"White Van" Projector Scam

you are not in the wrong forum, and you are not violating any rules
Thanks for the heads up....unfortunately, most people that fall into this 'van syndrome' do not frequent this (or other) forums. I bought some speakers from a van when I was 26 and talked them down to $70 for the pair. They claimed they were $1000 a pair. I knew a lot about speakers at that time and thats why I bought them for $70. They were conveniently parked next to an ATM. Projectors IMO will be hard to hit this kind of market, but those who do bite will get bitten HARD. Most, if not all people go to the Internet (not craigslist) to buy a projector....I wouldn't worry about it

Yeah, I see these projectors pop up on CL all the time. I don't think many people fall for it though, because they seem to be listed forever.

They're all over Ebay also.

You cant save people from their own greed, if they want to buy something that looks to good to be true then let them. It takes two to tango, you have some poor scrub trying to make a buck and some poor scrub trying to save one all the while thinking they infact got over on the seller, they are made for eachother.

LOL, did you see the 8500 model? It has 3D optics, 5,000 lumens, and 6000-8000 hour lamp life. I have seen projectors similar to this on amazon for around $250-$500. I did not read the specs, but I remember they were similar in appearance and marketed for gaming consoles. I was in CVS pharmacy the other day and noticed that they are now selling cheap projectors like this, had one on display on the checkout counter inside a plexiglass box.

This is the most entertaining reply I have read in the past month. Thank you for sharing. It's been a tough month, I needed this laugh haha

Ladies and gents the projector actually is pretty good. I'm happy to say that own one of these projectors and its worth every penny I spent on the projector. You need to experience the projector before you pass judgement. I personally was never approached by some white van and never bought anything;) on the street before in my life as far as electronics is concerned. The first time the projector which forgot to mention comes with HD projector screen 75" and also 2 3d glasses $200 HDMI cables. By the way the bulb is 20000 hours of life. The replacement bulb $300. Thank you for your time and consideration on this imperative matter. Don't knock it before you try it. Look, listen and learn.

Hey arod1477,
I hope your life choices leave you in the tool-shed of some irate Ukrainians one day...

^^^Amen

'So sez a *White Van* seller...................

If you really want to lyao this morning, go to the web site for this piece of Crap.... *warning* don't have coffee while reading because you'll need to replace your computer monitor Haha. Looks like they are F'ed now too... A Google search of this supposed projector hits this thread, where it has been called out for being the piece of Crap it is. Now they have to change the name of their company and web site, get new stickers for the boxes and new name tags for the turd with a light bulb in it!

I bought this thing from an acquaintance for $600 and I've been using it for a few days now and I'm not sure why everyone is so upset about this. I like thing.
Edited by Tremma - 7/28/12 at 9:48pm

If your willing to spend the time tuning it up and use the HDMI cables it comes with, it's actually pretty badass. Maybe $6,000 is a little out there, it wasn't made by Sony, but $600 is seems pretty reasonable if this thing continues to work. The only professionals review I have found stated that there was a potential hazard if left on unattended or turned off incorrectly, but aside from that it's a decent quality projector which makes sense because I've yet to read a review saying when or how this equipment failed. People are so stuck on the $6,000 lie that they can't enjoy enjoy the 72" screen infront of them that they could be watching for $6-700. I could run with the negativity and be pissed off but instead I'm gonna get whatever enjoyment I can out of this thing.

I'm sure most of the people on this forum will tear my post apart with angry feelings and I'm not saying the sales pitch is justified, I'm just saying that negativity breeds negativity and the glass doesn't always have to be half empty.
Edited by Tremma - 7/28/12 at 10:05pm

There are good projectors you can get for $600, so why would anyone buy this piece of junk on the preclusion (or might I even say delusion) that it MIGHT not break or it MIGHT be a hazard, get real... I also find it funny that most of the people PITCHING it or trying to argue FOR this projector have less than 5 posts in the forum and JUST joined. Clearly they are more than likely tied to it in a professional sense (although not 100% guaranteed), and are most likely not being honest. I doubt that "Mr. Tremaa" is a real pic and I doubt he is even a customer (joined yesterday with 2 posts, yah).

We are not clueless here at AVS (most of us anyhow), we know this game and have seen it before.
Edited by coderguy - 7/29/12 at 12:57pm

Coderguy-
I joined this forum I share my experience after doing some research on my purchase. All I am sayin is that I am trying to make the best out of what I got. I have the projector and accessories, I cannot return them so why not use them. I am not going to dwell on the fact that the sales pitch got me, but now I have some cool stuff. I am not one of these white van guys, I purchased something from a friend and it turned out to be a product that scam artists are using. I just wanted to share my experience without being attacked the same way everyone else on this forum was able to do. I am not FOR this product, nor am I in any way connected to this scam deal save the fact that I own the product. I just wante to tell the other people in my position that there is a way to make the best of it and hopefully give some advice on how to do so. My intention was never to buy a hazardous product or one that might break down. Just saying that it may happen if I not not taken care of properly and other than that not to get down on yourself and make the best out it.
Sorry I joined this forum, thought it was a safe place to relay experiences, especially since its the #3 result in a google search of the product.

This is not a life hands you lemons make lemonade situation. The projector is a piece of junk at any price, let alone $600 and I bet you wished you would have read this thread before you got taken for all that coin. Don't try to convince people that it's not that bad just to make yourself feel better for getting scammed.

Most of these scams are 480p. I'm sorry your first experience with projectors is this. Much better out there.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Both people defending this horrible product have zero posts outside this thread.

Its a scam. Its a terrible product and if you want to buy a budget PJ there are plenty of people around here that will show you exactly how to buy something infinitely better for less.

To arod1477 and Trema: DIAF.

First you claimed to have bought it from a "friend", then you edited your post and changed the word friend to "acquaintance" as to look less suspicious, then in the second post you claim to have been taken by the scam (but again using the word by a friend), after first giving it major praises (then you back track and try to downplay your own praise after we called you on it). You also went out of your way to change your ICON to an image of a friendly looking person before posting, even though you have never posted in this forum before. A very likely story.

You are not as smart as you think you are, bye bye :P

Then you contradict yourself by saying you are NOT for this projector, when you just said it was so "bad---", using a curse word in the process (not a big deal, but another sign of a scammer is to try to over-excite). It's all about the psychology, you fit a specific profile and will use specific techniques, we see the same thing all the time. Go scam some dumber people, you're in the wrong place and will never make any money off this scam. Give it up, and go get a real job, eventually it will come back to haunt you in your prison cell...

If you happen to be one of the statistical exceptions and the 1 in 20 legit people that just did everything exactly like a scammer would by coincidence, then you have my apologies, lol...
If you were really taken by the scam, it would have been off Ebay and not by a 'friend' (umm, I mean acquaintance, umm I mean friend). So the sales pitch of your friend got you, this makes so much sense.

You also used specific wording to try to "re-pitch" the projector in a favorable light if it were ONLY $600-$700 (like $600 would be a good deal and like that's pocket change), as if you were actually knowledgeable about what makes a good deal for a projector, in which anyone that fell for this scam would know as much about projectors as a Native Elder Tribesman that has never left his village in the past 80 years. It would be very unlikely someone that just got taken for $600 (by a friend none-the-less) to feel so satisfied by a piece of junk and to encourage others of how it is a good deal (but only for $600). So you are happy with a scam product and happy that your friend scammed you.

There are more inconsistencies in your post than the fur of a dog that has mange.
Edited by coderguy - 7/30/12 at 12:17am

Coderguy, very well said !!!

As the old saying goes if it's to go to be true , then it isn't. I just completed my HT. Yes I've shopped around, google searched and everything far in between. But it was the help of this forum that helped me not get taken in by "the white van ". Because lords knows this hobby of my as the wife calls it , loves my debit card and if I spend my hard earned money like it be on something that I can return with no headache. I was approached by these guys on too many occasions, and just smiled inside. But also sadden me that some poor sap is gonna get ripped of this week's hard earn paycheck...Just wanna send thanks to the AVS community for helpin me not to be one of those on the I got scammed list... But IMO if you got it might as well use it ,

I have had 2 calls from people that got ripped off by these projector and screen deals asking for bigger screens. They also call wanting help to get throw distance to figure out if they can go bigger. The 1st time I got a call from a potential customer he told me his projector was a Vissionmax. I was like WTF is that?
then he told me where he bought it and I was like are you kidding me? I then told him good luck because when the lamp goes I doubt you would even be able to find a replacement.
Turns out its a 4:3 screen.....

I then go to my general contractors brothers house that we will be finally doing his theater in since prewiring his new build 5000 sqft. home. His brother is always looking for deals and also bought into this scam projector and screen from sombodie that aproached him. So I got to look at it. I go to pick up the projector and it looks like it should weigh at least 17 pounds, well its more like 3 pounds. The lense is cheep plastic and I cant beleive its supposed ot be 3D.

My buddys Sony Rubby took a crap and while he was fixing it he thought hed 'try this toy projector. He said the image was so dim and so small and looked like crap. There was no way to adjust the image and it was just a complete pile of $hit.

The fact that these guys are selling this to the public is insane.
Its junk and these guys are robbing people. I dont care if these sales guys think they are ligit they are theifs and need to be locked up.
It amazes me that the same people that cry to the Custom AV company that their prices are to high will buy this junk off the street or out of a van from some scumbag that claims to be a ligit company and they dont even get a business card from the guy lol....
Sure, these are the customers we C.I's dont want or need or want to service because they are basicly a pain in the ass but it goes to show you you get what you pay for. Theres a reason Custom Av dealers are in this business.....WE SELL REAL EQUIPMENT at the REAL prices. Nothing is free in this world.

You cant buy a BAD A$$ projector that does 3D WITH a screen for 600.00 those 2 new commers to AVS are completly full of their own B.S.

So right. I'm not trying to be rude, BUT I have no sympathy for the people that buy from these guys. Absolutely stupid and no common sense.

I had the same scam happen to me. This site has good info about the scam and how it works White Van Scam Watch the first video its pretty informative and funny

One of these companies managed to get a full page add printed in the September issue of Home Theater There was mention of it in this months letters.

Bill

Oh, it's a real pic alright (Chris is that you?).... http://yourhiddenpotential.co.uk/2011/03/31/the-man-registry-chris-easter/ ... Whether he's a customer....?

There seems to be another type of projector being sold, band name Volare.
It has the same simple site, http://volarevideo.com/index.html, that you guys have been talking about.
It lacks professional reviews and isn't sold at any stores.
It does seem to have a trademark for the Logo, but that's not that hard to do.

Sadly the reason i know this, is that I shamefully fell for this scam...i practically hate myself right now.

I love the volare HD-20K! According to the product page, $4,995 (MSRP) nets you "a projection marvel" with:
- "integrated MPR™ technology" ("a high-performance video processing and scaling algorithm designed for standard or high-definition video");
- an "advanced input panel" that includes "a proprietary concentrated HDMI port allowing for enhanced signal pathways [and] greater color saturation";
- an "optional high-speed wireless (LAN IEEE 80.11b/g/n) connection that take advantage of several Windows networking features" (which ones, I wonder?); and
- "Split Spectrum Focus (SSF) technology, which is the first industry-wide standardization to simplify the unit’s focal length".

According to the owner's manual (PDF), the PJ's native resolution is only 800x600. And there's no mention of a "concentrated HDMI port" (the only HDMI port shown looks pretty regular).

*BUT*

You do get manual keystone adjustability (via a knob on the back of the PJ). And the unit is temperature-controlled thanks to "cool winds input ventilation" and "hot winds output ventilation".
Edited by eljaycanuck - 11/16/12 at 5:40am

I'm new to the sit and thought I would make a comment about the palladium hd8000p. So I was a the pawn shop and saw this projector a while back. They wanted like 400 something for it when they first put it up. So I waited a while and luckily got it for a hundred bucks because it was bought and then returned. they thought it was broken, but it wasn't. it just took a long time for the projector to cool down. I guess the fans are made to run for a long time. Anyway i wouldn't say I fell for the scam because I bought it at a pawn shop. Yeah I know its a no name "cheapo" projector but for a hundred bucks its not a bad deal. I haven't noticed any major problems with it. The picture is good and clear but I'm really not sure if its 1080 p like the website says. I'm not saying it isn't just saying I really don't know how to compare and see if it truly is because the picture is fairly good. fine text is distorted, ex movie menus. There are only a couple of problems with the projector. Light emits from all sides of the image , a little more from the top ( this is really only noticeable when an image contains a lot of black. there is no way to adjust the format, everything is done automatically. you cant customize the format, as far as i know. and there are a couple of permanent lines in the image, barely visible. they're kind of like the fold lines if your watching the projector on a sheet, not as bad though. I think it was a pretty good deal for 100 buck, I don't think I would pay over 300 for it though. O yeah if anyone knows about projectors and can help me out with the little problems I have that would be awesome, cuz there's nothing in the way of getting help with this projector.

Overall I think I got a good deal for this projector. If anyone wants me to post an image let me know:)