"stroking"

[WillG.]

I recently had a negative experience from this seller ("stroking"). He had two sets of header pipes for sale. In his FS thread he posted just a few pics of them. He was very vague in the actual condition of them. I inquired about them on his thread, but he never responded. So I texted him about them as per his request earlier in the thread. He claimed they were in good condition without cosmetic damages, dents, etc. and no fitment issues of any kind. His answers were vague and short. When i received the pipes, I realized that he hadn't been truthful about their condition & had only posted pics of them that did not reveal their true condition. I immediately told him I wasn't happy with them. He told me to send them back for a refund. I did so promptly. He received them. I asked about my refund. He told me that the paypal account wasn't actually his and he couldn't refund me through paypal, but could send me a money order. I accepted the offer. A week or so later after not hearing from him, & not knowing if he had sent it of not, I asked him if I should be expecting anything. He replied rudely and unprofessional telling me that he didn't have the money to refund me, and that he felt that I got such a good "deal" for them that he was going to ship them back to me when he can afford to. He insisted that I should pay for them to be shipped back to myself (LOL... wow..). I had a feeling about this seller early on and wanted to take the proper steps to help protect myself. So I opened a paypal dispute. I told him that I would cancel it when I got my refund. When he assured me that he wasn't going to refund me as he said he would when he told me to send them back, I escalated the paypal dispute to a claim. It took 10 days for the claim to run its course. The seller (or who ever's account is was) never responded or rebutted the dispute or claim. I was awarded my transaction yesterday. Although the experience put me out some money, it was nice to get most of it back (Although its not much much money to dispute, it's not the point). I must give Paypal credit for doing it's job and helping. I don't think I would've seen a penny if it were just left up to the seller and his character & conscience. Anyone looking to buy from this seller, beware! If he did it to me, he could do it to you too! As a general rule; If there aren't adequate pictures of the product(s), then demand more. And only send a payment through a secure method.

 

Below i will provide the link to the FS thread, the actual texting conversation between us in its entirety & some pics of the pipes as he does not show them in his FS thread.

 

http://bansheehq.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=145439

 

(FYI; The seller is labeled as "James" because that was the name provided on package as the return shipping info)

[07/28/2011 8:06 AM] Me: Hello, im contacting you about your Banshee pipes for sale. Are they still available?

[07/28/2011 8:36 AM] "James": Yes

[07/28/2011 8:37 AM] Me: Ok cool. Is there any dents, fitment issues or leaks with any of them?

[07/28/2011 8:37 AM] "James": No

[07/28/2011 8:38 AM] Me: Nice. So is it $65 shipped for both sets?

[07/28/2011 8:38 AM] "James": Yes

[07/28/2011 8:41 AM] Me: sounds good. How come youre selling them for such a low price?

[07/28/2011 8:42 AM] "James": If you want to pay more you can.......I don't need them and its only header

[07/28/2011 8:47 AM] Me: Lol, i wasnt complaining by all means. Just thought id ask. Sounds good to me, Im interested in getting them from you.

[07/28/2011 8:48 AM] "James": Ok let me know when your ready

[07/28/2011 9:07 AM] Me: By any chance, would you happen to know if they will bolt up/work with the stock silencers? Are the fmfs the darker ones you have pictured?

[07/28/2011 9:07 AM] "James": Yes

[07/28/2011 9:22 AM] Me: Sounds good. What type of payment?

[07/28/2011 9:34 AM] "James": Paypal

[07/28/2011 9:40 AM] Me: That works good for me

[07/28/2011 9:47 AM] Me: You can send me a request for money if youd like. My paypal accnt is **********@hotmail.com

[07/28/2011 2:45 PM] "James": Just sent it to todd_stroble@yahoo.com

[07/28/2011 2:59 PM] Me: Ok, will do. Btw, does fmf pipes have and kind of brand markings or stamps? Any idea how old they may be? Sorry about all the questions

[07/28/2011 2:59 PM] "James": It says fmf goldseries on it

[07/28/2011 3:09 PM] Me: Ok sir, payment is sent! I sent a few dollars more to cover your 3% paypal fee too. :-) When do you think they will be on their way?

[07/28/2011 3:19 PM] "James": Sent me your address now and I'll ship them in the morning

[07/28/2011 3:22 PM] Me: Awesome, i really appreciate it! (gave him my name & address)

[07/28/2011 3:22 PM] "James": Ok thanks

[07/29/2011 5:46 AM] Me: Can you please provide me with a tracking number?

[07/29/2011 10:51 AM] "James": Subject: Here you go <MMS> (pic of the tracking number)

[07/29/2011 10:53 AM] "James": Subject: Price to ship <MMS> (pic of the shipping receipt)

[07/29/2011 10:56 AM] "James": Let me know when you get it

[07/29/2011 11:16 AM] Me: Cool, i got the pics! Is that fedex?

[07/29/2011 11:17 AM] "James": Usps

[07/29/2011 11:18 AM] "James": www.Usps.com

[07/29/2011 11:22 AM] Me: Awesome! Thank you very much, i really appreciate it! I just picked up some nice used fmf power core 2's locally to go with them. Looking forward to getting them and seeing how everything turns out. I was debating leaving the stock silencers with my custom tips on, but not sure. We'll see.

[07/29/2011 11:24 AM] Me: Do you have any idea about what size jets i should run with those pipes?

[07/29/2011 1:21 PM] "James": No all the bikes I do are on alky

[07/29/2011 1:57 PM] Me: Ok, no problem. it shouldnt be too hard

[07/29/2011 3:43 PM] "James": Try 340 main

[07/29/2011 3:43 PM] "James": If you have stock carbs

[07/29/2011 3:44 PM] "James": 158-165 for pj or pwk's

[07/29/2011 3:48 PM] Me: Yeah i have stock carbs. Theres a toomy racing oem replacement filter on it. The lid is still on the airbox since the filter is on the stock cage and needs to be held in place by the air box cover.

[07/29/2011 4:23 PM] "James": 320-360 just have to try and see what works best between those

[07/29/2011 4:26 PM] Me: Ok cool. Im at around 2k above sea level. I ride higher up in elevation as well. So ill probably start with the smaller of those. Thanks!

[08/10/2011 4:06 PM] Me: Subject: I just received the pipes today. I remember asking about any of them having any dents or issues with them. You said “No”. It probably would’ve been nice and honest to know that two of them had big dents in them had a hole patched… (I included a pic of them)

[08/10/2011 10:07 PM] "James": Sorry you don't like them...if you Can send them back and I'll refund your money ...but for 60 i thought it was a good deal

[08/11/2011 3:34 PM] Me: $65 did seem fair. I think I may go ahead and do that.

[08/11/2011 4:02 PM] Me: Subject: And there is fitment issues with both sets… I will send them back to the return address on the box. If there is a better address for them to reach you at, please let me know within the next hour or so. Thanks. (pic’s included of some of the fitment issues)

[08/11/2011 5:05 PM] Me: Subject: Heres the fedex tracking number. It should be there in 4 days. Please stay in contact. Thanks.

[08/16/2011 2:42 PM] Me: Fedex tracking shows that the pipes were delivered back to you today. If you could please refund the paypal transaction, it would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[08/16/2011 6:07 PM] "James": That's not my PayPal accoij

[08/16/2011 6:07 PM] "James": Account...so I have to send a money order

[08/16/2011 6:08 PM] "James": I can only receive money threw that account

[08/16/2011 6:49 PM] Me: If you arent able to give money to the account owner then have him send it, then a check or usps money order for the full amount would be acceptable. I actually opened a request to get the money back thru paypal already. But i can cancel it when i get the refund in the mail.

[08/16/2011 7:02 PM] Me: US postal money order for the $67 payment is cool.

[08/17/2011 10:08 AM] Me: Please let me know if you will be sending it and when to expect it. Thank you.

[08/17/2011 1:02 PM] "James": Need an address

[08/17/2011 1:06 PM] Me: (gave him my name & address yet again…)

[08/22/2011 6:04 PM] Me: Am I to be expecting a money order to arrive from you?

[08/23/2011 5:25 PM] Me: A response with any info or update would be much appreciated. Communication is very important when working a situation out. Thank you.

[08/23/2011 8:13 PM] "James": Look man I dont have the money to send to you and I told.you thats not my PayPal acc ....but you open a dispute anyway......when I get 25 I'm sending you

[08/23/2011 8:13 PM] "James": the pipes back.....you got two headers for 65 and you still complain ...... In fact. I think you should pay the shipping back to you

[08/23/2011 8:25 PM] Me: You sent me pipes that arent good.$65 for paper weights isnt a good deal. I asked before hand if there were fitment issues with them prior to buying them. You lied and said there wasnt. its not issue that you used someones elses account. The diputed before I knew any of that info. Your communication hasnt been great. So what am I to think. Its not my fault you spent the the money before making sure the transaction was transaction was completed with the buyer being happy. You told me to send them back if I wasnt happy, so I did. The right thing to do it put that $25 towards paying me back instead of shipping your crap pipes back out of spite. This isnt a hard issue to resolve. Just be a good business person and do the right thing by reimbursing my money like you agree to in the first place. Please.

[08/23/2011 9:10 PM] "James": What did you want NEW pipe for 65...get real man ...... Its the pipes

 

 

[Zwiser]

glad you got your money back but i can see how your pissed at him for lying but for $65 what can you expect?

[Phelps]

glad you got your money back but i can see how your pissed at him for lying but for $65 what can you expect?

honesty no matter how much the price is....

[WillG.]

@Zwiser - I see your point. I did mention that in my post. When i was under the impression that they were in good condition, i was actually skeptical myself. But as would guess, i got what i paid for. I just didn't know it when i paid since i was led to believe otherwise. But the point is that one should represent the items that they are selling honestly & thoroughly. Then let the buyer decide if the price is right and if they want to give the item a shot. instead of being duped or bamboozled. Also, I wouldnt even say that I'm "pissed" at him. He/it wasnt worth enough of my energy to get too worked up over. I just want to give others a heads up about a negative experience to possibly help others. I just happen to be a very thorough person, even when it comes to covering details.

 

@Phelps - Thank you!

Edited September 5, 2011 by WillG.

[NYUK]

always go with your gut, never against it.

[WillG.]

always go with your gut, never against it.

 

Agreed!

[dunesovertrails]

Holy fucked up pipes lol glad you got your money back

[RadarRacing]

If he screwed anyone out of a dollar or sold crap regardless of the reason then he needs called out for it. I think this buyer did exactly right, and in a classy non bashing or hateful way.