Sill Scam on the bay

[JonB]

As Jay will tell you, the day BEFORE he posted the "MOHAMMAED SCAM" here I had also posted it here. BUYER and SELLER BEWARE! Not a week goes buy when someone does not call us wanting to swap ill-fitting, inferior bay-of-pigs merchandise. Today's sad story:

Good customer of mine wanted replacement aluminum sidesills. I quoted used takeoffs at ~~$1700.

He found em floating on the bay for $1500 for "PAIR, NEW IN BOX, ALUMINUM NOT FIBREGLASS, OEM SILLS, never on acar." TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE ! He got emails back and forth, and bought them. Paid a few hundred $$ to ship overseas, and becasue the vedor declared the full value (not creative like me!) he paid hundred$ more in duty.

He opened em and found cheap, imitation fibreglss sills of low-temp resin. He then called me for help asking how to take some action in USA when he is abroad. Anyone know how he can do anything but post 'feedback'? Seller wants to give him a set of damaged Gen-1 rims in compensation....

"If Only.........."

 

[Alternative]

If he did the transaction via Ebay rules, then he can call Ebay. Also, if he used his credit card for payment, he can ask the bank if they can do something. He purchased OEM side sills, and that's not what he got. Ebay or the credit card company should be able to do something.

 

[dblankenbaker]

I believe the credit card company will help ONLY if he received nothing. If you receive an inferior product, they won't help.

 

[Don]

I believe the credit card company will help ONLY if he received nothing. If you receive an inferior product, they won't help.

Your credit card company should re-imburse you in full for the product if it is significantly different from what you are paying for whether you received it or not. You'll likely have to hold onto the sills for sometime, but this is why we pay for things using a credit card ... protection!

CASE IN POINT: A fellow Viper owner recently purchased some used rear Viper Tires off ebay (through paypal) that were supposed to have 90% of the tread left. When he received them, he found that they had 2/32's left. The seller required "official documentation" from a third party to verify this. He took it to a Tire Store and had the information faxed to them. They refused to talk to him after this and he was forced to call ebay and his credit card company. PayPal didn't help him. (It was over some time limit or something like that?) His credit card company re-imbursed him and billed Paypal. The tires are still in his garage..., but he received his money back!

 

[Qualitywires.com]

I never buy anything from overseas on ebay. Most of it seems to be a scam.

The good experience I had with an over sea type transaction was with one of our very own VCA guys on here!

 

[VIPER BAZ UK]

I have bought loads of bits and pieces from the US(including PARTSRACK thank you Jon),and so far every body i have delt with have been more than helpfull even to the point of Emailing me two/three weeks later just to make sure i got the goods ...
It is such a shame there are so many robbing scammers out there ...

 

[RavenFan_94]

Just a note on Paypal, you can't trust them for any type of resolution. Someone hacked into my account about five months ago and literally cleaned out my checking account that was attached. It took over two months to get any action and due to the large sum of money, the FBI became involved.

I have eventually received about 80% of the funds back and still waiting for the rest. - the scammer bought a bunch of goods on ebay and wired himself money - Honest sellers refunded the account when the FBI notified them and the bank reversed the western union.

Paypal acknowledged the fraud. Sent me about a dozen affidavits to sign but did little more.

Just FYI and not meant to be off topic, but NEVER leave your checking account attached to your paypal account. I learned the very very hard way!

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

The latest news from the world of PayPal. I hit the sending limit on Paypal but will not give my checking account # to them.

ALBANY, New York (AP) -- The nation's largest online payment service, PayPal, is paying New York $150,000 in penalties after misrepresenting to consumers its policy on repayment when merchandise doesn't arrive, the state attorney general said Monday.

PayPal, which claims 40 million customers worldwide, had specifically stated that it provided the same rights and protections of a traditional credit card transaction, said Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. But consumers were often denied those rights, he said.

For example, consumers who didn't receive merchandise purchased through PayPal were often denied reimbursement from either PayPal or American Express or Discover credit cards. A spokeswoman for Spitzer said consumers complained they were being bounced between PayPal and their credit card companies and there was no prompt action.

The credit card firms agreed to properly credit consumers in an agreement with Spitzer late last year.

PayPal creates accounts for buyers and sellers using the Internet, including PayPal's parent, eBay, the Internet auction site. The service lets buyers and sellers exchange money through e-mail.

Besides the penalties, PayPal will pay New York state the investigation costs. The online payment service also will clearly describe consumer rights including conditions or limitations on their rights and refund policies.

Without the agreement, consumers using their credit cards through "e-payment" systems like PayPal would lose their protections under the federal Fair Credit Billing Act and similar state laws.

"Protecting consumer rights in online transactions is the best way to establish and maintain confidence in electronic commerce," Spitzer said.

PayPal has clarified that it will investigate any claims about a deal as long as the complaint is made within 30 days of the purchase.