It’s a Scam!
Let me guess, you just walked out of Lowe’s, Home Depot, or Walmart and some guys pulled up in a van or truck and offered to sell you some extremely expensive speakers for an incredibly cheap price.
Don’t Buy them!
What Happened
A friend of mine was leaving a Lowe’s Home Improvement store the other night, when two guys driving a van pulled up next to him and said that they were audio system installers with and they had a couple extra home theater systems.
They showed him proof of the price of the speakers, and said that they had to sell them or they would have hell to pay when they got back to the warehouse.
The price printed on the box was $2,300 and they told him that they would give it to him for $600, but of course my friend didn’t want to purchase them for that price, so they lowered and lowered the price until it was just the right amount.
My friend paid $300 for this Home Theater System that was
JUNK
OmniPhase Brand
I can’t say whether or not the OmniPhase brand itself is actually a terrible brand, but what I can say, is that the system that my friend stupidly bought out of the back of a van was terrible.
(Update: OmniPhase is a brand made exactly for this scam, and are all terrible quality)
First off, the system does not come with an amplifier, which is needed in order for the system to work. So my friend couldn’t even hook it up without going back out and dropping more money on one.
After that, he plugged it in and I joke you not, the audio sounded worse than the speakers on the TV itself.
The White Van Scam
Here’s how the scam works. There are dozens of companies that make the crappiest audio equipment that is impossible to sell in a normal retail store.
Odds are, if you Google the device that they are trying to sell you probably won’t be able to find any retail stores that sell it. Another thing to note is that you probably won’t find any reviews of the system online either.
Anyways, these companies make terrible equipment, sell them to these scammer in bulk for like $50 a pop or something, and they promote them on websites for thousands of dollars so that when you Google it, you will still think that you are getting a great deal.
There are a lot of crappy companies that do this.
Conclusion
Don’t buy anything out of the back of a vehicle.
It’s not illegal for them to do this, so you will not get your money back and there is no point in calling the police. Trust me, my friend tried everything.
I know that I normally just talk about online scams, but my friend asked me to write a post to try and prevent other people from falling for the same scam.
Read more about the scam here!
My sister got same scam just yesterday,same exact thing you just wrote,guy said $600 then lowered it too $300,same results like u
I’m sorry to hear that happened to your sister. These guys can seem legit, and they are very persuasive. They use high pressure sales tactics and won’t take no for an answer. It’s unfortunate that this happens to people everyday but hopefully this article will prevent a few of those cases.
We also got 2 for $300, 3 weeks a go. We installed and everything works great. Better them our older Bose speakers. Before we got i look online and found on Amazon for $300/each.
I don’t know how long they will last. Their website don’t say much.
I told my husband “to good to be true”. We kept our older speakers just in case.
Do you know how they can do it?
Thank you
Just got me for $150…..ugh.
Haha omg that happened to me last week !!! I was walking out of Home Depot. Except I paid $120 for some omniphase crap. It’s still in the box I never even opened it 😀
This happens more often than you would think. At least you only spent $120, I’ve heard about people spending several hundred.
Dudes just got me 20 minutes ago. I paid 125. So is the surround really not even worth a hundred bucks?
Hey Scott,
$125 isn’t a terrible price to pay, I’ve heard of some people paying the full $600. If you are able to hook it up to your tv, it might be worth it. But if you need to buy a separate amplifier, I wouldn’t recommend spending any extra money for it.
Just happend to me today but i only spent $100. Damn shame that people are to lazy to work for there money that they steal hard working peoples money
Well that really sucks I think I just got scammed to
Unfortunately it happens to a lot of people. Hopefully you didn’t pay too much money.
I just bought this Shit. Bragged about getting such a great deal to family and they found this online. I only paid 220 in a truck stop parking lot.
Yes. They make it seem like you are getting the deal of a lifetime so that you won’t pass it up.
They just got me today for 200 wow
Sorry to hear that Sam. Don’t let it get to you, these guys get a lot of people everyday.
Got me to, Dallas, Ga. Karma is around the corner waiting on them. U-haul van…
Yes, these guys will get what’s coming to them someday. Hopefully sooner than later.
Yea..they got me too..for 100 didn’t put it together …yet but same senerio
Yep. The number of people that have fallen for it just keep adding up!
THEY just freaking got my husband if I would have been there he wouldn’t have bought it. pd 130
Sorry to hear that!
Just got me for 200
They got me for 300.00
Sorry to hear that Joseph
Just got me for $86 at a mall parking lot in Philadelphia, PA.
just got me in the loves parking lot in La Porte tx. 240 bucks. dang.
It seems like this scam takes place all over the country!
Got one today at Home Depot parking lot $120.00
The $120 is less than what many people pay.
Damn just got one for 100 flat
Don’t feel too bad, $100 is much better than some of the prices I have heard.
Got me in Charleston SC
Yet another state to add to the list. I’m sorry to hear that.
Same shit just happened to me an hour ago. I didn’t think anything of it till I just now googled it. I got lucky and only paid 60$ should’ve known something was up when he took 60$ for a 2,400$ system. I just thought the guy was an gambling addict and wanted cash ):<
$60 is the cheapest that I have seen it sold for yet. Your deal truly wasn’t that terrible!
I kept telling my husband not to do it and I even told the guy who was scamming us No and to go away….ugh but still he went and bought it. ?? like whyyyyy?!
I just got ripped off today by a guy driving a white dodge charger in Dallas Tx paid $200 ??
I was just about to compare the price of the OMniphase speaker system I bought 10 minutes ago to see if I got a good deal, and I found your post. In other words, I just got scammed for $200.
Wow, literally just left these guys about 15 minutes ago. Guy in a tan Suburban in Hampton, Virginia. Said he was an installer and had the extra system due to an order error. He also had some projectors. I got him to agree to $120… before I forked over the cash, I Googled the brand to see if it was worth owning.., I saw them all over eBay for under $300 and I saw this blog post…. sorry so many people have been scammed. ALWAYS research before you buy something. .. you research it before you buy electronics in a store right? Do yourself the same favor when you’re buying it from an individual.
He didn’t get my cash, but I must admit, it’s a pretty impressive little scam…
It is very unfortunate that so many people get scammed by these people, but it is nice to hear that this post has saved someone else some money.
Sounds like the same guys that got me for $100 in Suffolk, Va. It’s been about 6 months ago. Surprised they are still in the area!
I was sitting in my car trying to pop a zit on my face in the car mirror when two guys pulled up in a suv with these janky looking home theater systems.
I was curious so i looked at them, but i saw the wording used to describe the features and they’re all pointless. It has no real Specs, just fuffy “legal” words.
Anyways, i just said i already had a sound bar so im good. Lol
That was 2 weeks ago.
Im from dover de they got me to i was walking out of lowes i paid $125 … and the guy had the nerve to tell me next time he sees me i owe him dinner if i see him next im goin to punch him in the face straight up
in dover de too, just got me for 200… dude told me i owe him a beer if i see him around…
That’s what I’m saying. He said the same thing hey if you see us tell us how it works.
Hey man. First off, thank you very much for writing this. You just saved me out of $120 here in Tempe, AZ. Same exact pitch but he wanted 450. I said 100 and made it obvious I’m a broke college student lol I damn near paid 120. As we made our way to the gas station to “withdraw some money” from the atm I quickly Googled this OmniPhase crap cuz I was skeptical. Sure enough the first link I choose leads me to this and I quickly declined the offer. You saved me out $120. Much respect man! Never buy out of the back of a van.
Ps
Guy offered to install it for me to see he wasn’t bs-ing but who the hell is gonna take some shady ass dude to their house haha
I’m glad to hear that I helped someone save some money. That is the main reason that I decided to write this post. When my friend told me about what happened to him, he said that he Googled it before he purchased it, and the first thing he saw was one for sale for $2000 on EBay. Obviously that one would never sell because it’s junk, but I wanted to make sure that the first thing that the next person who Googled it would see is my post about the scam.
Oh, wow.
I should never under-estimate the power of chinese scam companies.
I said “uh-oh” because I found a scrap of newspaper in the bottom with chinese words on it.
I paid $300.
Time to go to craigslist and get that much back?
Hopefully you can get at least some of your money back.
Can you tell me if this omniphase professional home theater system really work.. how do I connect it..
Wish I would have seen this before, got hooked for $80.00 at a gas station in Wisconsin. Really should have know better. OH WELL I hope I see the dumb azz again.
Count yourself lucky that you only spent $80, that’s much better than many people I’ve heard from.
My brother just got hustled here in Lorain, Ohio, at a Dollar General Store Parking lot. He paid $90 for it. The guy even grabbed a smart phone and showed him how much it was selling on eBay . My brother thinking he was getting a deal of a lifetime, especially with an $1800 upc price tag on the box, believed the hype and is now in possession of it.
We tried pawning it at a pawn shop, but they were already hip to this scam, and mentioned this “white van scam” site, so here I am. Now my bro is stuck with some worthless piece of junk! We’re attempting to off it to some other sucker who’s gullible lol
I saw that when you searched for it online the high priced offers on EBay popped up first, that’s part of the reason why I wrote this post. So this would pop up if someone tried to research before purchasing.
I just googled the product info for my boyfriend who just bought the system for $100! He was all pumped till I starting reading this page to him! First thing I said to him after he told me about his new exciting investment….. Um I’ve never even heard of that brand it’s probably hella low budget!
Fairfield CA
Stephanie & Bobby
Although the brand is an unheard of brand, many people seem to assume that they haven’t heard of it because the company might only make super high-priced and high quality products. Unfortunately it is the exact opposite.
They got me for $300 for the Omni-Phase M90 and a Kevlan Media Lab. I should have known better, and it hurts…
These companies make tons of low quality products and sell them to probably thousands of people across the country everyday, don’t feel too bad.
Just got me in Huntsville Al in the Walmart parking lot…my girl friend told me not to buy this shit that it jst didn’t sound right for them to be letting a $2400 system go for $200 but I didn’t listen…another $200 gone but if I ever see them again it will be the last $200 they get…???
Amazing. They got me for $120.
Somebody got me too with this
Scam, luckily i only Gave him 60$.
I think it was worth it because the lesson that i got out of it is way more valuable.” If it sounds too good to be true, it’s probably not”
Yep today on my way to work. At a gas station . Paid 60 thinking it was worth a shot. Not rally knowing much about surround sound or the product. Figured was kinda interested in one anyways. So went with it. Then looked it up online cause I was gonna flip it. Lol. Seen it was a scam. I always buy things off the street. Sometimes you win and sometimes you don’t. I like to haggle so coming from 300 to 60. It was a feel good thing. Lol. So he Made maybe 20 bucks.
Do they even work. I know u need a recirve or something. I’ll keep it if anyone knows if it works. Put it in the game room or something.
Those guys will get shot in the face if I they approach me with that scam, specially after all those comments and people who gave their hard earn money to these people up to no good.
Rich says
May 31 2016 10:am
They got me… for 120.00 ,
They’re very effective with their sales pitch…. one guy by the name of bryan. He even opened the carton.
They just got me in Lebanon Tennessee for 150
If they stay around here long they may just get what’s coming to them
They just got me for $200 bucks :/
Just happend to me today but i only spent $100. Damn shame that people are to lazy to work for there money that they steal hard working peoples money
Well, add me to list for 120. Guy wanted 900, then 600, then 300, then 150,.
Is it even worth hooking up, maybe i’ll sell to relative.
Just ran into a couple of guys in Tampa Florida. They gave me the same story about their boss giving them shit if they bring back any unsold product. I told them to give me a second to look up the item online and once I said that they seem to be in a quick rush to go Haha, you can try somebody else not me
Lmao damn. Someone did the same thing to me just now! He said he would sell em to me for 600$ and then I looked at em crazy! He started explaining to me what the crap does and as he was explaining it was as if he was reading from a script! He showed me the price on the box and I said “that don’t mean anything” ?? then I asked about the brand and he panicked! it was called Ominvore or Omenphase? some shit like that. ?? Anyways, I came across this blog and showed em and he laughed and left! ?? he said byee Behh! But really this did happen. And it sucks how people can fall for things and not ask questions or research before they put money into things. ??
Well he tried to get me for $300 but I got his only paid $80 for it so he’s a sucker
New flying j in Houston they got me for $100. So next time i goto Houston I’m going to bust some ass.
Got scammed for 100.00 in Avondale, Az 99th Ave & Lower Buckeye, by a white guy in a nice white car, he also sold one to someone else before me that paid 500.00 just hope to save someone else from feeling stupid, my boyfriend laughs Everytime he looks at the box….
Was just about to buy this here in Phx , AZ . They are also starting to post on craigslist and phone apps like offer up. Thank you, you just saved me ;), i appreciate the info and heads up.
You’re welcome. Glad to help!
Wow. Some dude literally tried to sell me this 5 minutes ago in the mall parking lot in Houston. He tried to get $600, then $300, then $200. I googled them and thankfully your review popped up! These had $1899 printed on the box.
I actually got caught up in one of one of the black suburban audio scams outside of Home Depot the day before Father’s Day and purchased 2 different systems for $300 because I was going to give one away or sell it. Looked up Omni-phase and found this site- at first I was pissed the f**k off that someone would do that to a man with his family standing there the day before Father’s Day and was trying to plan revenge. But then re-read the posts and realized no one actually tried the product that they just lost all this money on! So I went all the way out bought a receiver to go with my Omni phase and to my surprise it actually sounds really good. Figured out how to balance the sounds house bumps family loves it and actually sold my second one because I actually tried it for $400!, got all my money back! I’m happy!!!!!!! Lucky me I guess…good luck to the rest who were got and I know are to come!!!
They just got me in san Antonio TX. 200 bucks lol!
$100
Phoenix, AZ
Thank you for these posts! I just got hit up by a silver truck at home depot in kyle texas. He went all the way down to $100, red flags were popping everywhere
Yea they got me in Orlando,FL today for $120.00
LMAO…OMG I just got stopped for this at a Sam’s Club parking lot. This one came with the same Omni theater system but also included an panorama innovations hk-95 projector with an projector screen for $1,500. I was able to talk them down to $400 for all 3. As I went into tWal-Mart to get the money I ran across this web-site. Thanks sooooo much for the info.
I’m glad I could help you.
So you were a scamed, I get it.. So was my husband!! But does it work no one is saying that!!!
Got me last week in West George Tx at a Truck Stop 150.00.
Damn just got for 80$ then looked it up I have a amp and receiver would it even work ??
i just came across the same type of scammer and he lowered the price to $100 dollars..haha but still i didn’t take it..that dumbass was so desperate. i nearly had given the money to him but i got an instinct from my inner self not to buy it and therefore turned down the deal. Thank god i did that. two minutes later i googled ” is it safe to buy theater system from a random person?” and guess what i found this discussion page! wallah .. just wanted to share it to all you guys.. anyways stay safe and away from these kind of shitheads..peace v
Just got me to for 300 here in odessa tx
Damn. Good thing I lowered it from 600 to 80 bucks ??
in Portsmouth, va rite now
Just got this crab today for $100
hey this guy sold me this junk his name is jeff Ewanio or Ewanco, he drives a red ford with a missing front bumper.Fee free to use this any way you like,I will also be putting his number and others of his in the hands of some nice people over seas.have a nice life scumbag others will be on your dime.roach
Well I just got hit for 200$ didn’t see this before bought it looked it up seen 1800$ so said ok but yea no amplifier to it to wrk the thing I didn’t get hit by a van got hit with a pickup truck
I’M A MEMBER OF A MILITANT ORGANIZATION AND I DON’T FUCKING PLAY! i TOLD THIS GUY WHO APPROACHED ME IN A WALLMART PARKING WITH THIS FUCKING B.S. JUST THAT BEFORE TAKING HIS PICTURE AND AND A PICTURE OF HIS LICENSE PLATE…
HE SOLD THIS B.S. TO ME ANYWAY FOR $70.00 BUCKS!!!!
…NOW I SEE THIS ONLINE
MAKES ME THINK; WOW!!!
SOME PEOPLE JUST DONT GIVE ENOUGH OF A DAMN ABOUT THEIR WELL BEING…!
I’M NOT GONNA DO SHIT TO HIM THOUGH;HE’S NOT WORTH IT! BESIDES, HE’S A SCAVENGER. THEY ALL ARE!!
I’M DOWN TO LET KARMA DO THE DIRTY WORK TO ALL OF THEM…. AND I’M VERY CONFIDENT IT WILL!!!
Brunswick ga got me for 300 ???
Omg I traded the guys a pair of $400 shoes that had been worn exactly 3 times and were deadstocked before. I am so mad
they got my husband for two hunderded money we did not have to spend on that
Just got me for 100$. I’m going to give it to someone as a present.
Got scammed in Connecticut east hartford. I paid 200. The guy pulled up in a black Truck with a Florida plate and convinced me is an overstock
I just got screwed in Orlando Florida grey F-150 truck for$150.00
White Van Scam Austin TX. Got me for 160 pissed off
Happend to me today in Florida. Wanted $500 gave them $200 now I guess I won’t even open it. My wife will say I told you.
Damn they got me too yesterday for $220 they pulled up on me at Walmart in the parking lot asking me for $500 in this gray van full of speakers
This sucks but I’m a lucky one I was driving looking for apartments and seen this same system by a dumpster. Nicely played saying hey please take me I still work I’m not garbage. They locked mint so I took them home set it up connected it into my stereo and all I can say is wow for free I’m very impressed with it. And the price was right. Lol. But I will say it’s not worth more then $150 my opinion.
Well got scammed tried to get pictures of them, but drove off too fast only we stayed in a double digit range 70 bucks should have known next there wont be a next time
Got me for 100 earlier today.. I was shooting the shit with them before hand and found a bar these guys go to in Austin. If that want a lie then oil be getting my money back or the satisfaction of whooping some ass.
They got me here in Dallas, Texas. Two white guys in a van while I was walking out of Academy sporting goods. Seemed legit, but I paid $400. I guess I’ll try the sound system out. Karma is a bitch and guys selling this junk Omni Phase will get what’s coming to them.
Crap, that scam hit me for $160. I hope I run into that little peckerwood again. He definitely played me for a fool. Oh well, lesson learned…
Wow guy in tan suburban just got me. Short Spanish dude. Wanted 600.00 gave him 160.00. What a joke.
Omg I just bought the same system and couldnt find it online but one fake website smh. But I did have an amp at home and hooked it up and it sounded loud af but now Im afraid that the speakers may blow or something. I only paid $100 for it but Im mad that I didnt say $50 when he asked me what can I spend for it. smmfh this scam is cold.
Just got us in Greensboro NC for 125 Bucks
Ughhhhhh this literally just happened to me. I got it for 200$ and went to do reviews and saw this post. That really really sucks. Watch me find these guys again.
I feel bad. I am a pastor and one of my members brought it into me and gave it to me as a gift. I had no clue, until I read this post…and I am guessing he got scammed and was hoping no one would find out. 🙂
I should have Googled the system before buying it. Like a fool I parted with $250. Let’s hope I can make some back on Craigslist.
Beware, they are in the San Antonio, TX area.
Just got me for 121$ Port Huron Michigan!! S. O. B, s walking out of Walmart
I was pumping gas at 7 11 when they came up to me. But i knew it was a scam so i told the 50 bucks, take or leave it. So of course they didn’t take it at first but as i was leaving another guy knocked on the door. They took it. Bought new receiver to powet and yes wasn’t the greatest. Found an old do My receiver I had and they sound great. Must have something to do with the frequency and db levels? So if you have an extra 50 in your pocket its well worth it. I wouldn’t pay anymore than that.
Thank you for this post because they almost got my boss and i was going to pitch in for 200 hundred of the 800 hundred they wanted.
To clarify, they are selling a projector, a sound bar and amplifier, and the total omni phase thing. Then they tell you the are going to hook it up for you. So they came to our office and right before they begin to hook it up they said “oh you need a receiver to hook the system up. They’re just a waste of time and I tried to give them 50 bucks( for all the people they robbed and scammed ?) because I was reading this post as i was researching this product they were talking to me and I was like uh huh sure lol. Thank you all that posted because they would of got me too
Got me today. I’m pissed they said it was wireless
OMG!!! They jus got me taday 12/16/16 thank god i only paid $100 but they wanted $600 it’s was some crackhead dude so I offered him $100 an he took it… he still made money on me… SCUMBAG!!! Lol…
My husband bought three of them for 100 dollars each. When he said me that bought those I immediately told him that he did a bad deal. We can buy a complet home theater around 150 dollars. Do you think that we can use in same way this speakers? Or we really lost the money? (Sorry for my English I am learning yet)
Yep just got me at a convenient store in Pueblo Colorado for 160 ha ha Ha. This guy was persistent though I’ll give them that
Got me too by Lowes 2 months but I only paid $50 because I told him I DON’T NEED IT. I thought I can ebay it for a profit. Oh well.
Thank you so much for taking the time with these posts. We were almost scammed today in Deland Florida. It was just too odd to be believable when he said he had them for free due to an extra delivery. We turned him down but I worry for those who don’t. The scam is just as you described but he was pushing for $500. I googled the brand and found your post immediately! Thanks
You’re welcome Susan. That is the whole reason I wrote this post in the first place.
Now that we have all got into this scam. We have the product but not the audio receiver to operate it. Can some one let me know where I can find a used AVR that works with this system? Thanks
Watch out in Texarkana,Tx fuckboys got me
They got me for 100 about a year ago.. Ima knock the next one i see out and take my 100 back
They just got me for $1500 my wife is pissed.
They got me.. For 300 In chester va.. I can’t wait till next time I see somebody pushing this shit in a packing lot..
They got me for 120…nothing I can do but laugh. The system is the Elactaudio EA78.
Found a brand new in the box doing an apt clean out. Got it for free so I got lucky. Just don’t have an amplifier to see if it’s decent or not. Had anyone actually hooked it up and tried it?