resolved

[dOrKuS]

I placed a bid on, and won, two Pioneer 50" plasma t.v.'s for $2150 each at u-bid.com through the consumer exchange program.
I later noticed that the seller is in Romania, and accepts wire transfer only. He/She has no feedback whatsoever, and I have become very worried about this deal being "too good to be true." The seller also states that payment must be recieved first. Since he has no feedback I do not qualify for the buyer protection program, and even if he did I would only be elligable to recieve $500 of a $4500 possibly lost. The shipping weight is listed at 10 lbs., which is physically impossible for a television that size. PLEASE HELP ME figure out a way to qaurantee shipment of said televisions. Thank you for your time. Please hurry!

 

[damocles]

99% likely it's a scam. We get lots of people from Romania selling Plasma stuff on NZ auction sites, and invariably it turns out to be dodgy. Under no circumstanced even consider paying until you have real proof, i doubt you will find any

 

[Jfur]

Wow, that does sound iffy. Any way you can get out of the "deal"?

 

[Juniper]

99% likely it's a scam


I second.

 

[UberNeuman]

I thought TV's in europe were PAL based? I wouldn't do this deal at all....

 

[damocles]

Maybe you could get the Tvs shipped to a US Embassy in Romania and then deposit the money? You are being scammed though, i Have no doubt of this. I have seen about 12 of the Romanian -Plasma Screen auctions in the last few months

 

[dOrKuS]

<< Wow, that does sound iffy. Any way you can get out of the "deal"? >>



to answer your question, yes there is a way i can get out of the deal.

i simply refuse to send payment...worst case scenario i get bad feedback, or maybe my account gets banned.
all i have to do is open it in my parents name, problem solved.

i'm not the type to dodge payment on an auction i've won, especially with items i really want. this issue is not about the money, it's about not getting the goods.

 

[dOrKuS]

Here is the link to the auction I won, check out the info at the bottom

 

[ace31216]

See if they are willing to use Escrowe

 

[dOrKuS]

ace,

could you explain how escrowe works? (excuse my ignorance)

 

[damocles]

Scam

Dodgy Yahoo email, the shipping sounds dodgy too, as does the 'must use wire transfer'. I love the 3 day money back guarantee, that's fast ground shipping No legit dealer would sell these at this price, they would fetch more money in local European countries

Ask for the serial numbers and the Date of Manufacture,

 

[etech]

Escrow is a third party. You send them your money. The sellar sends the TVs. When they have both they forward them on.

I don't know what the true weight is, but a even a flat screen. 50" TV has to weigh more than 10 pounds. I'd get out of the whole deal, it just sounds like a rip-off.

 

[mztykal]

RUN!

To be more specific, run like the wind.

Anything involving "wiring money to a foreign country" is grounds for you being screwed. I smell a scam! :|

 

[ericb]

Unless he's willing to use an escrow service I would forgot about it. One bad feedback isn't worth $4500.

 

[lawaris]

2 ques : does this seller communicate by ICQ ??
Can u PM me that ??

Reasons why I am asking - Got a couple of friends from Romania , I can ask them to check it out.
I had been offered a deal on ICQ by someone in Romania for laptops at a hard to believe price - so I didn't ( believe it ).

Be careful.

 

[damocles]

Escrow is a third party. You send them your money. The sellar sends the TVs. When they have both they forward them on.

Great idea

I don't know what the true weight is, but a even a flat screen. 50" TV has to weigh more than 10 pounds. I'd get out of the whole deal, it just sounds like a rip-off.

They are heavy. I remember reading about a burglar that was injured prying one from a wall and thinking he could easily support the weight with one hand.

Before I even considered paying i would want to know

- Name, Address and land line phone number that they could be contacted at during all normal business hours. I would phone them a couple of times. Some of these scams have been pulled by High School kids.
- Date of Manufacture, Serial numbers, Perhaps a Fax of the warranty form and/or the front page of the manual
- Reasons why they are selling these expensive TVs so cheap and without any reserve
- Reasons why they aren't selling locally
- Why they only take wire transfer, when any legit dealer would offer more options
- If they are willng to contact somebody in Romania who can verify the existence of the goods
- If they are legit they will probably have to have their business registered somewhere ( they are offering a 1 year warranty)

Start asking questions, see how they react. You will see there is very little substance to them, I'll lay money on that

 

Back out now.

I can't tell you how many people that have come to me asking for help when they have been scammed from P.O.S's like this.

 

[dOrKuS]

THIS IS THE EMAIL I RECIEVED FROM THE AUCTIONER. I'm not sure if this information sounds legit because I can't understand what he's saying, any help is greatly appreciated !

hello ,
You are the winer of my auction.
My name is Amer A. H. Maklf and my adress is
street Sf cel MAre nr 12
City :Bucharest
Country :Romania
I will send to you the tv via fedex.For that i will
need your dates as your adress and name.
Please send first the money in my acount:
company Cont Bank is:
name :Amer A. H. Maklf
bank account:4521K3439030
bank:ION TIRIAC BANK(BCIT)
city:BUcharest
country:Romania
Important:this is an acount in dolars ($).After you
send the money to my acount i want to scan the
confirmation paper from your bank and send it to me
via email(that to be sure you send the money).
After you send the money and sent to me the
confirmation paper (copy scan the document)i will be
able to send the pioner to your adress in next day via
fedex.Please try to work fast.
I wait your new emails.
Best regards,
Amer A. H. Maklf

 

[Nitemare]

So when does fed ex use UPS ground for insuring?

It's a scam..the only way to go is the third party thing.

Hell, he is a new member with 0 referrals and he wants over 2 grand wired directly to his account. If he balks at the third party thing refuse to pay and say you weren't born yesterday..

If he whines or complains, threaten to report him to ubid and his bank as a scam artist

 

[dOrKuS]

DEAL DONE!!

Dear Valued Customer ,

Our records indicate that you recently closed a successful auction lot
number 521311620 with the above Consumer Exchange user AM9R2000. Please
be advised that this user's account with uBid has been disabled in
accordance with our Fraud Prevention Departments guidelines. In
particular, we have determined that certain information supplied by
this
user in our registration process was invalid or inaccurate. Please
note
that uBid has made no determination that this user has engaged in any
inappropriate conduct in connection with the auction in which you
participated, or any other transaction, and is not making any judgment
in connection therewith.

Nevertheless, we wish to advise you of the current status of this
user's
account, and recommend that you exercise caution in completing any
transaction with this user, including but not limited to gaining
comfort
that all contact information provided to you by this user is accurate
and verifiable. You are not obligated to complete any transaction with
any user whose account with uBid has been disabled.