FromTheRafters said:
It was purchased "as is" ~ so I suppose it was *my* data. ;o)
Well basically I had been saving up to buy a used laptop and a friend
called me and said a friend of a friend was at his house and that he had one
for sale. When I got there the guy was drunk and singing a sad story of he
and his wife breaking up and how she had chucked his stuff out into the
yard. He said she had cut up most all of his clothes and he was ranting
about how she had cleaned out their savings and checking accounts and that
he didn't have any money so he was selling his laptop so he could go to his
parents house and hire an attorney and such.
I asked him point blank if it he was telling the truth and if the
laptop was stolen and that if it was I wasn't going to call the law or
anything. He said it wasn't stolen but that when she chucked it out the
door and after that he tried to turn it on that he was just getting a black
screen and it was saying no boot device present. I checked it out and told
him that most likely it was just something jiggled loose and that I could
probably fix it for him; but he said that he just needed the money. We
settled on what I thought was a good price and all that I could afford. I
asked the friend that called me if the guy could be trusted he told me that
a friend of a friend had sent the guy to him because he knows people and
that the friend that had sent him there was reliable and that he didn't
think he would send anyone to his house that wasn't trustworthy.
Well to try and shorten this I bought it and took it home; but after I
got it working mechanically the OS was still messed up and it wouldn't boot
so I put in a winXP corporate pro and chose custom install and I was sure
that I had told it to format and install; but after it came up and I was
putting it through it's paces I found some file fragments left over and
found what looked to be the original owners name, address and phone number.
After trying to find out if the guy was a decent guy; because I was starting
to suspect the laptop was stolen and didn't want to be accused of receiving
stolen goods (that is when I posted here and elsewhere's to see if maybe
someone knew him and could maybe tell me if the guy was a decent guy) I
decided to just call the phone number and ask.
The guys wife answered and I asked if they had either sold or had a
laptop stolen and she said that her laptop had been stolen. After I asked
her some questions that only the owner of the laptop could have known I
realized that it must have indeed been stolen. I then told her "Well it
looks like I have *your* laptop, you can come and get it if you want to".
She asked me if I knew anything about anything else that was taken from
their truck and I told her no and she wanted to know who it was that I
bought it from. I told her that I got it from a friend of a friend of a
friend and that I didn't want to get anyone in trouble; but that I would
call and see if anyone knew anything about anything else that was taken. I
called and suffice it to say no one knows anything and what I thought was a
friend that I had only occasional dealings with mostly when he needed his pc
worked on or if he needed something else turned out to my way of thinking to
be no friend at all; because he now says that the friend that sent the guy
to him says that he didn't send him at all and what my friend(EX?)is trying
to say if I choose to believe it is that when the guy showed up he told him
that so and so had sent him there and that he had said that he might be
interested in buying a laptop. He said the guy then basically told him the
same story he told me. We my friend said he tried to call and verify that
his friend had sent him; but got no answer and it was a Saturday night so he
figured he was out partying somewhere and he then thought of me (gee thanks
for costing me money and who knows what else) and called.
She was in a hurry and that she would have her husband call when he
got off work. When he called I gave him directions to my house and he said
that it was about an 8 hour drive and that he would be here today around
noon. Well this morning he called at about 8am or so saying he was outside
in front of my house. I told him that I had over slept and that I would put
my pants on and come to the door.
When I opened the door he was sort of blunt and to the point and said
"I don't want to come in, just give me my laptop and I will go". I left the
main front door open and only the storm door closed went in got the laptop
and everything I had got with it and handed it to him. He was soft spoken
and I could hardly make out but I think he grunted out a thank you and then
said "I'll be seeing you", he turned and left got into his car and drove
away.
I have no idea what he meant when he said "I'll be seeing you"; but I
hope it isn't a case of "No good deed going unpunished". I know some here
have a low opinion of what I do online; but those here in my small hometown
know me as an honest man of his word, that goes to church regular sings in
the church choir and plays bass guitar with the other church musicians when
the congregation sings.
I could have just ignored the name and address I found; but when the
name and address was out of state and the guy said he lived here local I got
suspicious and if I had something stolen I would hope someone like me bought
it (not knowing it was stolen of course); because if it was someone like me
that bought it, I would get it back.
If I wasn't the man I am, I would now have a good laptop; but being
able to sleep nights and having a clean conscience is worth much more to me
then a thousand laptops. I look at it as an example to my children of what
a person should do when they find out they have bought something and then
later find out it was stolen. I told the guy what I paid for it; but didn't
ask for him to pay me back; because I look at it this way: it was me that
wanted a laptop so badly that I let my better judgment take a back seat and
although I truly thought it wasn't stolen there was the nagging in my
subconscious and soul telling me that something just wasn't kosher. It is
just an expensive lesson I learned; but to teach my kids a valuable lesson
and as a learning experience it is as the one commercial on TV says,
"Priceless"
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