keithhl Posted July 28, 2008 Share #1 Posted July 28, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) I am an M8 user. I recently sold on eBay a Tri-Elmar lens for a price in the range £1500-£2000 to a German buyer. He paid me, specifically asked for full insurance, accepted the cost of £80, asked me to post the lens immediately and assured me of a postage refund by return. Well, as you have now guessed, he has never repaid me the £80 and has does not answer my emails. He seems to have no quarrel with me - he has confirmed in an email that the lens is fine, he has given positive feedback on eBay. He has just gone silent. When I Google him I find from his website that he is a respectable middle aged professional business man. To quote from his CV he has "functional experience as Product Manager, Director Controlling, Finance & Admin., Director Retailing, General Manager and CEO". His pictures are there in the LFI Gallery. I find that he is a regular contributor to this forum - not as a questioner but as a respected source of information. I feel a fool, of course. I feel puzzled. Is he just too busy to deal with me? I feel irritated at the breach of trust. Then I feel protective - is he really as two faced as this, would he do the same to other Forum members? After all, if you get a bum deal from a shop you put a warning marker up on the Forum to caution other members. So, my question. What would you do now? Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 28, 2008 Posted July 28, 2008 Hi keithhl, Take a look here What would you do?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
farnz Posted July 28, 2008 Share #2 Posted July 28, 2008 Keith, You could send him a PM and ask politely what's going on - you may, for example, find that your emails have been eaten by a spam filter either in his computer or by his ISP's system. If he's actually avoiding you, sending a PM here might pursuade him to do something rather than risk being exposed. Good luck. Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venkman Posted July 28, 2008 Share #3 Posted July 28, 2008 Holiday season in Germany at the moment, that might be the reason? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografr Posted July 28, 2008 Share #4 Posted July 28, 2008 Holiday season in Germany at the moment, that might be the reason? Holiday season again? I'd PM to let him know that unless he lives up to his agreement, you will identify him to other members of the forum. That may be no big deal to him, but at least the rest of us would be forwarned about doing transactions with him in the future. I've always felt I could completely trust anyone who has been a regular contributor to this forum. On a couple of occasions I've sent camera bodies off to other members even before receiving personal checks for payment. Maybe this is a bit naive, but I've never been burned by a forum member and have done about 20 transactions here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psss Posted July 28, 2008 Share #5 Posted July 28, 2008 i have had the same situation with a sale....everything went fine, he wanted it shipped fedex right away, i told him to just re pay me....still nothing....i know him, he is a very frequent contributor to the LL forum.....i ased him several time, no answer.....he actually had the nerve to ask me a technical question a couple of weeks ago....nice guy that i am i actually helped him out and reminded him about his debt....no answer....he has actually also addressed me directly in posts on the forum...like nothing ever happened..... funny thing is, after half a year the item (still under warranty) stopped working....and nobody (tech support, company, dealers, forum members,...) has seen anything like it happen...i call it karma.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted July 28, 2008 Share #6 Posted July 28, 2008 ... funny thing is, after half a year the item (still under warranty) stopped working....and nobody (tech support, company, dealers, forum members,...) has seen anything like it happen...i call it karma.... I'd call that a delicious irony. Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithhl Posted July 28, 2008 Author Share #7 Posted July 28, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) Thank you all for your thoughts. Pete and Brent - I though I was computer literate but PM? Sorry, but what do you mean by PM? If you mean email - my emails are ignored. Probably little doubt they are received but for me it has become a one way channel of communication. All best, Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootist Posted July 28, 2008 Share #8 Posted July 28, 2008 What would I do now? Since you have his name, address, place of business (Work) I'd find out his telephone numbers, home and work, and call him directly. Something similar happened to me buying a M6 + 21 Elmarit on eBay. After going round and round with this seller for about 6 days a call to his home phone number cleared everything up for him. He shipped the items the next day. You really should post this guys name and the company he works for. And not only on this forum but everyone he goes to. Forum members should know about this type of things so they don't get screwed by him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted July 28, 2008 Share #9 Posted July 28, 2008 I think you should allow him a little slack, at least for a few weeks. Us Europeans take our annual leave seriously - my employees get 7 weeks + 8 days public holidays - and he may well be sunning himself in "Little Germany" in Mallorca. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografr Posted July 28, 2008 Share #10 Posted July 28, 2008 Thank you all for your thoughts. Pete and Brent - I though I was computer literate but PM? Sorry, but what do you mean by PM? If you mean email - my emails are ignored. Probably little doubt they are received but for me it has become a one way channel of communication. All best, Keith Keith, PM refers to the Private Message function of this forum. It is often a good way to communicate when email fails. If you click on the individual's user name in the member's list here or in one of his posts, you will get the option to send a PM. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografr Posted July 28, 2008 Share #11 Posted July 28, 2008 ...my employees get 7 weeks + 8 days public holidays... Got any openings? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephengilbert Posted July 28, 2008 Share #12 Posted July 28, 2008 I agree with both Brent and Mark. Give him a bit more time to be sure, but don't allow him to ignore your messages. A private message will remind him that you have the ability to make his conduct public in this forum, and that you know him to be a regular here. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootist Posted July 28, 2008 Share #13 Posted July 28, 2008 Keith, PM refers to the Private Message function of this forum. It is often a good way to communicate when email fails. If you click on the individual's user name in the member's list here or in one of his posts, you will get the option to send a PM. That is "IF" he has allowed PM's. Some members don't. I really don't care how much time has passed or that he MAY be on holiday. I bill not paid is a bill not paid. He knew from the start he owed the seller, OP, the insurance cost and should of sent it the day he received the bill. If he is still posting to forums, including this one, during the time the OP has been sending him email about the cost then he has gotten the emails and chosen NOT to reply or remit the payment. Shoddy and dishonest. Post his real name and his screen name to every forum he visits. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted July 29, 2008 Share #14 Posted July 29, 2008 Send him a final email/PM stating that unless he pays up within 2 weeks you'll reveal his ID in the forum. The extra time should cover any outstanding holiday. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted July 29, 2008 Share #15 Posted July 29, 2008 Chances are some other German members know him personally, so if you get no reply, posting his handle on the German side of the forum, or even posting your query in this thread over there might get his attention. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithhl Posted July 31, 2008 Author Share #16 Posted July 31, 2008 Thank you all for your comments. I have sent another polite reminder, in case he is on holiday, and expect then to go down the PM route. The comment about phoning him is an uncomfortable but excellent suggestion. It is as near as one can get to face to face and will probably clearly show me where I stand. If that fails and if I think there is no more goodwill left then I shall be back here on the Forum. All best, Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfspencer Posted July 31, 2008 Share #17 Posted July 31, 2008 A private message will remind him that you have the ability to make his conduct public in this forum, and that you know him to be a regular here. Steve I hardly ever notice PM's. In another forum a member sent me a PM in January. I just noticed it yesterday. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted September 6, 2008 Share #18 Posted September 6, 2008 PMs should open up a window in your browser telling you that you have one. I get them all the time Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aesop Posted September 6, 2008 Share #19 Posted September 6, 2008 PMs should open up a window in your browser telling you that you have one. I get them all the time ...Andy, I run Safari on Mac Tiger and have never had a PM alert window open up in my browser. The only indicator of a PM I have noticed is in the top-right hand corner of this page. Is your comment browser-specific or am I already paying for my sins? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfspencer Posted September 6, 2008 Share #20 Posted September 6, 2008 ...Andy, I run Safari on Mac Tiger and have never had a PM alert window open up in my browser. The only indicator of a PM I have noticed is in the top-right hand corner of this page. Is your comment browser-specific or am I already paying for my sins? I also run Safari on Mac Tiger. I am a member of a number of forums (cars, motorcycles, cameras, guitars). Two forums and alert me to a PM. The rest don't. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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