I got done on Gumtree - PayPal saved the day

danishbacon

I'd been looking for a pair of Bose headphones for a little while and after missing out on a couple on eBay I checked gumtree, found an ad that looked legit based in Chelsea, asked if they could post/paypal, said yes and agreed. £154

I've never had any problems with online purchases, and have sent quite a bit of £ as bank transfers/ppg. If I don't feel comfortable with the deal, I walk away. On this case, either I was tired or just chose to ignore the alarm bells.

Paypal e-mail address didn't match name on ad, headphones were iOS model, pictured next to the stand of an iMac, but messages exchanged came as sms as opposed to iMessages. I then decided to reverse image search the ad photos, and sure enough, a listing on Italian eBay came up. I immediately opened an item not received dispute on PayPal.

Was expecting no parcel, a brick or fakes - fakes arrived.

I videoed the unboxing in case I needed to prove something to PayPal and had Bose run the serial number (came back with counterfeit). I then changed the case to not as described.

In a couple of days PayPal said send them back, at my cost. £4.40 for the aggravation.

Two days later, delivered, phoned PayPal asked where dispute was at, was asked to send photo of postage receipt with house number and postcode visible. Next day refunded.

This morning the prick phones me and asks me what the name was on the parcel????

I hung up, got a text saying "please, I need to know what name was on the parcel" - replied check with PayPal and blocked.

The nerve.....

midlifecrisis

glad you got refunded, makes a change hearing a positive paypal story,. i understand its because you are the buyer in this case.  i still wont accept paypal tho.

danishbacon

midlifecrisis said:

glad you got refunded, makes a change hearing a positive paypal story,. i understand its because you are the buyer in this case.  i still wont accept paypal tho.

I will if it’s from someone that has a standing reputation in the forum for example, or eBay. But after payment I always check to see what kind of stuff is on feedback, confirmed address etc. Have never (fingers crossed) had a problem with a fraudulent buyer. 

DefaultM

What does he mean whats the name on the parcel?

Jetfire

He's addresses to it Mr F Wit.

Sassafras

DefaultM said:

What does he mean whats the name on the parcel?

He accidentally sent the real headphones to the wrong address.

danishbacon

God knows why. Maybe the owner of the counterfeit piece of shit was in on a scheme with another lowlife scammer and they don’t know how to coordinate properly. The parcel was sent to a student residence in London, addressed to the name provided by PayPal. 

grungebob

Whilst it’s good you got your money back PayPal should never of asked you to return them in the post. It’s illegal to knowingly post counterfeit materials inside the uk. 

danishbacon

grungebob said:

Whilst it’s good you got your money back PayPal should never of asked you to return them in the post. It’s illegal to knowingly post counterfeit materials inside the uk. 

I’ve heard of cases in the past where they ask to destroy, but that appears to be when they actually step in. I think in this case seller decided to accept return, and in that case only way to get cash back. Didn’t realise it was illegal but makes sense. I have enough info I think to report to action fraud but not sure if worth the effort...

ThePrettyDamned

danishbacon said:

grungebob said:

Whilst it’s good you got your money back PayPal should never of asked you to return them in the post. It’s illegal to knowingly post counterfeit materials inside the uk. 

I’ve heard of cases in the past where they ask to destroy, but that appears to be when they actually step in. I think in this case seller decided to accept return, and in that case only way to get cash back. Didn’t realise it was illegal but makes sense. I have enough info I think to report to action fraud but not sure if worth the effort...

I believe it probably is. I report scam emails to it - if nothing else it provides statistics.

chrispy108

danishbacon said:
But after payment I always check to see what kind of stuff is on feedback, confirmed address etc. Have never (fingers crossed) had a problem with a fraudulent buyer. 

Wouldn't it make more sense to check before paying?!

danishbacon

chrispy108 said:

danishbacon said:
But after payment I always check to see what kind of stuff is on feedback, confirmed address etc. Have never (fingers crossed) had a problem with a fraudulent buyer. 

Wouldn't it make more sense to check before paying?!

I was referring to sales, when a buyer buys and pays, I can only check them out after the fact. When buying, obviously it’s important to do due dilligence - if a seller has a history in the forum, posts regularly, has clear photos of what they are selling etc, no reason not to trust - and I have yet to have a problem. 

Gumtree is a different beast, and in a momentary lapse of reason I sent some money over, but backed by paypal. I am not crazy to bacs a gumtree seller.