Wednesday Morning - 7.20 am (UK)
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Second Thoughts - In the cold light of day, I have realised that I could have "volunteered" last night to run a full time help service! (It wasn't the drink - honest!) Offer still stands - will help the first five AS members who ask. See how long that takes me! If excessive will drop the idea - if OK continue.
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Last year I had a problem on ebay with a seller (didn't send the goods) and decided that recourse to the law was too expensive and probably impossible as I was in the UK and the seller was in the US.
All this set me thinking and I set up:
Thieves on Line.com as a sort of tentative solution.
Then a client wrote to me and said he had been scammed by an internet company. Next a friend found pages of her website copied by a travel firm and passed off as their own work!
All three problems were almost immediately resolved when a statement of facts was put up. People really don't like the glare of publicity if they know they are in the wrong!
Today I tried again - another success - after 5 months of no response, got an apology & a refund within 15 minutes of my email saying I was putting the story up on the web.
Why does it work? The last one said I had slandered him - I said no names, no auction number, how could it be slander? Mind you I did say unless he refunded me, I would ouline the facts even more clearly and put an advert for the web site in his local paper!
4 problems - 4 successes - straws in the wind or THE lo-cost answer? Don't know. To prove a theory, you need a bigger sample. So .....
Have you got a problem with an ebay seller or buyer that you would like me to attempt to resolve? (That the normal ebay disputes process doesn't cover? ) - you must have an AS 15+ post rating - to discourage non AS people swamping me.
You must be truthful & factual. No names or auction numbers - or they may try & sue me/you for slander. No divorce, domestic violence, hedge or boundary disputes - ebay problems only!
Remember this is just an experiment to satisfy my curiosity. (Have I really devised an alternative to the Law Courts?) No guarantees given or implied. Will it work? I honestly don't know.
I will do one case at a time - strict rotation - AS members only. Is there a career in it? Not a chance, I have enough work already! Is there money in it? Sadly no! Your problem might involve a $5 item - I don't think there is much of a margin in that. What if its $10,000 worth? Simple answer - go hire a lawyer!
Paul
O ye abusers of self advertisers - please note no money will change hands, nor any form of self-advancement! This is just a free offer for those who find employing lawers beyond their budget. Just an experiment in social engineering for the hell of it!
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