[MR] FW: [SCA-Garb] Re: Sort of OT: How to deal with a bad SCA merchant?

[Jeanne]

Please read the entire message.  from  yet another person done over by a
SCAdian merchant.

Please help this lady!

VÖRÖSHAJÚ SOFFYA
Argent, a patriarchal cross between three crescent gules on a chief sable
three fleur-de-lys Or
Haus Gebrochen
Order of St. Roche
Incipient Canton of Sudentur
Barony of Stierbach
Kingdom of Atlantia
http://community.webshots.com/user/atasetofcreole


-----Original Message-----
From: leaflover [mailto:leaflover at tampadsl.net]
Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 2:36 PM
To: SCA-Garb at yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [SCA-Garb] Re: Sort of OT: How to deal with a bad SCA merchant?


Thanks for all of the replies...  since people are asking I'll add more
details.

I have tried calling the vendor at home (at least the number he has on his
website).  I've emailed from 2 different accounts (in case one was going to
spam or some other junk folder or was blocked).  I've not written a letter
and gone by mail yet.  I may send a certified letter, return receipt, just
to know that he got the notice, but I do not think it will do much.

He replied very quickly while we were setting up the transactions, giving
measurements, etc.  Even sent an email saying that he was shipping a package
out.  But nothing since that magic 30 days has passed.  No replies to any
contact we've tried to make.  We can't even get him to send verification
that the garment was mailed (like a tracking number)- I'd still like to
believe that perhaps it's not him, but the USPS's fault.  But the more he
refuses to reply, the more I feel like it was a big scam.

My preference is to get the garment not a refund because, well, we want the
garments.

Short version, I paid for the leatherwork upfront with paypal.  Because it's
a custom crafted item, it was going to take 3 - 4 weeks to make, then
another week to ship.  After 4 weeks the merchant stopped responding to
emails.  As it turns out, 4 weeks is the maximum time allowed by paypal to
claim fraud.  So it seems that this merchant purposely set up the
transaction and timing to scam me.

I can't claim fraud through paypal because the time limit has expired.
Scamming is not considered criminal activity (I'd have to sue him to get the
money back - it's a civil case) so the police in both his town and mine have
been no help. And suing him over the few hundred dollars is not worth it in
terms of time and expense to take it to small claims.  I am filing a claim
with the better business bureau, although not a lot of people check it
before doing business so that's not really much help. Do I have any recourse
through his kingdom?  Is there a way to get pressure put on him that way?
Or someone I can contact?

I will send an email to his seneschal.  I found it through his kingdom's
website, (it's a generic email) so I'm not sure how often that is checked. I
felt odd about involving him, but then thought why not...  the worst that
can happen is the same as doing nothing.   I'm hoping that he can guilt the
merchant into sending the garments. We'll see.

I've also sent a letter to the President of Paypal in the hopes of fixing
the loophole in their policy that allows this sort of scamming.  It would be
a quick fix...  to add a field in the transaction page that lists a ship by
date, and start counting the 30 day fraud from then.  That would allow
pre-payment on custom crafted items with longer than 30 day ship dates,
without leaving either the buyer or the craftsperson unprotected.  Although
I'm doubtful anything will come of that, I'll laugh if it does.

 Info on the merchant:

It's from the SCA Shire of Eisenthal, East Kingdom (which is in PA). And

the merchant's name is Gunnarr Inn Mikli (John McGovern) of Fantasy Leather

Works, 1350 W. Norwegian St., Pottsville, PA 17901 (570) 622-5650

Can't get him to answer the phone and he doesn't reply to messages left on

the machine - so I'm not sure if the number is valid.