Fraudulent Ebay sales by arri888

[dkCambridgeshire]

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7 hours ago, seneschal said:

I bought a Leica 0 Serie brochure from him about a week ago.

it was delivered, very nicely packed and in immaculate condition. Along with a couple of enclosed letters kindly introducing himself as a broker for sales or purchases.

All looked perfectly above board. Yesterday I tried to give feedback and discovered that his user credentials have been removed by eBay.

I was about to give a 5 star review!

Just goes to show, excellent service on one hand… who knows what’s going on in the background? You never can tell.

 

 

As per UK Citizens Advice Bureau: 

Running a business after you’re bankrupt:

If you're self-employed as a sole trader, you can start trading again. It's worth remembering that you'll find it very difficult to get credit. This is because bankruptcy stays on your credit report for 6 years from when you become bankrupt.

The people you do business with can check if you’ve gone bankrupt. They can search a public list called the ‘insolvency register’. Your name stays on the register until 3 months after your bankruptcy ends.

While you’re bankrupt, there are some restrictions on the involvement you can have in running a business. If you break any of these restrictions you'll be committing a criminal offence. They include:

You can't be a company director without permission from the court

You can't be involved in setting up, promoting or managing a limited company without permission from the court

You can be self-employed or trade in a partnership, but if you run a business under a name that's different to the one in which you were made bankrupt, you must tell everyone you do business with the name under which you were made bankrupt

 

Thus appears that with permission of the court it's possible for a bankrupt person to recommence trading 

[seneschal]

Lucky I’m not selling, just a buyer, and wasn’t tempted by a commission sales scam. 

It seems many others were.

Cash sale only, no credit, ship when the money is in the bank. It is easy to be duped when you think you are dealing with somebody who has the same passions and interests.

The credibility is what allows confidence tricksters to take advantage of that trust which comes from an apparent shared interest.

I have certainly had my eyes opened by this story. There, but for the Grace of God, could be any one of us Leica fans.

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The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[LocalHero1953]

3 hours ago, dkCambridgeshire said:

Regarding Campkins Cambridge,  I've probably posted this story before but it's worth a repeat:  

C. summer 1995? I was browsing through Campkins overpriced and 'multitudinous' s/h stock in one of their Cambridge stores when I noticed a sales assistant pass over to a customer, the ordered copies of an important family portrait - which Campkins had previously passed to their D&P lab for copying and printing. The customer looked at the copies and did not appear pleased with the result. Customer mentioned, " ... but I requested oval vignette copies of the portrait ...?? These are not 'vignettes' .... they're only 'ovals' and with no vignetting !!"  Sales assistant with a very worried look on his face then produced the original portrait and passing it to the customer, said, "I'm very sorry, but something appears to have gone wrong ... "  Customer took the original portrait from the assistant and looking at it in disbelief, exclaimed rather loudly, " BUT ... What the ---- has happened to the original photograph of my grandfather !! It was a 10 x 8 print !  Now look at it !! .... It's b----- well OVAL !! ...   Some idiot has CUT IT INTO A B-----  OVAL SHAPE !!!"       More words of complaint followed from the customer with more apologies from the sales assistant. I then left the store in disbelief and walked to University Cameras – where I was offered their sole remaining copy of Laney's 'Leica Collector's Guide'.  

And I have not entered a Campkins camera shop since  

I subsequently entered the true story into an Amateur Photographer magazine "Photography Anecdotes" competition – but it was not one of those chosen for subsequent / immediate publication. However, my story was eventually published a few months later by AP – but was credited to another writer / reader. I complained – but no apology was given. 

BW, dunk

I had mixed experience with them over the years, but mostly positive. The negative was when I wanted to buy a used Summicron-M 50mm. It was a bit grubby but otherwise looked ok. The salesman (looked like an older amateur photographer who’d taken a retirement job) polished the front element vigorously with his tie. I declined it. 

[seneschal]

1 minute ago, LocalHero1953 said:

I had mixed experience with them over the years, but mostly positive. The negative was when I wanted to buy a used Summicron-M 50mm. It was a bit grubby but otherwise looked ok. The salesman (looked like an older amateur photographer who’d taken a retirement job) polished the front element vigorously with his tie. I declined it. 

Silk tie or polyester? Curry stained or freshly laundered?

I‘m not proud to admit that I have used one or two peripheral clothing items as lens cleaning substitutes for Zeiss lens cloths… when in extremis. Although it has always been a filter that has suffered rather than the hallowed coating of a Leitz masterpiece.

[dkCambridgeshire]

21 minutes ago, LocalHero1953 said:

I had mixed experience with them over the years, but mostly positive. The negative was when I wanted to buy a used Summicron-M 50mm. It was a bit grubby but otherwise looked ok. The salesman (looked like an older amateur photographer who’d taken a retirement job) polished the front element vigorously with his tie. I declined it. 

i recall not so many years ago, that Leica Camera AG / E Leitz recommended using a piece of chamois leather to clean front and rear lens elements. And when Leica Milton Keynes 'sold on', their ex Leica School, Leica lenses (which had been used by customers attending their 'schools' and had likely been cleaned using chamois leather). the lens elements were were often 'scratched'. Sometimes those ex-school lenses ended up with Leica dealers. 

[Simon Benton]

Peter Walnes, convicted of fraud, is now trading on eBay under the name treb_1093

I had dealt with him in the past but was unaware of his fraud conviction until today. He is listing a 14.5 inch Verito lens of mine that I foolishly sent him and it looks as if I will have a difficult time recovering it if ever. Despicable conduct and I have already set in motion police and legal action to ensure no others get hood winked. 

[Ouroboros]

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On 6/13/2023 at 11:28 PM, dkCambridgeshire said:

 

As per UK Citizens Advice Bureau: 

Running a business after you’re bankrupt:

If you're self-employed as a sole trader, you can start trading again…..

 

Thus appears that with permission of the court it's possible for a bankrupt person to recommence trading 

The usual tactic, which does not need permission of the Court, is to set up a Limited Company with a solvent relative or other trusted person registered at Companies House as the Director whilst the  Bankrupt person is an employee of the Limited Company, ie will run things in the background invisibly  to anyone other than those who ‘know’.

When the ‘employee’ is discharged from personal bankruptcy, and this can be within considerably less than 12 months, the trusted ‘Director’ will resign and  the ‘employee’ will then legally take over as a Director.

Having read the previous post on this thread, you have to wonder why Walnes is still free to walk the streets.

 

[andybarton]

Trustpilot is a useful resource...

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.peterwalnes.com

 

and

https://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/23570866.peter-walnes-76-sentenced-fraudulent-business/

 

If it is him that has set up the new eBay site, the authorities should be on to him.

[dkCambridgeshire]

11 hours ago, Simon Benton said:

Peter Walnes, convicted of fraud, is now trading on eBay under the name treb_1093

I had dealt with him in the past but was unaware of his fraud conviction until today. He is listing a 14.5 inch Verito lens of mine that I foolishly sent him and it looks as if I will have a difficult time recovering it if ever. Despicable conduct and I have already set in motion police and legal action to ensure no others get hood winked. 

Verito lens appears to have been withdrawn:  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155742242692?hash=item2442f60784:g:hpEAAOSwfMFk63bL

[andybarton]

He set this account up over a year ago, and got positive ratings from being a regular buyer.

Sales from him started at the end of June '23. He was convicted of fraud on 6th June, so must have gone straight home and started trading again the next day. There is also a pattern of him selling to the same few people, multiple times, for small value items.

[Anbaric]

32 minutes ago, andybarton said:

He set this account up over a year ago, and got positive ratings from being a regular buyer.

I noticed the same thing. Perhaps it's just coincidence that an anonymous ebayer who happens to be in Penzance started selling camera gear at exactly this time and acquired the Verito from 'arri888' in good faith, but I don't think I'll be risking £4 on that UV filter to find out.

[dkCambridgeshire]

What does the old adage say about 'losing your shirt' ? 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155706121049?hash=item2440cedb59:g:qD4AAOSwcl1kz9BP

 

[andybarton]

I saw that and my first two thoughts were "He's a small man with poor taste".

Maybe he's a slightly bigger man now, but still with poor taste.

[250swb]

1 hour ago, dkCambridgeshire said:

What does the old adage say about 'losing your shirt' ? 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155706121049?hash=item2440cedb59:g:qD4AAOSwcl1kz9BP

 

Worn once for a special occasion. Not very clever though, he should have got from M&S and taken it back for a refund after the trial.

[Pyrogallol]

See post #9 here, send any new information to Cornwall Trading Standards 

 

[Pyrogallol]

18 hours ago, Simon Benton said:

Peter Walnes, convicted of fraud, is now trading on eBay under the name treb_1093

I had dealt with him in the past but was unaware of his fraud conviction until today. He is listing a 14.5 inch Verito lens of mine that I foolishly sent him and it looks as if I will have a difficult time recovering it if ever. Despicable conduct and I have already set in motion police and legal action to ensure no others get hood winked. 

I have recently seen some nice things for sale from treb_1093, did not know it was him.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/treb_1093

[hutchinson14]

Peter Walnes website is still active with his name at the top. He has listed as expected soon a Leica M240 and a Zeiss 35mm f2 for Leica M amongst other items. So it look’s he is definitely still in business and still under his own name.