Help - scam?

zeva wrote in post #7844698
Oh creap really? they have their own police force?!

yup, I meet them on occasion through work related business. The real thing.

To the OP, please don't take this the wrong way, but you sound like a royal PITA to deal with. If that were me, I'd have sent your lenses back to you. And yes, it can take a while for USPS tracking # data to update on the web. I've had people send me items via USPS w/ tracking #'s. I've checked right before I went to the PO, and it's come back as not a valid #. I live 2 min. from the PO. I have then made my normal trip to get my mail, and the package has been there.

And if you don't know how to trade via the internet, my advice to you, is don't.

Mk1Racer wrote in post #7846931
To the OP, please don't take this the wrong way, but you sound like a royal PITA to deal with. If that were me, I'd have sent your lenses back to you. And yes, it can take a while for USPS tracking # data to update on the web. I've had people send me items via USPS w/ tracking #'s. I've checked right before I went to the PO, and it's come back as not a valid #. I live 2 min. from the PO. I have then made my normal trip to get my mail, and the package has been there.

And if you don't know how to trade via the internet, my advice to you, is don't.

Not trying to start a fight here, but how exactly is the OP being a PITA?

He did what he promised to do while the other guy is giving him the runaround (though the other guy might not necessarily be a scammer).

How am I being a PITA?

He said to send it by 12PM and get back on here to trade tracking #s. I took care of my end. He said to call him to make sure he wasnt a scammer. He took an extra 4 days to 'send' the shipment.

Look, this guy seems like a really nice guy and he's most likely legit and I dont wanna come off the wrong way, but I dont understand how I'm being a PITA when I tried being nice and doing him a favor - getting the lenses as fast as I can to his place so he can use them for a wedding.

I just didnt understand how hard it was to go to your local post office send a package. I was just asking how I could/should deal with it if he happened to be scamming me.

We'll find out on tuesday I guess.

And by the way, the tracking number he gave me was missing a digit somewhere.

I've had packages delivered by USPS days before the tracking number showed up in the system. I wouldn't sweat it. Give it a few days. If you don't get it, then you can register a complaint. Here's a good page to review. Which, btw, took me about 2 minutes to find on usps.com. Oh, the Office of the Postal Inspector has their own "cops." They even have a SWAT team. They don't screw around.

louieabellera wrote in post #7852864
How am I being a PITA?

He said to send it by 12PM and get back on here to trade tracking #s. I took care of my end. He said to call him to make sure he wasnt a scammer. He took an extra 4 days to 'send' the shipment.

Look, this guy seems like a really nice guy and he's most likely legit and I dont wanna come off the wrong way, but I dont understand how I'm being a PITA when I tried being nice and doing him a favor - getting the lenses as fast as I can to his place so he can use them for a wedding.

I just didnt understand how hard it was to go to your local post office send a package. I was just asking how I could/should deal with it if he happened to be scamming me.

We'll find out on tuesday I guess.

How? 15 phone calls w/ multiple voice mails in 2 days. Not to mention multiple texts and PM's on top of that. The guy told you up front that he didn't have a paypal account. Maybe the reason your address came up 'invalid' is that he got something wrong when he gave it to his nephew, or his nephew made a mistake with it. He told you that his wife forgot to take the package to the PO. I know you're only 19, and it's hard for you to understand how someone w/ a wife (and possibly a family) and a job may have a lot going on. And texting him @ 1:30 in the morning? And since you've posted it here, I would assume that you communicated to him that returning the lenses was not an acceptable option to you. That's being a bit unreasonable. As long as he sends them back to you, and covers your cost to ship them, you've really got nothing to complain about. Sure, you had a deal, but in the end, you're out nothing.

And I can see where you could make a mistake trying to text a USPS tracking #, it's a 20-digit number.

I often get packages sent from the US by USPS and UPS (and several other postal related acronyns) - it can vary in the ways that other posters in this thread have described.

My own experience has been that when I spoke to individuals from USPS and UPS, that they were very helpful.

Mk1Racer wrote in post #7854313
I know you're only 19, and it's hard for you to understand how someone w/ a wife (and possibly a family) and a job may have a lot going on. And texting him @ 1:30 in the morning? And since you've posted it here, I would assume that you communicated to him that returning the lenses was not an acceptable option to you. That's being a bit unreasonable.

You couldn't be more wrong. I would be hopping mad. The guy holds up his end of the bargain and the other guy can't seem to ever get it right despite repeated attempts (or so he says). Your response is kind of demeaning - 19 or 52 - he has a right to be upset. And don't hide behind your wife's skirts - there is no excuse for not keeping to the terms of a deal, barring some kind of tragedy. If he can't carrying out the deal, he shouldn't be getting involved in the first place.

Flame off.

NeutronBoy wrote in post #7857776
You couldn't be more wrong. I would be hopping mad. The guy holds up his end of the bargain and the other guy can't seem to ever get it right despite repeated attempts (or so he says). Your response is kind of demeaning - 19 or 52 - he has a right to be upset. And don't hide behind your wife's skirts - there is no excuse for not keeping to the terms of a deal, barring some kind of tragedy. If he can't carrying out the deal, he shouldn't be getting involved in the first place.

Flame off.

I agree 100%

NeutronBoy wrote in post #7857776
You couldn't be more wrong. I would be hopping mad. The guy holds up his end of the bargain and the other guy can't seem to ever get it right despite repeated attempts (or so he says). Your response is kind of demeaning - 19 or 52 - he has a right to be upset. And don't hide behind your wife's skirts - there is no excuse for not keeping to the terms of a deal, barring some kind of tragedy. If he can't carrying out the deal, he shouldn't be getting involved in the first place.

Flame off.

Makes it real easy to support your position when you take the parts out that don't.

BTW, we're still waiting for the OP to post if he eventually got the right tracking #. He's supposed to get his package today.

Mk1Racer wrote in post #7860876
Makes it real easy to support your position when you take the parts out that don't.

BTW, we're still waiting for the OP to post if he eventually got the right tracking #. He's supposed to get his package today.

I agree with most everything you said. The only thing I have an issue about is that they both agreed on the terms of sale being same day shipping at both ends. With 3 girls and wife and a job and our pending move, I still would (and have) make sure that I shipped when I said I would.

The flip side though is that the other party has to be also reasonable and give the person some breathing room. I also would have just shipped the lenses back after all the calls, PM, messages, etc. Each and every person does make mistakes, and harassment is not part of any deal I want to be involved with. The same rule applies as in gambling, you should only buy or sell anonymously over the net with those items or monies you are willing to lose, because sooner or later, that very scenario will happen to you. The odds are ever increasingly against you in this economy and state of moral decay.

Now on a more optimistic note, I know it will all work out just fine!

hotrod100 wrote in post #7842652
I've found from personal experience that the postal service can take 24 to 48 hours for a tracking number to show up as valid. Just keep thinking happy thoughts.(that's what I do since I seem to give people the benefit of the doubt even when they don't deserve it) Good luck to you and keep us posted.

Sports_Dude wrote in post #7842702
hotrod100 is right. The post office tracking system is nothing like UPS or fedex. I've had some packages shipped that showed no progress until it was delivered.

w8291 wrote in post #7842763
+1

if you have all his legitimate contact information and if things don't work out, you'll have some legal recourse and potential avenues to get back your money or the items. Either one is going to reduce your total value.

(cross your fingers, but plan for the worst)

just to get the legal questions rolling, is this all in the same state? or is he in another state?

kosin wrote in post #7843435
Same thing here. USPS sucks with its tracking system.

OC Photoguy wrote in post #7844612
I've had stuff from USPS show not delivered a day or two after I've received the item. They have a horrible tracking/reporting system. I do think you need to chill out just a little bit on the amount of calls you are making.

Good luck..

JasonBr wrote in post #7844678
I'd give the tracking number a day or 2 to show up in their system. I've had tracking numbers still show as "not found" until a few days after I received the tracked item. If you're in the same state you should get the package in a business day or 2...if you don't, then i'd start looking into recovering your stuff.

My experience as well. Post Office has a terrible "tracking" system. It sometimes seems that you'll only see status when someone feels like updating it, not as it moves through the system. At its best, it'll tell you that they've received a package, then when the destination PO sends it out for delivery, and both those are virtually guaranteed to be at least 24 hours after the fact. If you want real tracking, use FedEx or UPS.

Has anyone tried Escrow.com?

Hm. I guess I've just had really good luck with the tracking system at the post office. I searched over the interwebz and it seems that a TON of people have had problems with it.

I hope this hasnt gotten out of hand, and it sucks that I've come over as an ass to deal with, it's just frustrating when time and time again you try to deal with people and they dont hold their end of the bargain.

And to justify all the phone calls and 1:30AM text, he was the one who gave me his number and he said to call him, but he never answered, not once. And I only thought it was okay to text him late at night because when were first made the deal it was around that time.

Hopefully everything turns out ok. He said it should come by today. I simply didn't take the lenses back because I thought I'd never see them again anyways. If he had trouble going to the PO to send the iPhone, and offered to send the lenses back, why not just send the iPhone? I didnt really understand that part.