Tamiyaclub... Ask member a *strange* question

[T.C~Tamiya]

This is quite odd but I've had a few of these so far, strange questions from people that I don't know, sent through Tamiyaclub.

The one I got today was from somebody asking if he could use 6 channel helicopter radio gear in a knight hauler ?

The one before was asking me if he could have some downloadable instruction manuals ?

Now, these questions would make perfect sense in the right context... if for example I'd claimed to have downloadable manuals or claimed to have a special knowledge helicopter radio gear... but I haven't !

Does anyone else get these kind of questions ?

I was thinking that perhaps there was a mix up somehow and these questions were meant for other people but got sent to me by mistake.

[backtomyroots]

I've recently had specific questions, but nothing out of the ordinary. A few inquiries on model performance, suggestions & questions on parts I've used. I've also received a few requests for a manual for a specific model in my showroom. Nothing too unusual yet []

[Petrolhead]

Yep, I've had a few of these aswell:

1)"Do you know the best way to set up a TA-03 David Jun chassis for carpet racing"? Well, I don't have a David Jun and never have, and I've never been carpet racing, and I've never said I have.

2)"phone *** *** *** want to swop a Gp Spider MK-11." Never exchanged emails with this guy before, and he wants to "swop" something I don't.

I've had one or two more weird emails like this, but must have deleted them!

[T.C~Tamiya]

Questions that relate to a vehical you own make perfect sense, if I had a knight hauler it'd be logical to ask for advice about it, but I don't have one, that's why I thought there might be a cross wire going on, maybe it was sent to someone who owns a knight hauler but I got it instead.

[T.C~Tamiya]

Or could it be an elaborate way of phishing for email addresses ?

I didn't reply in case it was.

[Shodog]

What i have found in the past is that the Tamiya Cl;ub email system is screwy sometimes. there have been times when I receive azn e-mail for a forsale posting when it wasn't my item. I look on TC and see that another TC member is selling the item.

[T.C~Tamiya]

That would explain it I guess.

[stulec52]

I think sometimes people just surfing in happen to see a new item on the home page and click on it and when they see a contact button they use it for alsorts of questions.

I've had a bunch of weird and wonderful ones, nothing offensive though.

[Backlash]

Ive had some weird ones also.

One memorable one was, I had a guy contact me, Stated he'd beem looking through my showroom, and spotted a particular car that I had, I think it was my TL01 Subaru, any way he tells me he has one and then starts to ask me all sorts of questions like, do you know of any hop ups, setup tips, tuning tips, then in the last line of his email, he tells me his car is a Kyosho Nitro car. MMMM, knowing nothing about this car, and little about Nitros, I just laughed and hit the delete button.

I think Stulec52 idea is on the money, and that because we are all members of Tamiya club, we know everything about every RC car ever made. LOL.

[theshopkeeper]

Maybe it's T.C's user name makes people think he's the webdev of the site?

[Pellandine-sports]

Hey Toby.........are you masquerading as the Guvnor again??[]

I reckon it's your 'Handle' mate. People are confusing you with the site. I've had a few questions from out of the blue but these tend to relate to my collection and those who ask politely get a reply and those who don't get binned.

Now whilst ou're there is it possible to link up a Black & Decker aquarium pump to a SRB tranny?[][]

[T.C~Tamiya]

quote:Now whilst ou're there is it possible to link up a Black & Decker aquarium pump to a SRB tranny?

id="quote">id="quote">

Only if you re-bore the spigot flange and adjust the electro magnetic turbine shaft.[]

Perhaps you're right about my I.D, I used my initials and these happen to be the same as Tamiya club's initials so that could be it.

Having said that... petrolhead said he got the same kind of question and his I.D couldn't be mistaken for "Tamiyclub".

[Pellandine-sports]

[^][^]

Cheers Toby.......oh and you forgot to mention the chunk of rusty metal from the bridge to use as ballast.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend........

Chris

[T.C~Tamiya]

Ah yes, the chunk of rusty metal, very important in the aquarium pump / SRB tranny conversion, I forgot about that.[]

Cheers chris

[netsmithUK]

There was a problem with the "contact a member" system but it was only for a very short time over a year ago. I've not had any emails questioning it since. If you think its faulty let me know. Although I would need more details from the sender to track any problems down - mainly, did they mean to send it.

There are a couple of things it could be though,

1. Smiffy the scammer was sending out up to 45 emails at random before we locked him down. Many of them didn't even make sense to the people that go them as he was so lazy with his copy and pasting. He sent me one at one point asking if I would build him a trailer?

2. The system remembers the question you asked when you use the "contact a member" system in memory, and automatically puts its in the next message you send. Seem liked a good idea at the time, if you were asking several people for the same part etc. With hindsight I might review this as it made it easier for spammers to fire off lots of mails. Even if you are not a scammer its possible to send a message to one person, then send the same message to another person, to whom its completely irrelevent, accidentally, instead of sending them a new message

3. As soon as you post a topic like this, I would expect your number of 'odd questions' to go up. As people will read this and think its funny to mess with you and the system by sending you odd questions. Even if no harm is intended, they fail to see you might not see the funny side because they are just one of many people thinking they are the only ones to think of the 'joke'

4. Some people just take fun is sending out bogus emails to see if they get a reaction

5. Some people are just a bit dim and ask the first person they come across especially those shown as 'online' on the main page - thinking if you are online there is a good chance they will get an answer faster.

Chri

[T.C~Tamiya]

After reading the above I suppose there's lots of different reasons, my favorite though is number 5. "Some people are just a bit dim".

quote:As soon as you post a topic like this, I would expect your number of 'odd questions' to go up

id="quote">id="quote">

Nope, not had any more emails, not yet anyway.

[SubaruBrattJunkie]

I have had every question possible asked about Brat's. Some nice, some rude, including a couple from guy's I became trading partners with after they bad mouthed them, to each their own. I have had some folks ask about parts that someone else had for sale, but again they were Brat parts, so maybe thats why. At any rate the system seems to work very well and I know it isn't an accident, thanks Chris!