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#1
05/15/2004, 08:09 PM
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Greg Meyer: Take the money and run.....
All:
This is a FYI about my purchase experience with Reef Central member Greg Meyer. I noticed the Calcium Reactor and PC lights Greg had for sale on the following thread: http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...hreadid=363003 After conversations I ended up purchasing the lights for $300 and Calcium Reactor for $575. The understanding was that the equipment was in New condition. I placed a $50 deposit to have the items shipped from Florida to New Jersey. The next day Greg informed me that the cost of shipping was $194. He had the equipment packed and shipped through Mail Box etc.. without checking with me first on price. After discussing the shipping Greg assured me the items were in top condition and still worth the purchase. I recieved the Calcium Reactor and Lights. Everything arrived undamaged and in good shape. The lights worked well, however, there is a problem with the Calcium reactor. The pump that came with the reactor is in terrible condition and needs to be replaced. (See attached picture of the pump that came with the reactor) Given that I have ended up paying top dollar for the equipment and exsessive shipping ($194 shipping) I attemted to contact Greg via phone and email to request reimbursement for a new pump. The bottom line is I ended up paying retail price for used items that have no warranty. Additionally, I payed the additional $194 shipping with the understanding the equipment was in New condition. TO DATE I HAVE RECIEVED NO RESPONSE FROM GREG. I THINK GREG IS VERY EXPERIENCED AT MAKING MONEY ON THE INTERNET SELLING ITEMS LIKE THIS. No response Nothing, not even his rational for why I should not be reimbursed for the pump. I think that as a seller on the Internet and Reef Central Greg needs to take responsibility for items he sells. After all other on-line stores such as Marine Depot etc... take responsibility for items they sell also. It's not as if I purchased the items for free. Not replying and ignoring my communication is also not reputable and I would like fellow Reefers to be aware of this. Greg also has an online store at another popular internet selling site...... Just because someone is a member of Reef Central does not mean we should let our guard down...... See Attached pic of the "New Pump" Greg, any comments? Or were you just a short time member of RC? |
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#2
05/15/2004, 09:01 PM
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It is a shame that you had this experience. I do praise you however for not using bad language (no matter how it might be misspelled), death wishes, references to religious beliefs and nasty comments about ones maternal parent as it has been my experience to see on this BB. You might try to search if greg is using the BB from time to time and head off any posts he might be making. Keep trying to reach him by all available means - there is an outside chance that he might do what is right - but you will be the judge of that. I looked at the pump an although it shows rust and corrosin it might actually be newer than it looks, that is if it is working. One warning that might have urged caution is the number of posts he had - 0.. I do hope he eventually will respond in a favorable manner but keep after him untill he does if you have the stamina for it. I know I would especially if I was convinced he scammed me. Life teaches all of us and sometimes the lessons are very rough. They are only useful if we learn from them.
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#3
05/15/2004, 09:01 PM
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i dont mean to cause problems, but you didnt do much to prevent it. if you didnt like shipping you should have said no and worked something else out, and you should have asked for pictures of everything, NEVER just take someones word for it.
that is what sucks about the internet, you never know who is shady and who isnt, its a risk every time. also, its basically the golden rule here on RC. NEVER EVER EVER EVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BUY SOMETHING FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS 0 POSTS! it means they simply registered to sell something, they have no history on RC, no background, nothing. What I would do is start trying to get your money back, make calls, leave messages for him that you are going to pursue this and take all action necessary. Be aggressive about it. |
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#4
05/15/2004, 09:16 PM
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Thanks Guys:
This post is meant as a communication and warning to fellow RC members. My inclination was to trust dealing with members on this site. Also, the reactor, (with detailed pictures) was up for auction at another popular internet purchasing site. Greg had positive feedback and I went for it. In general the equipment is good and this is not a total loss. I will have to replace the pump. However, since I ended up paying retail prices I did not get a warranty and believe things like inflating shipping and misrepresenting the "Condition" of equipment is a common practice for "Small Time" sellers on the internet. What I have learned is: 1. Don't deal with small timer sellers on the Internet. It doesn't matter where things are up for sale. 2. Companies like Marine Depot are the best bet for purchasing items on the internet. They back their items with reasonable prices. 3. Small timers like Greg who don't respond to inqueries like this post only hurt themselves in the future. He seemed like a nice guy and I hope he resonds to clarify. However, not responding only strengthens my position. On the other hand I am not going to spend much more time on this topic. Bargains are not always what they seem to be... Enjoy the hobby..... I know I do.....  Greg: As a fellow RC member I think a lot of other RC members would be interested in a response......... Any comments? |
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#5
05/15/2004, 09:34 PM
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Quote:
Quote:
__________________
I drank some fish food but is OK cause it tasted GOOD ~ vr697getta The little men that live behind my eyes and scream into my brain told me to tell you hi. |
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#6
05/15/2004, 09:44 PM
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Quote:
Anyway, these are the lessons I have learned....... Feel free to do what you please......... The moral of the story for me is: 1. You won't get ripped off if you don't put yourself in a situation to get ripped off. This never occurs when dealing with Small timers. 2. The savings is not worth the time and effort...... Small timers tend to overvalue products they sell. (Compare prices of small timers compared to reputable stores) If this were a true bargain I would not be mentioninig the cost of a repacement pump. Even at the original $575 purchase price I would have treated this as a used item. However, when accounting for the hidden shipping costs I am paying retail for the item and expect retail value. Most small timers don't have this point of view. Also, if this were Marine Depot (or other repuatble store) they would send me a new pump without question....Marine depot here I come......
Last edited by mmgm; 05/15/2004 at 09:56 PM. |
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#7
05/15/2004, 11:17 PM
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i wouldnt completely go against buying things online from "small timers" i have bought several items from people, and I have never been ripped off once, and I get exactly what I want and in the condition the buyer says its in.
you are saying a lot of stuff about greg, but like i said before, you did little to prevent it. you went for a good deal, you didnt ask for pics of everything, you didnt negotiate a better shipping price, you bought from a user with 0 posts which is pretty much a big NO! around here, you kind of set yourself up for disaster. i wouldnt put it all on him, he sent you what you paid for, yes he may have stretched the truth a bit, but there is plenty you could have done to prevent it ever happening. btw, did you get a shipping receipt to verify that cost? or did he just pocket the money? you have to ask these guys lots of questions, I PM people I buy from several times and always request pictures and various contact methods before I buy. |
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#9
05/20/2004, 09:03 PM
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FYI: For all those that are of the opinion that once a paypal transaction is completed it's over.......
In my case there are three options I am pursuing.... 1. Direct contact with seller. Not much success here. Basically Greg is ignoring me. 2. File a Pay Pal dispute. This may help.... 3. I have contacted my credit card company and have determined there is a real process is place to dispute this transaction.... The botttom line here is that to date knowone has yet been paid. Looks like it's not that easy to get ripped off..... Let's see how things go....... Greg, I think I've been pretty civil about this....... any comments to fellow reefers? Updates to follow...... |
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#10
05/23/2004, 06:08 AM
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sorry for your loss - i personally never buy anything from people i've never seen here before (or new to RC), no matter how good the deal...
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#12
06/02/2004, 10:38 PM
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As an update to this purchase I spoke with PayPal and my credit card company about this situation with the following results:
1. PayPal does not do much to help the buyer in these situations. They emphasize they are only a payment transfer center and do not offer much to help resolving issues between buyer and seller. As far as being a consumer I think this method of shopping presents a high risk to the buyer. This is because no warranty is covered (or enforced under a paypal purchase) 2. Your credit card company can do a lot to dispute the charge. Under federal law a consumer is entitled to dispute an unfair charge to their credit card. Currently I'm disputing the charge according to federal law. 3. I am only disputing the amount I think Greg Meyer is taking advantage of me. This is $50 for the pump and $60 for the amount I was overcharged for shipping. (I am being very REASONABLE about this) The fact I am not disputing the entire transaction ($1100 +) helps my situation. I'm waiting to hear from my credit card company and PayPal on the outcome....... Bottom Line: Use your credit card for on-line payments....... Bt law your entitled to a fair transaction....... Although verifying yourself on PayPal increases security you are not protected by PayPal from sellers who take advantage of you......... When I spoke with PayPal they told me they will contact Greg (via e-mail) about this situation and suggest to him this issue should be resolved between Greg and myself...... They also told me that purchasing on Ebay allows some guarentees about the purchase..... However, since the purchase did not occur on ebay they have little influence on the seller...... To date I have not yet heard back from Greg Meyer or PayPal about this issue....... Greg/PayPal Any comments? By the way Greg, I still notice you have zero posts on RC........ Do you have anything to say? Or do you just silently read posts until you have something to sell? I would bet you never visit this site unless you want to unload some equipment....... Just an FYI to all those out there on RC that don't buy on-line that much........ 
Last edited by mmgm; 06/02/2004 at 11:22 PM. |
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#13
06/04/2004, 09:56 PM
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Good Deal? Sounds like retail prices for used goods. I hate to see good people ripped by predatory fools just out to scam trusting people...especially in THIS hobby! Sorry for your hassles man.
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#14
06/04/2004, 10:07 PM
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Quote:
That's exactly the scam...... The equipment is still good but........ with replacing the pump, shipping, fixing up...you end up paying retail prices without the benefits (Warranty) of purchasing retail....... To date I have not yet heard back from Greg Meyer or PayPal about this issue....... This guy is not off the hook yet......... 
Last edited by mmgm; 06/04/2004 at 10:17 PM. |
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#15
06/04/2004, 10:18 PM
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New Jersey? Soprano Family? Watch your back Greg Meyer. Problem is, when someone gets booted from R.C., they just create a new account under a different name and continue to scam. Always verify location and # of post before pay-pal'ing that ammount of dough. (BTW, don't hold my location and # of posts against me. Anonimity on the internet is great unless you're selling stuff to me) Luckily I'm not here to rip people off.
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#17
10/04/2004, 09:07 PM
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Update:Resolution of this matter
All:
This matter has been finally resolved. I think the information posted will help others who find themselves in similar on-line purchasing situations...... First of all I tried to resolve the issue one on one with Greg Meyer. I offered to return the defected pump and recieved no response from Greg. Next I approached my credit card company (Am Ex) who opened a dispute on the purchase with Greg and Paypal. Greg refused to provide a return address and did not cooperate with Paypal or Am Ex to resolve. Paypal then instructed me to return the pump to them. Paypal inspected the pump, determined it was defected and then issued a credit for the transaction. ($150 to purchase a new pump) The credit included my cost to ship the pump to Paypal. Note I shipped the pump exactly the same way Greg shipped to me.... Using Mail Box etc.... the pump cost $40 to pack and ship back......The moral of the story...... Use your credit card company and a company like Paypal to purchase goods on-line.... By using these resources to purchase goods you greatly reduce the chances of getting ripped off on a transaction..... By the way Paypal acknowledged that Greg was very uncooperative and apolpgized for the inconvienience. They also mentioned they do not tolerate this type of behaivior from their sellers.... By the way, Greg Meyers do you have anything to say about this? I guess not since you still have ZERO posts on RC..... End of Case......... |
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#19
10/08/2004, 07:01 PM
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PREMIUM dad, happy to hear things worked out for you. in general i use paypal w/ verified members only w/o problems. i recently had a similar issue from a guy, BERLINER on nano-reef.com. the moral is even though as hobbyist we try to share our hobby to help each other, there are substandard people out there and we just have to remeber this is the internet. there are bad seeds everywhere.
__________________
The Fertilizer......... |
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#20
10/08/2004, 07:57 PM
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I hate to say this, but I must second the already given opinion of "DO not buy from people with 0 posts".
Marco ps I wish you the best luck
__________________
"To understand the bonds that unites us to all the living beings and to better judge the miracle or our own life, let the first wave of the sea break over you" Jacques Ives Cousteau |
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#21
10/09/2004, 08:28 AM
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Quote:
Now I know better...... Perhaps it would make sense to impose a rule at RC..... The rule would go something like this.... " A member cannot sell items on RC until they have 100 posts" After all we don't get custom Avatars until 100 posts..... Any opinions about this?
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#22
10/09/2004, 01:09 PM
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Mmmm, I don´t think it could solve the problem because there have been some members with many of posts which receive bad feedback, but it could help in some ways.
Anyway, good luck. Marco
__________________
"To understand the bonds that unites us to all the living beings and to better judge the miracle or our own life, let the first wave of the sea break over you" Jacques Ives Cousteau |
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#23
10/09/2004, 01:43 PM
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i don't think it would help much, there's some people that have
only been here a few months with more posts than me... 100 'nice tank' or 'i agree' posts don't garranty integrity... 
__________________
I do not intend to tiptoe thru life only to arrive safely at death. Rick |
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#24
05/12/2005, 04:25 PM
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To be fair, I don't think that shipped was too overboard, especially considering what was being sent, paying the extra to have it professionally packed would be worth the extra money to get it all intact. Plus just the shipping alone on that CO2 canister was probably 60+ dollars, those things aren't light at all.
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