Italians & Leather jackets

Has anyone else been flagged over by "Italians" at traffic lights selling "leather jackets"? They claim to have just finished selling stock to BT and have been left with demo stock and want to sell before heading back to Roma etc. If not be aware they claim they are all Gucci but in reality some form of PVC and by god do they stink of chemicals.(the jackets that is)!!
Arrividerci
PS if anyone is XL and is looking to buy a three quarter length jacket(black) shiney chrome buttons,hardly ever worn(actually never) please note I have donated one to Oxfam.

:lol This really should be in The Craic even if it is a true story. Priceless!

Re: How much?

And the important question is how much did you pay for it? :rolleyes

Re: How much?

Be aware that many "Italians" that you meet in dubious situations, exit stage left, when you attempt to speak a few words in Italian with them................

They have neighbours who speak a latin based language, and can play the part.

Re: How much?

Gerry Ryan and Joe Duffy covered this scam extensively a couple of years ago..............same story.....same modus operandi. I make a point of not buying things at the door or off street vendors, you have no come back whatsoever.:no

Re: How much?

Too embarrassed to say (oh alright approx75Euro) but worse, it happened to a friend before so should have been aware. He actually wears his!Regarding the smell of jacket believe me I had to leave it in the garden shed as i was getting headaches if in the same room as them!! I trying to think of some Irish version of the scam i could try to pay them back if ever met them again. Any ideas?

Irish version

Well theres a bridge in Kerry with huge developement potential going cheap...

Italians

This is a common type of sale tactic and not a scam. If you fall foul to these guys that is your problems , i know a few Italians that do this , not just in Ireland but all over the world.
Believe me they make considerable amounts of cash , circa 4/5K a month.

All the products come from Naples and are manufactured in Factory outlets run by the Capo's and worked by Chinese.
They are mainly suits with copy labels of Armani , boss etc..

The jackets however are really bad , they are not leather , they are usually made of a composite of donkey skin, cardboard and paper and cloth. No wonder the thing smells especially when it gets wet.

I have bought some suits from my friends and they are good quality , 100 for a suit that will do you for at least 2 years.
They just ask for Boss or Armani prices , and get them.

But the old adage if something is too good to be true it generally is.

Re: Italians

yep..have been approached by the same Italian bloke driving around the forecourt of the Shell station at the start of the Mallow road a couple of times over the last 6 months or so.
He kinda reminds me of an Italian David Dickenson (of Bargain Hunt fame).....havn't bought anything though.

ninsaga

scam

My dad was approached in Dun Laoghaire 2 weeks ago by these guys. He didnt buy anything.

Re: scam

Hmmmm,

I had one of these I-Ties approach me. ( Oh, the joys of the EU )

I'm really not a leather jacket type of dog ( what with my age and one thing 'n another )

So I told him I had all of Euro30 and it wasnt for spending on his jackets

It was only the truth

Now if he had been selling tweed hats or a Barbour jackets it might have been a different story

Re: scam

I was walking up Haddington Road when I saw a car pulled up in the middle of the road. The driver was talking to a guy through the driver's window. I thought it was very dangerous but assumed that the guy was asking for directions. It was a rental car.

A few minutes later, the same car pulled up alongside me and beeped the horn. I assumed again that he was asking for directions and went to speak to him - through the passenger window. He addressed me in Italian first and then switched to English when he realised that I wasn't able to speak Italian. He claimed to be on his way to the airport to go home and he had a few coats left over from an exhibition at the RDS and did he wanted to get rid of them rather than carry them home. I pointed out a rubbish bin nearby and went on my way.

Brendan

Re: scam

I pointed out a rubbish bin nearby and went on my way.

:lol

What makes you believe that these people are Italian. Here in Italy, it is usually the Moroccans that do this!

I was stopped 2 weeks ago by one of these idiots and just to prove his identity he actually showed me his italian drivers licence [ looked like Harry from fair city with a tan ] to authenticate his origins ,maybe just another tatic in order to extract the money!!!! I was wise to this scam and was never going to buy anything, anyway half the world knows at this stage that these twats are italian so leave the morrocans out of it, maybe you are ashamed of your fellow countrymens smooth talking rip off tactics used to obtain money from ordinary decent people in Ireland ???

Then again I have come across North Africans selling Genuine Imitation Armani suits that were good quality . The leather jacket scam has been around for over 20 years in richer countries.

Point taken but the issues here are greed and stupidity on the buyers behalf ,what type of muppet would buy any supposedly designer item e.g. gucci ,valentino ,boss etc for a knockdown price on the street off anyone regardless of the sellers nationality , ? the old adage runs true "theres a fool born every minute " and there are obviously plenty of idiots out there parting with thier hard earned dosh for ,fake junk and as long as they keep buying this rubbish !!!!! well need I say anymore

40coats said:

Point taken but the issues here are greed and stupidity on the buyers behalf ....."theres a fool born every minute "

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Hi 40coats, I think you are being very harsh here. Many people have been taken in by this more often than not due to a lack of knowledge or naivity. I was relieved that my dad did have the common sense not to pay attention to these guys but there are many, especially in the older generation that they (the scammers) are also targetting, who are not necessarily armed with this information and genuinely think they might be getting a deal. That is not greed in my opinion. I think your disdane should be targetted at the purpetrators and not at the victims.

Hi casiopea , its not a case for taking sides just ,because its only jackets / suits on offer does not lessen the gravity of this scam in fact I think this scam is appaling and those who utilise it to obtain money in my opinion are the lowest of the low, shame on them all,!!!!! I just hope that people of all ages will "wake up and smell the coffee" and think twice before falling foul to this rip off ,do you know anyone who has ever got a good deal off a street hustler ? I dont think so !!!!

Albalonga, 40 coats is perfectly right, plenty of our fellow countrymen in Italy would sell duds to their own mother...blaming Moroccans or other minorites just writes you off as an hypocrite I'm afraid. In fact most of North Africans would sell you imitations of brands like Gucci making it pretty clear that they are fake whereas the guy selling you a box full of bricks telling there's a computer or hi fi in it always tends to be Italian because you'd trust one more than an African...