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Coda Audio Video based in San Francisco is running a fraudulent operation

Buyer Beware...hopefully nobody else gets in with these people, this company or any new company involving the individuals below.

My story goes like this. I was searching Audiogon for some used Raidho speakers over the summer. I had seen a couple good deals that I just missed (my occupation keeps me from hovering on Audiogon and I tend to miss out). I came across an advertisement from the dealer Coda Audio Video (https://www.audiogon.com/listings/full-range-raidho-d-3-gorgeous-piano-black-finish-customer-trade-i...). Their feedback looked excellent on Audiogon, their website listed 3 California locations (https://codaaudiovideo.com/) and even non-audiogon reviews were good as was their BBB rating, and they seemed to have a lot of social media presence and a high rating on their Facebook page.

I started the dialog regarding the above advertisement here on Audiogon; the speakers in the ad had sold. I ended up calling and speaking to a knowledgeable person about the speakers and I eventually settled on getting a pair of Raidho D 3.1’s. I offered a payment plan, we discussed maybe me trading some of my equipment toward the price but we eventually settled on and agreed to a specific price and a payment plan (all of it documented as an audiogon email discussion). During this discussion period, Items were still being advertised and sold by Coda and there even appeared to be ongoing positive feedback (it took a few weeks for me to agree, based mostly on my own process of gathering enough information to make a good decision for the speakers I wanted).

My proposal was a down-payment of just over 1/2 of our mutually agreed total cost followed by about 9 monthly installments. Everything seemed to be going smoothly and on the right path. As I have done in the past for other equipment on Audiogon without a problem, I wired the down-payment. Again, at this time, I had no reason think anything was amiss as communication was quite good. I also made the (faulty) assumption that these high ticket items must be represented by reliable and respected dealers.

My payment was deposited around the end of July. I was first told:
"Everything is in place. The D-3.1 are currently on back order and will be ready to ship to us at the end of august if all goes to plan with Raidho Acoustics...

Best,
Coda Audio Video"

Having no indication anything was amiss, I wired a second payment near the end of August and asked, " Can you do me a favor and send me an invoice? You can send it to my email (j****[email protected]) so I can reference an invoice number when sending payments. I would much appreciate it" after which the following exchange took place:

August 25, 2016 20:44

Thanks John, I will email you the complete invoice once we have the serials numbers of the speakers!

Best,
Kelly

August 25, 2016 20:45

The shipping date for the 3.1 looks like it will be shipped starting on September 5th. Just FYI

jgm (you)August 25, 2016 20:50

Thanks for the info Kelly, much appreciated.


August 25, 2016 20:52

You are very welcome. I will let you know once they are shipped out to us. Once we receive them, we will forward them to you.


Then, unfortunately, everything went awry. Silence followed until I inquired in mid September. Coda responded by asking if I was going to Rocky Mountain Audio festival since we could meet there but I could not go. I called and spoke to a Justin Hutto and was told "we’re working on this as we speak." After RMAF ended I contacted them again here on Audiogon asking for updates of if the speakers shipped, if they had serial numbers or an invoice...for which there was no response. I called again and was told "we’re working on your speakers." When I would check, it appeared that Coda was selling and still getting positive feedback here on Audiogon. I didn’t send any additional payment (although none was "due") and I messaged them again in Mid October but by that time, the Coda Audio Video name was no longer available on the email string at Audiogon (the name had changed to "Standardsound" which appeared to be engaged in commerce and having good feedback).

Below is how it went will all telephone conversations between myself and Mr. Justin Hutto (who describes himself on his Facebook page as the speaker salesman for Coda Audio Video):

jgm (you)October 19, 2016 15:18

I notice there’s been a name change from Coda Audio Video to standardsound but you appear to still be active here on Audiogon. Since I haven’t heard back I thought I would try calling. I called the number below (415-205-1053) but that lead me to a mailbox that was full and not taking any messages. I called Coda Audio Video’s direct number (415-966-2838) and left a message. I trust you are between audio shows and might be able to help me with where things stand. Your last comment below was a little vague (not sure what you meant by "working on things"). I have searched my email and don’t find any new update from Sept 22nd. Again, you initial thought was that they would ship to you on or about Sept 5th. Can you please provide an update with regard to the speakers? I was holding off and the next payment thinking that I might get an invoice with serial numbers as you mentioned previously. Appreciate your time.

Thanks, John


jgm (you)October 19, 2016 21:38

I called 415-205-1053 again this afternoon and now I get a message that this is a non-working number.

Thank you for calling me back just now [Justin Hutto]. Just to reiterate, you confirmed with me that I should be receiving an invoice and the speakers by the end of the month. I should expect tracking info in 7 days +/- obviously in order for that to happen.

I am sorry you have had a health issue. I hope it is resolving and that you are recovering. I am also sorry you have had some major company and personnel changes. Hopefully things will go smoother for you in the future.

Sincerely,

John M

jgm (you)October 25, 2016 19:44

I realize it has only been 6 days - do you have an update?

Response:standardsoundOctober 26, 2016 00:17

Hello John,

Please contact Coda Audio Video at [email protected] or 415-966-2838. Thank you


I called Mr. Hutto again and wrote the following to document the conversation:

jgm (you)October 28, 2016 22:05

"I called you yesterday afternoon and when you answered, you stated, "We’re working on it". You said you would call or text me later, you did not. I called and left a message on your voice mail last night about 6pm California time, requesting that you call me either that night or today. Still haven’t heard from you. I called the Newport Beach number: 949-432-4920 and got the message "not taking any calls".


As evident from this email exchange, you have been "working on it" for over 1 month. Initially, I was told they would ship to you on or about Sept 5. As I stated in my voice mail, I am growing weary of the vague responses - I have no idea what "working on it" means and you have not been clear.

I need clarity and some kind of definitive answer:
Where are my Raidho D3.1’s?

I am going to email Raidho direct and inquire about any orders placed by your company for the speakers I requested."


SO, after emailing Raidho direct, I confirmed that no speakers had been ordered or were on order by Coda Audio Video (despite the months of ongoing assurances that the speakers had been ordered, as of the end of October NOTHING had been ordered). The actual owner of Standardsound called me and informed me that Justin and "Coda" were locked out of Standardsound (which was now a separate business entity).

I searched for and found Kelly Tessmer, the legal business owner of Coda Audio Video in San Francisco. I have contacted her now twice and have received no response (and it was into her account that my money was deposited). I have had several bizarre interactions with Mr. Hutto. Despite all of this, I offered to work out an arrangement with Raidho where I would send the remainder of what I committed toward the purchase directly to Raidho if Coda/Justin/Kelly were willing to send the remainder, or, just give me a refund.

Of course, as of today, there is no evidence that a refund is in the works or that money has been sent to Raidho.

When I look closer at the review of Coda on facebook, it is by Justin Hutto (good thing he reviewed his own sham operation).

Obviously I should not have wired any money and I clearly will need to resort to legal action. I would NEVER due business with Mr. Justin Hutto or Ms. Kelly J Tessmer ever again and would recommend the same for my Audiophile brethren. It is such a shame. In all my years of being on Audiogon and buying/selling (I joined in 2001), despite a few transactions which were less then seemless, I have never been taken by a Dealer, much less a dealer with a long history of positive feedback on Audiogon...which makes me wonder about some of that feedback and it’s legitimacy.
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Showing 12 responses by jgm

jgm's avatar
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jgm OP
18 posts
 
Doctorxx, I am also sorry you have been taken by these persons. I had briefly heard about another person with a Raidho problem...I am very sorry it was you. I will text you and hopefully we can pool our resources and take these people to court. Thanks Oleschool, Tonykay and Stereo5. Had I any reason to be even the slightest bit concerned, I would have insisted on a different form of payment. In retrospect, I certainly should have! 

The thing about this, it is the first time I have been severely ripped off ($17,500) by an Audiogon dealer. Again, there have been a few bumps along the way, most minor. This to my mind point to a larger problem on this forum. Is feedback legit? Has this happened before? How do we know what's real? And really, this is such a small community of mostly like minded people...it almost seems impossible.

I have a few things I will do. First, I will contact every audio-show organizer I can and forward the names of these two so they might be black listed. No-one else should be taken by these thieves and they should never be given a forum to solicit business. I will contact the San Francisco Audio Society (and all other california audio societies) and make them aware of these persons. Coda, Justin and Kelly all have social media profiles. I will see that Doctorxx's and my interactions get posted in their profiles for all to see.

I am composing my demand letter next. 
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jgm OP
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Justin Hutto is about as untrustworthy as anyone I have every dealt with on this site. One of his "stories", that his girlfriend, Ms. Tessmer (to whom I wired the monies), broke up with him and locked him out of the accounts. He maintained this story for months yet even yesterday he posted on Facebook a picture of both he and Ms. Tessmer arm-in-arm (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1332183590149106&set=a.150534051647405.27795.10000072434...) .

I am glad it worked for you Henrycai. Maybe it was the CC. Maybe it was because it was a straight Audiogon transaction. Maybe you got in before it went completely to hell. Coda used to have a Facebook page. It was taken down yesterday after I left a very negative review.

I sincerely hope others don't get taken - between myself and Doctorxx, were in for >$50k with nothing to show for it but a pack of lies, stall tactics and erratic text messages.

Thanks to everyone for the support. Does anyone know an attorney in CA who works civil cases?
jgm's avatar
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jgm OP
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Is there any way to move it there or copy it? I think the forum needs a completely separate topic: Dealer Reviews or Dealer Experiences - some of us have had great experiences we'd like to share in addition to the really bad ones like this. I struggled with trying to find a place to put this and placed it here based upon another post.
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jgm OP
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Thanks again to all. Many great suggestions, including the FBI. I wondered about interstate commerce and wire fraud. I still think there should be a new forum here for dealer reviews which are outside of the usual rating system. This is also a unique situation since the original Audiogon verified dealer (Coda Audio Video) was dismantled just before the you know what hit the fan.
oregon572 posts11-11-2016 6:33pmVery sorry to hear this. Which guy in the photo is Hutto? I go to CES every year and I'd like to know if I see him.
Thank you for telling us about your experience. We truly need to beware!

In the middle.

After all of this (and including now seeing the above), Mr. Hutto has accused me of defamation (that's a both hands on the hips hearty guffaw knee slapper right there). He is now either trying to make amends, or, stringing me further along. If he/Coda/Tessmer provide a refund, I will update this thread.

As many of you have noticed, the website is still up and advertising very high ticket items. What's even more amazing are the links at the bottom of the website to, my personal favorite, a "100% satisfaction 30-day money back guarantee"...Maybe it doesn't apply to me since I didn't actually have anything delivered...despite my 0% satisfaction. Obviously, this has not been honored.  

cbrehm5 posts11-12-2016 6:33amHifiman5, could not agree more. Not an appropriate place. I deal with attorneys all over the country every day and know many good ones in CA. Feel free to give me a call or text, 4104194319. Very sorry to hear about this ridiculousness.

I may take you up on that, thank you for the offer.
jgm's avatar
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jgm OP
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So let me tell you now about a story of bizarre derangement. I am about ready to post the text message conversation I have had with Mr. Hutto for all to see and judge for themselves, however, I will resist for momment. This rabbit hole goes very deep. Mr. Hutto states that after Ms. Tessmer’s contact info was posted, she recieved "a death threat". Naturally, he claims I am responsible for the threat although from there it gets a bit fuzzy. He seems to imply that because I either created this thread or allowed the post or who knows, I caused this threat. Although he won’t accuse me directly, the it’s clear from his ramblings that he suspects I had something to do with whatever he is claiming has occurred.

My first response to him was to report it to the authorities. Multiple other times i request he contact the polIce, the sherriffxs office, etc. Notwithstanding the obvious, that I have no control over who or what get’s posted here, I have recieved multiple text messages from Mr. Hutto all centering on yours truly as the perpetrator of said harrassment. Of course, this is all heresay, especially in the setting of multiple false statements, false claims and misrepresentations by my accuser who coincidently just so happens to owe me and Doctorxx a substantial amount of money back for goods and services not delivered. There are additional elements of the story which make it substantially more bizarre and ironically  so (the details of which I am also withholding for the time being).

Suffice to say I have not, do not, nor would I ever, perpetrate, endorse, support, advocate or condone threats of physical or emotional harm by any individual to anyone, including Ms. Tessmer or Mr. Hutto. There are legal avenues which I and everyone here have advocated, all of which are more than adequate means for restitution.

What a nightmare...
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jgm OP
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UPDATE:

Mr. Hutto has disappeared from my standpoint. He is nothing more than a common thief. The plot is so thick it should be made into an Investigative Discovery episode.

I finally got Mr. Hutto to sign and notarize a promissory which detailed a payment plan where I would be paid back money I sent to Coda...hard to believe, he did not make a single payment.

Ms. Tessmer finally made contact with me. She seems to be making a good faith effort to refund my money. Of course this will take many months. I have proposed that she pay a one time ~4% "fee" since this money would in a brokerage account collecting on average ~ 6% if it were back in my pocket tomorrow (which it won't be). I felt this was fair and reasonable if I have to accept payments over 18-24 months. She states Mr. Hutto will never pay me back. I have yet to hear a response to my proposal. I would be curious to everyone's thoughts on my proposal of a one time "fee" (I consider this repayment plan to be the equivalent of an unsecured personal loan which she will be paying back.

Based upon what I read about small claims court and California law, as long as there is some effort to repay, small claims court would be deferred. And of course a Judgement wouldn't equal payment unless wages were garnished (not even certain if this can be invoked through small claims court).

I told her that as long as she is honest with me from this point going forward and makes a good faith effort to pay me back, I will accept some kind of payment plan. I received $500 at the end of November.

I did a lot of digging around. Amazing what you can find out if you work at it. Mr. Hutto carries a Tennessee DL. He has been arrested twice in San Francisco for domestic assault, one of those arrests occurring in October (so when he said he was hospitalized with health problems, he was actually in Jail. He has a restraining order against him which I can confirm he violated (he signed for a package addressed to Ms. Tessmer at her home while this restraining order was in effect).  Mr Hutto is due in San Francisco criminal court Jan 12, 2017 1:30pm (case 16013663 and case 16018029) for a  pretrial hearing. Plot thickens...


My best assessment of this entire mess: Mr Hutto desired to open the business (Coda Audio Video) which opened around March 2016. VCoda was opened by Ms. Tessmer for Mr. Hutto  to operate (due to his lack of credit, he had not the capitol to open said business). He was left to operate the business. Mr. Hutto then acted as himself and as Ms. Tessmer (assuming her identity in communicating with customers), this implicating her in his scam. The individual operating Standard Sound joined Coda (and brought his antecedent audiogon reputation into what became Coda Audio Video, lending street cred to Coda before it even existed). Around the second arrest of Mr. Hutto in October, the individual operating Standard Sound severed ties with Mr. Hutto and Coda, hence the name change here on audiogon.


Coda was, I am told, supposed to demo Radiho speakers at RMAF in October but obviously no showed to that event which hurt Raidho.


I remained in contact with Raidho all along from the time of my initial contact (confirming that my speakers were never ordered by Coda). Mutliple emails were exchanged between myself, Raidho and Justin Hutto.  I eventually worked out a deal with Raidho directly and have my D 3.1's but only $500 of my $17,500 back in my pocket. For the record, I am satisfied with how Raidho treated me. There is little they can do about Mr. Hutto. He never intended to obtain my product or return my money...I am certain he spent it either on his own attorney's fee or on expensive toys for himself. He is the lowest of low life crooks.


Apparently, consideration was made to report this entire thing to the FBI and Mr. Hutto blames everyone else in a way only a classless individual could.


I tell you, those speakers, even out of the box, are amazing. Fast as any panel I ever heard, great base, and tremendous clarity. The Acoustic Zen Crescendo's (which were replaced by the D 3.1's) were mighty fine speakers...the D 3.1's are just another level. It's hard to imagine how something so good can be improved upon. 


So I think Raidho got screwed, I got screwed, Dr. Franklin got screwed, Standard Sound got screwed, Ms. Tessmer, albeit partially to blame, also got screwed and many others through the acts of Justin Blake Hutto. Ms. Tessmer seems to be making an effort which will hopefully last. If it doesn't, I will keep you all posted. 

         




 
.

jgm's avatar
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jgm OP
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oleschool, you are right - can't squeeze blood from a turnip - or from someone who's in prison. Legal fees for a non-small claims court case would be prohibitive, even if just for the principle, and again, a judgement does not necessarily translate into repayment.

Judge Judy would have a field day...highest rated show ever.

Ms. Tessmer has remained in touch and seems eager to work out a payment plan.

I just wish I knew how to translate this cautionary tale into a global audiophile warning so nobody ever gets bamboozled like we have. Mr. Hutto should be banned from any/all audio shows and there should be a banner at the top of audiogon, ticker tape fashion, mentioning his name over and over again right next to the work crook.

Unfortunately, given the fact that he has used someone else's name to represent his actions, it may be impossible to stop him if he creates or reimagines another high-end audio store under another pseudonym. I am just lucky that this won't hurt me too badly.


And of course then next big issue really is, how do you properly vet a new audio store? I have done business with Katli Audio. The owner, Fred Katli, runs his store out of his home in Chino Hills and is a complete gentleman and a  great dealer. I once auditioned and purchased from a home based audio store in Verona Wisconsin - another gentleman audiophile and great dealer. So in my mind, just because you run a business form your home or apartment, that doesn't make you a de facto risk (at least, not in my mind) .


I do think that any NEW entity or business should not be allowed to come into audiogon with pre-existing feedback due to a merger - that might have prevented at least some of the issues here.


jgm's avatar
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jgm OP
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Well here is the update:

PROS:
Kelly Tessmer continues to make a good faith efforts on repayment - I have received 7 payments on a monthly payment plan that she and I both agreed to uphold. Although I would have preferred a full refund, that was never going to happen and as far as I know, Mr. Hutto is NOT involved with Ms. Tessmer's efforts and he appears to have never made ANY effort to resolve this matter. I applaud Ms. Tessmer for stepping up to the plate and doing her best to make things right.

CONS:
Mr. Hutto became so annoyingly belligerent with his bizarre irrationality during our communications via phone and text that I blocked his number and refused further interaction. He had a couple of court appearances in San Francisco for 2 separate arrests over the winter which I FOIA requested but couldn't obtain due to their being as yet unresolved (this is all available as public record). Astonishingly, in the ultimate douchy move, Mr. Hutto attempted to friend me on Facebook (WTF?!) - as far as I know he's still floating around doing whatever the hell someone like that does. I have happily lost contact with that...well...insert expletive of choice here.

Very shortly after Kelly started to pay me back, the Coda website was dismantled (https://www.codaaudiovideo.com/) as was their facebook page.  Probably based upon my unanswered complaint to the Better Business Bureau, their BBB accreditation was revoked  (https://www.bbb.org/greater-san-francisco/business-reviews/audio-visual-equipment-dealers/coda-audio...).There is still a twitter page (https://twitter.com/codaaudiovideo?lang=en) with no new posts since Sept of 2016.

I can't see how ELAC (or any company) could list them as a dealer (never updated their website ?)  given the events detailed here - maybe ELAC needs to hear from someone...

SO, that's the situation as it currently stands. 
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jgm OP
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Thanks all and sorry Codatech. I have owned Coda amps and they are wonderful. It is a shame that there was a name similarity - fortunately that is where the similarity ended. Codatech aka Coda Technologies makes a great product with an outstanding warranty. I would buy your amps again in a heartbeat. 

Coda Audio Video as a business entity no longer exists. Mr. Hutto is the lowest of the low and Coda Audio Video was his debacle. Unfortunately, it is very difficult when there were instant long standing positive reviews (due to the merger of accounts). He drug everyone associated with his train wreck into the sewer.

Me. Tessmer continues to make good on her commitment toward restitution and makes monthly payments, communicates freely and has been, overall, a pleasure to work with over the past year. Over half has been refunded.

Nor certain what happened with Dr. Franklin but I hope he is also getting repaid.

I have more and more just gone with well established entities or individuals with very long standing reputations. I have no dealer close and even the ones two hours away have limited selection of brands, many of which are not in my sights. 

Then there are crowd funding sights and I have been burned there too (check out LHLabs and their Indiegogo campaigns as well as their forums for an example of major problems in customer satisfaction and service).

It is difficult to know how to stay safe if you can't actually meet the person with whom you are dealing
jgm's avatar
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jgm OP
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Just a quick follow-up to this thread.

Ms. Tessmer continues to make good on her commitment to pay me back. I have received monthly installments toward repayment and with less than 1/4 of the total left to repay, I have no concern she will not complete the repayment according to the terms were worked out shortly after I started this thread. Interestingly, I think it was this thread which got the repayment rolling (despite the insanity of Mr. Hutto). I am not sure where Dr. Franklin is in this fiasco but I think he is being repaid also (can't confirm but I have heard rumor).

Ms. Tessmer has been communicating regularly, letting me know when payments are sent and providing tracking for those payments. She has asked for extensions when things were tight which I have granted and she made up for them readily.

I am very pleased how things are going and I am so happy with my D 3.1's that I think about D 4.1's often. 

I find it so embarrassingly odd that any company could still list Coda Audio-Video as a dealer. That certainly gives one pause regarding their scrutiny of dealers around the globe. I wonder when NAIM went through their dealer list last? And unless they visited the dealership and spoke to a few customers, how would a company ever know if the dealer is providing good service? Frightening.

I will provide one more update when payment has been completed in full to close out this nightmare story. 

jgm's avatar
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jgm OP
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Thanks jafant

mobileusa  I am awaiting the final few repayments.

I no longer see Coda Audio-Video on Naim's dealer list, nor do I see it on ELAC's dealer list.

from this forum post in June of 2016: http://www.audioshark.org/introduce-yourself-6/introduction-coda-audio-video-san-francisco-orange-co...

You can see the products they listed... 


jgm's avatar
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jgm OP
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This will be my final update.

Ms. Tessmer fulfilled her commitment and has now fully paid me back - although it has taken two years, I am satisfied with the way things worked out and I have no further complaints. I applaud her for doing so.

I think my original post on this forum was one of the reasons we came to an agreement and ultimately I was repaid so I am very glad I went to the trouble to do so. I hope others learn form my mistakes so they do not end up in my situation. This was a very hard lesson to learn for everyone involved.

Last comment regarding the now defunct Coda Audio Video: the very last correspondence I sent addressed to Ms. Tessmer via USPS was signed for by Mr. Hutto.

A very cautionary tale indeed. I will let you be the judge of what all the above means.

Final thoughts:

Audiogon is expensive. We're paying for a lot of things we might not need but protection from the above saga is something we do need. I still think dealers who advertise on this expensive site should be vetted by Audiogon before allowing them to advertise. I think merges of feedback should not be allowed such that a new company can't be allowed to rely on the feedback of one of its members. Audiogon should  require that any feedback for a new dealership or business be based upon feedback for that dealership or business only rather than allowing any feedback from individuals forming that company or business to essentially "prepopulate" that dealership's feedback (which happened in this case) - the feedback for the individuals forming that entity should remain entirely separate and the new entity or dealership feedback should stand on its own.   

Good luck to everyone out there...it's a strange cruel world.

  
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