Ebay Console Scam?

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LP2006

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Ok, heres the deal. I recently bought a Fender MX5200 console off ebay. Just so everyone is absolutley clear abought the manner and condition the mixer was advertised in, here's the link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7375090437&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWN:IT&rd=1

I paid in the form of a money order. Shipping was over $80.

Well, first thing that happened that ticked me off, was that i recieved the console and power supply, but not the cable needed to connect the two. So at that point it was impossible for to test whether the thing even worked or not.

Plus, remember those nobs that were labled as "damaged but work" in the link? They were completley disconected from the circuit board pots and all. I had to open the board up to reconnect the pots.

A week later (today), I recieved the interconnect cable. I went downstairs, plugged her in, and the first thing I notice is the power supply fan was hardly spinning. But power was going into the mixer! I plugged a mic into channel one, set my gain, flicked on the send to mains switch, and brought up my faders. Nothing. Not a sound (other than hiss). Out of pure curiosity i turned on the solo switch on channel one. Suddenly i can hear my self tapping the mic. At this point I am extremely confused (and thinking routing problem). So i power her down, and power back up. i checked all the mute and solo switches on the board, and noticed channels 17-24 don't even work.

Again, I power down and then power back up. No lights are on this time, then all of them flicker and i'm smelling electrical fire. i immediatley power down.

For the last time, I powered up again and noticed every single PEAK LED solid red.

I was thinking about making the seller an offer: Either he agrees to pay for repairs on the board in full, or he returns my money in full including shipping both ways.

Or, i make a complaint on ebay, give him bad feedback, and apply for mail fraud (i can do that since I paid with a money order right?)

Overall, im just looking for some advise on what to do now, or how to fix the damn thing.
 
The guy has some pretty poor feedback as of late, I probably would not have bid on his items to start with to tell you the truth. Seems like his general response to bad feedback is just to call you a lier. I seriously doubt you're going to get a refund or repair charges out of this cat. I think for the price you paid for it, you really can't say much. Do a google for it...one guy on this site just paid $500 for one. Another guy paid $1500 6 years ago. I'd take it and try to get it fixed and if you can get it repaired for under $350, I'd say you've still got an ok deal.

Contact him and ask him though. I had a guy who accused me of selling an item not as described and he later admitted he just misread the description. I still gave the guy $50 back for the confusion though.

6
 
Well, you are out $230 or so, right? In the bigger scheme of things that's not a lot of money, although it is a lot of money to pay for nothing. That would bother me too.

I paid $1,200 for a mixer that was non-functioning. Twice. Had to send both of them to the manufacturer for refurbishment.

There were a few warning signs on that auction for your Fender mixer though.

It's a live sound mixer so it's probably been abused in all sorts of clubs and band dates, and it does look like it has been beat up pretty good. There are faders caps missing, knob caps missing. That tells you right there it has been beat on and most likely dropped at least once, probably numerous times. You have to think about the force that is required to break those things.

As you can see in the picture, not only is the knob missing, but the shaft is not centered. That indicates a complete break or a more serious problem internally. The other missing knob has a missing shaft! There are a bunch of knobs missing in the photo.

I sympathize with your problem, because I too have been there more often than I'd like to admit. But you didn't *really* expect this board to work did you? You can tell from the picture it's a beater, no matter what the description says. You bought a beat up piece of s**t 24 channel board off eBay for $153, and it would have been a miracle if it worked right!

If you can get your money back that would be a great thing, and that's probably what you should try to do. But it's really not worth it for him to ship the unit back to himself, and it's certainly not worth it for you to ship it back. He might not care about another bad feedback because he's already got a few. His responses to previous bad feedback are not very encouraging, either.

I wish you the best of luck, but I do think you were asking for trouble bidding on this auction. Sometimes it's just better to wait until something better comes along.
 
I would do everything you can do to get the seller to take that pile of crap back. The seller did mention some of the damage, but nowhere on the auction does it say "as is". I n fact, the seller clearly states that the console works. I would make him take it back, and personally I would still leave him bad feedback.

I do agree however that you should never have bid on this item to begin with. However, that is a moot point. Now I can only hope that can get some sort of recourse. Good luck:)
 
I had a problem with an ebay seller once. Here's what I did. Document everything, take pictures make a quick website with all the info on it stating how they screwed you. Then leave a negative feedback with the link to the webpage you made. I had all kinds of people emailing asking if the seller resolved the problem at which point he did not. I forwarded all copies of these emails to the seller and told him the webpage stays until he resolves the issue. Man was he pissed, but I reminded him of all the sales he was losing daily. He came clean finally and refunded my money.
 
HangDawg said:
I had a problem with an ebay seller once. Here's what I did. Document everything, take pictures make a quick website with all the info on it stating how they screwed you. Then leave a negative feedback with the link to the webpage you made. I had all kinds of people emailing asking if the seller resolved the problem at which point he did not. I forwarded all copies of these emails to the seller and told him the webpage stays until he resolves the issue. Man was he pissed, but I reminded him of all the sales he was losing daily. He came clean finally and refunded my money.
Click to expand...

Great idea!!!
 
That's a really good idea HangDawg. I've tried to resolve cetain problems with the sellers directly with no luck. What they do is just disappear, won't respond to emails, won't take responsibility. It's very frustrating.

The thing to remember about eBay is that it's not a store, it's a flea market, a yard sale. You are not dealing with sales professionals, you are dealing with people that can be great or can be terrible. Unless you buy from a real store that is selling their products on eBay, there will be no warranty and you should assume that the items you buy are in worse condition than described.

I don't think I've ever received an item that was in as good condition as described. Well, I guess I have, but it's *very* rare.
 
I'd first email/call him. ESP. try to call him and get in touch with him personally - maybe so he can HEAR your anger.

If he calls you a liar, etc. etc....and won't let you return it for full money back, or reach an agreement that you are happy with, tell him you'll have to get your money back through ebay and work it out the hard way. sucks though.
 
HangDawg said:
I had a problem with an ebay seller once. Here's what I did. Document everything, take pictures make a quick website with all the info on it stating how they screwed you. Then leave a negative feedback with the link to the webpage you made. I had all kinds of people emailing asking if the seller resolved the problem at which point he did not. I forwarded all copies of these emails to the seller and told him the webpage stays until he resolves the issue. Man was he pissed, but I reminded him of all the sales he was losing daily. He came clean finally and refunded my money.
Click to expand...


This is the best Idea! great job HD ;)
 
Also, when you do finally send him back the console, make sure you don't include the cable for the pwer supply like he did:D
 
xstatic said:
Also, when you do finally send him back the console, make sure you don't include the cable for the pwer supply like he did:D
Click to expand...


FLMAO!!!!!!!!!!! :D
 
Firstly, thanks to all who have taken the time to post and give some advise. I hear you. I understand i may have been a little ignorant as to the board actually working. I honestly took the sellers word for it that it worked. I will however, fight him over this even if it has to get dirty (I like the website idea). Even if I don't get any money back, hopefully I can prvent him from ripping someone else off in the future. Does anyone have any Idea how much it would cost to get "refurbished?"

Thanks,
Alex
 
Realistically, it would probably cost much more than it is worth if there is that much damage like it sounds like.
 
Any kind of damage is a red flag to be wary of. This guy has a high number count for a private individual. Looks like he dumpster dives for anything then sells it on ebay as a part time business. In that case he could never know its true condition. Also, when in doubt, ask for more pictures to be emailed to you. This is actually a rebuild project for someone who wants to do that sort of thing.

Bob
 
As far as refurbishment, you'd have to contact Fender and see if they even work on it anymore. It's possible the parts don't even exist for it anymore, as far as what you'd need to get it in working order. That kind of board is really for someone who wants to tear it apart and tinker with it, a do it yourself kind of person who has the technical knowledge.

But if Fender will work on it, get a quote from them. It may be worth it if you consider that your original cost was $153. On those two boards I got, it cost $600 each to refurbish them. So that made the total cost per board around $1,800. That's still half off the price I'd have to pay to buy them new. So while they are still not quite as perfect as new ones would be, I feel I got a good deal. Not quite as good as I had hoped though!

But if Fender won't fix the board, or it would cost too much, then the best thing would be to try and get your money back, or at least some of it.
 
-Contact the seller and tell him what happened when you tried to use the board. He represented the board as a working item with a few small things that needed attention.
-If that doesn’t get you anywhere file a complaint with ebay.
-If still no resolution, file a complaint with your state attorney general and his state attorney general.

http://www.michigan.gov/ag
http://myfloridalegal.com/

And tell him exactly what you’re going to do, but don’t play all your cards at once. Be courteous, but firm at first. Only escalate if he is uncooperative. If it gets to that point, let him know that Internet fraud and theft are criminal maters. Also tell him you are filing a complaint with these guys:

http://www.ic3.gov/

However, it’s tough to prove that he willfully misled you, and he’s not just an idiot when it comes to the item. (Even though it’s clear to me he’s one of the bad ones). He used some red-flag phrases such as “I was told they could be repaired.” When sellers use terms like this they are already rehearsing excuses. That way he plays the roll of victim.

He can say, “I powered it up and it seemed to work… I guess I’m just a chucklehead. I told him about the knobs and I’m no engineer, so… plus I posted pictures with a close-up of the knobs.”

On the other hand, if others have complained, your complaint will have more force. If he’s been investigated before and he thinks you know what you’re doing he may be more likely to resolve the issue to your satisfaction… unless he really is just a chucklehead.

I have a love-hate relationship with ebay, so I know how it is. However I have only had to make the above threats once (and it worked), and have only had to leave one negative feedback since 2001. I'm easy going with ebay issues and people really have to try hard to get a negative from me.

Best,
Tim
 
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Beck said:
-Contact the seller and tell him what happened when you tried to use the board. He represented the board as a working item with a few small things that needed attention.
-If that doesn’t get you anywhere file a complaint with ebay.
-If still no resolution, file a complaint with your state attorney general and his state attorney general.

http://www.michigan.gov/ag
http://myfloridalegal.com/

And tell him exactly what you’re going to do, but don’t play all your cards at once. Be courteous, but firm at first. Only escalate if he is uncooperative. If it gets to that point, let him know that Internet fraud and theft are criminal maters. Also tell him you are filing a complaint with these guys:

http://www.ic3.gov/

However, it’s tough to prove that he willfully misled you, and he’s not just an idiot when it comes to the item. (Even though it’s clear to me he’s one of the bad ones). He used some red-flag phrases such as “I was told they could be repaired.” When sellers use terms like this they are already rehearsing excuses. That way he plays the roll of victim.

He can say, “I powered it up and it seemed to work… I guess I’m just a chucklehead. I told him about the knobs and I’m no engineer, so… plus I posted pictures with a close-up of the knobs.”

On the other hand, if others have complained, your complaint will have more force. If he’s been investigated before and he thinks you know what you’re doing he may be more likely to resolve the issue to your satisfaction… unless he really is just a chucklehead.

I have a love-hate relationship with ebay, so I know how it is. However I have only had to make the above threats once (and it worked), and have only had to leave one negative feedback since 2001. I'm easy going with ebay issues and people really have to try hard to get a negative from me.

Best,
Tim
Click to expand...

yeah, i sent him an email of what happened, and everything that a precieved to be wrong with the board. My plan was to be very curteous in this email, becasue I saw how he reacted to people being mad at him, and it didn't look good. I also said "I may give you a call, but a prompt emailed response would be most convenient." I then posted his contact info, and asked him:"this is your contact info right?" even though I know it is, it was on the UPS label he shipped the mixer in. I just wanted to remind him that I knew who he was. If he doesn't respond to my email, i will actually call him. If things turn sour, I will start making complaints and tell him what I am going to do (money order through the mail for item not as described=mail fraud (I think, correct me if i am wrong.) Hopefully he will realize its just not worth the trouble, and give me some sort of refund. I would just like to thank anyone who has taken the time to post again, this info is very helpfull guys!
 
I spent some time reading this guy's negative feedback. Most of the time he calls everybody "liar" and the rest he just says "you be the judge." The guy is a total asshole. But as somebody previously stated, he never said "as is" in his description. He also said the unit works, which it clearly does NOT. But as far as the angle of mail fraud goes, you have to basically prove his "intent" to deceive "beyond a reasonable doubt." I think you'd be hard pressed to make such a strong case since this is a used electrical item composed of many adjustable dials and lots of wires. You have to jump through a lot of lgal hoops to make a case like this stick.

Judging by this guy's other items for sale, he seems like somebody who goes to government auctions, estate sales and police auctions and buys used items in bulk and dumps them on Ebay.

Anyway, if I were in this situation I'd probably contact the Pensacola Police Department and find out if they have an internet crimes division. It's possible that the seller has some sort of criminal background if he is this unscrupulous and shitty in the way he sells crap items and then slams the buyers who (rightfully) give him negative feedback. Maybe the locals can offer some insight to this guy, you never know. I also think you might have had a better shot at retribution had you paid through PayPal and filed a claim through them and Ebay. The burden of proof is much less (since they don't pursue it at first as a "criminal" matter) and they could threaten to launch him from both PayPal and Ebay, since Ebay and PayPal are basically the same company. The guy would then be completely screwed. This is a guy who probably makes his entire living on the 'bay, so it's imperitive that you report him accordingly and keep after Ebay to take action against this seller.
 
The funny thing about contacting the police in his area is that a bunch of his auctions with complaints were concerning old poilice radio's he was selling:D

It sounds like you have started the process with dealing with this guy properly. Always start out nicely. Basically, give the other person the rope and see if they hang themselves with it. If he is still unresponsive, then you have to get a little more serious. If I were you though, I would not tip your hand anywhere along the way until you have already done it. If you want to do a webpage, do the page first, and then tell him. That way he can not find some way of blocking your scheme. If you need to call the cops, call them first and then tell him. If you call the police and then tell him, I am sure that his refunds will show up much faster than if you just threaten him.

Good luck:)
 
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