What kind of marketing scam is this?

Clark1961

Clark1961

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Hello Mr. Throttle,

We are the new company that purchased Allied Eagles/Turboplus.

Mr. Byron Reintjes also has the same kits you purchased on his Piper Turbo Arrow III and is having some issues. "My question is about leaning the fuel mixture at altitude. I have not had it up to a high altitude yet, but at 6000-7000 feet I have tried to lean the mixture out as I have with other planes. I am not able to lean it out at all without sputtering (to lean) and I must keep it full rich mixture."

Have you had any similar issues and would you be able to help him with his question?


Joy
Executive Assistant
Turboplus Aircraft Systems, Inc.
 
Yes I installed three of their kits several years ago. At no time did I identify myself as a certified mechanic (which I'm not) nor have I ever offered to provide free technical support for their products.

Byron Reintjes is in the airman database and has a student cert/class 3 medical.

In short this is a very weird contact.
 
So the owner of the kits is asking you, a customer, to provide technical support to another of THEIR customers because they are unable to. Is that about it?
 
SkyDog58 said:
So the owner of the kits is asking you, a customer, to provide technical support to another of THEIR customers because they are unable to. Is that about it?
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On the surface that appears to be it. Dunno so thought I'd solicit opinions about whether this is some sort of customer contact/marketing/whoknowswhat kind of thing. Certainly this can't be a targeted email. Surely it was sent to all customers of a particular kit.
 
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So what's such a scam about it?

Sounds like the new company is unfamiliar with the kit, so they're asking someone who may have prior knowledge to assist with another customer. :dunno:
 
Ryanb said:
So what's such a scam about it?

Sounds like the new company is unfamiliar with the kit, so they're asking someone who may have prior knowledge to assist with another customer. :dunno:
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If you take that position then they are trying to scam free tech support. Their website does not support their claim to be new. Perhaps the website hasn't been updated.

Anyway it is unfathomable that a company owner would attempt to solicit help from their customers for something in the certified aircraft world. Hire a certified mechanic to provide tech support or direct the customer to work with a mechanic.
 
They may be using the same spam-engine as Amazon which sends me questions from others for things I've purchased.
 
Ravioli said:
They may be using the same spam-engine as Amazon which sends me questions from others for things I've purchased.
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This makes sense, pure marketing contact using a false circumstance.
 
Seems to me the new owner bought something they have no expertise in. I would reply that you are not an A&P, and don't provide tech support.
 
Jeff Oslick said:
Seems to me the new owner bought something they have no expertise in. I would reply that you are not an A&P, and don't provide tech support.
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I'm a little more creative than that and could create a business opportunity for the A&P who installed the kits for me. That said, I don't plan to reply to their spam because it just doesn't ring true to me.
 
I get those from Amazon all the time. I don't think its anything out of the ordinary. I've never seen it from anyone other than Amazon but I applaud the company that checks others who have purchased the same item as someone that has issues with said item.
 
fudge80 said:
I get those from Amazon all the time. I don't think its anything out of the ordinary. I've never seen it from anyone other than Amazon but I applaud the company that checks others who have purchased the same item as someone that has issues with said item.
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Checking is one thing, asking if they can help a fellow customer with a problem that would have to be addressed by a mechanic is something else entirely.
 
If you say yes you can help, then they ask you to wire them money for a registration fee, and you'll get paid $10,000,000,000,000,000 dollars from a government account of an African dignitary, I'd say tread lightly.
 
N659HB said:
Yeah, that's really weird.
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I could say, "Hey dude, clean the plugs, overhaul the mags, clean the injectors, go through the fuel trim set up, then get back to me" but that really wouldn't help anyone very much. If the engine really was performing as described chances are it would have already destroyed itself with detonation. That or the aircraft would need about 5,000' to get off the runway because the engine only makes about a 120 horsepower lean of peak at max power.
 
Skyrys62 said:
If you say yes you can help, then they ask you to wire them money for a registration fee, and you'll get paid $10,000,000,000,000,000 dollars from a government account of an African dignitary, I'd say tread lightly.
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Can I borrow a couple bucks to wire them some fee money? We could crowd fund this. Think how rich I'd be.
 
Ravioli said:
They may be using the same spam-engine as Amazon which sends me questions from others for things I've purchased.
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Amazon and other sites I've bought things from have asked me for reviews, but have never asked me to provide support to another buyer. Amazon has a way to ask questions, but the questions are directed at the public, not a specific buyer.
 
I've gotten a few "review requests" or "answer another potential buyer's questions" from a video equipment purchase last year ... easy to ignore
 
gkainz said:
I've gotten a few "review requests" or "answer another potential buyer's questions" from a video equipment purchase last year ... easy to ignore
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Likewise for camera equipment.
 
Sounds too specific of a question for an auto generated spam message.
 
Tell him to try turning it off and then back on, that's usually the first thing Tech support suggests.
 
Clark1961 said:
On the surface that appears to be it. Dunno so thought I'd solicit opinions about whether this is some sort of customer contact/marketing/whoknowswhat kind of thing. Certainly this can't be a targeted email. Surely it was sent to all customers of a particular kit.
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Strange. I'd call the company directly and politely ask WTF?
 
Honestly it sounds like an administrative assistant, with no aviation experience, trying to creatively solve a problem in a company with no skilled folks left.

It's not an automated marketing thing nor do I suspect it to be a scam. Other than a bad sign if you need **** from these folks in the future for your bird.

You're a business man - make money off the opportunity.
 
gkainz said:
I've gotten a few "review requests" or "answer another potential buyer's questions" from a video equipment purchase last year ... easy to ignore
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I get questions all the time (mostly technical) for stuff I have purchased on Amazon. Yesterday there was one about a non standard use of an audio transformer device for a music on hold feed for a phone system. It was not specifically supported by the manufacturer, but it worked well and avoided having to solder up your own from scratch. I gladly responded, as I normally do. In turn, I have learned quite a few good tricks from other helpful people. You have to be willing to give back a little for this system to work. I am sure you, like most people, have done your share of using Google to solve a problem. Well, someone posted that solution without worrying about liability. Dang, if Internet advise was the frequent basis of lawsuits, a lot of people on PoA would be in trouble.
 
Clark1961 said:
If you take that position then they are trying to scam free tech support....
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It seems to me that something is a scam only if they promise something and don't deliver on the promise. Their request may be odd, but it is still just a request, as far as I can see in the letter.
 
This is your last chance to send in your $10.00 to me. Hurry before it's too late..!!!!
 
Palmpilot said:
It seems to me that something is a scam only if they promise something and don't deliver on the promise. Their request may be odd, but it is still just a request, as far as I can see in the letter.
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Sure.
 
I'd be more upset if I were the person mentioned in the email, having my name sent out to random people that might post it on a public forum somewhere.
 
Salty said:
I'd be more upset if I were the person mentioned in the email, having my name sent out to random people that might post it on a public forum somewhere.
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I seriously doubt that a student pilot bought a turbo Arrow. It could be but I doubt it. Too many fishy things here.
 
jesse said:
Honestly it sounds like an administrative assistant, with no aviation experience, trying to creatively solve a problem in a company with no skilled folks left.

It's not an automated marketing thing nor do I suspect it to be a scam. Other than a bad sign if you need **** from these folks in the future for your bird.
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^^^^ This. I would contact the owner, maybe this guy:

http://turboplus.com/contact_form.asp?CategoryViewed=Turboplus~Aircraft~Systems~Inc.

And alert him that his executive assistant is floundering around trying to find technical advice for a customer by emailing other customers. Maybe a better way to do that would be to send a survey to past customers asking for "feedback" on the product, if they really need to know how sold kits are performing, but personal messages mentioning names of other customers is kind of creepy.
 
Rushie said:
^^^^ This. I would contact the owner, maybe this guy:

http://turboplus.com/contact_form.asp?CategoryViewed=Turboplus~Aircraft~Systems~Inc.

And alert him that his executive assistant is floundering around trying to find technical advice for a customer by emailing other customers. Maybe a better way to do that would be to send a survey to past customers asking for "feedback" on the product, if they really need to know how sold kits are performing, but personal messages mentioning names of other customers is kind of creepy.
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That's just it. My gut feel is that there is no other customer here. They are just fishing for marketing contact.
 
John221us said:
I get questions all the time (mostly technical) for stuff I have purchased on Amazon. Yesterday there was one about a non standard use of an audio transformer device for a music on hold feed for a phone system. It was not specifically supported by the manufacturer, but it worked well and avoided having to solder up your own from scratch. I gladly responded, as I normally do. In turn, I have learned quite a few good tricks from other helpful people. You have to be willing to give back a little for this system to work. I am sure you, like most people, have done your share of using Google to solve a problem. Well, someone posted that solution without worrying about liability. Dang, if Internet advise was the frequent basis of lawsuits, a lot of people on PoA would be in trouble.
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Yeahbut Amazon didn't try to get you to contact the other buyer privately, did they? Guessing you voluntarily left a review, then got a question, or answered a question on the product page.
 
Everskyward said:
Yeahbut Amazon didn't try to get you to contact the other buyer privately, did they? Guessing you voluntarily left a review, then got a question, or answered a question on the product page.
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Correct, and I didn't necessarily read this as he needed to contact the other customer directly. Rather, just submit some suggestions, or just say "I did not have any such issues". She might have been soliciting a statement of "no problems here" in order to get the guy looking elsewhere for his issue. I still don't see an problem with giving her some feedback. It doesn't sound that nefarious to me.
 
I created a gmail account and contacted them about someone sending out a weird email. The note was sent via their website. In their response they claimed the situation was as they presented it in the original email. They made no comment about exposing a customer's name or that the email seemed strange.

I responded that CFI's and A&P's were around for training and maintenance.

I doubt they'll accept my point. Good thing there are few moving parts on their systems. Doubt they'll be in business long.
 
Maybe that assistant is youngish and maybe the younger generations think everyone should talk to everyone else all the time because that's where social media and the internet seem to be leading humanity. No privacy, we are just one big communal brain like a beehive.

My niece dropped a new one on me yesterday. She and her boyfriend (yeah I know) are buying a house together and she said "in the letter I wrote the seller when we made the offer...". Wait, wait, WHAT letter? You are going through two real estate agents right? Since when do you write a personal letter to go with an offer on a house? She said, "Oh it's all the rage. The internet says you should write a nice letter introducing yourself and telling them something about yourself and telling them how much you like their house."

That's a new one on me. Unless I've been doing it wrong my whole life. Revealing personal information about yourself during real estate negotiations might be appropriate sometimes, like FSBO, but not when you go through agents. Telling the seller how perfect their house is and how much you want it and that you are a naive 24 year old just seems like a bad, bad idea. Sure enough the seller stood firm on the asking price and would not negotiate down one dollar.

I understand you can Facebook a seller these days but I thought buyers were normally still anonymous through the negotiations. Maybe the world is changing with Zillow and all.
 
Clark1961 said:
I seriously doubt that a student pilot bought a turbo Arrow. It could be but I doubt it. Too many fishy things here.
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Ain't nuthin new about "fat wallet, thin logbook." Isn't that what Kennedy Jr. had? Or something even sportier like a Saratoga?
 
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