... I dont think it really matters. I havent hidden anything and this was a genuine attempt to HELP someone which is shaping up to look like a waste of time in this arena. The mercy shown is the mercy received.

And I can think of another place right now Id like to leave a real big size 12 bootprint
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Old 08-19-2005, 07:26 AM   #19
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Cmon, this is so bogus. Where are they going, Costa Rica or Mexico??? Don't they have an appointment with the Dentist yet? You're telling me that someone actually would go to Mexico from America for new teeth? I ask you, who has done this? Anyone? Furthermore, this is that "third party" scam that is so prevalent. Walk away and you won't get hurt.

John
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Old 08-19-2005, 07:49 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AYRSTRM2
You're telling me that someone actually would go to Mexico from America for new teeth? I ask you, who has done this? Anyone? John
I have and I would do it again. Have you ever seen any mexicans with bad teeth?

It is amazingly less expensive and quality work. (of course you will want to do your home work and find a reputable dentist) Many border town dentists are frequented by Americans that have known for a long time that insurance rates here in America are quite frankly RIDICULOUS!

Estimated Cost for dental work in the US, 5k. I had it done in Ciudad Acuna (South of Del Rio TX) for 450 dollars. How about them apples? No problems to this date, I did it four years ago.
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