Drunk driver

So im taking the trash out, and I hear a loud thunk, then another thunk, then a horn stuck on. I live close enough to a highway intersection to know the sound of a wreck. I call 911, grab my wallet and drive over. Some guy plowed into a guard rail at 65mph. his work truck is spun around and all his crap is in the street. 3 wheels are busted and theirs diesel on the ground. By this time the 911 operator has me on the phone w/ the sheriff's dept. I put my truck in position to block both lanes pointing my headlights at this idiots truck. I walk over and make sure he's ok. He asks if I called anyone because he doesn't want help and his cousin is a tow truck driver. I told him just fire dept. He goes back to his truck and starts picking shit up. then he comes back again and asks if i called the cops. This guy is slurring his speech... be it from the wreck or from drinking, I dont know. I told him fire dept again. Guy gets agitated.

Here I am, going out of my way to make sure he's ok, and protect him from getting hit by another car with my car, and HE's getting agitated. Finally a cop shows up. I fill him in. A second cop shows up, and I don't need to block the road anymore. I leave.

The guy was obviously drunk, and probably didn't have any insurance. Its a good thing the 911 dispatch heard me get into my car, and the car dings while driving over there so he couldn't make a story up that I caused it.

Its a sad world when you try and help someone and you have to cover yer ass just in case they try and spin a tale.

Scam buyers on Craigslist

So, you list something on CL and you get all excited when you get an email. then you read the broken engrish and offer of more money....

---------- Original message ----------
From: saragh timmy <[email protected]>
Date: Jan 3, 2007 1:53 AM
Subject: Samsung DVD player/recorder DVD-R145 - $199
To: [email protected]

** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY --- AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
** Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
** More Info: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html

Hello ...Good day, i am really suprised that you are selling the item out, i am intrested in it as well and also i will pay you extra $90 to end the bid early bcos of my urgency.I will like to make a quick purchase on the item cos i am using it as a gift to a friends son who is out of the states,he is really going to love it.My method of payment is via online Usps Money order.If ok by you kindly get back to me with your full name and address of where you want the money order to be mailed out to so i can proceed with payment immedaitely.I will take all the shipping responsibilities and i will like the item to be shipped via my fedex account once my payment is confirmed.So you wont need to pay any shipping cost cos all the shipping cost will be billed to my account.So once the payment has been approved and you have recieved the payment confirmation,i will send you the neccessary shipping documents.plz get back to me with your full name and address so that i can proceed with the payment with your confirmed email addy

Even the CL email pretext warns you of this, yet you have to wonder why they need the pretext, do people actually fall for this? Ironically, my CL listing has links to a google checkout and my own store for non-local buyers to get their stuff shipped. its like they dont even read it.... "ooo, a new listing, lets just spam it!"

I left this persons email address intact so that you may spam them. enjoy.

UPDATE: I just got another one, this time they didnt come out and say they are scammers....

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: jamal smith <[email protected]>

Date: Jan 3, 2007 10:25 AM

Subject: Treat as urgent........

To: Isaac Kishk

I am very grateful and impressed you reply my question and i am ready to make the immediate payment which is via AlertPay Money Order and for the payment to commence all i need is your payment address and your full email address so the payment can be made and once the payment has been approved by the Alertpay Money Oder Company you will receive a confirmation notification mail from AlertPay for you to be sure that i have paid for the item and after the confirmation has been recieved,the shipment will take place which will be handled by my self cuz i have an account with a shipping company(Fedex Courier Service)by sending you fedex prepaid slips.
(Note):-You might have recieved some offers from different people reg arding your item,but i will like to be the highest bidder,so for this reason i am offering $280 for the item hope you will accept my offer.So kindly send me your payment address for the payment to be posted immediately to your contact address.Thanks
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Isaac Kishk"
> To: "jamal smith"
> Subject: Re: Samsung DVD player/recorder DVD-R145 - $199
> Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2007 09:25:13 -0600
>
> yes.
>
> On 1/3/07, jamal smith wrote:
> > ** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY --- AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
> > ** Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
> > ** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
> > ** More Info: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html
> >
> > Hello
> > do you still have this itemfor sale....
> >

again, who falls for this sh*t? my reply? "CASH, local" even though I shouldnt have bothered, just wanna see if he'll reply :)

Craigslist and people who think its 'new' items.

So I found a good looking L shape desk on craigslist. I called the guy 13 mins after he listed it. Its 9pm, baby in tow, I go see the desk. mind you, its taken aprt in half, standing on their side. Their drawers look good, top has some minor scratches due to normal use. ok, whatever. I ask if i can give him money now and come back w/ a trailor. He offers to let me use his truck. I didnt feel all that comfy w/ that arrangment. For all i know he knows its about to die and wants me to kill it for him.

So we arrange for him to drop it off for like 20 bucks... no skin off my back, the whole desk is up to 100 bucks. he gets to my place we unload into my garage and he leaves.

I begin to disassemble it so I can get it upstairs, when I realize "I need to measure and figure stuff out". Turns out this thing is like 6 inches too big for my room. so I have it disassembled in my garage... what to do, what to do... I turn the drawers to face forward, lean the backing into place, and put the top over it to show it off. I go to craigslist to relist the item. This time I list it at my cost, 100 bucks.

I get a call from various ppl, one comes by to look, didnt like the style, the second guy never shows. this last guy likes it. he has a car, so he tried to talk me down to 80, i say "100 and ill drive it to your house if you help me load and unload". good, deal done. we trade numbers so if i get lost following him i can call him.... boy was that a mistake

Around 10:30 last night, the guy tries calling. he tried the original cell phone on the ad, my cell phone, AND he tried from 3 diff numbers. talk about a frigging stalker. So we finally get an email from the CL ad. He says he cant get it to work.

I email him back telling him I'm out of town and to sit tight until next monday when I get back into town. He replies telling me im a bad man and hes gonna drop it off at my doorway.

this morning my phone starts ringing from 2 OTHER numbers. Like im not gonna screen my calls after the night before? I now have 5 "do not answer" antries in my phonebook. rediculous. I finally reply to his email during a meeting and tell him we got it from CL a couple days before. I dissassemebled it for transport, and I know it "works". I get a reply back basicly telling me the same stuff, but upping the ante, he wants me to return his money AND go pick it up. I even drew instructions on how to reassemble the unit and emailed it to him. After counltes emails (and him trying to call from yet ANOTHER number) I basicly have him 4 options:

1) relist it on CL for yourself
2) put it in my yard, let it soak the rain while im out of town, and dont get any money back
3) wait until monday when I get back and we can arrage to split the cost $50/$50 and I take it off his hands and dispose of it (or half of it, since its 50/50)
4) he can keep it, i give him 30 bucks for the trouble and to shut up, relist it for all I care.

I bet you cant guess the reply to that. "I wont take less than 40" to which i said "Classified ad/garage sale items are AS-IS. I've gone more than out of my way to try and satisfy you when I could have easily ignored you and called the cops for harrasment. Pick one of the FOUR compromises and we'll get this over with."

His latest response is "I will deliver it on monday and ask for a full refund." After ALL this headache? gimme a friggin break. Heres my reply...

So you either want the desk for 60 bucks, or you want a full refund. I would not have sold you this desk for 60 bucks to begin with.

You entered this agreement for 100 dollars. I have been more the courteous and helpful in trying to help you out. As I've said before, classified ads and garage sale items are AS-IS. I didn't even have to try and help you this much. Did I call up the guy I bought it from and harass him when it didn't work out for me? No, I said "oh well, doesn't work for me, I'll relist and let someone else have it"

You do realize by attempting to call me from various numbers, KNOWING I can't answer them because I'm out of town on business is borderline harassment. The simple fact that I've tried to come to various compromises to resolve this issue, and you keep low balling EACH ONE shows me who is trying to rip who off. If I gave you the $30 to go away, you can easily turn around and sell this for as little as $70 on craigslist and break even.

If you did not want the item to begin with, why are we even having this dance?

Can't believe I'm trying to pay a guy to shut up and he wont take it, ugh.

So while i'm writing the above email, I get a new email:

I will see you around 8:00 on Monday. I will humbly ask for full refund less whatever you think is reasonable for delivering.

Wait, so now he's gonna CHARGE me to return in? the friggin nerve. This doesn't even warrant a reply after my previous email.

UPDATE:
So I get back into town on sunday night to an email telling me his check posted, give him money. However MY bank hadnt posted it yet. I emailed him telling him once MY bank posts it in MY account, he'll have his money. It didnt post until Tuesday around 4pm. This guy emailed me about 6 times in that timeframe.

Thank god for paypal, I swear If i had to go see this guy face to face to give him cash I would prolly get arrested. After negotiating a "shut up price" (what im calling his "refund"), he wanted 60, i offered 20. we ended up around 35. I paypaled it on tuesday night, emailed him to tell him thank you for the drama, and thats all folks.

If I get anotehr email from this freak, I'm definately reporting the bastid.