Before I dive in - I’m going to answer the questions you will have from reading the title
- this is not the website’s fault
- Scammers are monsters and will try to get you to click a ‘verification link’
- after being pushed to transform into a Karen, I did inform the website. But if some one else closer is on here, I hope you can help too as the services are usually outsourced to a vendor.
TLDR: verify who you are chatting with if you are using a chat service on either website as they may be compromised with bad actors.
Here is the light weight summary:
My JTS air compressor likely went through a burst disc. It was the second time I’ve used it.
No biggie, technology is allergic to me, I figured I would deal with it later.
I went to shoot my air Venturi avenge x and the magazine got lodged.
Got it unstuck but the action wouldn’t close. 1 very deformed pellet came out and a part of a second one followed.
I couldn’t clear the barrel.
I bought both from airgundepot less than a month ago.
So I hopped on airgundepot.com to try and chat with one of their people. They have been super helpful in the past.
I logged in and clicked around and the chat box finally popped up. There was a picture and a name associated with it, which is what I vaguely remembered.
Chatted and said I needed help understanding if I did in fact blow a burst disc and help getting the broken pellet out of the barrel.
The guy asked me to click a verification link to see my order history. I refused since that was irrelevant. I just needed tech type answers.
He told me to return the unit and that I would have to pay to return it. He gave me a link to print a label. I tried to print this label and nothing would print. It was blank. Then I got the cut off of the top of a usps shipping label ONLY.
He then told me it was because I had to pay 129.99 to return it and that’s why it wouldn’t print.
I said I just want to clear the barrel. It can’t be that hard. He told me it was ruined. I ruined it. I said it was warrantied through Air Venturi and asked to get their contact info.
He said they were a Chinese company and would never answer.
He told me no returns without fees were accepted through airgundepot and a warranty return would only go through air Venturi but “good luck talking to any one”.
He told me I could return and *replace* to airgundepot, but I would have to pay a restocking fee.
He said if I went that route the label would be cheaper.
To make it very clear, he told me this incident was my fault since I bought low quality garbage. Then told me to click another link to see his suggestions for a replacement.
It was horrible at that point, I stopped chatting.
I finally found a number for air Venturi. By this time, I was furious.
Air Venturi called me back today.
Low and behold they are local to Ohio and It wasn’t an VOIP number.
After we both came to an understanding of the drama I had already been through, we realized something was fishy.
I work in tech and have proximity to AI chat bot and live support services.
They get compromised from time to time.
I saved one link and looked at it today. It is a verification vendor that directs to an old comcast id verification service that hasn’t been used in a few years but apparently still active.
When I first saw the link, I brushed it off as “oh I have Comcast, so it isn’t weird”
Let me be clear. It was weird.
Turns out, comcast used to use this service until one data breach and shoddy end of life service later, they abandoned it. But somehow it’s still relevant and in a good enough state to scam people.
They actually perform a soft credit check with this service. They ask for your address and full social with it. Thank god I didn’t verify but it was so easy to have been duped in my emotional state.
Airgundepot pyramid and air Venturi are all aware and the REAL representatives have been AMAZING.
Just be careful. These scammers are getting far too clever and I have a feeling there will be many more chat service scams in our near future!
- this is not the website’s fault
- Scammers are monsters and will try to get you to click a ‘verification link’
- after being pushed to transform into a Karen, I did inform the website. But if some one else closer is on here, I hope you can help too as the services are usually outsourced to a vendor.
TLDR: verify who you are chatting with if you are using a chat service on either website as they may be compromised with bad actors.
Here is the light weight summary:
My JTS air compressor likely went through a burst disc. It was the second time I’ve used it.
No biggie, technology is allergic to me, I figured I would deal with it later.
I went to shoot my air Venturi avenge x and the magazine got lodged.
Got it unstuck but the action wouldn’t close. 1 very deformed pellet came out and a part of a second one followed.
I couldn’t clear the barrel.
I bought both from airgundepot less than a month ago.
So I hopped on airgundepot.com to try and chat with one of their people. They have been super helpful in the past.
I logged in and clicked around and the chat box finally popped up. There was a picture and a name associated with it, which is what I vaguely remembered.
Chatted and said I needed help understanding if I did in fact blow a burst disc and help getting the broken pellet out of the barrel.
The guy asked me to click a verification link to see my order history. I refused since that was irrelevant. I just needed tech type answers.
He told me to return the unit and that I would have to pay to return it. He gave me a link to print a label. I tried to print this label and nothing would print. It was blank. Then I got the cut off of the top of a usps shipping label ONLY.
He then told me it was because I had to pay 129.99 to return it and that’s why it wouldn’t print.
I said I just want to clear the barrel. It can’t be that hard. He told me it was ruined. I ruined it. I said it was warrantied through Air Venturi and asked to get their contact info.
He said they were a Chinese company and would never answer.
He told me no returns without fees were accepted through airgundepot and a warranty return would only go through air Venturi but “good luck talking to any one”.
He told me I could return and *replace* to airgundepot, but I would have to pay a restocking fee.
He said if I went that route the label would be cheaper.
To make it very clear, he told me this incident was my fault since I bought low quality garbage. Then told me to click another link to see his suggestions for a replacement.
It was horrible at that point, I stopped chatting.
I finally found a number for air Venturi. By this time, I was furious.
Air Venturi called me back today.
Low and behold they are local to Ohio and It wasn’t an VOIP number.
After we both came to an understanding of the drama I had already been through, we realized something was fishy.
I work in tech and have proximity to AI chat bot and live support services.
They get compromised from time to time.
I saved one link and looked at it today. It is a verification vendor that directs to an old comcast id verification service that hasn’t been used in a few years but apparently still active.
When I first saw the link, I brushed it off as “oh I have Comcast, so it isn’t weird”
Let me be clear. It was weird.
Turns out, comcast used to use this service until one data breach and shoddy end of life service later, they abandoned it. But somehow it’s still relevant and in a good enough state to scam people.
They actually perform a soft credit check with this service. They ask for your address and full social with it. Thank god I didn’t verify but it was so easy to have been duped in my emotional state.
Airgundepot pyramid and air Venturi are all aware and the REAL representatives have been AMAZING.
Just be careful. These scammers are getting far too clever and I have a feeling there will be many more chat service scams in our near future!
