buying off of FB ... a Honda Generator

[JimmyD9]

I ordered a Honda generator for $149 today from an ad on FB .... the price is low but hopefully they are legit .....  this is obviously an Asian marketing site ... I did not get a confirmation email so do you guys know of this company ?

[Satch606]

Total scam. I opened up a complaint through PayPal and they seem to have contacted the seller. The seller sent out a package with a tracking number. What came to the house was a small envelope with a Hair Tie in it!

[Bruemmerdave]

Paypal cannot get your $ back. They only put you in touch with the persons who robbed you. You will eventually ( when you get sick of the game ) go to your CC Card connected to your PP account and make a claim for not receiving your item. The scam is they take your $150 and send a 50cent item in a box USPS with auto tracking #. It goes to someone else in your city who then throws it away. The post office is aware and will show you the address where the package went. It won't be your address. The scammers are hoping you think your neighbors took your box off the porch

[kernowlass]

@Bruemmerdave 

APPEAL

To submit an appeal on the dispute that was closed, PayPal asks that you obtain a detailed report from the shipper/courier (on their letterhead or some other form of official stationary) that includes the address the seller gave them for the shipment. Or one that includes a statement mentioning your address and saying the item was delivered to a different address. THEY DON'T HAVE TO SAY WHICH ADDRESS IT WAS SENT TO, JUST THAT IT WAS NOT DELIVERED TO YOUR ADDRESS.

Check tracking in below link to see where it went.
https://www.17track.net/en

When you have that, contact PayPal via phone (log on to your account and click contact at the bottom of the page, or via Facebook (send a Private Message to PayPal) or via Twitter (send a Direct Message to @AskPayPal) and say you want to appeal the denial of the dispute based on the shipper saying the item was delivered to a different address. Once it's submitted (you will be provided with directions on how to do that), the dispute will be reviewed further and a determination will be made.

You also have the option to contact your card issuer if you funded your paypal payment that way and see if they will do a chargeback for you.

[MartyBKC]

@Bruemmerdave  Yes Paypal can and does refund the charge if you are scammed. That is one of the reasons for using it. I have tested it myself and they immediately refunded my money to my CC refund. I asked how they got hooked up with such a scammer and they said they don't vett sellers and pretty much anybody can sell through Paypal with no checks at all. I appreciated getting the refund but this generator scammer is still out there and at it again, and their page still has a damn Paypal button. I just saw the scam run on the Google app advertising today. I've reported this scam to Paypal in detail so they know enough to flag this crap and shut it down but yet it persists. At least six months now. Apparently it's cheaper to pay off the scams than to do the investigation and reporting.

[classix]

Yes, total scam. I received a butterfly necklace! Not even close to a Honda generator!!!

[Miltroy]

I was taken by this scam too but I used my PayPal credit card. PayPal sent me the tracking number and my post man said it was a scam.. the post office never delivered anything like that and I was told usps doesn't do things over 50 pounds. In not sure about that. But I know I didn't get a generator! I didn't even get a hair tie! LoL... Synchrony bank refunded me. They charged back the scammer. But said the merchant has 2 billing cycles to show documentation. I hope that doesn't mean the fake tracking number... Golden rule...if it sounds to good to be true. It's not true!

[SteveWatson]

Total scam. Unfortunately, I ordered the same thing. What I received was a small envelope with a girls hair tie in it. I have an open claim with PayPal that has dragged on for almost 2 months. PayPal has a responsibility to protect us from scams like this, especially when scammers promote and use PayPal paying source. Good luck.

[kernowlass]

@SteveWatson 

Chinese Web Sites or on Social Media ads easy to spot (once you know the below signs) so buyer beware.

Paypal would not be able to check every individual seller / merchant / company in over 200 countries worldwide that adds paypal to their website to accept payments.

So they give you 'some' buyer protection but the onus is on you to risk assess your transactions.

They do stop bad companies from using Paypal when enough claims start rolling in.
However as they are in China (mostly) then its easy for them to just start over with a new name, so stopping them does not really do anything.

The best thing is to not buy from them in the first place, to recognise them -

1. No return address on the returns policy. The site will look as if its in your country (where they despatch goods from) but they will ask for returns to go back to China (returns depot) at a shipping cost often more than the item is worth.
2. No contact telephone number. if you click on contact the most you will get is webmail or an email address.
3. Rarely company address information.
4. Great pictures of items at bargain prices that turn out to be tat.
5. Fake reviews.
6. Google and you can often see previous company names as they change them once enough claims roll in and Paypal stop them using their services and start over.
7. Send fake tracking numbers to win item non receipt of item claims.

[morris_mini]

Same here. Not sure what was sent, but certainly not a generator. Tracking is for first class, which is limited to 13 ounces. PayPal should require no further proof