posted on October 24, 2000 04:04:17 PM new
I am currently dealing with the non-paying bidder from hell.
LONG STORY! Auction ended Sept. 18, never received any email from bidder X. I was able to see that indeed he was getting and reading my emails. Several emails sent via me and ebay were ignored. Payment due within 20 days of auction. Reminder to pay filed Oct. 14 and no response. Filed for return of fees and gave negative for no response and no payment on Oct. 24. I did this with no regret... I did my part.
Buyer has 4 feedbacks: 2 negatives, 1 positive and 1 positive that should have been a negative due to it's content.
Well, that just set that bidder off. He gives me and the other seller a retaliatory negative. On the negative to the other seller, he was doing the "I didn't bid on it story." Bidder X then emails me SCREAMING (the typical all caps and belligerent) .. you stole my money yada yada. Mind you this is the first I have heard from this person. My response is simply I have never heard from you until now and I have never received payment. Bidder X keeps emailing me over and over... it gets old after awhile, when you say for the 15th time you don't have the money order they sent and to trace it or put a stop payment on it for being lost.
Story gets better... now Bidder X is trying to get me in trouble with eBay via a Fraud report saying I stole their money... a whopping $10 or so. Which I did not do, that is the last thing I want to do as a seller.
What in the world happens now? I responded to their "claim" which as much factual info as possible. Bidder X is convinced that because he has his money order receipt that I'm a thief?!? Bidder X has never stated when payment was mailed, or the money order number... NOTHING! And so what if he has a receipt... I never received the payment or cashed it.
I just feel like a deadbeat bidder is trying to derail me!! What really scares me is that anyone can do this to a seller!!
Anyone have any more info about how all this fraud thing works? eBay's instructions about it don't make much sense.
[ edited by talonis2 on Oct 24, 2000 04:06 PM ]
posted on October 24, 2000 04:24:39 PM new
The bidder will have to prove fraud by tracing the money order and getting a copy of it showing your signature in the endorsement. I work for my local police department and this is how the process works there. If it was a personal check they would get that information through their bank when the check came back through. Even if they "sign" your name and cash the money order it has to be proven without a doubt as your signature, and since you didn't sign it that can't be done. Since you have filed for FVF then this transaction is void. If it was me I would "block sender" to stop their email and move on.
posted on October 24, 2000 04:55:29 PM new
I would start forwarding his email to his ISP, and invoke his ISP Terms of Service clauses on harassment and libel. Almost all ISP have a clause that forbids users from engaging in harassment, libel, and disruptive behavior.
Even better if you feel like take the time is to send a certified letter to the ISP legal department with a notice to "cease and desist".
Technically, you could so him for harassment and libel.
posted on October 25, 2000 06:09:19 AM new
Bidder is down to a lovely feedback of -1
...doing the happy dance here. It is just a matter of time before this person is NARU.
posted on October 25, 2000 06:18:32 AM new
calib ...
just out of curiosity, do your police actually investigate these minor cases of fraud? I am asking because a similar thing happened to me last year. I sent a money order for $250.00 to a seller and never received the goods. When I contacted Canada Post to file a fraud complaint, they told me that they would investigate only if the money order was endorsed by the person it was made out to. When I finally did get a copy of the endorsed money order, it turns out the the crook 'sold' the money order to a friend who signed it. Under these conditions, Canada Post told me it would now become a matter for the local police to investigate. The local police (both here and in the city where the thief lives) told me politely to take a hike - they weren't interested in wasting time for such a trivial matter.
My point - is the threat of police action valid, or simply a hollow threat?
posted on October 25, 2000 10:06:02 AM new
I've dealt with the police alot for local non-ebay problems, and in general they don't like to work at protecting the average citizen. BUT... they can not deny you the right to file a compliant, even if they ignore it, BUT they will actively try and talk you out of it.
Insist, and if done by phone, demand a copy of the compliant form. Why? Because it will support your case with ebay, the jerks ISP, etc.
RB: Are you in Canada, and the buyer also? If you are in the US, file a complaint with the USPS.
posted on October 25, 2000 10:16:40 AM new
I agree with eoi, turn him into his own ISP for harrassment and if you can block his email addy do it. And if you didn't endorse any payment mo's from him then you have nothing to worry about because the burden is on him to prove that you did. As for eBay, they're going to look at his numbers and look at your numbers and chuck it in file 13 ... if they look at it at all, lol... most likely he will get one of those lovely 'I'm sorry you're having trouble, we're not responsible' form letters from them.
posted on October 25, 2000 10:44:41 AM new
eoi - I am in Canada and the money order was sent to the USA. When I couldn't get any help from Canada Post, our local cops, or the LAPD, I, ahem, took matters into my own hands. I have a few sets of relatives living in and near Los Angeles, plus a personal friend who is an LA cop (met him through a Law & Order forum!). The varmit was tracked down and I got my money back (with a little "interest" to cover my time). Certainly not something I would recommend the average person do, but to me, $250.00 US is a lotta dough
posted on October 25, 2000 10:45:12 AM new
I would do the ISP notify bit. Frankly this guy will hopefully just give up and go away. If you don't respond to him, he'll stop.
I'd also forward all his harassing emails in one big one to Safeharbor. They might just NARU the guy, but I wouldn't bet on it.
posted on October 25, 2000 02:11:30 PM new
Hahaha RB... I'm in Los Angeles... yeah the cops are lazy as hell here. I had trouble getting them to respond once to a call about a guy sitting in his SUV slamming back 40 oz bottles of beer. They seemed to think there was no immediately threat to public safety.
But don't let them see ya jay-walking in front of city hall... or be caught DWB
posted on October 25, 2000 05:07:36 PM new
Talonis- does this Bidder X live in Fresno?
Sounds like a nutjob a bunch of us had trouble with a few years back.
Wouldn't send money, would claim he had proof the mo was cashed, on and on and on.
(He started this with me 5 days after he claimed he sent the money a check- never mind, US to Canada normally takes minimum 7 days to even arrive, it takes weeks before he gets the check back. I asked him to provide such minor deatils as the name of my bank or account number which is written on the back. What day it cleared, etc. He kept after me. "I have proo!" he said but couldn't answer any of my questions.
Finally I got fed up did some research and discovered he was shill bidding and shill feedbacking three accounts. Was NARU'd within 24 hours on all 3 accounts. Kept coming back-but that's another story....)
