How I got burned for 410 dollars, and my quest to get it back

[JamesE30]

*edit.

Maybe he died..

[FLG]

Why do people respond without reading the whole thread?

From what we see the seller sent him a mangled wheel and tried to pass it on as their fault.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[Fleksta]

This is why I find the idea of shipping insurance to be disgusting. It was obviously run over in the warehouse, mangled in a sorting machine, or dropped under the mail truck. You shouldn't have to buy extra insurance to protect your package from damage inflicted by the business you have entrusted it to. It should be on the USPS (or any shipping company) to accept responsibility for their own screw-up regardless.

That rant aside, the seller had no obligation to buy the insurance. If you had expected him to purchase it, the fault is yours for not asking what his shipping quote included or specifying that insurance was desired. Whether you or I would consider purchasing insurance to be a given is a moot point.

There is no mail fraud here, unless you can prove that the seller willfully sold you a damaged wheel after presenting it as something else. Would I be furious after discovering my $400 purchase in this shape, definitely. But in this case I see no recourse.

[ohthejosh]

Mail fraud is a federal offense. Yes, you can contact the FBI, but you will be so far down in the totem pole that you'll never hear from them. To hire a lawyer would cost him more $$ with no certainty in the outcome. The seller should refund half the money. Op can then use that money to have his wheel fixed by a shop. Everybody will be happy.

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[Rigmaster]

Mail fraud is a federal offense. Yes, you can contact the FBI, but you will be so far down in the totem pole that you'll never hear from them. To hire a lawyer would cost him more $$ with no certainty in the outcome. The seller should refund half the money. Op can then use that money to have his wheel fixed by a shop. Everybody will be happy.

nevermind

[dnguyen1963]

Read it again.


I am NOT taking the seller's side. I am just trying to dispel some of the myths about internet buying and selling. My points were aimed mostly at several replies to the OP, trying to clarify or correct things that were written as "statements" when they had no basis in fact or reality.

I'm surprised no one suggested the OP hire a lawyer or call the FBI since mail fraud is a federal offense- I think they have a special department that handles cases of old BMW parts transactions gone wrong over the internet.


For clarity, let me say that the OP has every right to be pissed, and he should do everything he can to get his money back, and IMHO, the SELLER needs to make this right somehow- BUT, some of the suggestions and ideas in some of these replies are completely worthless.

Mail fraud is a federal offense. Yes, you can contact the FBI, but you will be so far down in the totem pole that you'll never hear from them. To hire a lawyer would cost him more $$ with no certainty in the outcome. The seller should refund half the money. Op can then use that money to have his wheel fixed by a shop. Everybody will be happy.

[Rigmaster]

You give 5 reasons why it's not the sellers fault, and go on to tell the OP to take his money back from the seller via a Paypal dispute.

Read it again.


I am NOT taking the seller's side. I am just trying to dispel some of the myths about internet buying and selling. My points were aimed mostly at several replies to the OP, trying to clarify or correct things that were written as "statements" when they had no basis in fact or reality.

I'm surprised no one suggested the OP hire a lawyer or call the FBI since mail fraud is a federal offense- I think they have a special department that handles cases of old BMW parts transactions gone wrong over the internet.


For clarity, let me say that the OP has every right to be pissed, and he should do everything he can to get his money back, and IMHO, the SELLER needs to make this right somehow- BUT, some of the suggestions and ideas in some of these replies are completely worthless.

[DisgustipatedAP1]

1. People suggested it, no one said they legally had to insure it.
2. That may be true, but it would say so on the tracking (if you didn't get a tracking number FFS it's $.70) that it was at a hub for repackaging.
3. I can type up a note and throw it in a box too, it's the lack of information provided that leaves us questioning it's legitimacy. They just don't sharpie a piece of binder paper and throw it in the box, I'm sure there's some level of formality if they fucked your item up.
4. No shit, I've had several packages inspected, and guess what. They come stamped "INSPECTED" especially with international orders and dealing with customs.
5. Lol not have one available? There's a million at every hub ready to be used. I have never seen an ordinary brown box at a USPS. They do fit, I had the exact same steering wheel shipped and it sure fit. Came fresh as fuck too.
6. You sound like an idiot.

7. You are a chunky, mushmouth bro whose mommy and daddy does everything for him. Try not to call others idiots when you yourself are one. :)

[ZinnoBerrotEta]

Thank you, DaytonaViolet. I appreciate it. The more people that see this, the better. Hopefully he'll surface and pm me.

[daytonaviolet]

OP, i hope you get this issue resolved ASAP :)

i posted a pic in the orig FS thread.

[iSOregon]

good to hear about paypal. let us know what ends up happening

[JinormusJ]

HAZZAAH!

PayPal usually sides with the Buyer, so yu should have your money back in no time. Best of luck on your future quest for the mtechII! :-D

[FLG]

Thank god you filed a paypal dispute, chances are youll have your money back no problem.

[ZinnoBerrotEta]

This is incredible. I greatly appreciate all the great feedback and the time you guys took to put together responses for me. I will definitely heed the advice.
I will say though that do not appreciate being called "stupid" or "waffleswaffleswaffleswaffleswaffles" and I'm not sure how that helps things? But I believe the same people who did, gave me great feedback and were probably passionate to see some action and not so much patience and passiveness with this guy.

If people are interested I will post our lines, or lack thereof, of communication. I was not being passive with this gentleman. I was giving him a chance to make good. He responded a few times, and once he saw the pics, he said "that's awful, I'm calling USPS" and he then disappeared. I then sent him 2 or 3 more messages that were not returned. I gave him those chances before I took the action of making it public.
He has never responded, so I took the next step.

I am working on the paypal dispute that most people recommended. I was not aware, and did not think that my situation would or could be handled by paypal. I figured this guy was going to step up to the plate given the severity of the damage. It's bad to be out 400 plus dollars, and it only adds insult to injury to blindly speculate and try to handle this on my own. He has provided me with nothing.

At this time, 12:35est, I still have not heard from him. It's a real shame. I was, and still am, hoping that this thread will roust this guy out of obscurity so that he'll make it right without a third party. There is no feasible reason not to.
As I have said though, I have gotten the ball rolling with paypal and I appreciate all that have encouraged it.

Thank you all. It genuinely does my heart good to see this much interest and the time taken to type responses.

[Vivek]

Several things wrong with the replies in this thread.

1- where is it written that the seller LEGALLY has to ensure that an item is delivered undamaged to a buyer? (hint- nowhere)
2- shipping companies damage and repackage shipments ALL THE TIME- most of them even have departments at their shipping hubs called "re-wrap" or something similar.
3- It looks like the steering wheel was run over by a truck or a forklift or something, the fact that the OP says it had a note included in the "new" box stating it had been damaged in transit is totally normal- yes, it sucks, but it's normal.
4-just because you put tape on the box doesn't mean the shipping company doesn't have the right to open the box and inspect the contents, or re-wrap it if they feel it's necessary. Ever read the "terms and conditions of carriage" when you ship something??
5- some folks seem to be getting hung up on the fact that the box is not a white USPS Priority mail box- did anyone ever think the item wouldn't fit in a standard USPS box or maybe they didn't have one available??


OP, you need to file a Paypal dispute ASAP if you haven't already done so.

You give 5 reasons why it's not the sellers fault, and go on to tell the OP to take his money back from the seller via a Paypal dispute.