I need advice

[BruinGuy]

Okay here is the story: Last week I purchased a dell laptop from eBay. I received the laptop last Friday, and contacted the seller to get the laptop transferred over to me legally (for the warranty and such).

The seller says that ?I sold the computer for a friend,? and that? The service warranty was not included in the auction, He's [his friend] telling me that he had transferred it to his newer laptop. That?s all I know?

I had looked on line at support.dell.com and seen that the laptop still had a nice service warranty left (until early 2005) so I am interested in getting this. I persist and tell him that dell still has the information listed under this laptop, so it doesn?t seem like it was transferred properly, and that regardless I want the laptop in my name, and that all I need is his friends name and the invoice number to transfer the ownership.

He replies back ?ok, now I think I know why, I was just talking to him, my friend bought the computer at a flee market, and what you have is all that he got.?

So I contact Dell, and after learn that UPS reported it lost in transit and had to pay Dell for it. So the laptop is technically stolen from UPS. Dell recommends that I contact UPS and try to buy the ownership from them. I just emailed UPS, and tried to explain the situation.

So I need advice. Has something like this happened to anyone else? Anyone familiar with UPS?s policy on this? What do I say to the seller? (Neither of us has left feedback for the other yet) What is my next move?

 

[zayened]

 

[ThaGrandCow]

My advice: you are screwed.
If you go to UPS they will come after you to pay for the entire laptop.
Give up and hope that the laptop doesn't break.

 

[StageLeft]

Yeah you should give up since you're now in posession of stolen property. I would just let this thing drop.

 

[Hammer]

Receipt of stolen property, my friend. Better hope UPS can do something.

 

[BigGuy32]

Better to let it go. That away you are only screwed once and not twice.

 

[GSOYF]

Shut your mouth, and be glad that you got a laptop....otherwise you are going to get screwed.

 

[911paramedic]

You might want to tell this seller that if he does not refund your money, including shipping, you will turn his name over to UPS and Ebay.

As it stands now, you knowingly have stolen property and that is a bad thing.

You bought one of those products that "just fell off the loading dock" and was found by "this guy I know".

 

[BruinGuy]

Okay I plan on asking for my money + shipping back from the seller, but who do I ship it to? Should I send it to UPS, or to this guy? I don't think it would be right to ship back stolen property to this guy? What do you guys think?

 

[911paramedic]

Get your money FIRST, then drop it off at UPS and give them this persons name. The only problem is that this loser has your address.

 

[Stark]

you can buy laptops directly from dell. You can even do it on-line.

If you choose not to, an instead buy from a complete stranger don't expect a warranty.

edit,
call ups and ask them what they want you to do. you have stolen property. I don't know if returning it to the theif is the wisest idea. You may want to contact ebay as well.

 

[Kadarin]

This is one of the reasons why I never, ever buy stuff from eBay...

 

[BruinGuy]

<< If you choose not to, an instead buy from a complete stranger don't expect a warranty. >>



Well thats not true, Dell has a process for exchanging ownership and warrantys.



<< call ups and ask them what they want you to do. >>



That is what I am going to do this evening when I get off of work. Thanks for the advice.

 

[GiGoLo]

you must have a copy of the original Dell invoice from the seller you purchased the computer from, to transfer ownership or the warranty to you. Without this, Dell will never transfer ownership to you, I believe this is done specifically for that reason to prove it's not stolen or whatever. now if the seller put in the product description "warranty valid until so and so," then you have an argument that you can bring forth to the ebay officials, but if not... ur basically screwed. UPS may not be so anal though so i would contact them first and see what they'd like to do. maybe they'll compensate you in exchange for the seller's info or something.... i dunno, wishful thinking