Differences between earlier Dynasty 200DX and the current model (2009)

[piniongear]

Wow, when I started this post I didn't think it would end up discovering a stolen welder. I hope that all works out for you Piniongear. Thanks to all who posted.
Looks like the 200 DX im going to look at today is an earlier model built in 2003. It does have the Auto-Line input voltage feature, and HF start - but not the new Blue Lightening feature as that came out in 2008, and it does have an AC waveshape control on it. The seller took it to a Miller dealer to have it checked out and is providing the service ticket. It sounds like a pretty good deal at 2500 bucks for the 200dx the coolmate, foot pedal, leads, hoses, and torch. If all goes well I could be welding this evening. The to do list has been piling up since the maxstar died.

Toolmantk.......
I do feel I owe you an apology, so here it is.
It was not my intention to hijack your thread, but that is what happened. Sorry.

For those following the tale, Andy has been a tremendous help with this matter. He and others at Miller are working to solve the problem.
Best customer service I have ever had the pleasure to receive! Great work guys!

Toolmantk, I am glad to hear you found a Dynasty and with the included extras it sounds like a good deal.
I have had mine but a very short time, and simply love the machine. I think you will too.
Good luck with it............. pg

[FusionKing]

any news yet???

got anything yet??

[piniongear]

to FusionKing and all others who are wondering......

got anything yet??

Yes FusionKing, I do have something. Not good either.
Yesterday I learned Paypal/Ebay has made a ruling. That ruling is that I return the welder in the same condition as I received it, and also that I pay the UPS shipping charge.

Long story made short, I talked with a supervisor at Paypal and he said since the seller is willing to take back the machine and give me a refund there is nothing they can do. They tell me they are not the police and I certainly can understand that.

So I had to think it over a bit.

I decided that if I return this stolen welder to the thief, he will simply sell it again (on Ebay most likely) to another poor dupe like myself.
Then the new buyer will go through the agony that I have been through when they discover it has no warranty, is a stolen welder, and does not have a legal serial number at all.
I do not wish that on anybody!

So, for me to return this to that thief...... well, it is something that I cannot do.
By the way, the thief is:

S. Hester (The name on Paypal account is Sheila Russell)
1200 Bay Ave.
Columbus, GA 31829
He (she?) goes by the name of... stufseller0069 on Ebay

If anyone knows this guy (gal?) or lives nearby I suggest you stay clear of him/her. Just an out and out thief!

A word about our AskAndy is in order too......
Andy jumped in with both feet to help me with this and has done everything possible to bring this to a successful close.

Andy has provided me with the documentation of the serial number assigned to S/N LH250512L.
That is the serial number that was stuck to the back of my Dynasty 200 DX.
This number is assigned to a Millermatic 350 built in June 2007. Not even the same type of welder.

I removed the case cover with Andy's direction and found where the single serial number tag inside has been removed by the thief or thieves.

The tags attached (date/serial codes) were still left in place on the circuit boards though. These numbers show that my machine was made in May or June 2009.

So I do not know how to thank Andy for his tremendous help! I guess all I can say is a heartfelt THANK YOU ANDY! for a job well done and encourage all readers of this tale to consider buying Miller products in the future. I certainly will!

I have a brand new, but stolen, Dynasty with no warranty. I can only hope it continues to run for 3 years without problems. My other great hope is that the thief will someday (and sooner than later) get a payment delivered to him. I am sure it's on it's way at this moment!
Thanks to all who provided help and took an interest in my plight....
pg

[SundownIII]

Piniongear,

Your stated course of action seem crazy to me.

As I had previously indicated, you can have a new Dynasty 200 (WITH FULL WARRANTY) for just a few dollars more than you spent on a stolen machine. OK, so you got a foot pedal. Add another $159 for an SSC pedal and you've got all new, warranteed equipment.

Plus, with proper coordination and the rightful owner (if that can be determined) filing a report/charges, the police could be standing there when UPS delivered the returned unit. As a minimum, he/she could be charged with receiving stolen property. This could lead to a search warrant being issued and other equipment possibly being found.


The fact that they (the thieves) were able to reproduce a close copy of a Miller decal/label, would lead me to believe that this is not the only machine they've moved.

Personally, it sure as he11 would be worth a couple hundred bucks to know I had a "clean" machine with full manufacturer's warranty.

That's not to even mention justice to the perpetrators.

Seems that "just keeping it" is a copout.

[piniongear]

Hey guy.... Each of us is entitled to our own opinion.
You stated your opinion, and I did not seek it, nor do I give a crap of what you think. So don't make judgement on anyone else!

I was only telling the story, not running a survey seeking an opinion from anyone.

A member just asks me what happened and I related the tale. The money is not important to me. In my case money is not the issue. I have plenty of that stuff.

I simply decided to put an end to the selling of this stolen machine.
Your high and mighty suggestion of getting the police involved sounds good on paper. To conduct such a task of being in Texas and working with local police in
Georgia is far more than I could handle.

One Paypal person I talked to gave me his personal opinion too. (Lots of personal opinions around it seems)

He suggested I deliver the stolen welder to my local Houston Police Department and let them handle it.
Yeah, right. A welder without a serial number is parked inside the police property room. For how long, before a cop is doing a little backyard welding at his home? That's how that works.

I would thank you for your opinion, but it was not requested. So please think a bit before you give it so freely next time........ pg

Piniongear,

Your stated course of action seem crazy to me.

As I had previously indicated, you can have a new Dynasty 200 (WITH FULL WARRANTY) for just a few dollars more than you spent on a stolen machine. OK, so you got a foot pedal. Add another $159 for an SSC pedal and you've got all new, warranteed equipment.

Plus, with proper coordination and the rightful owner (if that can be determined) filing a report/charges, the police could be standing there when UPS delivered the returned unit. As a minimum, he/she could be charged with receiving stolen property. This could lead to a search warrant being issued and other equipment possibly being found.


The fact that they (the thieves) were able to reproduce a close copy of a Miller decal/label, would lead me to believe that this is not the only machine they've moved.

Personally, it sure as he11 would be worth a couple hundred bucks to know I had a "clean" machine with full manufacturer's warranty.

That's not to even mention justice to the perpetrators.

Seems that "just keeping it" is a copout.

[Old Sporty]

pg - Just a note, you have openly, and in a public forum stated that you are knowingly in posession of a confirmed stolen welder. That in itself is illegal. If you choose to keep it, then you are also guilty of theft. My suggestion to you is that you give the information you have to the authorities with a complete discourse of what you have stated here, cancel payment through your credit card company, and let the proper people deal with the alleged thieves and the disposition of the property.

Then do as has been suggested, purchase from another source. I think this would be in your best interest in the long run. It may just be that the lawful owner visits these forums also.

[piniongear]

H-mmm, that's interesting. During the entire hour I spent talking to the police today they never once said they were coming to get me.
I guess you and the police must study different law books.
So lay off the legal advice 'Old Sporty'. OK?
pg

pg - Just a note, you have openly, and in a public forum stated that you are knowingly in posession of a confirmed stolen welder. That in itself is illegal. If you choose to keep it, then you are also guilty of theft. My suggestion to you is that you give the information you have to the authorities with a complete discourse of what you have stated here, cancel payment through your credit card company, and let the proper people deal with the alleged thieves and the disposition of the property.

Then do as has been suggested, purchase from another source. I think this would be in your best interest in the long run. It may just be that the lawful owner visits these forums also.

[Desertrider33]

I would try to find the rightful owner of the machine, if at all possible, just for the reason that someone out there is surely very sad about the loss of their prize welding machine. Anyone who buys a new Dynasty, and I'm sure those of you who have done so know, the excitement and happiness the new machine brings to it's new owner. The machine was obviously stolen very shortly after it was made/sold, so whoever bought it didn't get to enjoy it for very long before the thieves struck. That makes it even worse.

I know how that feels. I once bought a Suitcase 8VS feeder, put it in the truck, and only 2 days later the truck was broken into and the new machine was stolen! I didn't even get to use it on one job! That was a real bummer!

As a fellow welder, I would want to try the best I could to get the machine back to it's owner. There will always be theives and thefts, but to reunite the machine with it's owner would be a truely wonderful thing and something that man will surely never forget. How many times have any of us been ripped off and ever got back our stuff?? Not very often. I've never had anything recovered, yet I still keep an eye out for things I've had stolen, even from years ago. Maybe it's an empty hope, but every time I see something that looks like one of mine, I check it out and there's this little glimmer of hope that maybe, it could belong to me and finally I can have it back!

I think at least an honest attempt to find the owner is justified here. I would hate to think that if by chance, a member here bought my stolen welder, found out it was stolen and then would refuse to try to find out who owns it and get it back to me.

As far as going after the thieves, that is up to the police. If they don't want to do anything about it, that's up to them. None of us are the FBI and no one expects you to conduct a sting or an investigation and arrest anybody.

It's a bit fairy-tail-ish, but I'm sure all of us following this story would like to hear the story end with the thieves going to jail, as well as the Dynasty being returned to the owner.

[SundownIII]

Nice to know we've got such an upright citizen as a member here.

You state that money doesn't mean anything to you. That "you've got plenty of that". Interesting.

Seems that "money/deal" was what drove you to this seller vs buying from an established retailer.

PS It's because of attitudes such as your's that thieves can operate with a degree of immunity. I hope you're proud of the "stand" you've taken.

[FusionKing]

I cannot believe that Miller doesn't have a hidden serial # on the machine just for times such as these.
Evidently whoever is stealing these has SOME knowledge of how these things are made as well, and they could also be on this forum
PinionGear...It's sick how sloppy ebay has become nowadays
I hope you don't take this as judging you, because I don't do that. I would hope to steer you in a direction of thought that you can do here to take the higher road.
Here is my thinking...(I have been down this path as well friend)...Who knows where life could lead you? You may, in say five years, need to work on this machine. How are you gonna explain this to an authorized Miller repair center? You can never honestly sell the stinkin' thing.
Your ONLY honest thing you can do and still save all the $$$ possible is to send that durn thing back. All you would be out is the shipping...yea!!!
Do that!! Then call every cop you can once you get your hands on the money and consider yourself lucky...very lucky.
I have had 4 Miller inverter machines in the last couple or three years and now 2 have had BIG problems. I consider Millers warranty the best thing they have going for them. Because of that I would NEVER buy a used inverter welder without a warranty and could not in good faith advise anyone to without at least running it in person first anyway.
And speaking purely from my own experience here...get rid of that stinkin' thing before it brings a whole bunch of bad stuff down on you.
Not judging, only wanting to help here, I know you want this badly but if you can get most of your cash back and then rain all he// down on a thief, I know that Miller would back you as well.
Call his city cops,, his county cops,, and sheriff,, and then also the highway patrol as well. Get worked up and ram that sucker so far up that jerks @$$ that he turns wrong side out!!!! You won't believe just how good it will make you feel. I have now taken the time to go all the way to put 2 stinkin' slimeballs into prison. One I watched escape from a bank robbery and guessed who it was on the spot and got them caught. The cops on the scene did not believe me but the FBI did and 2 hrs later they had him red handed.
Another was a tweaker stole my sons car while he was in Tulsa Welding School and the cops ran him down and I pressed charges all the way untill that jerk went to the pen also!
And I just had another thought as well...i believe it is a big offense to send stolen property thru the mail.
I would even consider reporting ebay to my attorney general and maybe even the federal one as well.
But then Georgia isn't far enuff away for me to show up on your lawn with the law when I get screwed by a thief!! I like new stuff too, but I have sworn to use everything in this great country's system to make sure that justice prevails!! NAIL THAT [email protected]$$tard!!!! FOR ALL OF US, PLEASE!!!
Peace...Garry

[piniongear]

Desertrider........
You state a very valid point, and I fully agree with everything you have said.
As I have said before, returning this welder to the seller thief is only going to give another buyer the same grief and hardship that I have encountered. I wish to prevent that.

As far as finding the original owner.........

Can you suggest a way to do that?
I am all ears.
The thieves removed the inside serial number decal that was stuck to the machine.

The thieves manufactured a counterfeit serial number which all of us have seen with the photo I posted.
I believe you were among the first to comment that it looked incorrect?( I might be wrong about that)
So how am I to indentify what the real serial number ever was?
Miller could prevent this from happening by putting serial numbers on their machines like VIN numbers are put on a car.
Anything would be better than using a couple of peelable decals.

Andy says this machine was stolen from Miller. I agree with that.
This machine had never had a plug put on the cord.
The welder does not have a mark on it except in one place. That is 2 razor blade scratches on the aluminum shelf inside where the thieves peeled off the inside serial # decal. Nothing else.
This machine was made in May-June 2009. That is only 2 months ago at most.

I know this machine has never been run since it left the factory assembly line test station.
All of those facts are what makes me feel the original owner was Miller Electric, not some poor individual who had it stolen out of his garage.

Today I spent 1 hour on the phone talking to the police in Georgia. Tomorrow I will be talking to the Houston Police Department about the matter.

So everyone out there can rest comfortably knowing that I am taking all of the steps I can to get a solution to this problem.

I repeat, this stolen welder is NOT GOING BACK TO THE THIEF to be recycled again through Ebay.

You have to be standing in my shoes before you have any idea of what a problem this is.
Ebay and Paypal and Chase Mastercard all say the same thing. 'Return to sender to get my money back'.

Folks, I am hear to tell every one of you that there is no buyer protection in a situation like this, unless your only interest is to get your money back, and I passed that point long ago and money is of no concern to me.

But I will openly state that when someone out there writes in giving me instruction on what I should do in this situation, and then starts spouting off at the mouth about letting the police handle it yada,yada,yada,,,,,,,,,, that just really pisses me off BigTime!
These people have no idea of what they are talking about. The fools should just not comment if that is all they have to offer.
I am, and have been working with the police.
Whew!
Thanks for enduring that Desertrider.
I feel much better now!
pg

I would try to find the rightful owner of the machine, if at all possible, just for the reason that someone out there is surely very sad about the loss of their prize welding machine. Anyone who buys a new Dynasty, and I'm sure those of you who have done so know, the excitement and happiness the new machine brings to it's new owner. The machine was obviously stolen very shortly after it was made/sold, so whoever bought it didn't get to enjoy it for very long before the thieves struck. That makes it even worse.

I know how that feels. I once bought a Suitcase 8VS feeder, put it in the truck, and only 2 days later the truck was broken into and the new machine was stolen! I didn't even get to use it on one job! That was a real bummer!

As a fellow welder, I would want to try the best I could to get the machine back to it's owner. There will always be theives and thefts, but to reunite the machine with it's owner would be a truely wonderful thing and something that man will surely never forget. How many times have any of us been ripped off and ever got back our stuff?? Not very often. I've never had anything recovered, yet I still keep an eye out for things I've had stolen, even from years ago. Maybe it's an empty hope, but every time I see something that looks like one of mine, I check it out and there's this little glimmer of hope that maybe, it could belong to me and finally I can have it back!

I think at least an honest attempt to find the owner is justified here. I would hate to think that if by chance, a member here bought my stolen welder, found out it was stolen and then would refuse to try to find out who owns it and get it back to me.

As far as going after the thieves, that is up to the police. If they don't want to do anything about it, that's up to them. None of us are the FBI and no one expects you to conduct a sting or an investigation and arrest anybody.

It's a bit fairy-tail-ish, but I'm sure all of us following this story would like to hear the story end with the thieves going to jail, as well as the Dynasty being returned to the owner.

[Desertrider33]

Piniongear,

I agree you're taking the right path. I fully agree about not returning the machine back to the thief. That would just create yet another victim in the crime and would be the wrong thing to do.

I agree that Ebay and PayPal and the credit card company are all acting just about as sleazy as the thief himself. Terrible example of how messed up business is in this country anymore.

I agree that it is very possible that the machine was stolen from Miller, or from a Miller distributor or retailer. Quite possibly it stolen from a shipping company while in transit, or maybe from a welding shop or distributor employee. If it does turn out to be owned by Miller, maybe they will assign it a new serial number and make you the rightful owner of it? It could happen and would be a GREAT ending to the story!

Keep us posted!

[piniongear]

FusionKing.......
I just got through posting and you can see that and read where I have, and continue to carry out, everything I can do with local and Columbus Georgia Police Departments.
It is a little more difficult to make progress than anyone can realize. Until you have been through this process yourself, well.... it's perhaps better to hold comment until you have.

Regardless of the comment, almost every one of you bring up the subject of money.

Mr Sundown111 seems to be especially hung up on the subject. To address your latest comment quickly Mr Sundown.....
Money is no problem for me. I am very rich because......... I learned long ago that having a lot of money was not going to make me happy.
But still, I did want to be rich.
So I had to teach myself a lesson.
There are only two ways to be rich.
#1 is to want more, but that takes work.
#2 is to become happy with what I have, whatever that may be.
I chose #2 as the way to become rich. It worked!

So, lack of money does not make me miserable as it once did.
But because I do not have a large amount (numerically speaking) of money, I have to find a good deal when I can.
Does anyone here not feel that way?

So I see this guy selling a brand new Dynasty 200 DX machine on Ebay.
He is giving a small amount of discount on his Buy It Now price, but he also is offering a 'Make Me an Offer' choice.
This seller has been an Ebay member for a couple of years, has a 92 transaction record and carries a rating of 100%.
I do not know what else you could ask for?
So I make an offer and he accepts.

Well, we all see what happened.
Now after the fact I get bombarded with a mountain of 'Expert' advice from a great many people.
Some of you have made what I call very valid points. Some of you have not done the same.
Without getting specific, you know who you are.

Well folks, I hope I have provided some more interesting reading for you.
Everybody likes a soap opera, and this is what it is turning into.
pg

I cannot believe that Miller doesn't have a hidden serial # on the machine just for times such as these.
Evidently whoever is stealing these has SOME knowledge of how these things are made as well, and they could also be on this forum
PinionGear...It's sick how sloppy ebay has become nowadays
I hope you don't take this as judging you, because I don't do that. I would hope to steer you in a direction of thought that you can do here to take the higher road.
Here is my thinking...(I have been down this path as well friend)...Who knows where life could lead you? You may, in say five years, need to work on this machine. How are you gonna explain this to an authorized Miller repair center? You can never honestly sell the stinkin' thing.
Your ONLY honest thing you can do and still save all the $$$ possible is to send that durn thing back. All you would be out is the shipping...yea!!!
Do that!! Then call every cop you can once you get your hands on the money and consider yourself lucky...very lucky.
I have had 4 Miller inverter machines in the last couple or three years and now 2 have had BIG problems. I consider Millers warranty the best thing they have going for them. Because of that I would NEVER buy a used inverter welder without a warranty and could not in good faith advise anyone to without at least running it in person first anyway.
And speaking purely from my own experience here...get rid of that stinkin' thing before it brings a whole bunch of bad stuff down on you.
Not judging, only wanting to help here, I know you want this badly but if you can get most of your cash back and then rain all he// down on a thief, I know that Miller would back you as well.
Call his city cops,, his county cops,, and sheriff,, and then also the highway patrol as well. Get worked up and ram that sucker so far up that jerks @$$ that he turns wrong side out!!!! You won't believe just how good it will make you feel. I have now taken the time to go all the way to put 2 stinkin' slimeballs into prison. One I watched escape from a bank robbery and guessed who it was on the spot and got them caught. The cops on the scene did not believe me but the FBI did and 2 hrs later they had him red handed.
Another was a tweaker stole my sons car while he was in Tulsa Welding School and the cops ran him down and I pressed charges all the way untill that jerk went to the pen also!
And I just had another thought as well...i believe it is a big offense to send stolen property thru the mail.
I would even consider reporting ebay to my attorney general and maybe even the federal one as well.
But then Georgia isn't far enuff away for me to show up on your lawn with the law when I get screwed by a thief!! I like new stuff too, but I have sworn to use everything in this great country's system to make sure that justice prevails!! NAIL THAT [email protected]$$tard!!!! FOR ALL OF US, PLEASE!!!
Peace...Garry

[piniongear]

Desertrider.....
Our posts cross here, but that is just a fact of life on a forum.

Mastercard, Paypal, and Ebay all take the same stand on this.
They are not a law enforcement agency. So when a seller, who is accused of selling stolen property, is confronted, as long as he agrees to give a refund after the return of the property to him, there is nothing else that they can do.

I can see their point clearly and I have to agree with them as well.
Before this incident I believed just the opposite. I thought they would back me up in exposing a theft, but I soon learned it does not work that way.
Their only concern is the return of the money.
Here we are talking about money again!

So, the situation could be made better if Miller (and other similar companies) took a closer look at how they attach and make serial numbers to their products. It must be a cost issue. (Money again)
We all would have to pay more for this on welders we buy. After this experience it would be well worth it to me, I will say that.
pg

Piniongear,

I agree you're taking the right path. I fully agree about not returning the machine back to the thief. That would just create yet another victim in the crime and would be the wrong thing to do.

I agree that Ebay and PayPal and the credit card company are all acting just about as sleazy as the thief himself. Terrible example of how messed up business is in this country anymore.

I agree that it is very possible that the machine was stolen from Miller, or from a Miller distributor or retailer. Quite possibly it stolen from a shipping company while in transit, or maybe from a welding shop or distributor employee. If it does turn out to be owned by Miller, maybe they will assign it a new serial number and make you the rightful owner of it? It could happen and would be a GREAT ending to the story!

Keep us posted!

[Craig in Denver]

I'm not taking either side here, but I'm confused. In order for you to return to sender (thief), wouldn't you need his address? If the welder can find its way back to the thief, why can't the police follow it?

It's a shame this dumped on your new Dynasty. I'd eat a hole in my stomach over this.