Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2015-02-09 20:16
Donald:
You initially asked if you were being a grump.
I don't think so..."frustrated" seems a more appropriate term, and we can argue until the end of time not only if such label is true, be it it is justified.
The seller seems to have product you want--assuming of course the advertising is accurate. Maybe I'm wrong. And if I'm right, maybe you woudn't care as much if making similar claims selling "flutes" (or any instrument for the sake of argument that is one you don't desire to purchase.) Or maybe you would, because con artists drive you mad. If the latter, I "get you." You're not alone.
I've been there. I think I can empathize with you. I've wanted to do business with sellers who won't divluge things reasonable people would consider very fair of me to ask, and otherwise relevant to purchase. I've even found out at times, after the sale, that their claims were true (so why not back them up, I'd say to myself.)
Worse, I've delt with con artists and those who fradulently induce sale. And like you, I don't like that they take advantage of anyone, not the least of which me or mine, or my friends.
As Mr. Kissinger has already well pointed out, terms like "handpicked by a top University Professor & Artist/Soloist," are open to interpretation. To take matters further, the individual Mr. Kissinger describes could have picked the clarinets when new, not now.
All this said, I think we need to emphasize a couple of points, likely not unknown.
* Con artists will exist contemporaneously with mankind. Buyer beware.
* We are free to walk away from making a purchase.
* The auction site I'm thinking of has a rating system that will catch up with this seller if he cons people even only occasionally, and provides certain rights to victims of fraud.
* All business transactions come with risk.
* Sellers are free to not back up truthful claims. I don't think it's good business, and I don't think it's nice.
* Finally, sometimes honest sellers act in weird ways because the have dealt with con artists and difficult buyers at the other end of the transaction, not the least of which competing sellers pretending to be buyers, so as to acquire marketing intelligence.
One quick anecdote and I'm off my soapbox. I once bought the parts from a discontinued vacuume on ebay. The seller advertised it as such--just parts--and as a result, seeing as nothing was working, I got a great price.
I thanked the seller for being so honest. His parts helped fix 2 models of the same vacuume I owned.
His reply was most cordial, thankful that 1 buyer (me) had actually read the auction. The two prior buyers who returned the merchandise didn't understand why the vacuume he sold didn't work.
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This isn't you Donald. Your seller is a jerk. But jerks and con artists are part of life.
Post Edited (2015-02-09 20:22)
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