Having watched this whole drama unfold, I have remained silent, hoping that utjj99 John Johnson was credible and upright and honest. I am not offering my public opinion on that but will let you draw your own conclusion, based on MY experience with him.
He had posted several weeks ago about certain machines he was looking for. I contacted him and we exchanged a couple of emails. (Yes, I saved all the emails !!) I thought it best to talk to him in person to try and verify his credibility, and we talked several times on the phone. He seemed like a nice person, spoke well and seemed to have a level of skill associated with repairing things and the love of vintage laundry appliances. He wanted to buy my Bendix combo, a 1-18 Frigidaire set that I had just rebuilt, a 1960 Maytag set, and I had an early Bendix bolt down that I told him he could have for free, upon picking up the other machines. He claimed to be in the process of moving from Toledo to Columbus Ohio, Polaris area and could make the trip to my house with the "truck" he had, on his way down to Columbus. OVER THE PHONE, we set a time and date for him to arrive at my house.
He didnt show. No word, no phone call the whole day. One always begins to imagine the worst, such as an accident. I finally got an email later that evening that he couldnt make it and would do it the following Saturday instead, one week later.
One week later, HE DIDNT SHOW AGAIN. I waited all day, no word, no message until later in the evening that he "couldnt get the truck" to pick up the machines. By this time he is starting to look less and less credible but he claimed to still want the machines. Also to note, that what he wanted to buy kept changing. Still being in contact with him, but privately questioning his credibility and character I made specific guidelines he had to meet to buy the machines. (They had to be paid for in 7 days, total due $1100.00, I would hold them for 30days, he could not pick them up until the check cleared the bank). He agreed to it, and I received an email from him that "he had put a certified check in the mail to me yesterday" and I was to notify him when the check arrived. NO CHECK EVER ARRIVED. At this point I emailed him and he stopped all communication with me. I tried phoning him, but his phone number had been disconnected.
It was very disappointing to say the least. I felt very duped, taken advantage of, and the loss of what I thought was going to be a local Ohio collector that could have been a potenial friend. Just a flake? Draw your own conclusion...........At this point, at the thought of causing hard feelings, be accused of making trouble, or just more drama than its worth, I stopped even trying to communicate with this guy. Lord knows unstable people exist, why add more drama to my already complicated life?
His ebay name is JJ165 and his feedback is less than honorable. Not long after my dilemma with him, I noticed a NEW Applianceville member posting: WestyWashnDry in "Massillion". For those outside of Ohio, there is nearby the city of Massillon where several of my friends live. The profile of machines for Westywashndry as Gansky notes is indeed strikingly similar to what utjj99 claims to own. I found this very interesting along with the fact that he has Massillon spelled wrong on his profile. Who spells the name wrong of the city they live in?
SO NOW THE MESSAGE IS TO YOU JOHN JOHNSON: Why did you stand me up not once but twice? Why did you tell me you put a certified check in the mail, which is no good to ANYONE but ME, and not answer my emails about never receiving it?
Why did you claim to receive nasty emails from club members and yet these supposed emails have yet to surface and prove your claim? Why do you have more than one Applianceville profile and name?
This is not just a cyber community here but a close knit family group for many of us. All do not always see eye to eye on everything, as we are human with human faults and frailites. From time to time toes get stepped on, fragile personalities get hurt, but the underlying bond is the love of appliances and the joy of collecting them that has brought us all together. We all respect Robert and his efforts that have made all of this possible for us.
Hope all had a Happy Labor Day! Jimmy
