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© A.J. Goldsby,
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Click HERE
to see any chess
items that I have
that are ...
FOR SALE!
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Buy a book
from Amazon.com
(And help me out as well!)
Boycott E-Bay NOW!!!
("it" sucks!)
Many of you have told me that the general consensus is that my site is one of the best sources of information that is available on the 'net. Because of this, I want to STRONGLY advise all of you of the following situation:
BUY NOTHING FROM E-BAY! (BOYCOTT this company now!)
I have attempted to purchase many items - mostly connected with chess - from this company. It has resulted in nothing but sorrow, aggravation and general DIS-satisfaction.
The latest venture involved a chess book. A seller on-line had a chess book(s) for sale. I offered the individual fourteen dollars for a chess book on Lasker by Varnusz. He agreed. I went to Winn-Dixie, and purchased a Western-Union Money Order for $14.00. (#06-543756788) I mailed it to the seller who lives in Cleveland, OH. He advised me ... via e-mail ... that he had received the money order. I called Western Union - they verified that the money order had been cashed by the same individual.
This same person runs a continual "shuck-and-jive" routine. ("The item listed never sold." "The item listed was re-listed under another number." "Maybe one day we can get this sorted out.")
The real kicker is that this same individual continues to re-list the same item ... and has possibly sold and re-sold this same item ... over and over again!!!!!! (I used a neighbor's e-mail ... to inquire about another listing ... with the SAME chess book. I was informed that this book had been sold in November, just a few days before I sent my e-mail. This is highly curious, as my claim on this same chess book is now over two months old.)
Meanwhile, I have tried to contact dozens of people concerning this problem.
I have tried to contact the Cleveland Police Dept. ... via the telephone about this matter. They seem completely un-interested and kept me on hold for over an hour. I have begun the process of filing a complaint to the Better Business Bureau. And the management of e-bay has failed to respond to close to a dozen inquiries!! (I have also filed an official complaint with several State of Florida agencies.) Of course, I will continue to pursue this matter to its logical conclusion.
This is NOT an isolated incident! I have had about a dozen dealings with e-bay. The last five or six have ended in a manner that was completely unacceptable. (In one case I paid 30 dollars - plus shipping - for a very rare chess book. It arrived with both covers ripped off. Disgusting.)
My
advice is ... VOTE WITH YOUR DOLLARS!!
Boycott e-bay now!!
A.J. Goldsby I, December, 10th, 2003.
Addendum: This company's official response is that since the original item was purchased ... "outside the normal channels" ... I am entitled to no official protection from the company. As for the possibility that the member may be using their company to commit fraud ... apparently they simply do not care ... or cannot be bothered.
( I have now received close to 100 e-mails, confirming what I had already suspected about this company ... basically that rip-off's are extremely common and the management of this company does not care that people are getting ripped off on a daily basis. Jan, 2004. )
The end of March, 2004: Actually ... he asked me not to mention this to anyone ... but I did not agree to it. A fairly well-known national Law Firm contacted me about the possibility of filing a CLASS-ACTION Lawsuit against E-bay in an attempt to force this company to take more accountability in their actions, and stop letting people get ripped off ... and then disclaiming any responsibility for the act.
Hopefully this will go somewhere. I certainly would love to nail these jerks to the wall. One fact is crystal clear - I am NOT the only one upset, or who has been ripped off by this company and its agents!
June, 2004: I have no idea if it was valid or not ... I didn't take any steps to validate it. I received a letter from a lawyer who promised both a lawsuit - and even jail time - if this page was not deleted. (Supposedly he had been hired by E-Bay.) Of course I sneered at this letter, and simply ripped it up and threw it into the garbage!!
November, 2004: It is highly probable that E-Bay has deleted my account. (Not that I care!)
I don't know if this is a reprisal for my constant criticisms - I posted a thread in a chat room with my real name - on AOL ... that generated a ton of publicity. The local newspaper even called me about the content of it.
They also claim that I owe them money. I don't know how this is possible or even legal. I don't use their services and it has been a year or more since I attempted to bid on any item. Why should I pay six dollars a month for services that I NEVER use!! (I have contacted the local Congressman in an attempt to discover what I can do.)
August, 2006: I have not purchased ANYTHING through an E-Bay vendor (since the above event) ... and I will not do so until they change their policies ... and stop ignoring the "little guy" and actively trying to stop rip-offs on their websites.
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Tips & tactics to avoid 5 online auction pitfalls
The above is an article that was run on the MSN network. (Wednesday, April 13th, 2005.)
This page was last edited on: 09/15/2009 10:21 AM .
NOTICE: Effective immediately, I am ending my boycott of eBay. Monday; September 14th, 2009.
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Copyright (©) A.J. Goldsby, 1995 - 2008.
Copyright © A.J. Goldsby, 2009. All rights
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