how can people be so dumb and annoying?!?

[blonde]

before i begin, i just wanted to applogize for the rant that i am about to throw here. however, i am really pissed over this so i need a place to vant. anyway, here is the story:

3 days ago i posted my powerbook for sale on craigslist. about 3 hours later, i get an email from a local guy saying that he is very interested in the computer and he starts asking me tons of questions and i replied to them all. i told him that i have a small problem because my wife threw away the restore cd so before i can sell him the laptop, i need to take it to apple so they can do a clean restore (no way i am selling my computer as is). anyway, the guy is cool with that and i knocked $50 off the price because i don't have the cd. fast forward to yesteray...

the guy sends me an email telling me that he would like to meet me today at 11:30 am to check the computer out and buy it from me. i wake up at 9am and rush to the apple store to have then do the format. everything goes smoothly and i get to the meeting place at 11:25. this is where things started to get messy...

the guy checks out the computer and of course, everything works as it should. then he goes on to say : "well, let's go find an internet connection so i can paypal you the money" even though i specifically told him that i want cash if we meet up. because i am a nice guy, i said fine and we drove to the public library. the guy logs into his paypal account and what do you know, he has an hold on his account for suspecious activity. at that moment, i already knew that there will be no deal to today but i decided to ask him if he can go to the bank and get cash. here is what the litle shmock tells me:

"i only have $500 in the bank right now but i can give you the $500 today and the rest next week".

i simply replied by saying "if you want to give me $500 right now and the rest next week, thats fine...
















i will give you half of the HD, half of the memory and half of the cpu right now and i will give you the rest next week"


so now, i have a computer with nothing on it, i already told 3 other buyers that it is sold AND i have to get it sold asap because i need to order the new computer...

[tommykjensen]

That sucks. I bet he didn't like your answer to his suggested payment plan.

[blonde]

i am sure he didn't. to be honest with you, at that point i already knew that i was dealing with a stupid kid and i really didn't feel like evev trying to be nice. if you have a hold on your account for suspecious activity...

[Belmondo]

I like your answer. It wouldn't be so annying if you hadn't 'straightened' it all out before meeting. You have every right to be annoyed.

[blonde]

exactly. the really annoying part is that now i don't have any of my softwares (PSCS2, IVIEW etc..) so photography will be put on hold till i can sell this laptop and buy the new computer :(

[20DNewbie]

I know it's probably not the same but why not get the CS2 free trial for now and just dump it when you get your new comp? Just an idea till your sorted.

[blonde]

not a bad idea actually... the only problem is the that all my files are already backed up so i am trying to keep myself as organized as possible. i think that my best bet for now is to hope that i find a buyer in the next few day and order my new computer.

[joegolf68]

Yeah, raw deal. Amazing how many people can be so rude and not even have a thought about it. He would probably tell the story how you screwed him or something. Simply amazing what folks can do when they are immature and irresponsible.

[blonde]

i am sure that you are right. btw, does any body have any good advice on how i can sell my computer?

[Stefan A]

Perhaps you could have offered to take his $500 as a deposit and a guarantee that you would not sell it to anyone else. I realize that you were pissed off at that point because you thought you were going to make a sale. But your response to him pretty much guarantees no sale. My way, there may have been a chance. You could have drawn up a simple contract stating that he promises to give you the rest at a prescribed time. And you could have said you would keep a portion of the deposit if he backed out. Situation sucks - sorry that happened.

Stefan

[blonde]

Perhaps you could have offered to take his $500 as a deposit and a guarantee that you would not sell it to anyone else. I realize that you were pissed off at that point because you thought you were going to make a sale. But your response to him pretty much guarantees no sale. My way, there may have been a chance. You could have drawn up a simple contract stating that he promises to give you the rest at a prescribed time. And you could have said you would keep a portion of the deposit if he backed out. Situation sucks - sorry that happened.

Stefan


i understand your point but he was clear that he wants to take the computer with him. there is no way in hell i am going to give the computer to him for $500 even if i have a contract for the rest. also, i don't know about you but unless we are talking cash on the spot, i don't feel comfortable selling anything to a person with a hold on an account for suspecious activity .

[20droger]

Consider yourself wise and lucky to be free of that jerk.

Have a little patience, the pix will wait. Use this as an excuse to by a new CF card to store all those interim pix.

Sell the old computer, buy the new one. And, above all...

Have Fun!

[calicokat]

The human race is getting worse all the time, dumb people keep mating with normal people creating common sense-less children..............good luck my friend :eek:

[20droger]

The human race is getting worse all the time, dumb people keep mating with normal people creating common sense-less children..............good luck my friend :eek:
Always remember...

Common sense isn't.

[calicokat]

Maybe its my job that causes my view on humanity :lol:

[20droger]

Maybe its my job that causes my view on humanity :lol:
What doth thou do?

[calicokat]

Goverment Babysitter ;)

[20droger]

You sit on government babies?

Or do you perhaps mean parole officer or corrections officer?

[calicokat]

You sit on government babies?

Or do you perhaps mean parole officer or corrections officer?

You guessed it, a little of all three ;)

[20droger]

You guessed it, a little of all three ;)
You have my profound sympathy.

My wife recently retired from the AZ Dept. of Corrections. As I used to say, "I sent her to prison in the morning, and damned if she didn't manage to escape every day."

She was the Business Manager.

[cdifoto]

Don't ever take paypal for a face to face transaction. He can screw you out of your money by saying he never got it. Without a tracking number showing delivery to a confirmed address, he gets his money back and you don't get your item.

Be thankful it went down the way it did.

[Belmondo]

Don't ever take paypal for a face to face transaction. He can screw you out of your money by saying he never got it. Without a tracking number showing delivery to a confirmed address, he gets his money back and you don't get your item.

Be thankful it went down the way it did.Ewww. You're right. I guess the only way you could cover that would be to have an executed bill-of-sale/receipt done on the spot.

[cdifoto]

Ewww. You're right. I guess the only way you could cover that would be to have an executed bill-of-sale/receipt done on the spot.

PayPal doesn't care about that. They want delivery confirmation that's checkable online. Period.

[Lightstream]

Maybe its my job that causes my view on humanity :lol:

Cat.. so does mine.. if it makes you feel a little better, you are not alone.. http://pix.lightrefineries.org/img/grouphug.gif

[MDJAK]

Well, definitely a bummer, but let's not paint society with such a broad brush.

Unless you've got experience with Craig's List, I would rank it at the bottom of the barrell when it comes to selling items. I would have either gone the ebay route or this forum, etc. Craig's List would be my last choice.

I could probably start a very interesting thread on the times we've each been either conned out of money or ripped off. That is, if people were willing to step up and admit it.

It's happened to me.

mark

[Lightstream]

I just got shafted on ebay... someone is taking EVERY advantage of a small listing error I made to make life as difficult as possible for me... probably wants me to give them the camera for free, too.

[blonde]

Don't ever take paypal for a face to face transaction. He can screw you out of your money by saying he never got it. Without a tracking number showing delivery to a confirmed address, he gets his money back and you don't get your item.

Be thankful it went down the way it did.


thats a good point and i didn't even think about that but i doubt the guy would even think about that...

any advice on where i can sell this laptop? i put it on craigslist but the problem is that you only get replies during the first day and then it goes to page 30 and you are done..

[MDJAK]

I just got shafted on ebay... someone is taking EVERY advantage of a small listing error I made to make life as difficult as possible for me... probably wants me to give them the camera for free, too.

You/me/us can get shafted anywhere, any time. Nothing is perfect. I don't think there's any way to dispute, though, that ebay is better than craig's list.

mark

[Shutter22]

Why not try selling it here?

[cdifoto]

thats a good point and i didn't even think about that but i doubt the guy would even think about that...

any advice on where i can sell this laptop? i put it on craigslist but the problem is that you only get replies during the first day and then it goes to page 30 and you are done..

I wouldn't put it past someone with a block for suspicious activity to be thinking about running a scam like that. He might have had every intention of doing that....it might even be why wanted to use PayPal in the first place.

[blonde]

i did try. i got 0 replies on my for sale thread. this place is ALWAYS my first option because the people are so great. i also tried ebay and i did get a bunch of questions but no buyers :(

[blonde]

I wouldn't put it past someone with a block for suspicious activity to be thinking about running a scam like that. He might have had every intention of doing that....it might even be why wanted to use PayPal in the first place.

true. i guess i am lucky after all ;)

[cdifoto]

true. i guess i am lucky after all ;)

Yes, I think you lucked out. Or at least you were intelligent enough to let common sense prevail.

Think about it. He knew the selling price of the laptop. He knew he didn't have the full amount, yet he made arrangements to meet you anyway. He probably went there with the intention of paying you the $500 then claiming he didn't receive it, getting his 500 back plus a free laptop out of the deal.

If he really had the money to buy it and was on the up and up, he would have had cash in hand ready to buy, knowing he could walk away if he didn't really like the laptop after all. No harm no foul.

[MDJAK]

I've put a number of things up for sale here and got ZERO responses on some too.

Want to know why? IMO, too high a price.

When I lowered the price, people were very happy to buy it.

You're trying to sell a used computer for a thousand dollars. One can buy a brand new Macbook for slightly more.

Of all the things you can say, good and bad, about ebay, one thing it serves as is the pulse of the market. If you place something there for sale and get no bids or interest, you can be sure you're either asking too much, or trying to sell a baloney sandwich that's moldy.

mark

[blonde]

Mark,

the $1000 price that i asked is based on previous posts that i checked out and i also stated OBO. right now i am listing it again for $900 which is a very fair price. the price of a macbook has no relevence because it is not the same computer. you can say that i am crazy for asking $900 because you can pick up a toshiba from best buy for $400...

what would you say is a fair price for this computer if you don't mind me asking?

also, i don't agree with you about ebay being the pulse of the market. i have seen lenses sold on ebay for way more than retail and i have seen amazing deals go unsold. i think that i am not the only one that i finds ebay to be the most horrible site on the net. it used to be a great site and now all you have there are scammers and stores.

[Lightstream]

You/me/us can get shafted anywhere, any time. Nothing is perfect. I don't think there's any way to dispute, though, that ebay is better than craig's list.

mark

I definitely agree... nothing is bulletproof. At least I have some intermediaries (Ebay/Paypal, etc. as long as you do everything by the book) to help step in if things get out of hand.

However, that doesn't make me hate these people any less.

[calicokat]

Cat.. so does mine.. if it makes you feel a little better, you are not alone.. http://pix.lightrefineries.org/img/grouphug.gif

Thanks my friend, someone who understands ;)

[ironbelle]

i am sure he didn't. to be honest with you, at that point i already knew that i was dealing with a stupid kid and i really didn't feel like evev trying to be nice. if you have a hold on your account for suspecious activity...

That guy should have had the s--- kicked out of him for wasting your time and trying to rip you off. People are always trying to get something for nothing. I don't blame you for being upset.

[deadpass]

You guessed it, a little of all three ;)

U.S. Marshal?

[MDJAK]

Mark,

the $1000 price that i asked is based on previous posts that i checked out and i also stated OBO. right now i am listing it again for $900 which is a very fair price. the price of a macbook has no relevence because it is not the same computer. you can say that i am crazy for asking $900 because you can pick up a toshiba from best buy for $400...

what would you say is a fair price for this computer if you don't mind me asking?

also, i don't agree with you about ebay being the pulse of the market. i have seen lenses sold on ebay for way more than retail and i have seen amazing deals go unsold. i think that i am not the only one that i finds ebay to be the most horrible site on the net. it used to be a great site and now all you have there are scammers and stores.

Please understand, I'm just trying to give some advice. I'm not trying to get into an argument with you, and if I've said anything which has upset you, I apologize.

I agree that the situation you encountered stinks. Nobody likes to have their time wasted.

As to a fair price, only you can say what that would be. I was only pointing out that when I for example put up my 17-40 for sale, it got no bites, except low ball offers. Same thing with my 100mm macro. It wasn't until I lowered the price significantly that they both sold immediately. Do I wish I could have gotten more? Of course. Could I have gotten more? Perhaps, if I waited and waited. I didn't want to wait though.

mark

[blonde]

Please understand, I'm just trying to give some advice. I'm not trying to get into an argument with you, and if I've said anything which has upset you, I apologize.

I agree that the situation you encountered stinks. Nobody likes to have their time wasted.

As to a fair price, only you can say what that would be. I was only pointing out that when I for example put up my 17-40 for sale, it got no bites, except low ball offers. Same thing with my 100mm macro. It wasn't until I lowered the price significantly that they both sold immediately. Do I wish I could have gotten more? Of course. Could I have gotten more? Perhaps, if I waited and waited. I didn't want to wait though.

mark

Mark, don't worry man, i am not upset at all. i appreciate the feedback :) as for waiting for the right buyer, this is exactly why i am so pissed. i was in no rush to sell this computer and i could have waited for the right buyer. however, because of this loser, i am now stuck with a computer with nothing on it which means i can't lissten to my music , edit my photos etc.. now i am forced to take a hit on the computer BECAUSE i want to sell it asap. if i didn't clean my computer, i wouldn't care so much that the guy was a deadbeat loser, i would have simply told him to f off and go home and continue with my life. now i have to go to a friend's house to edit 12 shots that i plan on submitting to the POTN book :)

[blonde]

hey guys,

i had a buyer from the UK asking me to sell him the laptop. he is willing to pay with paypal but i never shipped something like that to the UK before. any advice?

[Tom W]

You guessed it, a little of all three ;)

I was about to say that given my 5 years' experience in the realm of public service, there are plenty in government that need babysitting. Certainly not all, but plenty.

Blonde, sorry to hear about the sales predicament. Probably a young kid that wasn't quite tuned in to the realm of dealing with people. Or perhaps a bit of a sleaze. Either way, you were right to protect your product. There's over 300 million people in the US - you're bound to find a suitable buyer among them. :)

[milleker]

Ignorance is bliss?

In the meantime, check out this laptop sale and how a scammer got his!
I present and oldie but goodie, the famous PPPPowerbook story!
http://www.zug.com/pranks/powerbook/

Edit: A long read, but worth it. Warning: Some spots of vulgar language.

[cgratti]

I'll give you $750 now and $250 in easy monthly installments of $1 a month for 250 months... sound like a deal?