Rob Keeble
Member
- Messages
- 12,633
- Location
- GTA Ontario Canada
I thought i would put this out there as a kinda forwarned is forearmed lesson.
I refuse to allow the scumbuckets of the world to drag me down to their level and so consequently once in a blue moon come across one of these characters in life while trying to help someone out in this world.
So Sunday afternoon i am at the Borg and just finished packing my vehicle with materials. Quiet a job with my Jeep it was not designed to carry plywood.
So i get this car pull up next to me, i am in a predominantly Italian speaking area and this guy with the Italian accent pipes up in a nice friendly tone.
Excusa do you speaka da Italian.
NO! i said but i then proceeded to ask a few other people around thinking this poor guy is lost and heck he must be a touristo in need of help given the area i thought 99% strike rate was sure. But no luck at this time.
So i said let me see if can help.
He had typical hotel type tourist map and wanted to get to the airport. Anyway i start to give him directions but notice he aint really paying that good attention.
This was first alert to my amygdala that something was up. But i suppressed the thought and proceeded on. It was not difficult because the location was close to the highway.
Well direction over he proceeds to thank me and then enquires about what i do. He tells me that he works as a clothing rep for a reputable brand name in Italy and has just been to a launch for a upmarket store (all names left out to protect the innocent) at an upmarket mall nearby.
Everything about him was plausible and it the character you would expect.
Then he says hey mister whats your size because i have samples i brought with me i cannot take back for if i do they gonna charge me dozens of Euros. I give you a jacket dont worry its free. (Yeah right buddy )
Normally at this point i would have just turned and told him to get lost. But i am trying hard to fit in and be a polite Canadian.
So i played along. Then he goes through doing what i call the "Petty coat lane" sales pitch.
This is a process whereby once you have a attentive audience where you have established a degree of rapport and credibility you create a value bundle in their eyes accompanied by all the "rights of passage" answers this person requires to burrow a path through to their mind and win the day with an overwhelming bundle offering that if done well very few can resist.
In London England there is a market held on Saturdays where one can experience this kind of selling over and over and its heck of an entertaining and unbelievable skill at work.
So the guy continues and after showing me these two jackets and peeling back the plastic covering enough to wet the appetite he says dont worry its free i cannot take them back. Thanks to you for helping me. Then he says you got a son. Sure i say. Whats his size. Tell him and he carrys on the banter oh he is a big boy.
Now he bundles the whole lot together holding it at the car window by the coat hanger and starts the pitch. Do you think you can do me favor and give me some cash to buy my son a present in duty free. Just something. So i pull out my wallet knowing full well i have $15 in there and that its not going to be enough and i say thats all i got. He says ahhhh but can you not get to a cash machine my friend.
Thats when i called time out and said sorry i got to go.
Now when i came home and told the story, it was unbelievable the reaction i got. No names mentioned but some ( we had vistors that just arrived) actually asked me how i knew he was not being honest and most would have bitten hook line and sinker.
Best advice is if something looks too good to be true it usually is.
But this experience did not stop me from helping a lady out of a ditch after she drove her car into it. Was a tough one she also had her aged mother in the car. Think the poor dear has not had so much excitement in many years.
You cannot let the guys like in my story prevent one from helping others. Just need to be on guard.
Anyone else had a scammer experience lately. Usually they read my face and get the message before they open their mouths but i must be changing in my old age.
I refuse to allow the scumbuckets of the world to drag me down to their level and so consequently once in a blue moon come across one of these characters in life while trying to help someone out in this world.
So Sunday afternoon i am at the Borg and just finished packing my vehicle with materials. Quiet a job with my Jeep it was not designed to carry plywood.
So i get this car pull up next to me, i am in a predominantly Italian speaking area and this guy with the Italian accent pipes up in a nice friendly tone.
Excusa do you speaka da Italian.
NO! i said but i then proceeded to ask a few other people around thinking this poor guy is lost and heck he must be a touristo in need of help given the area i thought 99% strike rate was sure. But no luck at this time.
So i said let me see if can help.
He had typical hotel type tourist map and wanted to get to the airport. Anyway i start to give him directions but notice he aint really paying that good attention.
This was first alert to my amygdala that something was up. But i suppressed the thought and proceeded on. It was not difficult because the location was close to the highway.
Well direction over he proceeds to thank me and then enquires about what i do. He tells me that he works as a clothing rep for a reputable brand name in Italy and has just been to a launch for a upmarket store (all names left out to protect the innocent) at an upmarket mall nearby.
Everything about him was plausible and it the character you would expect.
Then he says hey mister whats your size because i have samples i brought with me i cannot take back for if i do they gonna charge me dozens of Euros. I give you a jacket dont worry its free. (Yeah right buddy )
Normally at this point i would have just turned and told him to get lost. But i am trying hard to fit in and be a polite Canadian.
So i played along. Then he goes through doing what i call the "Petty coat lane" sales pitch.
This is a process whereby once you have a attentive audience where you have established a degree of rapport and credibility you create a value bundle in their eyes accompanied by all the "rights of passage" answers this person requires to burrow a path through to their mind and win the day with an overwhelming bundle offering that if done well very few can resist.
In London England there is a market held on Saturdays where one can experience this kind of selling over and over and its heck of an entertaining and unbelievable skill at work.
So the guy continues and after showing me these two jackets and peeling back the plastic covering enough to wet the appetite he says dont worry its free i cannot take them back. Thanks to you for helping me. Then he says you got a son. Sure i say. Whats his size. Tell him and he carrys on the banter oh he is a big boy.
Now he bundles the whole lot together holding it at the car window by the coat hanger and starts the pitch. Do you think you can do me favor and give me some cash to buy my son a present in duty free. Just something. So i pull out my wallet knowing full well i have $15 in there and that its not going to be enough and i say thats all i got. He says ahhhh but can you not get to a cash machine my friend.
Thats when i called time out and said sorry i got to go.
Now when i came home and told the story, it was unbelievable the reaction i got. No names mentioned but some ( we had vistors that just arrived) actually asked me how i knew he was not being honest and most would have bitten hook line and sinker.
Best advice is if something looks too good to be true it usually is.
But this experience did not stop me from helping a lady out of a ditch after she drove her car into it. Was a tough one she also had her aged mother in the car. Think the poor dear has not had so much excitement in many years.
You cannot let the guys like in my story prevent one from helping others. Just need to be on guard.
Anyone else had a scammer experience lately. Usually they read my face and get the message before they open their mouths but i must be changing in my old age.