Consumerist: eBay

How Do You Get Out Of An EBay Auction? Say Killer Bees Attacked The Vehicle

Chris Walters — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:47:53 EDT

Pat won an auction for an RV on eBay last week. He bid a little over $15,000 for a vehicle that was listed for sale by the RV company for $29,999 on other sites. Pat was worried that Nelson's RV might try to find a loophole to cancel the auction since he'd scored such a great deal, so he immediately sent his required $250 deposit to them and asked for someone at Nelson's RV to contact him. Eventually, after some run around, he got the following email—with one of the ballsiest excuses we've ever seen.

We are devastated with our discovery this morning of a swarm of Africanized killer bees in the 2007 Sandpiper 325RG 5th wheel that you have a deposit on. We have used multiple poisons in an attempt eradicate them. We have vacuumed up the bees that covered the floors, cabinets, and furniture. We tried to clean the traces of honey on the countertops and cabinet tops as completely as possible. This is one of the terrible acts of Mother Nature we have in Arizona. As best we can determine, the bees entered from the door that had been left opened yesterday morning. The interior of this trailer does have a strong chemical odor from the poison and is TOXIC. Our insurance regulations prohibit us from selling this 5th wheel at this time.

Due to these circumstances beyond our control, we are unable to proceed with the sale of this 2007 Sandpiper 325RG 5th wheel. This vehicle is unsafe for occupancy or use. We are therefore refunding your deposit at this time. We have attached several photos. Watch EBay for other close-outs we will be posting soon.

Pat examined the photos, but they are very small (we're posting them exactly as he sent them to us) so it's kind of hard to tell if they've been manipulated.

Pat writes,

The two cans of “TOXIC” chemicals pictured in the second picture are indoor household foggers manufactured by Hot Shot and Ortho. Both were designed to be used, and are safe, for indoor use.

Within a few minutes of receiving the e-mail, I received another from PayPal indicating that my deposit had been refunded by Nelson RV.

My attorney advised me that he felt all the elements were in place for a contract and that even if their story were true, it should be my decision as to whether I wanted to accept the trailer in that condition. If a product that has been offered for sale does not turn out to be as advertised, then the buyer can decide to not go through with the sale. He told me that if I wanted it, I should send them an E-mail explaining my position and see how they respond.

So Pat resubmitted his $250 deposit and sent Nelson RV the following email:

After discussions with my attorney today and reviewing material safety data sheets of both the Ortho and Hot Shot brand indoor foggers that you used, I have decided that I will still take the 5th wheel. Thank you for disclosing the unfortunate event.

I would like to send a local representative to your dealership to inspect the unit as my agent. I would also like to resubmit the necessary deposit as required in our contract.

Please call me to arrange a time for closing as I intend on traveling to Arizona to pick up the Sandpiper within the next week.

This seemed to push Nelson RV to the breaking point, because they dropped the killer bees story and have turned to a new tactic, saying Pat was mistaken and never bought a trailer from them, and in fact there is no trailer anymore, so quit bothering them.

I received a call from Jim Nelson. Jim said that he understood that I “think” I have bought a trailer from Nelson RV and that it was just EBay and Bee’s nonsense that I was talking to James Nelson about.[Editor: What?] But that he had the owner there, Angelita Nelson, and that he was going to put her on the phone.

Angelita got on the phone and said “You did not buy a trailer from us and to quit calling and e-mailing us.” I Responded that the trailer was offered to the highest bidder in an auction, and that I was the highest bidder. Therefore I believe we have a contract for the sale. Angelina replied forcefully, “There is no contract! And we don’t even have the trailer anymore.” I responded by saying, that is not what the e-mails I have from you say, and I hope you still have the trailer because we have a deal. She then said in a very angry tone, “We do not have a deal! And we will not allow you to swindle us out of $15,000.” At which point the phone went dead.

Pat sent one more email to the Nelsons—Jim, James, and Angelina—in which he tried to educate them on how eBay works, and urged them to seek legal counsel so that they'd understand their obligation to fulfill the contract. As of Thursday July 24th, they haven't responded and Pat hasn't received a refund on his second deposit.

The Nelsons have indicated to him that someone will get back to him today, July 25th. Unless, of course, Africanized killer bees infest their computer and render it unusable. Once killer honey gets all up in your motherboard, you can forget about it.

(Photos: Bee, aussiegall; RV, Beige Alert; Honey Bears, buskuit)

100 billion dollar bills from Zimbabwe will ...

Meg Marco — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:59:16 EDT

100 billion dollar bills from Zimbabwe will get you a loaf of bread in that country, or $80 from a collector on eBay. "Official inflation is quoted at 2.2 million percent but independent finance houses say it's closer to 12.5 million percent."[AOL]

Judge Tells Tiffany To Police Their Own Merchandise On EBay

Chris Walters — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:40:59 EDT

Remember the French lawsuit that Louis Vuitton won against eBay earlier this month? A French court said eBay was responsible for policing their auctions for counterfeit items—at least that was the official language. It also, unfortunately, helped solidify LVMH's tight control over who sells its luxury merchandise. This week a judge in New York ruled the opposite direction against Tiffany & Co., telling them, "Tiffany must ultimately bear the burden of protecting its trademark." It's a win for eBay. Is it for the consumer?

The New York Times says eBay should still police for counterfeits if it wants to win back customers:

eBay would generate enormous goodwill if it instituted a policy of proactively fighting fraud on the site, instead of forcing companies to point out individual items, day after day, which it then takes down.

That's true, but eBay would also win goodwill if it didn't allow luxury companies to bully individuals who are obviously reselling their used luxury goods—it's pretty obvious that when a company like LVMH goes after a person selling a single used, slightly damaged luxury case, they're not really concerned with stomping out counterfeiting rings.

This hard-to-read press release from something called the "Luxury Institute" (an institute for luxury? I want to work there!) calls the ruling an "egregious injustice to the consumer" because it removes any protection from the customer—a valid claim (despite the source) that resonates with anyone who's been scammed on eBay. The Luxury Insititute suggests alternate luxury auction sites like Portero.com.

BusinessWeek quotes an e-commerce advocate who says the ruling also helps keep the marketplace more open, by taking some of the power away from companies like LVMH and Tiffany:

Many of the smaller vendors that make a living selling through eBay were also relieved at the verdict. Had the U.S. judge echoed the opinions of European courts, major brands that did not want their merchandise to be resold on a discount site would have had a strong weapon to keep resellers from advertising their brand names online, even when dealing with genuine articles. "This was never about controlling counterfeits. It was really about how consumers could buy and sell Tiffany's products and maintaining margins," says Steve DelBianco, executive director of NetChoice, a coalition that advocates for e-commerce. "If you aren't born with a Tiffany silver spoon in your mouth, you can buy one on eBay."

What do you think? Should eBay be required to police luxury brands more closely, and would that help shoppers in the long run? Or are companies like Tiffany and LVMH using the counterfeit issue to solidify control over online sales of their merchandise?

"Judge to Tiffany: Police Your Own Brand" [BusinessWeek]
(Photo: jillclardy)

EBay & PayPal Phishing Gone For Good On Gmail and Yahoo?

Chris Walters — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:46:09 EDT

If your email account is with Google or Yahoo, your days of seeing phishing emails from fake eBay or PayPal addresses should be over. Google announced last week that it's now using DomainKeys to verify messages really do come from paypal.com or ebay.com—if they don't, they never even make it to your In Box. This is possible because eBay and PayPal are now making sure "that all their email is signed with DomainKeys and DKIM." Since Yahoo! also uses DomainKeys and DKIM (they developed it, in fact), phishing attacks for Yahoo! Mail accounts should also disappear.

No amount of security will stop a bit of social engineering, but this is a great strike against phishing. Now if only banks would start embracing DomainKeys.

From Google's Gmail blog:

Now any email that claims to come from "paypal.com" or "ebay.com" (and their international versions) is authenticated by Gmail and — here comes the important part — rejected if it fails to verify as actually coming from PayPal or eBay. That's right: you won't even see the phishing message in your spam folder. Gmail just won't accept it at all. Conversely, if you get an message in Gmail where the "From" says "@paypal.com" or "@ebay.com," then you'll know it actually came from PayPal or eBay. It's email the way it should be.

eBay and PayPal have worked hard to ensure that all their email is signed with DomainKeys and DKIM. Armed with this information, Gmail can easily reject as a fake anything that doesn't authenticate. We've been testing this for a few weeks now and it's working so well that few people really noticed.

"Fighting phishing with eBay and PayPal" [Gmail Blog]
(Photo: Stryker W@SP)

Consumerist Neighborhood eBay Garage Sale

Ben Popken — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 08:40:20 EDT

Consumerist readers, want to make some cash and get rid of some old stuff? There's infinite space on the virtual folding table that is the comments section for readers to add their eBay auctions - a great way to clean out the closets and make some extra cash to pay down bills or build up savings. We'll get this started with a few items of our own (all start at $.01). More items inside. Add yours in the comments.

It's amazing how psychically cleansing it is to get rid of things you don't want or anymore.

Counterfeit Smackdown! EBay Ordered To Pay $61 Million

Chris Walters — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:43:02 EDT

That headline is the good news. The bad news is the $61 million in damages ordered by a French court isn't meant for regular shoppers who have been defrauded when shopping on eBay. Instead, it's been awarded to LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the French luxury goods company behind Louis Vuitton purses (among other fancy things, as you can see from their name). LVMH argued that "90 percent of the Louis Vuitton bags and Dior perfumes sold on eBay are fakes," and that eBay profited off the sales without doing enough to stop them. EBay can appeal the decision, or simply click the "Pay It Now!" button.

EBay has countered that LVMH's lawsuit has nothing to do with counterfeiters, but rather that LVMH is trying to control "the territories in which its products can be sold."

“When counterfeits appear on our site we take them down swiftly, and today’s ruling is not about our fight against counterfeiting,” eBay said. “It’s about an attempt by LVMH to protect uncompetitive commercial practices at the expense of consumer choice and the livelihood of law-abiding sellers that eBay empowers every day. We will fight this ruling on their behalf.”

"EBay Ordered to Pay $61 Million in Sale of Counterfeit Goods" [New York Times]
(Photo: MoonSoleil)

eBay says it will improve the consumer protections ...

Meg Marco — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:28:37 EDT

eBay says it will improve the consumer protections offered by PayPal. The AP says, "buyers who pay for items with PayPal will be eligible for full refunds, with no cap, if a seller fails to deliver an item as promised." The changes are expected to take place this fall. [NYT]

Worst Company In America 2008 "Sweet 16": eBay/Paypal VS Capital One

Meg Marco — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:50:10 EDT

Here's your fourth "Sweet 16" match-up: #20 Ebay/PayPal VS #36 Capital One.

Here's what some of you had to say about these two companies:

eBay/Paypal:
"In recent years, eBay has become an overpriced junk warehouse. Thirty sellers will auction the same "one-of-a-kind" item at a starting bid of $.01, with a bargain basement shipping rate of $24.99."

"Paying is no longer your pal. The consumer protection process is so convoluted that by the time eBay gets around to denying your claim, the seller has already begun defrauding other unsuspecting buyers under a new identity anyway."

Capital One:
"I'm tired of them wanting to know what's in my wallet."

"Even though I ALWAYS paid my bill on time every month, for some reason (at least 3-4 times a year) I would incur their $25 late fees. I believe this is because they have a special "processing facility" (in atlanta I think) that's sole purpose is to delay mailed payments before sending them off to the final payment processing place."

This is a post in our Worst Company In America 2008 series. The companies nominated for this honor were chosen by you, the readers. Keep track of all the goings on at consumerist.com/tag/worst-company-in-america.

Check Serial Numbers On Used Service Gadgets Before Buying

Ben Popken — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:51:11 EDT

Reader Mike reports he got screwed buying a used TiVo off eBay. It turned out 1) It would need a new $20 access card for DirecTV to activate it and 2) DirecTV wouldn't authorize sending a new access card because the box was linked to a defaulted account. The lesson Mike says he learned is that, "If anyone plans on buying any used DirectTV equipment make sure you call DirectTV with the Serial Number and RID number off the unit BEFORE you purchase it to make sure it's not coming from a defaulted account. If not, you chance buying an electronic brick." This is true when buying other used electronic service items with service contracts linked to them, like cellphones.

(Photo: striatic)

Why Would Anyone Bid $55 For A $50 Target Gift Card?!

Carey — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 21:15:30 EDT

The ever-thoughtful economists over at Freakonomics are stumped by eBay member lpinok, who bid $55.71 for a $50 Target gift card.

Skipping past the fact that gift cards are a terrible investment, and that you could easily take your $50 straight to Target, why would anyone bid more than face value on gift card?!

Steven Levitt is baffled:

This seems to defy all logic. The item description is: “Just a $50 gift card to Target … .”

We need to find lpinok and sit him down with Ben Bernanke. Maybe, hopefully, hours of conversation will unearth the mangled thought process that leads to baffling phenomena like the subprime meltdown.

Until someone offers an explanation, we have no choice but to believe that lpinok represents all that is wrong with personal finance in America.

How Much Would You Pay for a $50 Target Gift Card? [Freakonomics]

All The Secret Paypal/Ebay Email Addresses And Phone Numbers You Could Ever Want

Ben Popken — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:24:50 EDT

Here are over 450 pieces of internal email addresses and phone numbers to reach a real live human at Paypal/eBay. Anyone who has ever experienced Paypal unfairly freezing their funds, Paypal siding with someone who scammed them and losing money because of it, Paypal seizing funds from their bank account or credit card without permission, or just the simple impenetrable, rude, and useless customer service can surely appreciate this list. There's contact info for executive relations, high executives, practically every department, and more, both US and international. The information comes courtesy of Screw-Paypal.com, a site started by a man who says Paypal wrongfully denied access to his funds for four years. I guess that's how long it takes to track down every single piece of Paypal contact info. He got his money back eventually, and you can too, with the email addresses and phone numbers inside...

PayPal Phone Numbers: America & Canada

1-408-967-5033 (TOLL NUMBER) Michael Oldenburg, HE WANTS TO HEAR YOUR COMPLAINTS!
1-408- 376-7514 (TOLL FAX Number) Ryan Downs, Senior Vice President Operations, PayPal, Inc. and eBay Inc.
1-402-935-2050 (Toll Number)
1-888-215-5506 (Toll Free Number)
1-888-221-1161 (Toll Free Number)
1-408-376-7400 (Toll Number)
1-408-376-7514 (Toll Fax Number) PayPal, San Jose, General Fax #
1-650-864-8000 (Toll Number)
1-402-935-2284 (Toll Number — Banking and Check Issues)
1-402-935-2212 (Toll Number — ACH Processing & Check Services)
1-402-935-2255 (Toll Number — Account Review Department)
1-402-935-2257 (Toll Number — Account Review Department)
1-402-935-2223 (Toll Number — PayPal Compliance)
1-402-935-2250 (Toll Number — PayPal Compliance)
1-402-935-2000 (Toll Number — Customer Service Department)
1-402-935-2007 (Toll Number — Customer Service Department)
1-402-935-5181 (Toll Number — Debit Card Services)
1-402-935-2116 (Toll Number — Escalations Department)
1-402-935-2129 (Toll Number — Escalations Department)
1-402-935-2238 (Toll Number — Management, Escalations Department)
1-402-935-2239 (Toll Number — Fraud Prevention Department)
1-402-935-2251 (Toll Number — Manager, Resolutions Department)
1-650-251-1101 (Toll FAX Number — Never Fax w/o a Case Number!)
1-408-376-7514 (Toll FAX Number — Never Fax w/o a Case Number!)
1-408-967-1005 (Toll Number — Amanda Pires, PayPal Media Relations)
1-402-537-5755 (Toll FAX Number — PayPal Chargeback Department)
1-402-938-2337 (Toll FAX Number — Compliance Department)
1- 303-395-2802 (Toll FAX Number — Compliance Department)

PayPal Phone Numbers: America & Canada — Senior Agents

Should you have a PayPal problem that needs decision making authority, these are the persons you can contact directly. Each one of these persons has the power to review your account, unlimit your account or arrange for your money to be returned to you (among other things as well). PayPal Office of Executive Escalations:

1-402-952-8691 (Thomas, PayPal Executive Dying to Receive Your Call)
1-402-935-2238 (Tiffany Zaporowski, Strategic Risk Operations)
1-402-935-2116 (Elizabeth Morey, Supervisor, Executive Escalations)
1-402-952-8691 (Thomas, Senior Agent, Dying to Receive Your Call)
1-402-935-2172 (Adam Braasch, Senior Agent)
1-402-952-8902 (Gabriel, Agent, Executive Escalations)
1-402-935-2268 (Beth Beutler, Senior Agent)
1-402-935-5146 (Leslie Byrne, Senior Agent)
1-402-935-2399 (Janyce Erikson, Senior Agent)
1-402-935-5145 (Melody Fry, Senior Agent)
1-402-935-2174 (Jackie Hart, Senior Agent)
1-402-935-2229 (Michael Lazure, Senior Agent) *ACH/Wire Expert*
1-402-935-5163 (Rick Martin, Senior Agent)
1-402-935-5073 (Stephanie Mikovec, Senior Agent)
1-402-935-2157 (Megan Moore, Senior Agent) *WORKS WEEKENDS*
1-402-935-3533 (Peggy Pattavina, Senior Agent)
1-402-935-2331 (Tara Stevens, Senior Agent)
1-402-938-3532 (Megan Wetzel, Senior Agent)

PayPal Phone Numbers: United Kingdom

08707/ 307 191 (UK Calling Rates Apply)
0870/730-7191 (UK Calling Rates Apply)
0208/ 6053000 (Landline Phone Number)
020/8605 3001 (UK FAX — UK Calling Rates Apply)

PayPal Phone Numbers: Australia

(02) 8223 9500 (Australian Toll Rates Apply)
1800 073 263 (Toll Free Number)
(02) 8223 9555 (Fax Number Australia — AU Calling Rates Apply)
(02) 8223 9501 (Fax Number Australia — AU Calling Rates Apply)

PayPal Phone Numbers: Deutschland

0180/ 500 66 27 (14 Euro Cents Per Minute)
0870/730-7191 (Calling Fees Apply)
030-8019-5161 (PayPal/eBay Hauptquartier)
030-8019-5252 (FAX nummer PayPal/eBay Hauptquartier)

paypal.robert@ebay.de
paypal.nico@ebay.de
paypal.eva@ebay.de

PayPal Addresses America & Canada

PayPal President, Rajiv Dutta, 19700 Montauck Court, Saratoga, CA 95070 (Home Address)
PayPal Inc., 2211 North First Street, San Jose, CA 95131
PayPal Inc., 2145 Hamilton Avenue, San Jose, CA 95125
PayPal Inc., P.O. Box 45950, Omaha, NE 68145
PayPal Inc., 11128 John Galt BLVD, STE 300, Omaha, NE 68137
PayPal Inc., Legal Department, 2211 North First Street, San Jose, CA 95131
PayPal Inc., 701 First Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94089
PayPal Inc., 3000 Hanover Street, Palo Alto, CA 94304
PayPal Inc., 3404 E Harmony RD, Fort Collins, CO 80528
PayPal Inc., 18110 SE 34th Street, Vancouver, WA 98683

PayPal Addresses: United Kingdom

PayPal Europe Ltd, Hotham House, 1 Heron Square, Richmond upon Thames, Surrey, TW9 1EJ
PayPal Europe S.a.r.l. & Cie, S.C.A., 5th Floor 22-24, Boulevard Royal L-2449, Luxembourg

eBay (UK) LTD,
P.O. Box 9473
Dublin 15
Ireland

PayPal Managing Director, David Graham Clarke, 3 Woodside Road, New Malton, Surrey, KT3 3AH

PayPal Addresses: Australia
PayPal, Locked Bag 10, ATTN: Error Resolution, Australia Square PO, Sydney, NSW 1215
PayPal, 19 1 York Street, Sydney New South Wales

ADDITIONAL NOTES: PayPal Australia Pty Limited is a registered Australian Company (ACN 111 195 389) and is subject to Australian law.

PayPal Addressen: Deutschland
PayPal Europe S.a.r.l. & Cie, S.C.A., 5th Floor 22-24, Boulevard Royal L-2449, Luxembourg
PayPal GmbH., Marktplatz 1, Europarc-Dreilinden, BerlinD-14532

PayPal-Kundenservice
Postfach 750263
60532 Frankfurt/Main

PayPal Email Addresses

Avoid using PayPal's automated email submission center — that email goes straight to New Delhi, India where you will get a prompt reply back that has nothing to do with what you asked in the first place. For faster results, email the following departments (where people with decision making authority can help you or not help you):

moldenburg@paypal.com (Michael Moldenburg, Paypal Complaints)
sthompson@paypal.com (Scott Thompson, PayPal President)
mhentges@paypal.com (Mary Hentges, CFO PayPal)
crme@paypal.com (PayPal Office of Executive Escalations)
appeal@paypal.com
harbor1@paypal.com
account-review@paypal.com
ppelce@paypal.com
cardreview@paypal.com
complaint-response@paypal.com
abuse@paypal.com
Europeanservices@paypal.com
resolutions@paypal.com
appeals@paypal.com
compliance@paypal.com
escalations@paypal.com
webform@paypal.com
service@paypal.com (Unmonitored)
spoof@paypal.com
complaints@paypal.com
aup@paypal.com
press@paypal.com (Let public relations know you are filing complaints)
apires@paypal.com (Amanda Pires — Media Relations Contact)
chargebackresponse@paypal.com
pending_reversal@paypal.com
global2@paypal.com
intl@paypal.com
ppe_courtesycredit@paypal.com
BoEappeal@paypal.com

Tip: Send your problem to EVERY PayPal email address that you can find, not just one. That way you have different people and different departments dealing with your problem.

eBay Contact Information America/Canada

1-800-322-9266 (eBay Customer Service Number — Toll Free America & Canada)
1-800-717-3229 (eBay Customer Serive Number — Toll Free America & Canada)
1-866-304-3229 (eBay Marketing — Toll Free America & Canada)
1-408- 376-7400(eBay General Phone Number — Toll Number)
1-408-376-7401 (eBay General FAX Number — Toll Number)
1-408-376-7419 (Gary Dellabo, ebay Strategic Partnership's Group — Toll Number)
1-408-376-7517 (eBay General FAX Number — Toll Number)
1-408-376-7205 (eBay Investor Relations, Tracey Ford — Toll Number)
1-408-376-7458 (eBay Media Relations, Hani Durzy — Toll Number)
1-801-545-2276 (eBay President, Direct Number Salt Lake City — Toll Number)
1-408- 376-7514 (TOLL FAX Number) Ryan Downs, Senior Vice President Operations, PayPal, Inc. and eBay Inc.
1-801-545-1853 (eBay Accounts, Christa, Accounts Specialist, Salt Lake City — Toll Number)

eBay Email Addresses

spoof@eBay.com (Report Spoof or Phishing Emails/Websites)
exec.relations@ebay.com (eBay Executive Relations)
matthewb@ebay.com ( Matthew J. Bannick, President, eBay International)
government_relations@ebay.com (eBay Government Relations Department)
billcobb@ebay.com (President, eBay North America)
paypal.robert@ebay.de
paypal.nico@ebay.de
paypal.eva@ebay.de
paypaldamon@ebay.com

eBay Address/eBay CEO Home Address

eBay Inc.
2145 Hamilton Avenue
San Jose, CA 95125
USA

eBay Contact Information United Kingdom

0700 500 3229 (eBay General Number — UK Calling Rates Apply)
020 8605 3111 (UK Power Seller's Help Line — UK Calling Rates Apply)
0906 665 8030 (eBay Customer Service — UK Calling Rates Apply)
0906 665 8030 (eBay Customer Service — UK Calling Rates Apply)

eBay Address UK

eBay UK Ltd, Complaints Department
PO Box 659, Richmond-upon-Thames
Surrey, TW9 1TX

eBay (UK) LTD,
P.O. Box 9473
Dublin 15
Ireland

PayPal Buyer Credit 866-571-3012 Say "agent" at each prompt, ignoring messages.
PayPal F 888-221-1161 Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.

300 other internal numbers that might get you what you're looking for...

(402)935-2114 Kay P. ACH / Check Service
(402)935-2212 ACH Processing Main Line ACH / Check Services
(402)935-2284 cindy ACH / Check Services Processing / Bank Only
(402)935-2295 Chuck ACH / Check Services Processing Manager
(402)935-2255 Jasmine Account Review
(402)935-2256 Jamie Account Review
(402)935-2257 Jamie Account Review
(402)935-2328 Chris Account Review
(402)935-2333 Luke Account Review
(402)935-2114 Kay P. ACH / Check Services
(402)935-2212 ACH Processing Main Line ACH / Check Services
(402)935-2284 cindy ACH / Check Services Processing / Bank Only
(402)935-2295 Chuck ACH / Check Services Processing Manager
(402)935-2223 Sheryl AUP Compliance
(402)935-2250 Katrina AUP Compliance
(402)935-2275 Lisa AUP Compliance
(402)935-2332 Julie Gonzales AUP Compliance
(402)935-5140 Alahandre Elise(?) AUP Compliance
(402)935-2029 Todd Business Development
(402)935-5126 Shane Business Development Schedule: 8:30~5PM M-F
(402)935-5197 Ken Holston Business Development Business Management & Account Management
(402)935-2000 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2007 Call Center Inbound Line Call Center
(402)935-2012 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2011 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2014 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2017 Call Center Inbound: Debit Cards Call Center
(402)935-2019 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2021 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2022 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2023 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2024 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2025 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2030 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2050 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2053 Call Center Inbound: Premier Services Call Center
(402)935-2057 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2065 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2079 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2080 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2081 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2082 Premier Service Line Call Center
(402)935-2084 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2085 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2092 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2100 Call Center Inbound Call Center Premier Services Line
(402)935-2106 Call Center Inbound Call Center Premier Services Line
(402)935-2107 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2124 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2148 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2166 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2194 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2233 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2300 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2323 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-5119 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2165 Jessica Card Services
(402)935-2396 Tamara Spurlock Card Services
(402)935-5181 Lisa Weaver Card Services Debit Card Team
(402)935-2015 Teresa Rains Charge Backs
(402)935-2141 Mikalea Charge Backs
(402)935-2152 Anna Charge Backs
(402)935-2189 Margaret Charge Backs
(402)935-2340 Debbie Charge Backs
(402)935-2063 Taj Education Team Product Education
(402)935-2064 Dona Education Team
(402)935-2116 Elizabeth Executive Escalations Works closely w/Tiffany(detp.mgr). Very Responsive.
(402)935-2129 Joe Executive Escalations
(402)935-2156 Brian Executive Escalations
(402)935-2157 Megan Executive Escalations
(402)935-2172 Adam Executive Escalations
(402)935-2173 John Executive Escalations
(402)935-2174 Jackie Executive Escalations
(402)935-2192 Eric Executive Escalations
(402)935-2128 Stacy Executive Escalations
(402)935-2228 Stacy Executive Escalations
(402)935-2238 Tiffany Executive Escalations Manager of Executive Escalations.
(402)935-2268 Beth Executive Escalations
(402)935-2269 Michelle Executive Escalations Schedule: Tues~Thur 9:30AM~8PM
(402)935-2334 Luke Executive Escalations
(402)935-5145 Melanie Executive Escalations Schedule: M-F 4PM~Mid. CST
(402)935-5146 Leslie Executive Escalations
(402)935-5163 Rick Martin Executive Escalations
(402)935-2112 Gloria Finance
(402)935-2207 Jeremy Finance
(402)935-2371 Julie Finance
(402)935-2239 Collin Fraud & Security Fraud Prevention
(402)935-2267 Mark Fraud & Security Trust & Safety
(402)935-2272 Michael Fraud & Security Protection Services
(402)935-2366 Suzanne Combes Brown Fraud & Security Risk Management Manager
(402)935-2368 Sheryl London Fraud & Security Protection Services: Senior Agent
(402)935-5134 Bill Gray Fraud & Security Internal Audit. Mountain View Office: 650-864-8046
(402)935-2044 Paula Adams Global Services Global Help Desk
(402)935-2127 Amy Bush Global Services
(402)935-2048 Joyce Brown Human Resources Training Department
(402)935-2051 Melanie Human Resources Training Department
(402)935-2128 Michelle Human Resources HR/Benefits Coordinator
(402)935-2169 Sterling Blackwell Human Resources Employee Development
(402)935-2283 Amy Human Resources Staffing
(402)935-2318 John Latke Human Resources Training Department
(402)935-2339 Michelle Mullis Human Resources
(402)935-5128 Michelle Human Resources Benefits Coordinator
(402)935-2001 IVR Testing Line Internal / IT Tests voice recognition, play around.
(402)935-2004 IVR Testing Line Internal / IT Tests voice recognition, etc.. play around
(402)935-2026 Password Prompt (?) Internal / IT Line immediately prompts for password. Unsure of it's use.
(402)935-2032 Employee Attendance Line Internal / IT (try user: 1234 pass:1234, works to play around with)
(402)935-2069 ECS System Testing Internal / IT Play around, not sure of purpose.
(402)935-2299 Internal Software Helpdesk Internal / IT
(402)935-5100 Employee Attendance Line Internal / IT (user: 1234 / pass: 1234 to play around)
(402)935-5151 Hold Music / Advertisement Internal / IT Test Line for Hold Music ?
(402)935-5149 Monitoring Line? Internal / IT
(402)935-5168 Monitoring Line Internal / IT
(402)935-5184 Gene (or Steve) Internal / IT Technical Support Manager
(402)935-5199 Call Center Status Line Internal / IT This ext. will place the call center in Emergency or Normal state.
(402)935-2274 Matthew Member Services Member Services Supervisor
(402)935-2321 Michelle Member Services Supervisor (Sat/Sun/Mon 11A~Mid)
(402)935-2357 Terry Dale Member Services
(402)935-5161 Tim Loban Merchant Fraud & Risk Weekend Supervisor (Sat/Sun/Mon 11AM~Mid)
(402)935-5169 Alicia Merchant Fraud & Risk
(402)935-2074 Tammy Galvin Quality Development
(402)935-2226 Jenny Quality Development
(402)935-2034 Janie Bartlett Resolution Services
(402)935-2132 Bryant Resolution Services Team Leader
(402)935-2241 Lynn Vogue Resolution Services
(402)935-2251 Mike McCormick Resolution Services Resolution Services Supervisor
(402)935-2266 Rich H. Resolution Services
(402)935-2353 Lorie Kilstrom Resolution Services
(402)935-5120 Tim Underlow Resolution Services Product Education Trainer for Resolution Services
(402)935-5141 Resolutions Department Line Resolution Services
(402)935-2218 Douglas H. Security
(402)935-5172 Michell Security
(402)935-2002 April Garner Unknown
(402)935-2005 Adonocca Banks Unknown
(402)935-2010 Nick Unknown
(402)935-2013 Pat Unknown
(402)935-2018 Vicki Hernandez Unknown
(402)935-2020 Mary Jo Unknown
(402)935-2028 Megan Unknown
(402)935-2039 Jeff Hagan Unknown
(402)935-2040 Mary Steeley Unknown
(402)935-2041 Michelle Parkins Unknown
(402)935-2049 Jason Finer Unknown
(402)935-2052 Eduardo(?) Unknown
(402)935-2054 Tonya Unknown
(402)935-2055 John Freeze Unknown
(402)935-2061 Rick Unknown
(402)935-2062 Nick Unknown
(402)935-2066 Michelle Unknown
(402)935-2073 Kelly Shipley Unknown
(402)935-2086 Jeff Allen Unknown
(402)935-2087 Patience Unknown
(402)935-2091 Dawn Mouski Unknown
(402)935-2095 Steve Unknown
(402)935-2098 Dona Shong Unknown
(402)935-2099 Shelly Unknown
(402)935-2101 John Unknown
(402)935-2103 Latrisha Harris Unknown
(402)935-2104 Lisa Hughes Unknown
(402)935-2110 Amy Lescott Unknown
(402)935-2113 Kelly Unknown
(402)935-2115 Maggie Mentato Unknown
(402)935-2118 Paul Ingles Unknown
(402)935-2119 Stacy Price Unknown
(402)935-2123 Kelly Unknown
(402)935-2125 Koreen Unknown
(402)935-2126 Michelle Unknown
(402)935-2134 Cindy Langstrom Unknown
(402)935-2136 Lynette Lane Unknown
(402)935-2138 Kim Unknown
(402)935-2142 Kimberly Unknown
(402)935-2149 Mark Rosenthal Unknown
(402)935-2150 Eddie Unknown
(402)935-2154 Charles Unknown
(402)935-2158 Bill Unknown
(402)935-2168 Peggy Unknown
(402)935-2170 Deb Myer Unknown Schedule: M-F 8AM~4:30PM
(402)935-2171 Trish Unknown
(402)935-2175 Zack Unknown
(402)935-2178 Lashaun Unknown
(402)935-2179 Beth Unknown
(402)935-2181 Valerie Dasante Unknown
(402)935-2182 Erin Crain Unknown
(402)935-2183 Frank Unknown
(402)935-2184 Kevin Armstrong Unknown
(402)935-2186 Emily Heldridge Unknown
(402)935-2187 Erin Unknown
(402)935-2188 Lamay Unknown
(402)935-2201 Ray Unknown
(402)935-2203 Sherry Unknown
(402)935-2204 Lisa Thompson Unknown
(402)935-2205 Kimberly Unknown
(402)935-2206 Osma Unknown
(402)935-2216 Tracy Unknown
(402)935-2217 Shaun Unknown
(402)935-2224 Meliss Unknown
(402)935-2225 Jim Unknown
(402)935-2227 Eric Harrison Unknown
(402)935-2129 Name not known Unknown
(402)935-2229 unknown Unknown
(402)935-2230 Mark Peterson Unknown
(402)935-2234 Dave Unknown
(402)935-2236 Brock Unknown
(402)935-2237 Shaun Unknown
(402)935-2240 Angie Anderson Unknown
(402)935-2244 Julie Gonzales Unknown
(402)935-2246 Sally Unknown
(402)935-2253 Deb Unknown
(402)935-2254 Ellie Unknown Number changed to 935-1835, per voicemail.
(402)935-2259 Tereasa Unknown
(402)935-2264 Eric Unknown
(402)935-2265 Doug H. Unknown
(402)935-2271 Cynthia Unknown
(402)935-2273 Leslie Walker Unknown
(402)935-2276 Heather Johnson Unknown
(402)935-2281 Jason Alexander Unknown
(402)935-2288 David Unknown
(402)935-2291 John Unknown
(402)935-2298 Chris Unknown
(402)935-2302 Jim Norway Unknown Call was forwarded to a Nextel Phone Afterhours (management?)
(402)935-2305 Amanda Unknown
(402)935-2308 Cathy Unknown
(402)935-2316 Laurie Unknown
(402)935-2317 Jason Unknown
(402)935-2322 Jamie Swanson Unknown
(402)935-2324 Jessica Carasoul Unknown
(402)935-2335 Steve Unknown
(402)935-2336 Marissa Unknown
(402)935-2341 Laurie Unknown
(402)935-2342 Torrence Unknown
(402)935-2349 Karen Unknown
(402)935-2350 Beverly Unknown
(402)935-2351 Karen Lovette Unknown
(402)935-2358 John Kimmee Unknown
(402)935-2363 Claire Shumiker Unknown
(402)935-2364 Mary Viella Unknown
(402)935-2365 Frank Unknown
(402)935-2367 Mary OBrien Unknown
(402)935-2369 Kelly Carson Unknown
(402)935-2370 unknown Unknown person answered, unsure, will recheck later.
(402)935-2372 Bob Miles Unknown
(402)935-2375 Renee Unknown Schedule: Tues~Fri 1:30PM~Mid.
(402)935-2376 Foreign Speaking Employee Unknown Foreign Employee.. anyone identify language ?
(402)935-2377 David B. Unknown
(402)935-2381 Tina Unknown
(402)935-2386 Cameron Unknown
(402)935-2387 Cindy Unknown
(402)935-2391 Alisha Rhea Unknown
(402)935-2392 Cindy Kathork Unknown
(402)935-2393 Andres Unknown
(402)935-2394 Robin Unknown
(402)935-2395 Jim Unknown
(402)935-2397 Mark Davis Unknown
(402)935-2399 Janice Erickson Unknown Schedule: M-F 6AM~2:30PM
(402)935-5103 Nicole Unknown
(402)935-5105 Natalie Unknown
(402)935-5106 Angie Unknown
(402)935-5108 Gene Unknown
(402)935-5111 Doug Maxum Unknown
(402)935-5113 Becky Unknown
(402)935-5115 Carrie Unknown
(402)935-5116 Paula Baldwin Unknown
(402)935-5117 Dave Burchill Unknown
(402)935-5121 Andy J. Unknown
(402)935-5123 Micheal Jones Unknown
(402)935-5129 Marlow Rumington Unknown
(402)935-5133 Jeanette Unknown
(402)935-5136 Quincy Unknown
(402)935-5138 Terrell Anderson Unknown
(402)935-5144 Lisa L. Unknown
(402)935-5147 Evan McCaul Unknown
(402)935-5152 Jessica Palamino Unknown
(402)935-5156 Steve Unknown
(402)935-5164 Tonya Lynn Unknown
(402)935-5165 Devon Unknown
(402)935-5171 Carrol Unknown
(402)935-5175 Cindy Unknown
(402)935-5148 Jeff Lonka Unknown Admin maybe (msg says if urgent, call: 402-490-9749)
(402)935-5176 Sheila Unknown
(402)935-5178 Unknown Employee Unknown
(402)935-5179 Tim Maxwell Unknown
(402)935-5185 Rich Unknown
(402)935-5186 Jerry Lowe (female) Unknown
(402)935-5187 Brian G. Unknown Voicemail says w/Ebay
(402)935-5189 Brian Unknown
(402)935-5192 Christian Reese Unknown
(402)935-5194 Reese Unknown
(402)935-5195 Angie Unknown
(402)935-5196 Scott Unknown

Source: Screw-Paypal.com (Thanks to L!)

(Photo: Getty, Travelin' Librarian)

How Robots Are Killing Customer Service

Ben Popken — Tue, 20 May 2008 12:01:00 EDT

Here is the live audio and powerpoint from a recent presentation I gave called, "The 5 Things Your Customers Aren't Telling You." This is number 3, "Stop Hiding Behind Walls Of Robots." It's all about how companies think they're saving money by replacing humans with machines but sometimes machines can't do jobs as well as humans, especially when it comes to customer service. I brought the point to life with a funny little story about eBay and their wonderfully inept automated email response system. I hope you enjoy the video, including the intro and outro ditties I worked up on my girlfriend's old Yamaha synth.

(Photo: Tubes.)

Former Mortgage Broker Selling Possessions On eBay/Craigslist To Avoid Foreclosure

Meg Marco — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:49:38 EDT

Marketplace Money took a look at some folks who are selling their possessions on eBay and Craigslist in order to pay their bills. The main interviewee was a former mortgage broker who used to make six figures but was now selling his collection of cool amps to pay off his $5,000 a month mortgage and $50,000 in credit card debt.

From Marketplace Money:

Jagow: So how did you get to the point where you're having to sell your most prized things?

Ron: Basically, I hit a negative cash flow when the real estate market crashed about two years. I'm a residential mortgage banker. I've worked for banks like Washington Mutual and World Savings, but the last lender I worked for was Washington Mutual which was for a good five years. I'm used to making six-figure income without really any effort at all to be honest with you. If I applied myself, I'd make a good quarter of a million a year and that's pretty much been the flow of things since 1999.

Jagow: So it's been good times?

Ron: Yeah, so I loaded up, was able to buy every dream amplifier I ever wanted and I started a collection. I started buying real estate as well. I bought a rental and some land.

Jagow: Right, so you've got land, you've got a great collection of guitars and amps, but what happened? Where did things go wrong?

Ron: Well, slowly, the real estate market just started deteriorating — the mortgage meltdown, they call it. It got to the point where lenders just didn't want to lend anymore. Even when I brought loans in that met all the requirements that even their pickiness required, they still wouldn't do it. You know, they starved us to the point where they eventually laid us off and closed all the offices.

Jagow: And obviously, this decimated your personal finances?

Ron: Oh yeah. I was forced to live on my savings and when you have a mortgage of $5,000 a month and I had about $50,000 in credit cards at the time, you've got a lot of bills. Bottom line is my savings deteriorated pretty quickly, you know, having no income.

Jagow: Well I know that you've been liquidating savings, 401(k), stocks, things like that.

Ron: Yeah.

Jagow: How far down the line did you go before you got to the guitars and amps?

Ron: Well, once everything was gone as far as paper money like stocks, bonds, IRAs, now I'm having to resort to my physical collateral, which is my possessions really.

Ron says he's trying to find a new career but the job market is flooded with people from the shipwrecked mortgage industry. Marketplace Money says the number of sale listings on Craigslist doubled in March compared to last year. You can listen to Ron's interview here.

Using the Internet to make ends meet [Marketplace]

Round 39: Sallie Mae vs eBay/Paypal

Ben Popken — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:00:00 EDT

This is Round 39 in our Worst Company in America contest, Sallie Mae vs eBay/Paypal!

Here's what readers said in previous rounds about why they hate these two companies...

Sallie Mae:

"Sallie Mae has a program with my university where they let you divide your tuition for a semester up into monthly payments. But they charge you a $14 service charge for any payment made with a credit card! The only free way to pay is to have it automatically taken from a bank account... and we all know how reliable that is. Needless to say, I don't use this payment plan anymore."

"I recently had to change my home phone number due to harassment by SallieMae and the collection agencies they sold a debt to.

Someone has a similar name to mine (only the middle name is different), and they have been bugging me for 6 months. Once I finally got SallieMax to stop calling, they sold the debt to someone, and now THEY won't stop calling.

Problem is, the new collector does not show up on Caller ID (shows up as Name Unavailable 000-000-0000) and they refuse to tell me which company they work for. "

"they have ruined the lives of many of my friends. They use scummy debt collectors, and are more than willing to garnish paychecks that are already too small to live on."

"Was SallyMae also the one that paid bounties to schools that steered loans their way?"

I pay my student loans on time but I still have a horrible time dealing with Sallie Mae for consolidations and other regular issues.

They outsource their customer service overseas. Financial aid is a complicated business that doesn't need to be further complicated by adding cultural barriers. I have no problem with accents, but I have a problem when the person on the other end doesn't understand the concept of "half time grad student in thesis hours."

They also cheated me out of my grace period, refused to tell me why and instead, just threw some economic hardship deferment forms at me to get me to stop asking.

Also, their marketing is insane. I was receiving consolidation offers even after I called to find out I couldn't consolidate until after I graduated!

Now that I'm in repayment I get bombarded by emails about their special programs and services. It's difficult to sift through the crap to figure out what is important.

They don't have to worry about customer service because once they've got us we can't go anywhere else and the government subsidizes them. "

"Way back when I was going to grad school, I decided to take the minimum amount of credits (all credit requirements already met) while working on my dissertation. Sallie Mae (or one of its progenitors) promptly started requiring me to repay my student loan. I called and asked how I could get it postponed. Their rep told me I had to become at least a half-time student. So I added a few more credits (at several hundred dollars a credit). The notices for repayment continued to arrive. I called again and was told being a half-time student didn't entitle me to receive a postponement. I told them I had been told otherwise by one of their reps. They said tough, they couldn't be held responsible for misinformation by their reps. Ended up my paying some $500 (a nice chunk some 20 years ago for a grad student) more than I should have. A really great organization. We're not responsible for any information we might give you."

Sallie Mae is terrible. My wife has student loans through them and while she was still in school, she was constantly bombarded by credit card offers, "deals" on MP3 players and TV's, car ads and freaking LIFE INSURANCE offers.

Now that my wife is out of school, I have begun repaying the loans. The latest thing Sallie Mae emails us constantly about is this thing called UPromise. Basically it supposedly helps you save to pay off your loans by automatically putting aside the change on debit card purchases (so if you spend $2.48, it would put $0.52 in your UPromise account). For me, totally unnecessary, but it would seem on face that this is a genuine program. That is until you really check it out and see that it's just another way to expose you to more ads imploring you to blow your money on anything BUT student loans.

On top of that, Sallie Mae will not automatically withdraw monthly payments from my bank account in excess of their preset payment plans. Surprise, surprise, all of their plans are as close to the minimum payment as possible with no indication that this will end up costing you thousands of dollars during the lifetime of the loan.

I understand they are running a business not a charity, but I just think it's sick the way they prey upon college students and recent college graduates. I would never consider them for any loan of any type ever again."

"I dislike Sallie Mae for the simple fact that they send me TONS of junk mail, even after changing my accounting settings and submitting a request in writing."

eBay/Paypal:

"In the early days, eBay used to be a flea market shopper's paradise. I could find one-of-a-kind items sold by honest sellers cleaning out Grandma's attic. Quality homespun niche businesses sold unique items not found in regular retail stores. Items were priced fairly and shipping rates weren't outrageously inflated. Shopping on eBay was fun, additively so.

In recent years, eBay has become an overpriced junk warehouse. Thirty sellers will auction the same "one-of-a-kind" item at a starting bid of $.01, with a bargain basement shipping rate of $24.99.

If anything is left in Grandma's attic, the heirs are selling it at double its value.

Retail chains have an eBay store that only sell merchandise the foot traffic didn't want.

Unscrupulous sellers bait customers in with low prices only to kick them in their Paypal buttocks with sneaky fee-avoiding, high shipping rates.

Paying is no longer your pal. The consumer protection process is so convoluted that by the time eBay gets around to denying your claim, the seller has already begun defrauding other unsuspecting buyers under a new identity anyway.

I used to be an eBay addict. I simply had to browse everyday just in case I missed that special item I didn't know I wanted. Now, it might be four times a year I find myself on eBay...and rarely do I leave having place a bid or purchased something.

Nothing exciting, nothing unique, nothing cheap (unless you are referring to quality). "

"Ebay is Just EVIL, They grew and grew off of their community, bought paypal, and are now Raising their Rates to up to 10% of the value of your listing! INSANE! Their saying its to "improve their website".... you need BILLIONS to improve your website? I WILL NEVER SHOP EBAY AGAIN after their recent fee changes, They stabbed every customer they had in the back"

I got scammed for a car that arrived with $2000+ of damage off eBay. The auction stated just $400 of damage. Paypal told me I was wrong without asking for my side of the story, or any estimates for that sake. That's enough for me.

A list of the damages stated in the auction: Cracked windshield, broken control arm, minor ding.

Actual (that I told PP about): Cracked camber, rims were scraped/spray painted, rear bumper was painted dark blue (the car was black), Cigarette holes in the back seat, larges holes on drivers side carpet, passenger side rearview mirror was missing, four flat tires.

And they told me that they sided with the seller and not to contact them. When I did I was told that they get many scams on cars from fraudulent buyers.

Boy wish I had the Consumerist back then "

"ebay/paypal no contest. They sent me a letter telling me that they weren't going to credit my account for a fraudulent failure-to-refund (mail fraud was involved) charge.

The first paragraph of the letter said they weren't refunding me.

The second said that Paypal does not support or condone fraud.

Hypocritical idiots, and I'm already working on closing my account (but paypal claims I need to wait for 4 months to pass since the last transaction before being able to close my account. I think that's bullshit).

BTW, I did finally get my money back from my bank. Suck it, paypal. (and I just tried again to close the account and it failed again, and the CSR who claimed he'd close it for me by phone the other day was apparently a liar)"

"EBay is full of scams. In my opinion, one of the more insidious is the hijacked account scam.

Phishers send out millions of emails - "Your eBay account will be suspended"; "There is a problem with your eBay
item", etc. Emails have a "click here to respond" button that asks you to log in.

And that's it. The scammers have a legitimate username and matching password! The account has been hijacked!

Shortly thereafter, up to three dozen one-to-three day listings of very expensive, usually sold at list price electronic, athletic or similar equipment will appear as if for sale by the hijacked account holder. Listings always say: "Email me here (not the eBay contact address) for shipping or buy-it-now or other information".

Those who email are given a spectacular price . . . perhaps 1/3 of list including shipping. They are told that they will receive a payment invoice through eBay's Trust and Safety or similar department and that the transaction is perfectly safe because it is approved by eBay. The seller asks only for name and shipping address.

If the potential buyer asks about PayPal, he is told that the seller's account is temporarily full; or there is a problem; or there is a divorce; or some other reason why he needs to deal directly through eBay.

Shortly afterward, he receives an authentic looking "invoice" from eBay and perhaps a second eBay email stating that they have investigated the transaction and it is safe.

The invoice asks the buyer to send the money by Western Union to somewhere in Europe. Once sent, the money is lost. Gone. Of course, the buyer never receives the purchased item because it never existed.

Everything in this scam is forged: the phishing email; the eBay invoice; the eBay verification letter. Nothing appears in the buyer's eBay inbox because nothing is sent from eBay's own server.

If eBay receives complaints about a listing, it will eventually remove it —- perhaps in minutes, perhaps in hours. During that time, the scammer receives email for potential buyers, some of whom will end of sending money by Western Union because the deal is just too good to turn down. The scammers never expect these listings to stay valid for an extended period; just long enough to get some people interested.

A few days latter, the same scammers return with new hijacked accounts and the same listings. Even the "email me here" addresses are the same.

This is a HUGE business. We are talking about $1,000 - $2,000 or more per transaction. In cash.

I believe eBay is part of the problem. They have no organized system to screen for obviously hijacked listings; they frequently leave the listings up even after complaints. More important, it is just too easy to list a sale on eBay. There is no secondary "sale only" password or other verification. Finally, even though these scams leave a mile long electronic trail (including having to show up at a Western Union office somewhere to pick up the money), eBay seems to make minimum, if any attempt, to shut them down.

In my opinion, eBay needs to stop saying: "we are only a venue" and start protecting its customers."

"Paypal freezes your money for no good reason. They regularly screw both buyer and sellers. They claim to have protections but the requirements are so convoluted its nearly impossible to get coverage even if you're trying to follow the steps. They take a huge chunk of the sale price in fees for doing nearly none of the work or risk."

"It isn't a transaction "on eBay". It is a scam that uses hijacked eBay accounts to make offers to people who send them emails. They try to make the buyer think that it is a legitimate transactionthat is approved and escrowed by eBay. Of course, eBay doesn't send out invoices; doesn't approve transactions; doesn't collect or escrow money. But to get a $3,000 computer, audio or other product for only $1,000. Wow! Just send the money by Western Union! Ebay will hold that money until you receive your product!

I understand that there are lots of scams and scammers; and lots of people looking for a bargain. But with very little effort, eBay could shut this whole thing down by responding instantly to reports; by making it harder to list sales (extra password?); and by using the law to go after the scammers."

STILL OPEN FOR VOTING: TransUnion vs Diebold, Best Buy vs CompUSA, DeBeers vs Verizon, Exxon vs United Airlines, Sony vs Ticketmaster, Comcast vs The American Arbitration Association

T-Mobile: We Can't Help You, Sell Your Brand New Defective Phone On eBay

Meg Marco — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:44:04 EDT

A link to the following letter to T-Mobile's president just popped into our inbox. It seems that if you receive a T-Mobile Sidekick for Christmas and it's defective... your options are fairly limited. T-Mobile's best solution to your broken phone? Sell it on eBay.

From LiveJournal:

Robert Dotson, President
T-Mobile
12920 SE 38th Street
Bellevue, WA 98006-1350

Dear Mr. Dotson:

I am writing to inform you of the appalling service I have received from your company as well as your employees.

I received a Sidekick Slide for a Christmas present on December 25, 2007 from [X person]. Upon some thought, however, I decided I didn't want the phone and asked X to return it. [X person] having bought the phone as present, assumed with the Christmas season that there would be no problem returning the phone, only to find out that since he had bought the phone in advance, the 14 day period had expired and he was now stuck with a $350 dollar phone.

I, for one, thought he must be mistaken, and asked him to send the phone to me in [redacted] from where he lived in [redacted]. Upon receiving the phone along with the receipt of purchase, I called T-Mobile customer service and explained my problem to two people. Both representatives basically said, we're sorry, but since you're not a T-Mobile customer, we can't help you, but you're welcome to write to our customer service department and we suggest you sell the phone on eBay.

I have to say that this is the first time that a company has ever conveyed the message that since I'm not a subscriber I am not valued as a consumer. It was also the first time I'd ever been told, "too bad, sell it on eBay."

I'm sure you can appreciate I was a bit dumbstruck by this suggestion and thought by writing a letter to your Customer Service Department I might receive a bit more satisfaction, but of course this was not to be. I received a letter back with my name misspelled (is it really that hard to check the letter I sent for the correct spelling?) and was told the same story, "you're not a customer; you are not valued even as a potential customer. You deal with it."

Since I clearly wasn't going to be helped by T-Mobile in any way, I put the phone up for sale on eBay. It was bought by a nice man in [redacted], who three days after he received the phone, e-mailed me to say he'd taken the phone to the T-Mobile near his home to have it activated only to be told that a brand new phone, which was still in the box and had all the accessories in plastic, was broken and couldn't be repaired. You can imagine our collective shock.

I apologized and asked him to send me the phone so I could refund him his money. When the phone arrived I took it my local T-Mobile store, where one of your representatives X actually attempted to help me with my problem for a change.

It seemed that there was something blocking the Sim card outlet and thusly the phone couldn't be used, but X recommended an outside vendor to repair the phone and gave me his business card.

As helpful as X was I still waited to speak to the manager, because surely there had to be something that could be done. At the very least the phone could have been exchanged for a model that worked; it didn’t have to be new it just needed to work.

After waiting 30 minutes for the manager to come back from lunch, however, the manager then told me the same thing your customer service reps told me over the phone — that since I didn't have your phone service, I wasn't under warrantee and thusly he wasn't obligated to help me, or even attempt to do so and I was out of luck.

At this point I decided that my best course of action was to run the offending phone over with my car, take photos of it with my camera phone and post the entire business to YouTube as a reason to stay away from T-Mobile. First, however, I decided to visit this outside vendor to see what he thought about the entire matter. He confirmed what I already knew that the phone was brand new and nothing was wrong with it, the catch however, was that since all the prongs in the Sim slot didn't retract when you slid the Sim card in, the phone was worthless. In short, the Sim slot was simply too small to be fixed, and I was the proud owner of a $350 worthless phone.

And to date, this is what your company has provided me with – nothing. I would say thank you, but I don't tend to thank people for trash.

The continued antipathy of your company towards potential customers is astounding. If I was a customer, I assure you I would have switched to another carrier by this point, and any and all consideration I've had for ever switching to T-Mobile in the future is dead. In fact, I now plan to go out of my way to urge people not to use your company, because I know how your company has treated me and I'd hate for that to happen to someone else.

No love,
[insert me giving the the finger here]

ETA: I'm sure you are all wondering where the video for the phone is now, well, I did what any good capitalist would do with a worthless piece of junk — I sold it for parts.

What a clusterf*ck. If there's one thing this job has taught me, it's this: Give people cash gifts.

(Thanks, CH!)
(Photo: Flyguy92586 )

EBay Decides To Contact Tim About His Laptop Auction Problems

Chris Walters — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:07:29 EDT

Timothy, our hapless eBay seller who kept having problems listing his laptop on the auction site, was contacted by a Real Live Human from eBay the day after we posted his story. "Garrison" apologized for the frustration, and said he'd be making a note on Timothy's account to keep it from getting shut down by other agents. He also suggested several listing options that were pretty well-covered by our commenters in the original thread.

Here's Tim's email:

Just FYI: I have listed the auction for a sixth time (mostly because I think it’s funny now to watch eBay have to refund my listing fees repeatedly). About 15 hours after you posted the story, I got the following email from a human being at eBay:

Dear Timothy,

Thank you for writing eBay in regard to the issues with the laptop computer you have tried to sell.

I have taken the time to review your account and would first like to apologize for the frustration this has caused you. It is very understandable that you would feel upset with the current activity and circumstances on your account.

Your auction was removed because there were concerns that a third party was potentially accessing your account and attempting to list the laptop for sale. Please understand that the precautions that were taken were with the intent of protecting your account.

I will be adding documentation to your account to alert eBay agents that you are the legitimate owner of the account and are the one listing the laptop for sale.

I would like to share some recommendations with you about some features that could possibly assist you if decide to list your laptop computer for sale again. First, you may want to use a feature called a bidder block. To find out more about it and how it works, you might want to consider looking at the information in the eBay Help pages, at this
link:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/manage_bidders_ov.html

You could also do a search for "bidder block" in the search field and that would bring up more information about the process as well.

Another feature that I would like to recommend would be the "Requiring Immediate Payment" feature. Detailed information about this feature can be found at:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/immediatepayment.html

This feature requires that a person make payment immediately after clicking on the Buy It Now button. The payment must be made with PayPal, and your auction will remain open until the payment is made.

Although this is not available for an auction-style listing, if there is a set price you would be willing to sell your laptop for it could help with the problems you've mentioned.

Please consider these as options if you decide to list any merchandise with eBay in the future.

Your trust and confidence is valued by us. We want to earn that trust and confidence once again.

It is my pleasure to assist you. Thank you for choosing eBay.

Sincerely,

Garrison
eBay Customer Support

Thanks for your help getting a real response from them!
Tim

It's Now Completely Impossible To Sell A Laptop On Ebay

Chris Walters — Thu, 08 May 2008 13:34:39 EDT

The cool thing about eBay's support system is it will always answer your question; unfortunately, that answer will always be a form letter on how to reset your password, as Timothy discovered when he tried to figure out how to sell his laptop to someone who wasn't a Nigerian scammer. Timothy has learned the awful truth behind today's eBay—something many readers here already know—which is that it's become virtually impossible to sell any sort of medium-to-high end electronics there anymore.

Timothy's email went on for about two weeks, so we've tried to edit it for length.

eBay seems now to be essentially broken. What used to be a 'virtual yard-sale' where one could hunt for - and potentially find - a good deal on a broad variety of eclectic items has now turned (in my opinion at least) into a hybrid mass of scammers and shady garage-retailers, clumped together with a straggling, dying breed of people who used to be excited about eBay, but who are now wishing it would return to what it used to be.

Don't get me wrong, I still use eBay, and have for years. My usage has varied over the years, and I'm by no means a 'power seller' on eBay, but it has always been my first stop when I'm looking to acquire an item which I wouldn't mind buying used. But a recent series of events has left a bitter taste in my mouth, making me wish eBay was what it used to be.

My experience started with a laptop which I wanted to sell - simple enough. I've sold on eBay before. "I'll just throw it up on eBay," I told my wife, "and see how much I can get for it." [ha ha ha ha ha -Ed.] It's a fine Toshiba laptop, 15.4" screen, 1.7Ghz processor. I bought it brand-new, and have treated it well since then. There's nothing wrong with it - I was just looking to upgrade to something newer and thought that I could perhaps get a few hundred dollars to offset some of the cost of buying a new laptop. So I listed the item and waited. I chose the 5-day auction option - I don't know if that really makes any difference or not (I've heard arguments both ways on the topic).

After about two days with no bids I decided to find the laptop in the listings and see how it looked compared to other listed laptops - perhaps I had made some glaring mistake which other laptop-sellers were not making. I checked and saw how long the auction had left, and viewed the 'Laptops and Computers' category (sorted by 'Ending Soonest'), and scrolled down to where my laptop ought to have been - about 6 pages in, since it still had a few days left to go. I could not find it. It appeared that my item was not listing correctly, so I contacted the eBay on-line 'Live Chat' (which, incidentally, seemed to be one of only two venues for their customers to reach them - the other being a 'contact us' form on their website [there do exist a couple of 800/888 corporate numbers, but they provide no means of reaching a human being unless you know their name ahead of time]). The Live Chat representative (pronounced "c-h-a-t-b-o-t") informed me that unless my item was listed as a 'Featured Item' (pronounced "e-x-t-r-a-T-w-e-n-t-y-D-o-l-l-a-r-s") my item would only appear after all of the items which had been listed as featured items.

So I returned to the list of items, and found that - sure enough - the 6th page which I had expected to find my item on was actually only the sixth page of featured items. It was not for another several pages that the list of featured items was finally exhausted, and the 'Time Left' column reset from '5 days' to '< 1 minute'. Once again I had to click through several pages of items which were ending before mine, until finally, around page 20, I saw my item in the queue. Great, I thought, what good is an auction if nobody sees it?
The item ultimately did get a bid, however, and I was excitedly looking at new laptops on-line. I was sorely disappointed the next day when I received the following message from eBay:

 Account Security Notice: eBay Listing(s) Removed
Dear loneboat (*****@*****.com), The results of the following listing(s)  have been cancelled due to bidding activity that took place without the  account owner's authorization:

[Blah blah blah. -Ed.]

eBay Trust & Safety  

Yikes, I thought, some poor sap had his eBay password stolen/cracked/phished. Oh well , looks like they've graciously refunded my money. I'll just re-list it.

So I re-listed the item. This time, I lowered the minimum bid and paid for the 'featured item' option (which I thought was a stupid idea, but the only way to get my auction seen by any appreciable audience). This time, the auction ended without incident. I got an email from the bidder telling me that he was glad to have won the auction, and was excited for me to ship it... To Nigeria.

Let it be known here that though I may not be the smartest person in the world, I'm not stupid. His email went on to explain (in poor English) that he was 'on business trip to the Nigeria,' and that he was willing to pay me $1000 through PayPal for the laptop. Shortly thereafter I received an email from 'PayPal' (who is now apparently sending out their customer service emails from gMail), stating that I had received a payment, but that it would not show up in my account until I emailed them back the tracking number for the parcel. Very clever, but once again, I'm not stupid.

This time I contacted the Live Chat system. I explained the whole drama, and was told to go on the website and contact eBay's security team. I did so, and sent them the following email: [Email described the problem and included the buyer's original email along with two spoof emails from "eBay" and "PayPal". -Ed.]

I received the following response:

 Dear eBay member,
If you need help resetting your eBay password, or you think your account  has been used without your permission, please go to the "Securing Your  Account and Reporting Account Theft" Help page. Follow the steps on this  page to secure your account:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/confidence/
isgw-account-theft-reporting.html

For further assistance with account security questions, please contact  us through Live Help at:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/
confidence/ato-livehelp.html

Live Help will open in a new window and connect you to an Account  Security Live Chat representative.

***Learn More About eBay Safety and Security*** To learn more about  account security on eBay, or to report a problem with your account,  please visit our Security & Resolution Center at:

http://pages.ebay.com/securitycenter/
index.html

The Security & Resolution Center can help you do the following:

- Learn more about account protection and buying safely.  - Access resources for rules, policies, protection programs, and  announcements.  - See important safety tips and features.  - Review law enforcement information.  - Access Security & Resolution Center tools, and more.

Sincerely, Anna  

At this point in writing this article, my emotions regarding this response from eBay are emphatically urging me to pound out several paragraphs worth of rant about how hilariously irrelevant this response is to the message I originally sent - an urge which shall be eternally frustrated, since there is nothing more to say than to simply stare at it aghast and say, 'that has absolutely nothing to do with what I sent to them. Nothing which I mentioned in the original message is even mentioned here.'

So - frustrated - I re-listed the item a third time. I waited. Same story - after waiting a few days the auction was ultimately won, again by somebody who desperately needed it shipped to Nigeria (this time they were sending it to their fiancee who was working for the 'Nigerian Peace Corps.'). 'What's wrong?', I thought, 'how hard is it to sell something on eBay nowadays?'

So I listed the item for a fourth time. This time I added the following disclaimer to the top and bottom of the listing:

 Note: I WILL NOT SHIP THIS ITEM TO NIGERIA! This is the fourth time I have  listed this laptop on eBay. All three of the earlier auctions were  ultimately won by Nigerian scammers trying to get me to use some phony  escrow service to ship the item to Nigeria. Each time I got a slew of  elaborate (but grammatically poor) spoofed emails explaining to me that  payment had been made to my PayPal account but would not show up until I  emailed the buyer with a tracking number showing that I had shipped the  item. I may not be the smartest crayon in the box, but I'm not stupid  either, so I (thankfully) haven't fallen prey. But each time this  happens, I lose a few days of selling time, and I really need to get  this laptop sold because I need the money for something else. I truly  apologize if you actually ARE on a business trip in Nigeria or need it  shipped to your cousin or fiancee in Nigeria, but I repeat: I WILL NOT  SHIP THIS ITEM TO NIGERIA! I'm just a poor guy trying to sell his laptop  on eBay. If anyone reading this has any ideas as to how to keep people  in Nigeria from bidding on or winning this item, please send a message  to me via my eBay profile! Thanks! :-)  

The listing posted, and I waited. A few hours later, I tried to log into my eBay account to check on it, and my username and password would not allow me to log in. I checked my email, and found the following:

 Dear [redacted] (*****@*****.com),
Your account was accessed by an unauthorized third party to list items  without your authorization. At this time we have taken several steps to  secure your eBay account. Rest assured that your credit card and banking  information is safe on the eBay site, as this information is kept  encrypted on a secure server and cannot be viewed by anyone.

To regain control of your account, please complete the following steps:

1. Change the password on your personal email account to verify that it  is secure and cannot be accessed by anyone other than you.

2. Change the password on your eBay account. Go to the eBay sign-in  page, click the "Forgot your password" link, and change your password  using the instructions provided.

3. Verify the contact information on your account is correct. Go to My  eBay and click the "Personal Information" link under My Account.

To better understand how your account was compromised, please take a  moment to review the Account Protection tutorial.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/tutorial/
accountprotection/js_tutorial.html

We're sorry for the inconvenience, and we thank you for your patience  and understanding.

Sincerely, eBay Customer Support  

The only thing I can figure as to why eBay locked my account and removed my listing was that my listing mentioned the word 'Nigeria'. I am positive that my eBay password was not stolen, as I have NEVER revealed my eBay password to anyone (not even my wife knows it; I don't want her to know that I buy her birthday presents off of eBay - can you blame me?).

Having nowhere else to turn, and in no real hurry, since I've lost all hope of actually selling my laptop on eBay, I contacted the security team with the following email:

 I'm having a very hard time selling my item on eBay. I have listed the  item four times, and each time something has gone wrong. Here are the  item numbers, with descriptions of the problems:
[detailed list of everything Timothy's tried up to this point. -Ed.]

After the last two listings, my account was locked because eBay thought  (for some reason never told to me) that the listings were due to a  compromised account password - even though the listings were legitimate  and posted by myself. I have now had to reset my password to something  new, since eBay would not allow me to reuse the password I have used for  a long time. :-(

Can you please tell me what I am doing wrong? I'm just trying to sell my  laptop on eBay. I have used eBay for several years, and have never had a  single problem before. I am not doing anything differently - so why am I  having such trouble?

I would very much appreciate a phone call from a real live person who  can communicate to me why I am having such a hard time. I have called  customer support (1-800-322-9266 & 1-888-749-3229), but am only greeted  with a recording which refers me back to the website. I have tried the  online-chat, but they only refer me to the security team. I have emailed  the security team, but they just say basically 'sorry, there's nothing  we can do'.

My phone # is ***-***-**** (US).

Thank you.  

About an hour later, I received the following email in my inbox:

 Dear eBay member,
If you need help resetting your eBay password, or you think your account  has been used without your permission, please go to the "Securing Your  Account and Reporting Account Theft" Help page. Follow the steps on this  page to secure your account:

[You know the drill by now. -Ed.]

Sincerely, Anna  

No joke, this is an identical email to the other one which 'Anna' had sent to me a week ago. And once again, I feel compelled to rant about exactly how much and in what ways this has absolutely nothing to do with my initial request, but (once again) I'm left with nothing to say except, 'that has absolutely NOTHING to do with what I sent to them.'
One more note - when I logged in to list my item for the fifth time, my account was once again locked. I think I'm going over to CraigsList.
Comments?? Anyone want to buy a laptop? :-|

Timothy, if you decide to try eBay a fifth time—and honestly, at this point in the company's history we wouldn't recommend it—there's an option to restrict bidding to people in the U.S. only. While this won't prevent scammers who have hijacked U.S. accounts from bidding, it will at least cut down on the number of international bids. But seriously, try CraigsList or a flyer in your neighborhood. EBay is broken.

(Photo: Getty Images)

Woman eBays $103,254.11 In Debt

Ben Popken — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 09:35:49 EDT

This lady is trying to eBay her family's $103,245.11 in debt. It comes with her house and car (loving family not included). I guess it could be useful if you're trying to decrease your tax liability, or you just want to feel part of the credit crunch crisis. Maybe you could work out a Prince and the Pauper thing.

My Debt, all of my worldly bills comes w/house and car [eBay] (Thanks to Ryan!)

Seller Gets Scammed On Ebay, PayPal Won't Help

Chris Walters — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:11:19 EDT

Matt just got his first taste of Ebay, and it wasn't good—as soon as he mailed off the Best Buy gift card to the buyer, the buyer reversed payment on Matt's PayPal account and stopped communicating with him. We're pretty sure he's screwed on this one, but does anyone have any good advice for what he can do next?

I was just scammed from selling a 100$ valued best buy gift card selling it on ebay for 96$. I wanted to get an mp3 player but not from best buy because they have no selection of mp3 players greater than 20 gb at all.

Everything looked fine because someone bought this gift card and "supposedly" sent me the money. It was shown i had 96$ on april 3 in my paypal account, so of course i did the "right" thing and sent my card to the unfortunate fraudulent buyer.

Then the same day after I say i sent the package, the money gets somehow reversed. I get this notification from paypal that i might have been dealing with fraud. They notified the man and even received confirmation via email. Paypal finally gets back to me on April 22nd just saying that I did not have seller protection so they will not refund me in any sort of way.

I have his address, phone number and e-mail, but I do not know what to do. He has not responded to my emails though.

I need some advice in dealing with this besides any more pointless responses from paypal. Where is the justice? What can I do to get my money back if possible since paypal will not help or refund me? Why should only certain sellers get seller protection but not others? I would like to sell more stuff on ebay but after this risky transition I'm not so sure if I still want to. Thank you.

Matt

This Buyer's Experience Pretty Much Sums Up What's Wrong With Ebay

Chris Walters — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:18:08 EDT

Veteran Ebay buyer/seller Monty has just come off a triple play of misrepresented auctions, each from a different seller, and has had zero luck getting things straightened out with any of them.

It seems that eBay's latest squeeze on sellers is just the tip of the iceberg. eBay's pressure on their sellers is, if you ask me, having a "trickle down" effect on us eBay shoppers, too. I have over 500 feedbacks and have been with eBay since pretty much they began. Thanks to a string of about three or four really bad auction experiences, however, I am starting to see this trickle-down effect.

It all began with a pair of refurb'd Sony wireless headphones I bought. The seller shipped them to me, but the power supply was the wrong voltage for the headphones. With them being Sony, with everything they sell proprietary, I was pretty much hooped. I called around, and wow, Sony wants $70 for an adapter that'll power the $56 9plus $20 shipping) headphones I bought! I wrote the shipper and he was dismissive and rude to me. In the end, I ended up filing an "Item Not As Described" filing with Paypal. Check this: 45 days later, eBay tells me I can ship the item back to the shipper, at my cost, for a refund of my purchase price. So... let me get this straight, eBay: I'm going to lose a total of $40 in shipping for my $56 item??

I recently bought a "Brand New, Sealed" laptop from eBay. The auction clearly stated that the item had Windows XP on it, which I wanted, after hearing about all the problems with Vista. It came with Vista, not XP, which promptly crashed. nearly $300 in "Geek Squad" rescue fees later, I had a working laptop, albeit with Vista on, which I didn't want. The Geek Squad informed me that the laptop had been "used" before, and the manufacturer refused to honour the warranty since it was not a "hardware" issue. I asked the seller to split what I'd spent to get the laptop working— money I spent due to HIS error. Naturally, he refused. I filed with eBay, and it's been 30 days, and no word.

Just the other day I received a wireless mouse I'd ordered, but it's dead. The mouse arrived in a plain envelope, with no packaging, dead. Should I even bother? I've learned that eBay will leave me hanging and that sellers don't fear eBay's totally "nerfed" so-called consumer protection assurances. It's a load of crap, and I'm going to start shopping elsewhere.

Shipping Is Getting Expensive

Chris Walters — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:59:42 EDT

Emily noticed that the weird puppet crap she was thinking of buying on Ebay would make her PayPal account explode:

I know shipping products can be expensive, what with the rising fuel costs and all, but this shipping charge from the UK to Utah is ridiculous! Maybe the seller's just padding the fee, I don't know. :)

Round 14: eBay/Paypal vs COX

Ben Popken — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:20:55 EDT

This is Round 14 in our Worst Company in America contest, eBay/Paypal vs COX cable.

eBay has become a hothive of international scams. Coupled with its faceless transaction processor Paypal, a number of our readers report having disputes unfairly judged against them, victims of scammers who know how to manipulate eBay/Paypal's myriad policies.

We don't receive many complaints about Cox but some of the people who nominated them took issue with paying $30 just to get 12 local channels, and another complained about his in-state long distance rate being doubled without explanation.

STILL OPEN FOR VOTING: Apple vs SallieMae, Diebold Vs Pfizer, MTV vs TransUnion
CompUSA vs DirecTV
Target vs Best Buy
Allstate vs Verizon,
DeBeers vs 1800 flowers, Starbucks vs United Airlines,
Exxon vs Crocs, Google Vs Sony, Ticketmaster vs Wachovia, Facebook vs The American Arbitration Association, Comcast vs Menu Foods

eBayed BMW M3 Resolution Hits Pothole

Ben Popken — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:21:14 EDT

The guy who won a BMW for $60k on eBay only to have the dealership back out is chaffing at the conditions the dealership imposed after the two, following an international onslaught of criticism, came to terms. The two conditions the dealership asked for were 1) That Ken not sell the car for a certain number of years after he bought it and 2) That Ken has to go around to all the internet sites that picked up his story and tell them that the dealership worked out the deal. Ken's lawyer was able to get the first one struck but Ken really doesn't like the second one, especially after the following quote from the dealership appeared in the Journal-Star, "These bloggers out there, they have lots of time on their hands to do this." To this, Ken wrote, "I got placed under the impression that the dealership really isn't sorry for anything they have done here. Their attitude, it seemed was that I am to blame for the firestorm that culminated, implying that I wasn't being proactive enough in getting the word out...I had no intention of becoming a pawn for this dealer, not after the way they treated me!" For their part, the dealership says they are ready to sell the car at the agreed-upon price once they receive payment from Ken.

It's not up to Ken to do the dealership's PR. Any new impositions by the dealer are moot. You can't add on conditions after the fact.

Won ebay auction at 60K for E90 M3, BMW of Lincoln refusing to honor [m3post]
PREVIOUSLY: Facing Online Onslaught, Dealership Honors eBay Sale
BMW Dealer Refuses To Honor eBay Sale

Facing Online Onslaught, Dealership Honors eBay Sale

Ben Popken — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:21:58 EDT

The dealership that refused to honor a BMW 3 Sedan for sold on eBay for $60,000 seems to have buckled under the deluge of criticism, emails, and phone calls made by irate internetizens sympathetic to the buyer's plight. A post by buyer Ken on m3post.com says that the dealership has agreed to honor the original price. However, there will be certain "conditions," which Ken wasn't yet able to specify. Ken's story appeared in various auto forums, and on Autoblog, Consumerist, Fark, and Digg (although for some reason, it got buried even though it has 475+ diggs...dealership sockpuppets at work?). Online social justice networking is in effect.

PREVIOUSLY: BMW Dealer Refuses To Honor eBay Sale

BMW Dealer Refuses To Honor eBay Sale

Ben Popken — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 10:01:05 EDT

UPDATE: Facing Online Onslaught, Dealership Honors eBay Sale

15 minutes after Ken won a no-reserve eBay auction for a new BMW 3 Sedan for $60,000, he says a salesman at BMW of Lincoln nervously called him up and said that the price was a "mistake." "When I pressed the issue and raised the possibility of legal action," Ken wrote on the m3post.com forums, "this guy had the nerve to condescendingly laugh and say we are a multi-billion dollar company, ebay will definitely side with us." Actually, that's not how eBay works. eBay says its sales are legally binding contracts. Ken has already started the dispute resolution process and eBay seems inclined in his favor. If the dealership loses the appeal, they will also lose their eBay seller account.

BMW dealer auctions new M3 for $60K on eBay, doesn't want to honor the deal [AutoBlog] (Thanks to everyone who sent this in!)
Won ebay auction at 60K for E90 M3, BMW of Lincoln refusing to honor [m3post]
[eBay Auction]