This morning I got the following e-mail that I thought I would take a look at:
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From that e-mail I went to http://www.ablboats.com/index.html?see=sellaboat and I filled out info to look into it further.------ On Wed, 3/30/11, ABLBoats <sellmyboat@ablboatnews.com> wrote:
From: ABLBoats <sellmyboat@ablboatnews.com>
Subject: Spring Time to Sell Your Boat
To: e_hillman
Date: Wednesday, March 30, 2011, 6:06 AM
If you would like to sell your boat this Spring WITHOUT COMMISSION you are in luck.
We are updating our FREE DIRECTORY OF BOATS FOR SALE BY OWNER and would love to include your boat.
Please go to http://www.ABLBOATS.com and visit the SELL A BOAT page.
http://ablboatnews.com/boatnews/lt.php?id=(removed)
ABL-Boats.com respects your privacy and does not share your information with anyone.
To ensure future receipt of emails like this, please add this email address to your address book.
Should you no longer wish to receive our newsletter, click http://ablboatnews.com/boatnews/lt.php?id=(removed)
Physical Address: American Boat Listing 18 Railroad Avenue Patchogue, NY 11772
You may contact us with any questions via our contact form at http://ablboatnews.com/boatnews/lt.php?id=(removed)
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Tonight I got a phone call from 516-221-3162 and it was a man from them that wanted to talk to me about listing my boat.
He went through a big spill about for $299 he would list my boat commission free and that it would run until it sells. He asked me how much I wanted for it and I said 15k would be fine with me. He said that was not enough and that he was sure he could get me $17,900 for the boat and that there were plenty people looking for ones like it and willing to pay that price. I told him that was a bit above NADA and he said NADA did not matter and that it was all based on the stock market and because it was so volatile that the price he stated would be easy to get since people don't want to buy new boats.
I asked him to put all of that in writing for me.
He told me he was not soliciting and that they do not solicit and that I contacted him. I told him I did not contact him first but that I received an e-mail from them today. He once again stated they don't solicit and I told him I had an e-mail from them.
He stated everything again and I stated again I wanted it in writing. First he asked for fax and I stated I no longer have one at home. He then asked how was he to get this info to me and I said I have e-mail and US Mail. He confirmed my e-mail address and said he would hang up with me and e-mail that info to me and call me in 5 minutes.
Later he called back but the e-mail did not show up. He then confirmed my e-mail address again and then said it must be my operating system
I told him the system I was on was XP but that the operating system does not matter since I was using webmail from yahoo. He said he had XP too so we should be good. ( :P:D ) He said he would send it again and call me back.He called me back and I finally had the e-mail 1 minute prior to him calling.
Here is that e-mail:
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See how he made sure to put (2nd) e-mail in the subject line (I just noticed that how pompous).--- On Wed, 3/30/11, Alan Burke <alanburke@usa.com> wrote:
From: Alan Burke <alanburke@usa.com>
Subject: American Boat Listing (2nd e-mail)
To: E_HILLMAN
Date: Wednesday, March 30, 2011, 8:33 PM
Dear Eric:
We guarantee to market your boat until it is SOLD!
Your boat will appear on the following websites:
ABLBOATS.com
USEDBOATS.com
BOATTRADER.com
BOATINGMAG.com
BOATINGLIFE.com
ALLBOATS.com
SAILINGWORLD.com
SALTWATERSPORTSMAN.com
FLYFISHING.com
MARLINMAG.com
Your boat will remain on ALL of these sites until it is SOLD!
All you ever pay is $299 (no tax).
Alan Burke
American Boat Listing
516-221-3062
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Anyway that is the first e-mail I had received from him. He immediately went into asking me for my credit card number. I tried to talk to him some more and he circled back around to asking me again for my card number.
A lot went through my head especially as to what motivation does he have to sell my boat once he gets that upfront money?
I asked again about the e-mail I got this morning and gave him the address it was sent from. He said it was not from his company. I said that it took me to the site he was talking about. He said it must have been from someone else promoting the site.
At this point I started getting uncomfortable especially since his e-mail did not match the website's name or the previous e-mail and about the same time that he was once again asking for my card number. I told him I wanted to think about it, take it over with others, and that I would call or e-mail him tomorrow if I was interested. He then got very short with me and said "EXCUSE ME? I have sent you two e-mails and --can't remember what else he said here because his first two words shut me off from the tone--"
Regardless I told him that with that that was the first e-mail he had gotten to get through to me and that I was no longer interested and to not contact me again and I hung up.
After I hung up I remembered the guy and the scenario. This same guy called me two days after I listed my boat with Boat Trader a few months ago. I told him I was not interested then and apparently I got put in an e-mail call back queue...
Either way it may be a great company but for me I don't think I will deal with them.
Your thoughts on them?
If I ever get REALLY motivated to try to sell my boat I will just broker it. I would REALLY like to find someone or preferably a dealership that would take it in trade in for a small trailerable cruiser. But since I know this boat I start to get motivated to trade but then slack back off since I know what I have now. Though a lil bigger boat would be nice with the baby here and having stand up head etc. would be good as well as a larger area down below to feed meals etc.