Here is a good one...

I posted an ad on Craigslist to try and sell our 2 rocker / recliners since we no longer have the room for them now that Hannah and Victoria have officially taken over the family room with their toys and kiddie furniture. I had an elderly lady named Martha from Vancouver call me about them yesterday and she was trying to figure out how she could come to look at them, pick them up etc. as she doesn't drive because she is visually impaired. She was thinking maybe her Grandson would bring her but she had to check with him etc. etc. So I told her to give me a call back if she got something figured out and left it at that. I honestly thought that I wouldn't hear back from her because she lived a bit far away and didn't have way to get out here.

This morning Martha phones me to tell me she was getting a mover to come and pick up the recliners today! Without even physically looking at the recliners or anything. There were photos in the ad but still she is just taking my word for it that they are in great shape etc. She said she was going to come with the mover so she could give me the money for them when they picked them up. I told her they could come anytime after noon but just to give me a call first to let me know when they would be there.

At noon Martha phones me and asks if I have heard from the moving guy. I tell her that I haven't and am confused because I was under the impression she was coming as well. When I asked her about it she said that she couldn't come with them but that she gave the guy the money ($500 in cash) to give me when he picked the recliners up for her!!! I asked her if she knew this moving guy and she told me that she found him through an internet ad!!!!! I was so stressed out!! This little old lady gave some guy with a truck (that she didn't know) 500 bucks and trusted that he was going to come and pick up the furniture and bring it back to her!!! I was really worried that she had just gotten scammed. She didn't even know the guy's name!

So now poor Martha is upset and realizes she may have just done something really foolish. I assured her that I would call her if the 'moving guy' called me. I was really worried this lady might have a heart attack or something, she was really upset. A couple minutes after I got off the phone with Martha this big white cube van pulls up in my driveway. It was the moving guy, actually moving guys (there were two of them). He handed me the cash from Martha and they loaded up the furniture to deliver to her!

I totally wrote down their license plate (just in case!) before I gave them the furniture. I figured if they were going to rip Martha off they would have run off with the money already. Plus Martha said she told the guy she would pay him his delivery fee when he brought the furniture back. So really I don't think that he was going to take off with a couple of chairs that were of no use to him and no money for delivering them.

I called Martha when they left and told her that they gave me the money and were on their way back to Vancouver with the recliners. I also told her to call me after they left to let me know that she got the furniture and that everything was ok. I thought someone should look out for this lady!

Martha called me about 45 minutes later to let me know that the recliners arrived safely and she loves them! She was really happy with the purchase which made me feel good because she bought them sight unseen. I did tell Martha that she needs to be more careful in the future (don't give money to strangers!)... not everyone is as honest as she thinks. But it is nice to know that there are still some honest people out there :)

Wow... I am still shaking my head about it. I hope Martha enjoys her new rocker / recliners :)

~ Tammy

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DAD TODAY!!