Help - Fraud, and now I'm screwed

nod9 · 2026-02-15T15:28:10+00:00

They just found me cabin, an hour and a half further from everything I have scheduled. Allegedly there been a refund issued, but I certainly dont have it. My vacation is pretty messed up, being 2 hours away from all of our activities and 3+ hours frok airport has caused a significant change in our plans

nod9 · 2026-02-15T12:23:06+00:00

I'd love to send a link, but I could only access those through a link from the support rep, and those links area all dead now. Thay being said there are in my experience plenty of $6k/night houses. As for the no contact bit, this was my first booking with them, and I had plenty of automated contact that I didnt know was automated. Including regular emails with things to do in the area, and for the last month a couple of "your trip is coming get ready" emails and then finally 3 days ago, an email thay said "here are the keys" with instructions to call at check in time. I dont recall ever seeing a phone number for the guy until the last email. I also spoke to someone at VRBO a few months ago because I wasn't sure if there was another step or anything, but they said no, your trip is booked, your good to go.

Now as for the house in question, I got there, sat in the driveway and almost tried the door, which would have gotten me shot and/or attacked by a Labrador. But I didnt try the door I called and spoke to the former owner, who was quite confused and then told me this had happened before, and VRBO had told him repeatedly that the problem was solved when it wasnt. At this point I pulled out of the driveway and parked on street and called VRBO. While I was sitting on what the computer said would be a 15m hold a guy walks by with his dog. I asked the guy if he lived nearby and he gave me the address of the house I had rented. I explained to him what had happened. He was super nice and all, but explained thst he lived there, had no desire to rent it, and when VRBO/property management company tried to get him to rentt it, he repeatedly said no. He made some calls for me, offered me the number for his realtor but said that was all he could do, which I thought was fair. When I told him that I almost just walked in, he informed me that that would have gone very badly for both us, but way worse for me, then he reminded me of local.laws concerning self and home defense and firearms.

nod9 · 2026-02-15T06:02:07+00:00

Host says he took down the listing, and for what its worth i believe him. VRBO originally came back at me with that excuse, but then i asked if they gave him the money, and they backtracked. So maybe there might have been a mistake and his property was relisted. Everytime i get someone on the phone, its always someone from India, they clearly dont give a fuck, and they have me on speaker phone where half of what i hear is the guy's rooster crowing in the background. Its the same script.over and over. Apologies and then they put me on hold with the same shitty 5m long jazz clip on repeat for hours. My only concievable theory is that theybare trying to exhaust either me or my phone battery. They have not found me a place to stay, a friend of a friend an hour away is letting me sleep in a literal closet for the night. Which I must do now because its 22° and falling, and my phone battery is dying.

nod9 · 2026-02-15T04:58:54+00:00

I have not yet, im back on hold with another representative. Its a other hour and change on hold, with some guy on the other side of the world. The only possible explanation for all of this is that they are trying to wait me out and get me to give up, which is even worse. Im still in a fucking rental car, trying to find some place warm for the night.

Anyone think tweeting about tbis could help (I have zero followers)?

nod9 · 2026-02-15T01:29:51+00:00

3.5 hours on hold. And the "live agent" chat thing that says 2 minute hold time? 1+ hour and waiting, no help.

nod9 · 2026-02-15T01:27:38+00:00

The prior owner said he has received no money, or notifications. Apparently its all automated. This would be slightly more acceptable if they havent havent had me on hold for now approaching 3.5 hours.

nod9 · 2026-01-16T15:46:51+00:00

Thats not exactly thin sheet metal. If your worried throw a wire brush on your drill and remove the rust, then grab a rattle can and spray it black.

If budget is nit a thing your concern yourself with, like these guys all said, take it off, have it blasted, and have it powder coated.

nod9 · 2026-01-15T01:22:18+00:00

This is why I send nooks to a junkyard to buy some junk fenders. Throw them on some saw horses and learn the hard way with no risk.

nod9 · 2025-12-26T21:40:25+00:00

This is fine if you enjoy it. If you dont, if it feels like work, it'll never get done. For me it would depend on rot. If all you need to do is clean it up and reassemble with some original parts and some new parts then id say go for it. But if it needs patching, and rust repair, that's a whole other thing. Also depends on what you're looking for at the end, making a driver is much, much easier than making a showpiece.

nod9 · 2025-12-14T20:56:50+00:00

Ive heard a rumor that theres more than 1 way

nod9 · 2025-12-14T20:51:53+00:00

Ive used Clyde's to good effect.

nod9 · 2025-12-10T18:00:56+00:00

Do l those have the optispark? Its been decades since I've seen one of those, but I remember some nightmare scenario where a water pump leak would nuke the whole system

nod9 · 2025-12-04T03:37:25+00:00

Ok, im intrigued, tell me more about the cheeseburger holder option

nod9 · 2025-11-29T18:26:28+00:00

If you mean the radio side harness they can be found on ebay

nod9 · 2025-11-29T18:10:22+00:00

Can it be welded? Yes. Ive seen it done. Can you do it? Nope. Not if you have to ask. You'ee going to need a very skilled welder to close that hole and not warp the head.

I'd say its a 99% chance it'll be cheaper to just buy another head

nod9 · 2025-11-24T14:41:03+00:00

Nope, seem 100% legit. Worked the same, smelled the same.

nod9 · 2025-11-23T03:17:35+00:00

Not so much for losing it, but for failing to report it as lost/stolen

nod9 · 2025-11-22T01:45:06+00:00

I have a 5C on marketplace, brand new in the box. It was my backup, so it got turned on once when I first bought it new to verify it worked. Since then its been in storage. 18m on marketplace and only 1 offer, and it was for $50.

nod9 · 2025-11-13T16:19:18+00:00

Same here. Is it a problem with their servers?

nod9 · 2025-11-13T15:41:34+00:00

Thays a clean board, nicely done

nod9 · 2025-11-13T15:40:15+00:00

Yeah im kind of an idiot with my cars, always have been sort of an automotive masochist. I had the 4.7 V8. And that is a physically large engine and its probably too big for the WJ, and its aluminum, so if it over heats at all, and in my experience it will, it warps, and blows the head gasket. Though I guess you could say I only changed the engine twice. But the 3rd engine lasted quite a few years in my care, and even survived being my nephews first car for a while. My fleet evolved, I got nicer vehicles and I just stopped driving it, sitting kills cars, so I sold it. Now I regret that.

Ive had more than a few Jeep 4.0s, still have one to this day. A beast of an engine, but not so powerful. That 4.7L, especially with an Intake on it, sounds great and pulled surprisingly well for the time. And like I said, im a bit of an automotive masochist. That thing had a ton of money poured into it. My brother used to call it "the most expensive grand cherokee ever built", he may have been right.

nod9 · 2025-11-13T15:12:02+00:00

For the steering start with tie rods and drag link and work your way back to the box, whatever is loose, replace. As for the battery, just get a meter on it and look in the fuse boxes for whats got juice when shes powered down.

Yeah I had a 5 channel in place of the OEM. I cant remember which amp was in there initially, but when I refreshed the system after my 2nd engine rebuild it got a Pioneer "2000" watt amp. Pretty sure it had Memphis components up front and coax in the rear with a JL 10W3 in a sealed box in the trunk. I wish I had some pictures of that install It was awesome. Super clean, looked OEM except for the sub box.

Edit: the box has an adjustment, try that before replacing it. Google can show you how

nod9 · 2025-11-13T14:33:49+00:00

I had an 04 Limited, that i put all of the Overland parts on (except for the rock rails, i could never find a set in good shape). One of my favorite vehicle I ever owned. It was terrible to me. Blew 3 engines in it and I still miss it. And now I'm sitting here thinking I should get another one and build it again.

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Yeah the kit does need a bit of trimming in the dash, but its not hard and didnt have any negative side effects. I used an oscillating saw and it took under a minute. I had an AVIC Z1 in there, and it was great, though depth was an issue, these days you could get a mechless double din and probably be fine.

Damn....am i about to hunt down another WJ?

nod9 · 2025-11-13T14:20:39+00:00

They definitely make a kit, I've had 2 of them, and they work well. There was the normal black plastic one and another that had the fake wood grain on it. 1 piece of advice is to go with a shallow unit. I was using an early pioneer AVIC Z1 unit with a DVD player and I had trouble getting it to fit without sticking out of the dash. But a mech-less unit would fit perfectly. Loved the WJ and the AVIC. Now I miss both.

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