FRUAD ON EBAY

[imhall]

I want to post this again and again until people are warned off this particular seller. Her name is vantiques34 (don't forget to add the 34 after her name). She is robbing people blind and Ebay is doing nothing to stop her. Just read her continued negative feedbacks to see the history of this fraud. She took me for $80 in January and I have exhausted every attempt to retrieve it. I have watched many people since that time fall victim to her and I just want to get the word out there somehow to avoid this one. SHE IS POISON!!!

[shandi41]

I am at a loss at what to tell you. I just looked at her feedback, including every negative one she (he?) has. I am confused as to how some people can be so pleased with the transactions, yet other people have obvious problems with her. It looks as though she does make excuses (lie?) quite a bit. And whenever someone leaves negative feedback on her, she's always got some nasty comment to leave for them. Not very mature on her part.

Anyway, if I had been taken for $80, I'd be mad as ****, too. I looked under "safe harbor" on eBay. I assumed you have filed a fraud report? Did eBay respond to that? Also, what about the insurance protection that ebay offers. It says it applies to every purchase. I didn't read the specifics of it, but it says you can use the insurance if you pay for an item and don't receive it. Did the insurance not apply to your transaction?

I wish you the best of luck. I can see that for some people vantiques34 can be very difficult to deal with.

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Shandi ([Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now])
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[imhall]

Ebay keeps telling that she has done nothing wrong as far as they are concerned. They suggested I file with their insurance company. I had to wait a month and get all the paperwork together and mail it registered mail. I did that. I waited and finally was sent an e-mail from the insurance company saying that Ms VanKirk had said she agreed to send me a refund so they had closed the case and I was to contact her. I wrote to her and she immediately said Tough Luck Sucker....no refund. I have tried about seven times, via e-mail, fax, and USPS mail to get the case reopened and they have never answered my letters. I have filed charges with UPS (the shipper because she blamed it all on them). I filed charges with USPS because she cashed my money order under fraudulent circumstances and have not heard from them either. Ebay continues to tell me she has done NOTHING WRONG and they can't do anything until she does!!! HELLO????
I tried to warn people about her but Ebay threatened to ban ME.....said that wasn't allowed. She has sent me two viruses and I notice from her feedback that she did it to others too. I reported that to Ebay and they said they were sorry but there was nothing they could do about that either. I continue to write to safeharbor and send them a copy of her most recent feedback page about once a month but they continue to tell me that they see 'nothing wrong'. Someone suggested today that I file a report with the Attorney General of her state (OH) and I am in the process of doing that. This person has done it also. Maybe if enough of us take action, we can somehow get this fraud banned for good. Ebay, Safeharbor, and their insurance company stand behind nothing! As long as they are making money off her sales, they are unwilling to see the fruad. Greed does strange things to people.
Thanks for your post. I'm glad even one more person has taken notice of what she is doing and might spread the word about her.

[shandi41]

I can't believe the insurance closed the case because she agreed to give you a refund! Obviously she agreed to give you a refund because she admits she never sent you the merchandise (1st red flag), but the insurance should not have closed the case until YOU told them you actually received the refund from her. Big mistake on their part. I have used ebay 4 or 5 times I think, to make purchases. But obviously, ebay doesn't stand behind their word. As for threatening to ban you, when it is HER that is the problem, that's another big strike against eBay. I think I'll stay away from them altogether. I would think you would be able to get her for cashing the money order under fraudulent purposes. I wish you the best of luck.

P.S. I did see in the feedback on her that several people said she sent them email viruses. Nasty person to deal with.

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Shandi ([Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now])
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[imhall]

I couldn't believe that the insurance company had treated me that way either. I have written to them twice (once certified so that I know they are getting my mail), once regular, and twice by fax. They have never once returned my calls or written. I don't know what the problem is there. I guess they just don't want to really be involved when it comes to paying out. I suppose if I fought it with a lawyer then they would stand up and take notice but they probably know that most people will just give up and go away. Well, I may have lost my money, but I am not going to just 'go away' without a fight. The USPS is doing an investigation into the cashing of the money order but I haven't heard from them in about three months now so maybe they gave up too. She really is slick and knows all the angles so probably had them totally convinced that it was me doing her wrong!! She even told me that she was going to get a lawyer to sue ME if I didn't leave her alone. Can you believe that one!! She's a sick one and really needs to be stopped. If you can help spread the word so that no one else gets tangled up with her, it would be great. I guess the people that give her praise just 'luck out' and get her on one of her coherent days. I, and too many others, seem to have gotten her before her mediation kicks in. No, Ebay DOES NOT stand behind anyone. They have this big list of rules and regulations but when it gets right down to it, they just tuck their tails and run. As long as they are bringing in the money they don't seem to care how they get it! Sad thing, GREED. You have to be very careful dealing on Ebay. Everyone should thoroughly read ALL feedback about a person before deciding to take a chance. There are some really nice people out there.......it only takes someone like Ms Shelly VanKirk to spoil the barrel.

[Space Oddity]

Knowingly sending viruses is a federal crime. Check [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]
Go to title 18, chapter 47, section 1030. Look for subsection 5, part A.

Try emailing everyone who left negative feedback and ask if they were sent a virus as well. If yes, encourage them all to contact the FBI. If you can get the FBI to at least contact her, I bet she'll never even think about sending a virus again, and she'll understand just how serious you are.

I know you've already filed a complaint with her Attorney General, but try encouraging everyone who had a negative experience with her to file one. Let them know how easy it is. I don't know about Ohio, but w/most states, you can file a complaint online. And it just takes a couple of minutes.

Also, if you don't already have it, get her phone number. Since you can't deal w/her face to face, at least try voice to voice.

Good for you for not tolerating crap like that and good luck.

[imhall]

Thanks for the words of encouragement!! I was unaware of the law for the viruses...even though I assumed there must be something that a person could do. I will immediately start writing to people and see what we can do about that. I know at least one other person mentioned being sent viruses in their feedback to her. Yes, Ohio does have an online form that someone made me aware of just the other day. With help from all of you 'out there' maybe we can get a stop put to this woman. I will keep you all posted as to my results. She HAS TO GO!!
Thanks again.

[imhall]

A couple days ago, I wrote to Ebay Safeharbor, yet again. Here is another of their "Dear John" letters they send me each month. Can you believe this 'stuff'? Read on:
Hello Ida,

Thank you for writing eBay.

Whenever we receive a complaint we look at the seller's account to
determine if further action is warranted.

In this case, the seller does not meet our internal guidelines for
suspension. This decision was based on established guidelines that
include the member's feedback profile status and the number of
complaints we have received as well as several other factors.

I apologize for the frustration in this matter.

If you have any further questions or concerns regarding this issue,
please do not hesitate to contact us again.

Regards,

Tani
Fraud Prevention Group

This is Ebay's way of keeping things HONEST.

[shandi41]

I think eBay must go by a percentage of negatives vs. positives in feedback. If she had, say, 25% negatives, then maybe they would do something. But she has well over 1000 positives (still confuses me), and I think that is definitely working in her favor. If I were a seller on eBay, I would be mortified to have even one negative. Here is what gets me - she has left negative feedback for buyers! One person bid and then didn't pay. Sure, that would bother me, too. But it was for 99 cents! She left negative feedback on them, called them a whacko and a freak. So she is mad because someone didn't pay her 99 cents, yet she has no problem robbing you blind of $80! What a piece of work!

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Shandi ([Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now])
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[imhall]

Yes, they do take a percentage, but what gets me is that they would say......ok she has 37 negatives over the past six months but they would average that on her total sales since the very beginning......not just the past six months. To get a true estimate, you have to gauge the negatives versus the positives over the SAME period of time. I repeatedly told them this but they didn't want to listen. BUT.......AND HERE IS THE GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!!!!
Someone wrote to me last night and said Ebay had written to them and told them that she had been put on hold for now. She can not sell or buy on Ebay until their investigation of her is complete. FINALLY!!!
As sneaky as this woman is, she will probably just use another name and address as she does with UPS. She isn't going to go away easily I'm sure. But for now.....SHE'S OUTTA THERE. I couldn't be happier.
And ya.....she really is a piece of work. She wants the money and she doesn't care who she walks on to get it. Her favorite words are whacko and liar. She calls everyone that.......and her two excuses are......the shipper did it and I was on vacation!! (Even though she manages to list and notify while she is on vacation) hhahhahaha
Makes me want to break out and sing that old song..."Ding **** the Wicked Old Witch is Dead". lol

[imhall]

hahahahlol you aren't going to believe this one!!! A day fter receiving a letter from the man I wrote about above, Ebay finally got around to answering my letter about vantiques34. The man that wrote as a rep of Ebay said that there was nothing they could do about her and that after his investigation into her record, he could see nothing wrong with it. Well, I took great pleasure in telling him that I knew he hadn't even bothered to check it out because as of two days before, she had been banned from Ebay. Obviously all these letters I had been writing and making myself a nuisense, they hadn't even been looking into. It took another person to set a fire under him. Oh well. I guess it shows how little they really care.