And here I was recommending audiogon... (1 Viewer)

[Jeramy_K]

I just completed my first purchase from the Audiogon classifieds. It was one of the smoothest transactions I've ever completed.

My experience is definately a .

 

[Albert Damico]

Call the bank that issued the Cashier's check. Inform them that the check was lost. All Cashier's checks come numbered. The bank will cancell the check and, in time, credit you with the money. If they say they can't, they are lieing, they can and will. It is bank policy.

 

[Robert_Z]

Call the bank that issued the Cashier's check. Inform them that the check was lost. All Cashier's checks come numbered. The bank will cancell the check and, in time, credit you with the money. If they say they can't, they are lieing, they can and will. It is bank policy.

I will re-check with my bank. I hope they will be cooperative...because another day has passed without the check arriving and without any reply from the seller.

 

[Martice]

I normally do business on Audiogon and I do most of my transactions via Money Order. Depending on the cost of the item will I stress a secure way of payment and delivery of goods. However, when I'm the seller, I usually make sure that the buyer calls me at my job through the receptionist so that they know my place of business. Also, I have them check my feedback at Audiogon. What I like to do is reassure the buyer that my reputation is on the line with each sale I conduct and that it's much too valuable to me to trash over a certain amount of money. My track record is about 10 people long but it stretches over about 3 years.

Usually, after the reassuring talk on the phone and the review of my feedback, the deal usually goes through without a hitch. Infact, I've never had a hitch at all.

Do you take a risk when buying and sending money orders? Yes you do. However, if the person is requesting a money order payment, they should be willing to give up a little more in terms of accessibility and other non threatening information about themselves that will make the buyer feel a little more secure about putting their hard earned money on the line.

 

[Douglas_H]

Robert,
Sorry to hear your tale of woe but all is not lost.
At the least you can post negative feedback on him and
outline the dispute.
You can also lodge a dispute on Audiogon and have an
open forum on the situation.
If the guy does regular business there it will be worth
his while to make good or his rep will be ruined.
A verifiable screw-over like this and no one will touch him.
At the least, he'll have to start over and possibly be banned from Audiogon.
Make sure others know this guy is bad news.
If I my be so bold, stop being a nice guy and put the screws to this dork.
His story so far sounds like a load of sh*t to me.

Good luck and don't give up.

Doug

 

[Mat_M]

Man that sucks. I have been in similar situations with Ebay seller(s) before (yes that was plural, I'm an idiot for going back). But it actually all worked out in the end. I hope this guy has his head on straight and instead of screwing you over is just trying to make himself seem prompt with claimed mailing dates, wife misplacing mail, etc.

 

[RobCar]

Well, at the very least, you know the guy's name, and you know where he lives. If he can't even be bothered to help you out by reporting the M.O. as lost, I'd contact him again and say that you're going to pay him a visit. Perhaps the thought of an in-person face-to-face might invoke a bit of cooperation. That's what I'd do anyway.

 

[Robert_Z]

Thanks for the feedback you all. I have heard from two other audiogon members who have been cheated by this seller recently. One was sent the same RB 985mkII that I thought I was paying for, but his arrived defective. And this seller finally got his first negative feedback...not from me, but from some other guy who also paid for a Rotel RB 985mkII but got a box full of bricks. http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/feedview.pl?user=titan

That feedback looks impressive, but now I am thinking audiogon does not have a secure system and that this guy made up most of his feedback. I have lodged a dispute against this guy, but I have a feeling he will change his ID and continue his misdeeds. I have been alerted to three other IDs he has gone by, all littered with negative feedback.

I guess I'll never know how people can do things like that and be able to look themselves in the mirror.

 

[George_W_K]

Maybe we could all get together and pay this Mother F r a visit! I agree, I don't know how people like this can scam others. But, if you were able to contact him again maybe you can get some police or whoever handles this kind of thing involved.

So, what is the safest bet, besides COD, to buy stuff on the net? I just bought a computer and a lot of the things we buy have big savings on the net but still costs . I don't want to lose all that money.

I really hope things work out well for you, Rob.

 

[Marc_E]

You have legal precedence. Mail fraud. I say but that mother F R! what a piece of sh T!
it amazes me what some people are capable of.
Good luck. I buy a lot of stuff off Audiogon. this is a very scary story.
Marc

 

[NickSP]

Robert, it is sad to see someone who is a part of this audio community get ripped off in this fashion, it really makes the blood boil. Is there no way you can trace this MoFo? What about the address you sent the check to and who signed for it? Can you get the local police involved or even Audiogon involved?

 

[JakeMcM]

its just too easy to scam over the internet something needs to be done

 

[Martice]

Another thing about Audiogon from a buyers perspective is that you only do money order transactions with verified members. Verified means that a member has given up personal information (home address, full real name and credit card information) to Audiogon (which they will keep private)and a buyer has the chance to check with Audiogon to see if the address is the same one that the seller is asking you to send your money too. Audiogon will not reveal the members address but will let you know when the address matches the one that you're sending your funds too.

Another thing that a buyer should do is a forum search on the seller and see if the seller has contributed much on the forums. Anyone who contributes to the forum areas and for a long time has a reputation and a recognizable name to uphold. Looking up any forum input of your possible seller can reveal a lot about who you may be doing business with. If he's a Troll of sorts and never has any positive contributions to the threads then that should tell you a little about the person. It may not be a full proof method but it may help clear up any character pictures when you aplly what I like to call "E.E.F.I's" (Essential Elements of Friendly Information). Information when viewed by itself may be useless but when viewed with various elements of other information, you may begin to see a clearer picture of what and who you may be dealing with.

It's unfortunate that it seems that Rob has been ripped off but it is just as important to know what strategies you can use to lessen the chance of getting ripped off. Audiogon is not a hot bed of thieves by a long shot. I've been a member for I don't know how long. However, taking the extra measures to ensure that you know as much about the seller as possible is the most important thing you can do especially when using money orders.

**In short, anyone who buys something via money order and hasn't done much to lessen the chances of getting hosed is basically playing Russian Roulette with their wallet.

Rob did you ever talk to this guy on the phone? Did you request to talk to him before the transaction took place?
Did you take any protective measures other than checking his feedback? How do you know that the feedback wasn't his buddies (who also rip off people on the internet)?

The less secure the transaction, the more you have to do to lessen the chances of getting robbed and also having some information to take to the authorities if all hell should break loose.

 

[Ron Boster]

I hate to hear stories like this...

Besides a fellow member getting ripped off, it makes me cringe thinking about the number of transactions I've done and been "lucky" that everything has gone through, and it hurts those honest sellers like myself.

Usually, I send and receive larger items via UPS COD. But with this guy it wouldn't have worked. ANyone capable of sending a box of bricks to fake the weight of an amp is a total con artist. The cops need to get involved.

I am truly sorry to hear about your situation. I'd call the bank (about the MO), the local authorities and the postal service (Since we're dealing with mail fraud). Depending on the amount of money, I might even pay him a personal visit.

Ron

I have a (former) friend in Houston that I bought tickets for two Springsteen concerts, because he was on vacation at the time. He sent me half the money and has promised the other half for the last six months. I'll be in Houston on business soon and will be paying him a visit at his office. It's now a matter of principle.

 

[Rick Fitz]

Robert

Someone tried to rip me off on ebay for a playstation 2 once for $250.00. I e-mailed every one of this particular seller's transactions and one of them still had a shipping carton with his return address on it. I then had a friend run a credit check on the guy which came up with ss# and phone#. Well he was very surprised when I called him and read off his credit history and his ss# and told him I was about to make his life miserable. He sent me a check the
next day.

Just some ideas

What was this guy's Id on audiogon?


Rick

 

[Douglas_H]

Robert,
Time to take the gloves off and publish this A**hole's name
and address.
I for one don't have a problem spreading the truth about
this guy.
It may not do anything toward getting your money back,
but it might give you some personal satisfaction to see
that he has to pay at least something for being a scumbag.

Doug

 

[Robert_Z]

What was this guy's Id on audiogon?

The key word is WAS, as he has just this evening been suspended by audiogon: http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/sear...?Titan&1&usid.

I just talked on the phone with another audiogon member who sold "Titan" a pair of studio 100s and a sub for over $2000. He even delivered the speakers to "Titan"...but instead of paying with the agreed upon money order, "Titan" paid with a personal check...and to make a long story short, the check bounced because the account had been closed for 6 months.

This other audiogon member told me he reported all this to the police and that there is a warrant out for "Titan's" arrest.

The funny thing is that Titan e-mailed me today and said he is sending me another check with a tracking number. Do you think I will receive my money soon?

 

[Martice]

Congrats! Hope you get your money back.

 

[George_W_K]

Let's hope it doesn't bounce! Even if he does pay you, you should still report him. Even with a warrant the police aren't going to put him as a priority unless he's brought to their attention.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Maybe a happy ending. Let us know...