E-Bay Feedback.. GRRR!!!

[Daisalana 33]

Yeah this lady is premo whacko. I just can't believe it. What scares me more is she has my home address from the CD I *DID* purchase from her. I'm hoping customs would catch any bombs or anything heh.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

I no longer do ebay anything....and I for SURE do not deal with 'PayPal'....

Sure wish more people felt as you do, Jack. People have NO clue just how bad either of them are.

[ELENATION 0]

You know what? You aren't going to like this but I disagree with you and agree with giving you a neg. I'd do the same. Well, I might do the same but I would darn sure think about it.

The stuff on ebay is cheap crap and fakes. Everyone knows it. When you buy an item you really do get what you pay for. If you are not happy it is your job as a consumer to contact the seller and try to work it out. Most will refund your money if they know full well you are in the right. You didn't do that, you never wrote that you contacted the seller. You never gave them a chance to make it right.

If you give them a chance to make it right and they ignore you or don't at least TRY to do something to fix the problem, they are absolutely within their rights to give you a neg in return.

The f/b system on ebay is not perfect but the one thing about it is that it is an opinion of the overall experience. The experience the seller had with you is that you bought an item, paid for it, received it, and negged them. Their perception of you is that you are unreasonable and nasty. You never even gave them a chance to fix the mistake and according to your list of events, you didn't. You deserved the neg. The overall experience is NOT just if you paid on time, the overall experience includes a total lack of communication on your part with a problem.

I used to volunteer for ebay helping scammed people get their money back. Anyone that shops on ebay is an absolute fool unless they are willing to lose any money they send to anyone. It's a system full of scams, cons, and illegal activity. Ebay is *just* as bad as the worst scammers scamming people. PayPal is just as bad as Ebay. They are sued by every Attorney General's office in the country for a reason. It isn't because they are all sweetness and light.

As for your f/b score, who cares? Are you buying f/b or widgets? As a buyer it doesn't make a lick of difference if you have two negs. It ONLY matters as a seller. The whole key to f/b is to leave factual information, no name calling, no trashing of others, just the facts. People tend to ignore the negs left when you merely leave the facts. If the other party slams you then they really are the ones people look at.

Which seller f/b would you take seriously?

"Fat f'ing freak never payed [sic] for a damn thing!"

Or...

"Bid 3/1/07, payment due 3/8/07, not received as of 4/1/07."

As a buyer are you going to do business with the first or second seller?

Same thing applies to buyers.

My hubby ordered an autograph picture of a sport person...can't remember the name, paid over $500.00 and they never sent it to him, he contacted the seller, but the person had moved out, he contacted paypal, they said they would try to resolve it, they called DH back and told him that they have sent it to collection, DH has called several times after that and they still haven't collected nothing, so this was a llong time ago now, so I know we'll never see the money again, is there anything else we can do Wassa? probably not....but if you have any idea.....let me know please...we sure don't buy on e-bay anymore , ever!

[TerriDoodle 6]

I've been an Ebayer since 2001 and have probably conducted 800+ transactions. My account was recently 'hijacked' and I can't get control of it again. Ebay keeps sending me form letters on how to fix it, but the fix isn't working because I can't get into the account!! There is no phone number I can call. If I email, I get a robot response. This is pretty damn frustrating...not to mention scary. I used to love ebay...not so much anymore and it's unfortunate....it was a great source for my bead addiction.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

My hubby ordered an autograph picture of a sport person...can't remember the name, paid over $500.00 and they never sent it to him, he contacted the seller, but the person had moved out, he contacted paypal, they said they would try to resolve it, they called DH back and told him that they have sent it to collection, DH has called several times after that and they still haven't collected nothing, so this was a llong time ago now, so I know we'll never see the money again, is there anything else we can do Wassa? probably not....but if you have any idea.....let me know please...we sure don't buy on e-bay anymore , ever!

Autographed items on ebay are usually (99% of the time) fakes anyway.

If you PM me the details of how it all came to be, the auction number, how it was paid (credit card, money order, paypal, etc.) and everything you know I'll see if you have any options. Please tell me you paid via credit card??

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

I've been an Ebayer since 2001 and have probably conducted 800+ transactions. My account was recently 'hijacked' and I can't get control of it again. Ebay keeps sending me form letters on how to fix it, but the fix isn't working because I can't get into the account!! There is no phone number I can call. If I email, I get a robot response. This is pretty damn frustrating...not to mention scary. I used to love ebay...not so much anymore and it's unfortunate....it was a great source for my bead addiction.

Most of the time when an account is hijacked it is the account owner's fault. It's hard because the scammers are sooooo good at scamming people, they have no idea they are giving away account information.

Examples... some of the auctions are fake. Now, I don't know how to explain the following because I am not a computer person but there are auctions on ebay that are not really auctions. They use special software (java??) to overlay on top of an actual auction. It looks absolutely real. It has every single link that a real ebay auction has. When you click on that auction and click a link you *think* you are going to an ebay link but it is really a hijackers link. Sometimes it can d/l a keylogger on your computer, sometimes it can take you to a fake log in site so when you think you are having to log into ebay you are really just giving a hijacker your account information.

Ever see the porn photos on an auction? Those are scammers with this "overlay" thing on top of a real auction.

Another one, let's say you are selling your laptop. A scammer bids and wins. They will send you a fake PayPal confirmation email telling you that you have been paid for "X" auction. You send the computer and then realize that email was not from PayPal at all and you just gave away your computer. Likely to someone in Nigeria.

Here is one of my favorite links showing how some scammers work, it's pretty damn funny:

Anus Laptops: The Martins Cole Saga "09/2004 - 03/2005" - ScamBaiting at its finest -theScamBaiter.com

This one is also funny but not as priceless as the above:

http://www.bustedupcowgirl.com/scampage.html

Then there is an email address that I now give out freely :

Head of Safety and Trust, VP Rob Chesnut:

robc@ebay.com

Want to check out your buyers or seller's feedback?

Toolhaus.org

The above cuts down on time. Use this link, it picks out ALL the negs and neutrals.

But Terri, honestly... the LEAST of your problems is getting the account back under control. The #1 thing you MUST do is clean your computer. Check this out:

The following information was put together by another eBayer to use in case of spoof emails, but there is some really good information for your situation, programs to use to clean your computer if you do not already have them. Please read it:

SECURE YOUR COMPUTER:

- go to Windows update and be certain you have installed on all of Microsoft's critical security Patches.

VIRUSES, SPYWARE, MALWARE, KEYLOGGERS:

1. Make sure your anti-virus software has the latest updates and run a full virus scan on your computer. If you don't have an AVS that gets updated (which everybody should), go to Trend Micro HouseCall - Free Online Virus and Spyware Scan - Trend Micro USA and run a free online scan.

2. Download the FREE version of Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy that detect spyware, malware, and keyloggers. It is always best to use two anti-spyware programs to complement each other.

Before you run the softwares, make sure you click on the link in the software to get the most recent updates.

SpyBot Search & Destroy:

If you have Spybot Search & Destroy already, be certain you have installed the new version 1.4. Uninstall the older version of 1.2 and do a clean install of the newer version.

Download from:

http://www.download.com/Spybot-Search-Destroy/3000-8022_4-10401314.html?tag=lst-0-1

You shouldn't download SpyBot from anywhere but download.com (link above) or

The home of Spybot-S&D!

since there is a nasty impostor on the Web that PUTS spyware on your computer.

Ad-Aware:

a. Download from

ad-aware software downloads and reviews at Download.com

b. You need to change your default settings in Ad-Aware to do a "deep" custom scan and always run the custom scan since this is the only way to also scan the registry and memory, which is critical.

Open the program and on top right there are some icons. Click on the one that is a "gear." Here are the directions from Lavasoft, who owns Ad-Aware, on how to change your settings. You won't be able to change some of them if you are using the free version.

http://www.lavahelp.com/howto/fullscan/index.html

c. ALWAYS click the "check for updates now" link before you run Ad-Aware since they update it several times a week.

PASSWORDS

1. Make your passwords complicated and include letters, numbers, and symbols. Don't store them on your computer but handwrite on a piece of paper and put it in a safe place.

2. After you do all the above, IT IS CRITICAL TO CHANGE ALL OF YOUR PASSWORDS AGAIN since you could have had a keylogger on your computer when you changed them earlier.

ADDITIONAL COMPUTER SAFETY

FIREWALL:

If you don't have a router, then install a firewall:

1. Go to Zone Labs and download their free firewall, Zone Alarm:

ZoneAlarm by Check Point - Award winning PC Protection, Antivirus, Firewall, Anti-Spyware, Identity Protection, and much more.

2. Always keep Zone Alarm running when online if you have dialup and never turn it off if you have a cable or DSL connection.

EMAIL PROTECTION:

This is how to change your options in Outlook Express. There are similar defaults in other email programs.

1. Go to View >> Layout >> and under "Preview Pane" UNCHECK "show preview pane"

2. Go to Tools >> Options >> Read >> and under "Reading Messages"

- UNCHECK "automatically download message when viewing in the Preview Pane

- CHECK "Read all messages in plain text." Your email won't appear pretty but safety is the issue here since trojans and other nasties can be embedded in XML by just opening an email and not clicking on an attachment.

3. Go to Tools >> Options >> Security and under "Virus Protection" CHECK "do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus."

By checking this option, you cannot receive an attachment. If you are expecting an attachment and are 100% certain about its origin and authenticity, then go into the options and uncheck the above option. Go back into the email, SAVE the attachment (don't click the attachment to open) and then go back to the options and check the "do not allow attachments ..." again.

Then, as an additional precaution, run a virus scan on the file you just saved BEFORE you open it.

People scream non stop that ebay is giving out their account info. They are hijacked time and time again. Truth is, their computer is infected and every single time they change a password, etc., they are sending the scammer updated password info. Keep in mind, if they can get this information from your computer they can also get to your bank account info, passwords, etc.

There is one time ebay had yet another glitch and scammers were able to pick out ANY ebayer and get their passwords and real time names. They apparently patched that but there are always ways to screw with ebay and PayPal and scammers know every method.

I'd never buy anything of value on ebay.

[Daisalana 33]

While we're on the subject.. We use to clean all this crap off people's computer for a living. We used 10 different programs to remove virus and spyware crap, and everyone could find hundreds individually..

Adaware and Spybot are the best free ones.

For virus protection, Kaspersky is the best anti-virus among all the ones we checked out. It's based out of Russia, but you can buy and download it online.

And while we're talking about scammers.. This place always gives me a good laugh. It's the Nigerian scammers primarily, and they end up doing crazy things to try to weasel money out of the people who run this website.. If you have some time, it's great entertainment.

419 BAITER - 419baiter.com - Stringing-along 419 Scammers for my Amusement

[ELENATION 0]

Autographed items on ebay are usually (99% of the time) fakes anyway.

If you PM me the details of how it all came to be, the auction number, how it was paid (credit card, money order, paypal, etc.) and everything you know I'll see if you have any options. Please tell me you paid via credit card??

Hi wassa,

Thank you for responding.... I do know that he paid with a debit card, not exactly a credit card, but I don't know if that will be considered the same....

I will ask DH all the details and e-mail you monday...

The funniest thing is that it would've been a fake anyways? that sucks.... when he was in the process of buying it, or deciding, I told him not to do it, and we discussed the fact that it could be a fake and he said that this one came with a certificate of authenticity.... maybe that would've been fake too.... ultimately they didn't even send him a fake one....

THanks again and I'll find out the most I can from him and e-mail you.

Elena

[ELENATION 0]

Autographed items on ebay are usually (99% of the time) fakes anyway.

If you PM me the details of how it all came to be, the auction number, how it was paid (credit card, money order, paypal, etc.) and everything you know I'll see if you have any options. Please tell me you paid via credit card??

I haven't talked to DH yet, but I was thinking that maybe I'm wrong.... I think he used paypal.....because he was dealing with paypal too for them to recover the money and they said that they have sent the seller to "collections" ?? whatever that means, so maybe he used his debit card number but transfered it to paypal....anyways...sorry, I'm rambling on....I'll let you know...

THanks,.

Elena

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

Hi wassa,

Thank you for responding.... I do know that he paid with a debit card, not exactly a credit card, but I don't know if that will be considered the same....

I will ask DH all the details and e-mail you monday...

The funniest thing is that it would've been a fake anyways? that sucks.... when he was in the process of buying it, or deciding, I told him not to do it, and we discussed the fact that it could be a fake and he said that this one came with a certificate of authenticity.... maybe that would've been fake too.... ultimately they didn't even send him a fake one....

THanks again and I'll find out the most I can from him and e-mail you.

Elena

Please email me quickly. With a debit card there is usually buyer protection if it has a VISA or MC logo on it but there are time limits. We need to get moving on this.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

I haven't talked to DH yet, but I was thinking that maybe I'm wrong.... I think he used paypal.....because he was dealing with paypal too for them to recover the money and they said that they have sent the seller to "collections" ?? whatever that means, so maybe he used his debit card number but transfered it to paypal....anyways...sorry, I'm rambling on....I'll let you know...

THanks,.

Elena

If he used his debit card via PayPal with a VISA/MC logo there is still buyer protection if it has not passed the time limits of your bank. If he used money from his PayPal account he is likely SOL.