Thursday, March 9, 2006

   Behold my spirit breaking.....
Here follows a copy and paste session from my e-mail inbox; the only alterations made is the senders' e-mails being italiced and his phonenumber removed:


Hello Seller,
I am Rev.Christopher Smith from nottingham but am presently in chaina
for a business trip i will like to purchase this your item for my son
who study foriegn language in west africa and also i will like you to
tell me the present condition, the total cost plus the shipment cost of
the item to the location
My Regards,
Christopher Smith


(to which I reply:)


Hello.

The total cost would be 1000 Swedish Crowns (that includes the price for the phones and all the extras + shipping). Both phones are in excellent condition and work splendidly.

Regards,
Mikachu.


(Now here's where things start going haywire:)


Hello Seller,
I have issued of the payment ofyour item and the money have been deducted from my account so go and make the shipment of the item to the location and mail paypal customercare feedback@paypalintls.com the shipping information for verification so that the paypal agent will be able to credit your account with money immediately.
Thanks


(I also receive an e-mail that look very authentic but I've had no experience with PayPal before so I can't tell for sure.)


Dear Mr Smith,

I fear there has been a misunderstanding here. You asked for information about the price and condition of the phones, which I gave you, but there was no deal made in which I promised to sell them to you. Furthermore, I've not given any kind of instruction on payment so you jumped the gun in using PayPal, especially since I don't have an account with them and only accept payment to my bank account.

Again, I'm sorry about the misunderstanding and if you are indeed interested in purchasing the phones, place a bid in the auction and we'll take it from there.

Sincerely, Mikachu.


(But that didn't work:)


Hello Seller,
I am really sorry for that i am a new member at the auction site and i dont know how to bid on the item that is why i offer additional money to the payment i made instead of biding on theitem am really sorry for any inconvenience but i have make the payment and the money i issued have been deducted from my paypal account which cannot be refunded to my account so mail paypal agent feedback@paypalintls.com
With your bank details so that the agent can credit your account with amount you can also call me on my number +------------.................
My Regards
Rev. Christopher Smith.


(Let's try this again:)


Dear Mr Smith,

I'm truly sorry for the troubles caused by this misunderstanding. PayPal has been contacted and hopefully we'll be able to sort everything out so you can get your money back.

If you're unsure on how Tradera works, they've got a link on their page with information in English. Simply click the English flag in the upperhand corner and it'll take you to this address: http://www.tradera.com/service/eng/service/tradera_school.aspx

Once PayPal gets in touch with me on how to solve this matter, I will notify you immediately.

Regards,
Mimmi.


(Angry? No. Uncomfortable with how things were 'progressing'? Yes. That soon changed:)


Hello Seller,
How told you that the money is unrefundable because the amount have been deducted from my account and will be credited into you account immediately you make the shipment and mail them with the shipping information
i warn you dont try to scam a man of GOD
Thanks........


(Wtf, anyone? Oh and I should probably mention another e-mail I got in the middle of all this:

Dear Announser,
Am Mike John from UK the CEO of MIKE & CO ELECTRONICS, Am
interested in purchasing 2 QTY of this item which i will be sending to my
new appointed MANAGER in Nigeria via POST OFFICE(REGISTERED MAIL) so i
will be sending the payment for the item via Money order (BidPay) in
which you will recieve the confirmation mail of the payment from the
BIDPAY AGENT. As soon as you recieve the confirmation i would like you to
ship out the item as soon as possible,so i want you to send me your full
NAME and ADDRESS and the COST of the ITEM including the SHIPPING COST
OF THE ITEM to NIGERIA via POST OFFICE(REGISTERED MAIL) and your MAIL
ADDRESS. For me to submit it to the bidpay for the payment.I wait for
your mail....

Thanks,
Mr Mike John

...... Please tell me I'm not the only one raising BOTH eyebrows at this?)


I am highly offended by your remark, indicating that I'm trying to scam you. From the very first e-mail I have been nothing but honest and straightforward. You have cornered me into a very uncomfortable position and for you to then behave like this is not what I'd expect from someone who claims to be a man of God.

There are many con artists on the internet and I can assure you that I am not one of them. Their cowardly ways, which inflict suffering onto their victims, is why I'm going to such great lengths to prevent being ripped off myself.

It is against Tradera policy to deal with an auction as you wish me to do. In order for me to sell you these phones, you must have made a bid on the auction and be the highest bidder. This isn't me trying to scam you out of money, it's simply the rules of this action site and I'm not willing to risk my good name because of a misunderstanding on your part.

Once again, I am not trying to rip you off. I am really sorry that you didn't investigate further how Tradera works and now suspect me of foul play. If you are indeed earnest in your claims to want to buy these phones, all you have to do is sign up and place your bid. It would be a gesture of good faith for you to do so.

- Mikachu.

---

I am totally and completely clueless when it comes to PayPal, but after a quick browse (just now) I read the following on their customer service pages:

"Q: I sent money about a month ago, but it has been returned. Why?

A: PayPal cancels unclaimed transactions after 30 days and returns the funds to the sender's account. If you sent a payment to someone and that person has not claimed the money, you may attempt to resend the money again using PayPal's Send Money tab. You may also want to contact the recipient to ensure the payment will be claimed."

From the tone of the guy who's wanting to buy the phones off me, and the e-mail I got in response from 'PayPal', I got the impression I HAD to send him the phones because he wouldn't be refunded. But according to the above statement, he could get it back if it isn't claimed by me, right?


Le sigh. Any input would be highly welcomed. Aside from the ones that include reinforcing my stupidity and death by laughing. I don't want to get in trouble and the last thing I wanted was to cause trouble. Then again, I'm Mimmi. With a knack of wrecking even the simplest things.
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