Ron Finger Sale of Unusable Goods Florida Clearwater Beach

I believe that my husband and I, both in our 70s, have been financially abused. Here is what happened:

I saw a washer/dryer set for sale on the app NextDoor. I spoke to the owner (Ron Finger) via the app and determined that this set was the type we’d been looking for. On Thursday, February 16, I went to Mr. Finger’s home to look at the set. He ran both the washer and dryer for about two minutes each to show me that both were in good working condition. They looked practically new, so I agreed to buy them.

On February 21, my husband, our handyman (who owns a truck and trailer), and I returned to Mr. Finger’s house to pick up the set and pay for it in cash ($699). At that time, I asked Mr. Finger pointed questions about the age and working condition of the washer and dryer. He stated that the set was seven years old and had no mechanical problems. He further stated that he was only getting rid of them to get a higher-end set.

We took the set home, installed it, and ran a light load of clothes through the washer. When the washer got to the spin cycle, it made a roaring sound like the entire house was collapsing! I again contacted Mr. Finger to ask about this. He responded that we must have damaged it in the move.

We then called a washer repairman to diagnose and fix the problem. He arrived the following day, February 22, and diagnosed it as not worth fixing. It would cost around $700 and would take about three months to even get the parts. He stated that the spinner, bearings, and tub were completely shot. We asked whether that might have happened during the move, to which he replied that all the problems were due to normal wear and tear on a 17-year-old washer!

I contacted Mr. Finger again, listing the problems and stating the discrepancy in age and condition. He did not text me back.

We are now out $699 for the set, $60 for the move, and $99 for the diagnosis, not to mention that we still don’t have a working washing machine.

When I warned people on the NextDoor app, all were empathetic, but more than one said it was a “Buyer Beware” tale. I know that’s true, but I feel I did my due diligence and couldn’t have avoided being scammed in this instance. I firmly believe that Mr. Finger knew exactly what he was doing and set out to dupe two elderly people out of money.

 I am hopeful that you will look into this situation. He has a lot of items for sale on NextDoor and will very likely be scamming others as he did my husband and me.