ALAN ELECTRONICS WIND GEN SCAM

[homemadegenny]

I see Alan Electronics from kalamazoo michigan is back on ebay selling under username alternativeenergy2005. They have sold about 10 wind generators and only have 1 feedback. Good return on another scam.

Editor says;

I am not sure this story should have been let thru. I don't have time to research the victim of this attack but I am disabling comments until I decide if this post is a personal vendetta or an honest attempt to alert us to a scam.

Hard to say these days. Not sure its legitimate story here at all regardless of the validity.

[Phil Timmons]

Dunno about the ALAN scam, but I have seen plenty of scamming in the RE world, and I have only wandered into this domain about a year and a half ago.  Taking people's money and giving them crap creates a rough road for the legit RE producer and consumer.

So far I have seen:

Attic vents that do not.

"insulating" paint. (does not)

"payback" claims that will never even occur in the owner's lifetime.

others come to mind, as well.

I am waiting to see the "200 mile per gallon carberator" crap from 1979 get started again.

Actually annoys me enough to do something.  And that is something -- I am pretty lazy.  I think I might do a BS page, if there is any interest and you all want to post or send me details of any RE scams you have seen.  I will do some research on them, and post the details as a public warning page. (on another site so fieldlines does not get sued).

Or on the other hand, has somebody already done such a RE BS site?  (see, there is my lazy part, again)

[TomW]

phil;

I have often thought Fieldlines could use a "Products and Vendors" topic. Then folks could post away on their experiences with products and companies.

DanF would have to set that up so maybe he will see this and respond.

Cheers.

TomW

[drdongle]

Or a "Caveat Emptor" page. ( Buyer Beware)

[Logyman]

Thanks for the heads up. I was looking very closely at their wind generators but I haven't ordered anything. What is the scam anyway?

Phil

[Titantornado]

Speaking of scams, (or perhaps things that just don't look like it will work) on Ebay, did anyone see that double propped windmill on there?

DIRECT LINK

It looks like failure would be imminant to me.  I can only imagine what the bearings are doing with the leverage those long prop shafts must be imposing on them.

[Nando]

WHAT items ALAN ELECTRONICS IS selling in EBay ?.

Please indicate the EBay numbers

Thanks

Nando

[Titantornado]

You could have searched his screen name, but heres the link.  http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZalternativeenergy2005

[Ampman354]

i calculated that, the windmill that has the direct link is pretty darn close to klemens limit.  3118Watts do to betz goes to an estimated 1300watts the do to klemens it goes to 1091.3  though there is a very good chance im wrong on the math......One thing i noticed is they say it'll run you meter backwards this is total exageration(sp).  If not blatent false advertisment.  Yeah tech.ly it could but if your using such a low amount of power that it would rule out 90% of suburbian homes all over the developed world.= 2cents

[Phil Timmons]

OK, since someone put the link, I bothered to click it.

So can you all catch me up to speed on what is wrong with the Alan rig?

What I see is a fairly popular (9 to 14 bids is pretty popular) sort of "toy" wind generator (200 watts?), made out of PVC body parts and plexiglass or lexan blades, going for about probably $150 to $200?

If it lasts a year or two, I guess that is its life?  Does it have bad bearings or poor electrical component selection?

While, yeah, the hype line "Makes SO MUCH MORE power than we planned." is a bad joke -- reminds of Viagra or "enlargement" spam email -- is there any actual misrepresentation here?

Sorry to be slow on this -- electrical and solar is more my thing.  

[Nando]

I did, but I did not get a Hit.

Nando

[homemadegenny]

They have been suspended 14 times from ebay for shill bidding on their own auctions. They have taken at least $3000.00 that i know of from ebay buyers under these user names. thicketbasilisk,harnesstheenergy1950,camarosports88,renewableenergypowersthefuture,february172006sal
eitems to name a few. They take money and dont send product. They have sold under this new username and got 1 feedback which I am guessing is a friend. I had a friend bid on a auction when they were under thicketbasilisk and he got his money stolen and no product. Do a search on ebay to verifiy.

[homemadegenny]

check thes ebay usernames thicketbasilisk,camarosports88,harnesstheenergy1950,february172006saleitems,redbullz1967 to name a few they are now alternativeenergy2005