gomaos Posted December 29, 2004 Picture this: It's a few days before christmas, your daughter just told you that she wants a playstation2 for xmas, you check ebay, and find a listing for a playstation2, item describtion: playstation 2 photo: a playstation2 with controller... there's only 5 minutes left to bid, the further decribtion doesn't seem to make any sense, anyhow it's a p2 that's on offer, so you bid, and get it for a very reasonable price, in this case $112... http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...me=STRK:MEWN:IT The money is paid you wait for your item to be delivered, instead you get an email that now you own an "e-booklet" whatever that is... YOU'VE BEEN HAD! i JUST REALIZED THAT LAST NIGHT... I have complained to ebay and will also complain to the office of Fair trading... what a bastard... to show me that he really doesn't care he sent me this email: Hi, Merry Christmas to you, and a Happy New Year!! Sorry about the delay, but have been visiting family for Christmas and i have eaten and drunk so much recently that there was no way i was in a fit state to operate a computer!! I am sorry that i couldn't get you this item BEFORE Christmas. The money has been received. As per the item description, the e-book that you have purchased is located at: http://www.sound4cheap.com/ebook.html Also, look at: http://www.sound4cheap.com and: http://www.sound4cheap.com/playstation2.html Due to the electronic nature of this item, a refund is not available. Please do not resell this e-book as you have not bought the rights. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me any time. Positive feedback has been left. Regards, my daughter is now very sad. We expected the p2 to arrive here today or tomorrow. Instead i paid $112 for a piece of cyberspace, so i really paid my money for nothing... I have sworn to bring this bastard down, I'll do whatever is necessary... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Braitok Posted December 29, 2004 You have been had. Contact consumer affairs. I read the ad and it reeks of 'buyer beware'. Any ad that says 'this is not a joke', has to be one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Agamemnon Posted December 29, 2004 What a low life prick. :mad: :mad: Take him right down Gom. Maybe even "A current affair" can do a piece on him?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torsten Posted December 29, 2004 It's quite obviously a scam, but reading the ebay ad I have the feeling there is nothing illegal about it. Ebay will probably not be happy about this though and at the very least you can get this prick banned. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torsten Posted December 29, 2004 Just had a look at his feedback and he has been selling these things for a while. Surprisingly he has received only good feedback about his products, so apparently there are some people who actually want ebooks about electronic gadgets. Sorry, I don't think you have a case Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gomaos Posted December 29, 2004 YES that's what the office of fair trading says too... since he's a private person they'll do nothing... so there's only the small claims court...and that won't open till after new year. I left real bad feedback... but that doesn't satisfy me... the point is: Item description: playstaion 2 (NOT "e-booklet") and the photo... yeah I've been had but I'm not one who accepts things like this... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Braitok Posted December 29, 2004 I sympathise, but I have seen worst raughts in our own legal system. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cookie-monster Posted December 29, 2004 eBay wont give you much satisfaction. If they act they wont tell you about it because of privacy laws. They certainly wont suspend his account unless he has had other complaints. If you really want some payback try this. Firstly complain to safe harbour that his item breaches copyright. Time this to about 2 days before his auctions end so as to cause maximum grief when eBay cancels the auctions. You can also go to the search page and do a search by seller. Then check his auctions and email the high bidder in each one and tell them about his practices. But sadly I'm sure your money is gone. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomtom Posted December 29, 2004 that sucks big time gomaos . :mad: ..i feel bad for your daughter mostly... . i'm a big fan of ebay and personally found some excellent bargains ..BUT i also realise there are bullshit artists everywhere even in the ethnobotanical world .( 1 or 2 bad sellers)not you guys! that ad was brilliant example of buyer beware and read the fine print. he did list the ad incorrectlly ( not a crime ) he did use the words playstation 2 ( not a crime ) and he does say in the first line of the description that its a ebook.. the bastard just preys on you not reading the ad carefully enough ...IT DOES SUCK ! i would send another email to the guy saying you are willing to withdraw the negative feedback (you can do this thru customer service at ebay )for a part refund of say $100..maybe his reputation is worth it to him , and $12 for an ebook is preety good ,though he does only have a feedback rating of 20 something ...its worth a try ..at the moment your down $112 . good luck gomaos .... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gomaos Posted December 30, 2004 Maybe even "A current affair" can do a piece on him?? a slim chance. But I'll try anything... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torsten Posted December 30, 2004 doesn't the buyer (you) get access to the seller's address details? ie, didn't you send money to him? if you have these there may be some way to encourage him to give you a refund. I am sure we have someone on these forums who lives in Hobart... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomtom Posted December 30, 2004 :mad: if you have these there may be some way to encourage him to give you a refund :mad: i still beleive gomaos that you should send another email offering to remove the negative feedback ..i know that sellers dont want even 1 negative feedback as it turns buyers off.its worth the $100 i'd be asking in return.he may value this concept ...if he doesnt then send in the tassie troops ... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darklight Posted December 30, 2004 gomaos: Maybe even "A current affair" can do a piece on him?? You don't want A Current Affair or any other mass media hysteria on your doorstep- trust me. Long story snipped, but trust me... at least two other people I know have sought justice via mass media and it ended in tears. The film crews etc can be nice as pie etc, but you have no control over the final product at all- they can make you out to be anything they want. In the case of the first lot of people they looked so bad they completely ruined their ( very poor ) case and the second lot looked so bad they decided the program was unviewable ( which was really fair enough ). Neither lot decided ultimately that the invasion of privacy was worth it. It only looks like the easy option. Go with cookie-monster's idea, or try the personal touch for a refund as suggested above. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Salvi Posted December 30, 2004 "PlayStation 2’s 300 Mhz processor delivers enhanced clarity and mesmerizing graphics. What’s more, the PlayStation 2 doubles as a CD/DVD player. It also plays most of the original PlayStation games. Step into the 128-bit universe brought to you by PlayStation 2. You’ll enjoy the look, sound, and feel of unbelievable, near-cinematic realism as you play. PlayStation 2 offers the most advanced games across every genre, DVD video playback as a standard feature, Dolby Digital 5.1 theater-quality sound, and the ability to play the immense catalog of PlayStation games. So, what are you waiting for?" That thrown in at the bottom is very misleading if you don't carefully read all of the information. Makes it look like he's actually selling a Playstation. Maybe based on that description e-bay could help ya out.. I'm a bit confused...it appears we all have access to this "e-book". So basically the auction is just for the link, and not even for access to the e-book? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2b Posted December 30, 2004 Gomas , the ad lists the prouct as being in PAL format wich is the Australian television standard resolution , this basically means that our tv's have a higher resolution that the NTSC format that the Americans use. So if you now own the PAL format version , how does it look on your TV ? I would write back to him and complain that it must be in NTSC because you can't get it to work on your PAL tv ! And as he described it as being PAL compatable it doesn't work as desribed so a refund must be in order ! I would also look into how you paid for the item, if you paid via credit card or pay-pal you'll be ok , but if you did a direct deposit straight into his account there won't be much recourse.I once had a problem on e-bay that was similar , I didn't give up and just google searched the pricks name and handle and followed him around cyberspace making an ass of him (i was lucky he was the moderator of a forum so i joined his own forum and told his readers what a prick he was , trouble was he just blocked my IP adress and deleted the posts -lucky i have about 25 different IP address' on different machines here at work so he eventually he surendered and gave me what i wanted !) NB: Forget the Ps2 , X-box kicks it's arse all day long. Once you get an x-box the ps2 won't get used much at all :D !!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gomaos Posted December 30, 2004 oh well, I did things they "gomaos way", i.e. act first, think later... I had the guys phone number and gave him 2 calls... I couldn't help but abuse and threaten him a little... today i got an email that he was so shocked that he had to leave work for the day... and he's offered $97 in return by friday. I take it... if he pays, I'll remove the bad feedback... the one thing I can't understand; Are there really people in their healthy mind who pay money for this crap (e-booklets)? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2b Posted December 30, 2004 I've tried to get into e-books , but i just like to hold a book in my hands , it's like i like reading short bursts online , but to sit down and read 1000 page book off a monitor may-be this is were those little e-book readers that are battery operated and you can take to bed might be a good idea ? Any way glad you got the problem under control (but really , forget Ps2 get an X-box you wont regret it !) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nabraxas Posted December 31, 2004 he was so shocked that he had to leave work for the day... i guess you really told him then? :D good going gomaos Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
devance Posted December 31, 2004 Quote: "This is a physical product, we are not selling information, we are selling an actual E-booklet." This obviously a provable fraud as its not a physical product which is sent in paper form through the mail. But is in fact a information transfer by electronic means. So both statements are fraudulent. The term E-booklet can mean anything to someone or overlooked. Clarity in selling description is demanded under law and must not rest for one obscure term. Printing out a Ebook by computer is information transfer. Tell the seller you understand he was wasted from christmas partying AND GET A REFUND. As I understand it sending a list to the seller in a polite way of the possible complaint internet fileing sites works wonders. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
simon_marklar Posted January 12, 2005 if you read the ebook it states : Proudly brought to you by Tom Hua Email Warning! This eBook is Copyrighted Material. Only authorized resellers can sell this eBook. ---- if you email the author of the ebook, find out if the guy in tassie has the right to distribute the link - if he doesnt tell him that you paid 115$ for it from the guy in tassie and tom hua will take it from there i guess unless he's part of the scam. the book isnt even about the ps2, its about setting up a website! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rkundalini Posted January 12, 2005 and on the web site there's all sorts of unintelligible crap about matrix ("not" pyramid) schemes ... Gomaos, do others a favour and DO NOT retract your negative feedback! You say you're amazed he has positive feedback, but really, come on it must be all bogus. Put a harsh negative feedback on and leave it there. Spose it doesn't stop him from starting a new account though. Probably the only thing that would stop him of the OFT is not interested would be various scary perceived threats to his personal safety ... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gomaos Posted January 12, 2005 rk, I've already retracted the bad feedback, it was part of the deal of getting $97 back! So sorry, too late for that and (but really , forget Ps2 get an X-box you wont regret it !) yep that's what she wants now too, an xbox... only they're 50 bucks more second-hand... oh well she won't get it before she drops around here again.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DuG Posted January 12, 2005 Gomaos, I hope everything works out for you, if it doesn't send me his address.... I live just out of Hobart. Me and my mates could TP his house and car. hehehe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fenris Posted January 13, 2005 My GF had a very bad experience on e-bay although if she had followed the propper channels this might not have happened. She was bidding on a Sony Vaio laptop computer and the seller contacted her and said he would end the bid early if she would transfer the money directly, so she did a western union money transfer which he had to provide ID for. The computer never arrived and he kept her believing it was coming for about a week. With his drivers license details we contacted police and he was known to them and had scammed about 10 people the same way selling non existent electronic goods. We recieved a big apology from him saying he was a good student and needed to finish uni to repay his debts to us but couldn't do it with so many outstanding warrents for his arrest and would we mind withdrawing our complaint. We were in Perth and he was in Melbourne and the police got all the e-mails he sent us and his drivers license details and phone numbers (he used his real drivers license) but the police in Melbourne said they couldn't find him and we never heard about it again. Apparently he had some large gambling debts. My GF lost a substantial ammount of money and we never heard what happened to him. If the payment had been made by Visa then we could have got the money back and the Visa corporate machine would have tackled him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skulking Lurker Posted January 14, 2005 An X-Box hey ? I know somewhere you can buy a great X-Box e-pamphlet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
