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You will find some very helpful information on this page
regarding steps you should take in the unlikely event that you experience any difficulty in completing a transaction with another JustBeads member. We are committed to the safety and privacy of your personal information. Our Privacy Policy
explains how we safeguard your personal information and how we keep it safe from hackers and thieves.
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Complaints about a buyer being defrauded by a seller are extremely rare at JustBeads.com due to the steps we take to keep
potentially malicious users off this site. The vast majority of
sellers are good and honest people. However, in spite of our efforts to monitor auctions,
every now and then we get a seller who
is slow to process a transaction or who appears to have tried to "take the money and run".
By following the steps outlined below, we have been able to help the buyer recover
either the item she won or her refund in 99% of the cases in which fraud was alleged.
To recover your money, you must follow each of the steps in sequence. If you follow
the steps outlined below, we are confident that you will be able to recover your money or
item.
- If payment was made via PayPal, contact PayPal regarding any payment you made to this seller and request a refund due to "failure to deliver product".
(This can be accomplished via a transaction dispute. Just log into PayPal and click on "Security Center" at the top of their page).
- Use the Problems with a
Seller? wizard by clicking on "For Buyers" at the top of any of our pages and then on "After The Auction" / "Problems With A Seller" to request the seller's name, address and telephone number. In your
email to us, please include the auction item number. You must send email and attempt
to call the seller several times to make sure your messages are being received. If
you get an answering machine, leave your name and phone number. If you wish to get
your money back, it is very important to be nice about the matter. Insulting the
seller will get you nothing at this point. If the seller has not responded within 3 days or if she sends a negative response, you
must move to step three.
- Send the seller an email message telling her that she must
contact you within 3 days or you will be forced to file a mail fraud claim with the US
Post Office. Explain that mail fraud is a felony, and that the US Post Office takes
these matters very seriously and aggressively investigates and prosecutes these
cases. Again, do not use abusive or accusatory language. This will solve
nothing.
- Use the JustBeads.com feedback system to post negative feedback on the
seller. You can access our feedback system through the "For Buyers" linkwhich is located at the top
of any of our pages. If the seller has not responded within 3 days or if she sends a negative response, you
must move to step five
- Here, you must send a certified letter, return receipt
requested, to the seller. You should mail the letter to the address where you sent
the payment. In the letter, include a brief explanation of the situation.
Include the item number of the auction and our name, JustBeads.com, the date you
mailed payment, and all other information pertinent to the matter. If you have
copies of a cancelled check or other proof of payment, include Xerox copies of these items
with the letter. Once again, explain that mail fraud is a felony and that you will
be forced to contact the US Post Office to file a mail fraud claim if the matter is not
quickly resolved. Tell the seller that she has 10 days to respond in writing or send
a refund. If the seller has not responded within 10 days or if she sends a negative response, you
must move to step six.
- Call or visit your local Post Office and ask for the number
of the local Postal Inspector. Call the Postal Inspector and ask to fill out a mail
fraud claim. If you have a current version of Adobe Acrobat, You may also download a copy of the mail fraud claim form by clicking on
the following link: http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/ps8165.pdf Fill
these out completely and accurately as possible, then turn them in as instructed.
- From here, it is a waiting game. Most sellers will move quickly to resolve an
issue once contacted by the US Post Office.
What else can be done?
The US Post Office is your strongest ally in these matters. You also have the option
of filing a lawsuit against the seller. Most small claims lawsuits must be filed in
the county where the seller lives, not where you live. This may not be a good option
if the seller lives far away. You could also try contacting the local law
enforcement or the state bureau of investigation where the seller resides. You may
be able to file a fraud charge without showing up in person.
The United States Federal Trade Commission provides some free information for auction
users. Please see their publications entitled Internet Auctions : A Guide
for Buyers and Sellers and Internet Auctions: Secrets
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