- Report: #934699
Complaint Review: Banjo Hangout - Internet
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Author Not Confirmed
Why?
Banjo Hangout
Internet, United States of America
Phone:
Web:
www.banjohangout.org
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Banjo Hangout Eric Schlange Dishonest classified ads, scams, fake users, misleading advice, no action taken Internet
The website www.banjohangout.org has a number of fake classified ads among the listings. These ads often come from overseas and ask buyers or sellers to send money by unsafe means, e.g. wire transfers etc.
The website moderator claims that the fake ads are closed down as soon as they are reported, but these ads have continued to be a problem for well over a year. Users of www.banjohangout.org should be suspicious of any ad that sounds too good to be true.
There has also been a recurring problem at this site of fake users using the discussion forums for free advertising. There is an organized effort among a small number of users to post many times recommending two brands of imported banjo: Gold Star and Recording King. No coincidence some of those users are dealers who sell those two brands. But they post in the forum as if they were private customers giving a recommendation, not identifying that they are dealers. Forum users beware: there have been a large number of quality control problems reported with many imported instruments made in China.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Jack Hatfield
Pigeon Forge,Tennessee,
USA
Banjohangout.org complainto
#2Consumer Comment
Tue, June 16, 2015
This guy needs to take a pill. List owners cannot delete inapptopriate posts until thery are reported. Scammers are on ALL list serves until they are reported. List member are ALWAYS going to post ads that benefit themselves, whether they are bragging on thier ability orknowledge on the topic or trying to boodt thier ego by sounding like an expert (when they often are not), or trying sell a personally owned item outside a classified ad...whatever. For the record, Gold Tone and Recording King ARE the best imported banjos. Disclaimer: I am a dealer for both brands...but it's BECAUSE i think they are the best imports. i do not carry any other asian banjos.
Jack Hatfield
Hatfield Music
www.hatfieldmusic.com
Eschlange
Lakeport,California,
U.S.A.
Rebuttal from site owner Eric Schlange
#3REBUTTAL Owner of company
Fri, August 31, 2012
I own and run the Banjo Hangout, and have done so since I started it in January of 2000.
The Banjo Hangout classifieds system has grown to be the largest online list of banjos for sale precisely because we work hard to make it user-friendly and safe. Lots of banjos are bought and sold their every day--more than probably any music store in the US. Yes, there have been scammers who have used the classified ads system--but the vast majority of the users are completely legit. Here are some of the measures we take:
- Scammers are locked immediately once we know about them--usually locked automatically, fact! Members can report scammers with just a click or two.
- Whenever an item is bought or sold, both parties can post reviews about the transaction--so you can easily see which members have a reputation, read past reviews, etc.
- We warn both buyers and sellers to beware--with pages like this one.
- We include quick links to safe payment services like escrow.com available for buyers and sellers, so people can make a deal safely if they desire.
Like the person above said, though, I agree: "Users of www.banjohangout.org should be suspicious of any ad that sounds too good to be true." Do your due diligence before you send your money--this is just common sense.
The issue of "fake users using the discussion forums for free advertising" is a new one for me. Again, if anyone has a suspicion that something fishy is going on, they can easily report a forum post and have the moderators look into it. To my knowledge, no one has reported this issue to date. Sounds to me like the person who wrote this has an axe to grind with imported instruments--which is something I've definitely seen over the years at the Banjo Hangout.
The issue of "fake users using the discussion forums for free advertising" is a new one for me. Again, if anyone has a suspicion that something fishy is going on, they can easily report a forum post and have the moderators look into it. To my knowledge, no one has reported this issue to date. Sounds to me like the person who wrote this has an axe to grind with imported instruments--which is something I've definitely seen over the years at the Banjo Hangout.
