Beware!!! Everyone and all American citizen, you must not buy anything from BH Hi-Fi
Hello, everyone. My name is Natpolly. I'm a new member here. I would like to warn everyone that the seller sales343 and the website https://bhhifi.audio-zoom.com have commited a fraud and crime. I have purchased the used Anthem P5 by transferring the money via SWIFT from my country since 24th December 2018. At the beginning of purchasing, they replied to my e-mail so fast and they answered my phone. On 3rd January 2019, I sent an e-mail to ask if they already received the money. They said they didn't receive the money. On 8th January 2019, I sent an e-mail again, they didn't reply. So the next day I called them but they didn't answer my phone. Yesterday they replied to my e-mail that they haven't receive the money yet. It's been 18 days since the day of transfer. Today I went to my local bank again. An bank officer said that the transfer was completed. Right now they don't reply and don't answer my phone. I hope anyone that reads my post will understand that right now I'm so nervous and worried. It's a lot of money (2,616GBP).
Their company number is SC275159 and their VAT number is GB 892937662. The employee name is John Rome and the employer name is William Charles Hutchison.
But now I have a new problem with this item(https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisaa1i6-furutech-e-tp60-ac-distribution?show_listing=true). I bought it from the TbazAudio seller. The item arrived my shipping company and then sent to my country. My Furutech distributor checks it and it's fake Furutech product. I have contacted Audiogon support team and have been waiting for solution. Thank you everyone for your help and support.
Sorry for the very late reply. I got full refund from my local bank. I was very lucky that my local bank could withdraw the money. So BH Hi-Fi was a real scammer. The problem was solved.
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natpolly I would suggest you contact the UK police cybercrime and file the details of what has happened on line. Engaging a solicitor may not be much help without the assistance of the police Here is the web site to file the details https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/reporting-fraud-and-cyber-crime
@natpolly Did you get any further information from your bank?
Do you have the Bank Account details of this seller?
It’s quite unusual that a scammer would use a Bank (particular one in a regulated country like UK). They normally ask for payment via Western Union, as they can draw the cash without trace.
If it’s a UK Bank, at very least they would set up a watch on the account & cooperate with the fraud investigation.
Hi natpolly, I can also confirm Bill Hutchison hifi was at 45 Hope Street Glasgow and Newington in Edinburgh mid to late 80’s. On checking Google Earth using the postcode for the address G2 6AE it shows the shop closed with the name Alanjam in the window which appears to have been Alan James Hifi who i’m Guessing were after Bill Hutchison Hifi however any link to Bill Hutchison Hifi is unknown.
On checking on UK Companies house BH Hifi ltd was incorporated in 2004 and it looks like that was handled by the accounting firm you mentioned mmmca Glasgow. The latest filing history is Oct 2018 and shows there is only one current director aged 64.
On checking the vat registration number on the website it returns a private Glasgow address which may be your next step. I’ll not list the address , but you can search it by entering vies into Google UK and click “vat number registration”. Just click on GB then enter the nine digit vat number. Now this is likely to have been the required home address for the company director.
Unfortunately in the UK we cannot request a tel number based solely on an address.
One last point, on my last pc I had Google chrome as my browser and it had the option of searching whether the image used in the advert had come from elsewhere. Maybe worth checking as it it’s not uncommon for pictures to be “borrowed” from old adverts! The reason I mention it is on the website advert for the B&O speakers It has a stacked mains sockets on the left of the picture and to my poor eye sight they don’t look like UK sockets.
Now that may not be the case here but it’s worth checking.
Not sure if the above helps but let me know if you’re unable to access any of the sites.
I feel bad for the guy but do we have to see this every day from now on. PayPal is the only way to protect your self from this kind of issue. Stop bumping it or whatever you’re doing that I have to see it every time I pick up my phone.
tpreaves"People should mind their own business. The situation seems bad enough without others mixing themselves into the equation."
Everyone is free to post hear within the rules established by the forum it is not for you to limit, restrict, or discourage any poster or contributor from writing, sharing, or contributing his thoughts to this group.
I have been waiting for the result of SWIFT tracer from my local bank. I have found the office website that BH Hi-Fi rents. http://www.mmmca.co.uk/contact.php I called to this office. A British accent woman answered my phone and she said nobody was at BH Hi-Fi office at that time I called her(4 PM UK time). She gave me an e-mail address of Paul Martin, one of their partners of the office. I sent an e-mail to Paul Martin.
paul.martin@mmmca.co.uk He replied to me "
BH Hi is a dormant company and hasn’t traded for years. This website is fake and you should report it to the relevant authorities." I wish I could attach a photo to show this message from my e-mail inbox.
@natpolly The seller responded to me saying that he encouraged you to have the bank put a tracer on the money. He also said that he gave you his ID. I assume that would be the details about him in your previous post? Considering that I would tend to believe you before the seller it still makes it difficult to know who is telling the truth on this issue. He also was quite defensive in his reply to me for taking the side of the buyer and that I was quite stupid to buy into your story. His primary argument being that they would be stupid to ruin their reputation for the amount involved. I , however, would not deal with him considering the attitude he gave me. Also, would seem to be validated by Agon because they deleted him ad?
Not having Paypal is not a problem, it takes a mere minute to set it up. So no fsking excuses for that. If Audigon does not have an escrow function it needs it. Else transfer the transaction to ebay.
I’ve only had one experience like this, but it ended up great for me. The seller sent me the product and refunded the purchase price of about £600. I sent your b@stards an email congratulating them for their success in making it to the weekly Audiogon email blast. Good luck.
Fellow A'Goner's:You can go to the BH HiFi website (as I did) and click on "contact" to send them an e-mail (as I did. And encourage them to ship the unit (as I did).FrankHere's my e-mail to them:You are getting a bad reputation in USA for not shipping Anthem P5 to buyer. Is it really worth a bad reputation? Please ship the unit ASAP.
If the transfer was made via SWIFT, your bank officer should be able to tell you:
1. whether the funds were transferred using an MT 101 or MT 103 (actual international wire message) 2. whether an MT 940 was received by the bank (SWIFT statement for the completion of the transfer) 3. whether your bank received an ACK (acknowledgement) for the transfer
If yes to the above, the seller's bank received the money. Plain and simple. Your bank may not supply you with copies of the MTs, but they should be able to answer your questions.
Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for all your replies. The used Anthem P5 has been suspended on Audiogon.com. I think the moderator of Audiogon.com believes me. For the details to everyone, the money 2,616GBP was transferred via SWIFT from my country to Scotland (the UK) on December 24th 2018. At first, I asked the BH Hi-Fi company about Paypal but the company representative said that the company didn't have Paypal account, only transfer by bank account for international buyers, not even accept Visa or Mastercard credit card. This company always claims that they haven't received the transfer and I can't contact them anymore. This is a sign of fraud. I have reported this fraud to ActionFraud in the UK and authorities in my country. I believed this company because it has company number and VAT number. I was really stupid. This will be my greatest lesson for the rest of my life and my future kids.
Looking at the details it seems to me as though this is the same Bill Hutchison that used to have a HiFi Store at the foot of Hope Street in Glasgow a number of years back. No help to you I know, but was known to be a bit slippery even back then...... Hope that you get your money back eventually. Scammers really get on my goat!!
I also was in a near similar position. I am in Australia so conducting international business is a hit or miss affair. 99.9% of the businesses are good guys. I can only advise you to email the particular State's Consumer Affairs (or District Attorney’s Office (Consumer Protection
Division)).
While dealing with unknown people the best method trusted Middlemen payment method Paypal which may cost a little more but ensures protection of Payment and product guarantee. Never bypass PayPal or AliPay to save some. a deal may be good & successful for one time but product protection part replacement later will leave you at mercy of seller at later time.
Contact an attorney for legal advice too. Or try the US Embassy in region. Maybe even try another business in the area to get information about them. Credit card protection is worth transaction fees in situations like this. I am dealing with a similar issue. It’s not easy but hang in there. The right outcome will happen eventually. Stay Thanks for the heads up. Good luck and keep us posted.
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