I think I got ripped off...

[muffinman]

i've always had good experiences dealing with people online but i think my luck might've ran out... paid $900 via PayPal to "doreabe" (fourtitude/vwvortex/passatworld - some dude in SoCal that attends UC Irvine) for 18" VMR RS4 reps w/ General Exclaim UHP tires 12 days ago...

**** His real name is Teodore Odabe and his e-mail addresses are doreabe@hotmail.com and todabe@engr.ucr.edu. His AIM s/n is zibelthiurdos85 ****

he said he shipped it via DHL on wednesday, the 5th - because i specifically asked that the wheels be delivered to me by the 11th, since i had a pending deal with another AZ'er for my current wheels... since then, he said something about a business trip and has not responded to any e-mails... still NO package, NO communication, NO tracking number

DHL ground transit map says it only takes 2-3 business days to get from SoCal to where I live and it's been almost two weeks. i've wasted multiple afternoons waiting at home to sign off the package and now my other deal with my buyer fell through because the RS4 reps aren't here...

i just filed a paypal claim to try and get my money back - never done this before; any experiences? (i'm a verified paypal member with 4 feedback; any perks to being verified?)

[jojogoya88]

Seriously, when u file the claims they can take anyhwere from months to years.

Still have a claim going on that i filed over a year ago, called and called, said that they have to get to it...was 380 dollars too i lost...

but paypal does reimburse you with there own money but only a fraction of what u lost....call them and fight it..goodluck


btw, = bad experience with paypal

[AudiXS4X01]

Seriously, when u file the claims they can take anyhwere from months to years.

Still have a claim going on that i filed over a year ago, called and called, said that they have to get to it...was 380 dollars too i lost...

but paypal does reimburse you with there own money but only a fraction of what u lost....call them and fight it..goodluck


btw, = bad experience with paypal

thats very very strange experience. Ive done a lot of ebaying and have filed many claims. Usually takes about 30 days to get your money back, just make sure u escalate it to a CLAIM IMMEDIATELY. Dont waste your time with that "dispute" bullshit. There has only been 1 time where I wasnt able to get ALL my money back. Some guy on eBay had listed about 20 items to end all at the same time. Once they were all sold and he received money for all of those items, he cashed out his paypal and removed all his bank accounts from paypal. So, paypal was unable to retrieve all the money..but they did get $180 out of my $300 back to me. Overall, my experiences with paypal claims (i would say about 10 of them) have been really good...just sucks waiting 30 days.

[muffinman]

thats very very strange experience. Ive done a lot of ebaying and have filed many claims. Usually takes about 30 days to get your money back, just make sure u escalate it to a CLAIM IMMEDIATELY. Dont waste your time with that "dispute" bullshit. There has only been 1 time where I wasnt able to get ALL my money back. Some guy on eBay had listed about 20 items to end all at the same time. Once they were all sold and he received money for all of those items, he cashed out his paypal and removed all his bank accounts from paypal. So, paypal was unable to retrieve all the money..but they did get $180 out of my $300 back to me. Overall, my experiences with paypal claims (i would say about 10 of them) have been really good...just sucks waiting 30 days.

yeah, i was advised of that - there's no way im waiting anywhere NEAR 20 days since he not only screwed me over, but my buyer as well. i plan on escalating it to central by tonight. he's not verified, so i'm assuming he's not tied to a bank account... if that's the case, paypal won't be able to cash out his bank account so i can only get partial payment back?

[AudiXS4X01]

Im not exactly sure the % of funds that you get back. Maybe you can get them on the phone and find out how that works...especially what they r gonna do if they cant get the money from him. You don't have the guy's phone number or house address?

[muffinman]

Unfortuneately, no... thanks for the help though.

I escalated the claim and as soon as I did, PayPal said that the seller has provided proof of shipping under Recent Activity for my claim. At the top, it also reads:

"The seller provided the following tracking information for your review:

Shipping Company:DHL

Tracking Number:Pending"

That doesn't help me much... is this an automated thing or did the seller actually get off his ass and provide proof this fast? I still see no tracking number...

[AudiXS4X01]

he actually has to get up off his ass and provide it...if there is no tracking number within a week(i know its ANOTHER week you have to wait), than call and talk to the a rep explaining your situation and that no tracking number was ever provided. This has happened to me once where someone put proof of shipment without a tracking number. I just called and I ended up winning the claim and getting all my money back.It seems like he jumped really quick to respond to the claim but wont answer ur emails/PMs. NOW for the good news..

Since he was able to respond to that claim, that means that he hasn't shut down his paypal account and ran off with ur money. SO, if there will be an attempt from paypal to retrieve ur money, they still have access to his bank acount or credit card or whatever he has linked to his paypal. In order for him to extract money that he receives through paypal, I believe he needs a bank account linked. So, all in all, it's still not a lost cause...

[SilverB7FL]

I tried to get some brake caliper stickers off ebay and they never came, the guy went crazy and was sending me nasty emails and gave me bad feedback and did a claim saying I never paid when I did. Then he lied to me and said he would refund my money and all this crap. I had to escalate my claim w/ paypal and it only took them a few days to get me my money back. After that experience I've been really wary of ebay. Hopefully you can get your money back, paypal seems pretty good at that from my experience even though it wasnt a big ticket item.

[jojogoya88]

I escalated it to a immediate claim around 2 weeks later after transaction, never heard anything back, except for 200 dollars from paypal.

[muffinman]

thanks everyone, i'll keep you updated on the situation. it's been escalated and under PayPal review for a few days now.. keeping my fingers crossed.

[muffinman]

This guy is a total douche... after I confronted him online on AIM, he denied any knowledge of me and what a "doreabe" (his username) is, when his profile contained a link to "doreabe's last.fm" music homepage...

Then he has the nerve to text me on my phone threatening me with "hey buddy. you shouldn't start shit online, especially with so much personal info floating around, since you never know how it will end..."

Wow, the fun never ends with this guy.

[Six Speed Turbo]

100% Douchebag !!!!!!

[Jmaak]

Call his bluff, if he was actually hard, he would say that ish in person.

[AudiA4_20T]

honestly, it seems like this guy is really not tyring to screw you, hes got a name on 3 different forums and it seems like hes been around for awhile... Maybe he just didnt get them out in time and lied to you about it so u wouldnt get pissed

[OneBadSS]

Did you use your credit card through PayPal to pay for the transaction? If so, contact your credit card company also. If PayPal fails to resolve the issue, the company can initiate a chargeback (depending on the company, you have between 30-90 days to file this). [;)]

Best of luck!

[muffinman]

honestly, it seems like this guy is really not tyring to screw you, hes got a name on 3 different forums and it seems like hes been around for awhile... Maybe he just didnt get them out in time and lied to you about it so u wouldnt get pissed

Yeah, which is the reason I bought from him - he's done smaller deals with other members before... but it is now Dec. 27th, it's been nearly a full month since payment and he still has not emailed me back or contacted me in any way... and like I said, when I confronted him online about my wheels, he flat out DENIED any knowledge of it...

So, no contact, no wheels, no tracking number, no refund... how did I *not* get ripped off?

[muffinman]

Did you use your credit card through PayPal to pay for the transaction? If so, contact your credit card company also. If PayPal fails to resolve the issue, the company can initiate a chargeback (depending on the company, you have between 30-90 days to file this). [;)]

Best of luck!

Unfortuneatly, no, I used my checking account and am now kicking myself over it... I'm out $900 + PP fees + the $630 I had to refund back to *my* buyer (for my old wheels) when the deal fell through for a grand total of $1500+

This bastard pretty much ruined the holiday season for me.

[MOFSTEEL]

This guy is a total douche... after I confronted him online on AIM, he denied any knowledge of me and what a "doreabe" (his username) is, when his profile contained a link to "doreabe's last.fm" music homepage...

Then he has the nerve to text me on my phone threatening me with "hey buddy. you shouldn't start shit online, especially with so much personal info floating around, since you never know how it will end..."

Wow, the fun never ends with this guy.

If he actually sent you a text like that and his number shows go to your local police department and file a report. Thats not something to take lightly.

[muffinman]

If he actually sent you a text like that and his number shows go to your local police department and file a report. Thats not something to take lightly.

He used AIM (s/n: zibelthiurdos85) to send it to my phone somehow - his "number" only appears as 265-060

[MrRevesz]

hey, i got a boy over at uc irvine who takes his health and muscles as his only friend in life. if you find out who this guy is, hit me up... i'll get that 900+ a sincere apology back for you

[INTEGRATION]

hey, i got a boy over at uc irvine who takes his health and muscles as his only friend in life. if you find out who this guy is, hit me up... i'll get that 900+ a sincere apology back for you

Not exactly the right thing to do...that would only lower yourself to that guy's level.

But the best thing to do would be to file the claim dispute with paypal.

[a6er99]

Not exactly the right thing to do...that would only lower yourself to that guy's level.

But the best thing to do would be to file the claim dispute with paypal.

Hey, man. I say treat garbage like its garbage. If someone has the nerve to stoop to a level lower then dirt in relating to you, you have the right to defend yourself. Don't show this guy the respect that he didn't have the dignity and morality to initially give you.

[3thrd_a_4]

Sorry to hear about this. Two simple rules to follow when making online transactions, especially when it's more than a couple hundred bucks. Always pay with a credit card. Amex if you have one because they are aggressive about getting your money back. Try to deal with verified paypal members only. If they are not verified, a paypal claim won't do you any good at all. Paypal will do NOTHING. See rule number one. Good Luck and hope everything works out for you.

[muffinman]

Thanks guys, I won my PayPail claim (1 of 2, the second is still under investigation) but they were unable to collect any of the funds from this mother******'s account.

E-mail I received this morning:

"We have concluded our investigation into the following case:

Case ID: PP-384-154-362
Transaction Date: Dec 3, 2007
Transaction Amount: -$450.00 USD
Seller's Email: todabe@engr.ucr.edu
Seller's Name: Teodore Odbe

After careful review, we have determined that the seller is at fault but
regret to inform you that we were unable to recover any funds from the
seller's account. As stated in the PayPal User Agreement, recovery of funds
associated with a Buyer Complaint cannot be guaranteed.

We appreciate your business and apologize for any inconvenience this
situation may have caused. Please know that we will make our best effort to
recover the funds in question if they become available in the seller's
account in the future and will take appropriate action against the seller.
Such action may include issuing a warning, a temporary restriction, or
terminating the account. Keep in mind that PayPal uses a number of factors
to determine when to take action, including member complaints. Due to
privacy laws, we cannot discuss the details of any action taken. We hope
you understand our policy and that it assures you that you are safe using
PayPal.

To ensure that future transactions proceed smoothly, we recommend that you
review these Security Tips:

http://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/?cmd=p/gen/fraud-tips-buyers-outside

Sincerely,

Protection Services Department"

Fucking SCUMBAG, I'm trying to find people I know in the UC Riverside area to see what my options are

[AudiXS4X01]

Damn man, that sucks...good luck finding him

[muffinman]

Thanks - I'd appreciate any sort of information on this guy.. I posted what I know of him in the first post.. he's an engineering student at UC Riverside, born in 1985, student e-mail is todabe@engr.ucr.edu

[ABL2point0T]

That is terrible, I hope you locate that piece of $hit and get your money back. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do to get back the time you wasted waiting for a package that was never coming. Scammers really piss me off.

[nadroj81]

smart of the seller, but it also sucks in the end. whenever i get a payment i always do "Direct deposit" immediately or paypal can hold your funds. if there are no funds in the account no one can ever get money out of you by filing a claim.

[Hamann]

wtf

Go to the cops, he had to withdrawel the money from paypal, and there is a record of which account it went into. It's not like the paypal money just evaporated, no proof of who took it out. It's against the law to steal someones money, doesnt matter if it's online, or out of your garage. Press the issue...and press charges. Plus, the cops can notify the school and see which person is associated with that particular e-mail address. If it's a legitimate school, you'll have to register with REAL names in order to receive your official school email address.

Seems too simple...what's holding it up now?

[kdawgg]

i googled "Theodore Odabe" and found his middle name is "Nnamdi" and he's on the soccer team on UCR i think.

http://imsports.ucr.edu/Spring_Quarter_SoccerLegia_Warszawa.html

[Rated S]

If it's worth $10 to find out everything about him (adress/phone numbers/etc)

http://www.peoplefinders.com/summary.asp?fn=Theodore&ln=Odabe&state=CA&image.x=51&image.y=11&vw=&Search=&Input=

[muffinman]

wtf

Go to the cops, he had to withdrawel the money from paypal, and there is a record of which account it went into. It's not like the paypal money just evaporated, no proof of who took it out. It's against the law to steal someones money, doesnt matter if it's online, or out of your garage. Press the issue...and press charges. Plus, the cops can notify the school and see which person is associated with that particular e-mail address. If it's a legitimate school, you'll have to register with REAL names in order to receive your official school email address.

Seems too simple...what's holding it up now?

Unfortuneatly, I doubt he withdrew to his bank account since he is not a verified member (bacnk account NOT attached to PayPal account). I'm not too familiar but if I press charges, I have the burden of proof? I'm still considering a course of action; is it worth going to court for $900?

I'll keep you guys updated.

[AudiXS4X01]

^its worth it if you represent yourself and dont need a lawyer.

[muffinman]

Yeah, I might just do that - I'm looking up information on small claim courts. Never done this before; can anyone with legal experience chip in with any tips/hints?

I would guess that since I'm suing him, I have the burden of proof. Will PayPal records of my payment(s), PayPal investigation verdict, my bank account statement, and my e-mial records with him enough and the fact taht he cannot provide proof of shipment enough evidence for me to win the case?

Thanks.

[Lewie06A4]

Make sure you sue him for the exact amount you were supposed to purchase the wheels for, + any transactions fees if there are any, + court costs. It was like 65 bucks for court costs or something the last time i took a person to small claims, you can sue him for that too. Print out everything! Print out the forums posts, print out emails, print out paypal transactions, prints out credit card statements, print out everything you think is remotely relevant.

[AudiXS4X01]

you also said something about a text message he sent you...if you still have that it might be useful

[JN99]

Actually, I don't think you have the burden of proof if you sue. I had an experience in small claims court and believe it's more a case of each party supporting their claim. I would definitely file.

I would also recommend you *calmly* communicate to him that you are not taking this lightly and fully intend to explore all avenues in getting your money back. That includes police, ebay, paypal, university police or any other staff, etc. My experience with dead beats is that they usually bank on you not taking any action and once you demonstrate that you will they cave.

And lastly, one bit of advice, and this applies to anyone dealing with ebay, craigslist, etc. In these transactions the USPS is your friend because you can file mail fraud charges when things go south, which is a federal offense and gets people's attention REAL quickly. I always try to use the USPS over FedEx, DHL, etc. for this reason.

[SoFresh]

Ive sold well over 600 items on ebay and have had many issues with paypal, however they always usually go with the buyer in all situations and the claims take less than a month usually, Ive always gotten my money back if needed.

[skunkoncrunk]

You could always try to get more of his information and totally own him in the process of getting your money back.

http://www.houston-imports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=437458

[up]

[muffinman]

Actually, I don't think you have the burden of proof if you sue. I had an experience in small claims court and believe it's more a case of each party supporting their claim. I would definitely file.

I would also recommend you *calmly* communicate to him that you are not taking this lightly and fully intend to explore all avenues in getting your money back. That includes police, ebay, paypal, university police or any other staff, etc. My experience with dead beats is that they usually bank on you not taking any action and once you demonstrate that you will they cave.

And lastly, one bit of advice, and this applies to anyone dealing with ebay, craigslist, etc. In these transactions the USPS is your friend because you can file mail fraud charges when things go south, which is a federal offense and gets people's attention REAL quickly. I always try to use the USPS over FedEx, DHL, etc. for this reason.

Thanks for the advice - I plan on filing this week and I've started a separate thread regarding this issue in the General Chit-Chat forum.

[kdawgg]

You could always try to get more of his information and totally own him in the process of getting your money back.

http://www.houston-imports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=437458

[up]

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