Advice on Being Scammed by a Website

cptnawesome on 25/09/2020 - 10:26

I foolishly completed a purchase for the Lego Millennium Falcon that was posted earlier this morning. I should've known better and I'm very ashamed I was sucked in to this.

The money has gone - $156.15. I called the bank and they said that once the transaction is no longer pending they can try to dispute the transaction. I'm not concerned about the money if it never returns.

The website is thepishop.com.au

In the transaction I provided shipping details, phone number, email address and paid via the google "GPAY" button. I didn't make an account or create a password.

This site has some reviews which say they either ship something fake to you, or don't ship anything at all. - https://www.scamadviser.com/check-website/thepishop.com.au has

I know I've made a mistake here.

Is there anything I should be doing to protect myself? Do I need to cancel my credit card? Can they make further charges on the card (being paid for via Gpay)?

I'll be closing my ozbargain account shortly after this I think.

General Discussion

Related Stores

The Pi Shop
The Pi Shop

Comments

  • jimbobaus on 25/09/2020 - 10:30
    +6

    Shop 39, Capalaba Park Shopping Centre, 7-45 Redland Bay Rd, Capalaba QLD 4157, Australia

    Shop 39 is Taking Shape which is a plus size womens wear store.

    I would just wait for it to process and then dispute it with your bank and get your money back.

    • cptnawesome on 25/09/2020 - 10:36
      +1

      Thanks

    • ItsMeAgro on 25/09/2020 - 10:39
      +4

      Yeah with most banks it's not too difficult. I've done it before. You have to wait, that's all.

      Check your banks dispute resolution info, but the process will be something like this: When the item doesn't arrive, you email them, asking for a refund in 3 days or something, or you will contact your bank to reverse the payment. When they don't reply, you show your bank the email, to prove you tried to get a refund through reasonable actions, and the bank then reverses the payment.

      • cptnawesome on 25/09/2020 - 10:47

        Thanks for the explanation

  • brendanm on 25/09/2020 - 10:34

    Chargeback on your credit card? It's a website called thepishop but they don't even sell raspberry pi, surely that was an indication? The shop doesn't even exist at the address given.

    • cptnawesome on 25/09/2020 - 10:38
      +2

      You'd think so, right? Like I said, I'm very ashamed how stupid I was.

      • brendanm on 25/09/2020 - 10:39
        +2

        Just chargeback then mate, it'll be fine, no doubt they deal with this many times a day.

        • cptnawesome on 25/09/2020 - 10:47

          Thanks, that's reassuring.

  • Xistn on 25/09/2020 - 10:39
    +1

    why do people still in 2020 not do their research….

    • douglasabailey on 25/09/2020 - 10:48
      +6

      A small part of it is that that you have very little time to jump on a lego bargain once it's posted on ozbargain!

      • Xistn on 25/09/2020 - 10:55
        +3

        $1200 item for $156, sounds legit.

        • douglasabailey on 25/09/2020 - 11:35
          +1

          For sure. I do agree with you. But also, sometimes sites make price mistakes and sometimes they are honoured.

          A lot of people are coming back to Lego and I hope they will not find ozbargain to be unwelcoming.

        • richadam on 25/09/2020 - 12:18

          Bunnings had $2000 drones for $200ish. It was a price error but they also honored the price for some. It's not crazy to think that you can capitaliae on a price error.

      • apu on 25/09/2020 - 12:16
        +2

        I agree with this. The fear of missing out on a bargain, particularly in light of websites like OzB, drive people to make purchase decisions without necessarily taking into account all of the risks. I mean, OzB does have a mantra of buy now and think about it later.

  • DevGuy on 25/09/2020 - 10:40
    +6

    When I was little my parents said "son, in life, if it's too good to be true, it probably is".

    Hope you fare better next time.

    • CyberMurning on 25/09/2020 - 11:33

      i said to my children: if sounds like duck then probably it is a dud

    • jimbobaus on 25/09/2020 - 10:42
      +2

      Trading name From
      Pleasure Den 19 Feb 2012

      um… what?

      • bobbified on 25/09/2020 - 11:27
        +1

        hmm.. the person who wrote this comment probably knows more. He seems to be eating pink tacos! LOL

  • douglasabailey on 25/09/2020 - 10:44
    +5

    I don't think you'll need to leave ozbargain… you just spent $156 on your bargain hunting 'training'.
    (Which you'll probably get back.) Your experience will only improve your future bargain spotting and you may be able to help others avoid mistakes too.

    Thanks for sharing.

  • keejoonc on 25/09/2020 - 10:46
    +8

    the idiot who posted that deal should be banned from ozbargain.

      • Xistn on 25/09/2020 - 10:55
        +2

        why not both? (eats taco)

        • xuqi on 25/09/2020 - 10:56

          :)

  • CyberMurning on 25/09/2020 - 11:32
    +1

    where is the thread….

  • trinkasharma on 25/09/2020 - 11:44

    He is on OZB. Maybe message him to clarify things.

    ThePiShop » user profile

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/user/231761

    • Bonbi on 25/09/2020 - 11:47
      +1

      Last seen 3 years ago, yeah I don't think contacting them is going to work.

  • cyrax83 on 25/09/2020 - 11:45

    Bruh… How did you think a UCS MF at $1,300 RRP would work at $156? Even knock off bricks aren't that cheap.

    You'll either receive some junk or nothing. How did you pay? If Paypal you can lodge a dispute after a certain period.

    If credit card directly on the website, I would:

    1. Monitor your credit card statements very carefully for the next few months
    2. Wait 30-60 days to see if you receive anything, then if nothing or junk you contact your bank to dispute the transition which will take another 90 days
    • cptnawesome on 25/09/2020 - 11:58

      There was no paypal (yes, I know, another red flag). I used Gpay. Not sure if that is any better than straight up using a credit card. They money has already come out. The bank told me it should clear in a few days, but if it doesn't clear after 5 days then contact them again and they will start a different process.

      • crabcancer on 26/09/2020 - 14:53

        With paypal and their protection, it's not that easy.

        Was stupid enough to get something on a site that was offering a gaming chair at $39.95 instead of $200. Stated it was old, obsolete stock. Saw paypal. Thought it will be safe. Paid through it. Item was delivered via China which of course I was unaware. It was delivered as a seat cover. Vendor sweared black and blue it was delivered. Raised dispute with paypal for refund.

        Sequence of events

        1 - Send photo of promised product vs received product. Easy as I have tracking number etc.
        2 - Paypal ruled in my favour for full refund
        3 - Vendor contacted me privately. Stated will refund $19.95 if I send product back. No way!
        4 - Vendor knuckled down and said product must be returned to point of origin
        5 - Disputed with Paypal
        6 - Paypal ruled in their favour
        7 - Australia post wants $25 for sending it back to China (So even if I took up vendor's side deal, still not worth it)

        So basically lost $39.95 instead of potentially lossing another $25.

        Lesson learnt - Paypal guarantee not all it is unfortunately.

    • wittyusername on 25/09/2020 - 18:47
      -2

      Remember when some people got the $2000 drone from bunnings for $200?

      • Melb69 on 25/09/2020 - 20:35

        The difference being is a largr legit store to this no name one. Also price errors only randomly get honoured and only in some cases.

  • cptnawesome on 25/09/2020 - 12:09

    Well, I may as well keep you all updated on how this is playing out.

    Firstly - thanks to everyone who has responded (and for again for the people who didn't pile on and remind me that I was stupid - I'll be beating myself up about this for a while as it is).

    I sent an email to the gmail account listed telling them to cancel the order and issue a refund within a few minutes of "placing" the order.

    No response.

    I now have a "your item has been shipped" email with a tracking number and a link to 17track.net. According to that tracking info the "item" is coming from Maricopa, Arizona via USPS.

    2020-09-24 19:57MARICOPA, AZ 85139, Shipping Label Created, USPS Awaiting Item -> A shipping label has been prepared for your item at 7:57 pm on September 24, 2020 in MARICOPA, AZ 85139. This does not indicate receipt by the USPS or the actual mailing date.

    I've sent another email telling that I cancelled immediately, and well before the shipment was sent, and the shipment doesn't make sense to be coming from USA, that it's a scam, etc, etc. Doubt I'll get a response.

    • cptnawesome on 04/10/2020 - 14:11
      +1

      Last update:

      I called the bank on Tuesday as the transaction was no longer pending. They filed a dispute based on "cancelled order" as I cancelled it before they sent the item with tracking number (although fake). They (the bank) said the funds would be back in about 3 business days assuming the seller does not challenge it. The funds were back in my account on Friday.

      Thanks to everyone again for the advice and support with this.

  • AndyC1 on 25/09/2020 - 12:32
    -2

    The web page looks like crap and the contact details are in OZ, BUT no phone number…. bells bells are ringing.. time to get up the alarm clock just went off.

  • AJW on 25/09/2020 - 12:40
    +2

    To register a .com.au domain name, you need an ABN.
    You can search for the domain name registrant here: https://whois.auda.org.au/
    From this page you can obtain the ABN/ACN and contact name used to register the domain name: https://abr.business.gov.au/ABN/View?id=151740957

    This ACN does have The Pi Shop listed as one of it's business names:
    https://connectonline.asic.gov.au/RegistrySearch/faces/landi…

    Good luck :)

    edit: if doing something dumb precluded you from being on OzBargain, I doubt even Scotty would still have his membership. As long as you learnt something, it's just one of life's lessons to be learnt.

    edit 2: missed the comments by Whooah79 above, he is right on both posts

  • Benoffie on 25/09/2020 - 14:48

    What are the chances this eBay store are them as well?

    https://www.ebay.com.au/str/startselectgaming

    (https://connectonline.asic.gov.au/RegistrySearch/faces/landi…)

  • Melb69 on 25/09/2020 - 20:49
    +1

    I think I read that original thread or deal. Chin up. We all make mistakes. Better less then couple hundred than thousands. Many on here gettng scammed on phone purchases or gift cards.

    1. Check store details. So easy to spot fakes with Google. Contact deals, address, reviews, Ozb threads.
    2. Sure there can be crazy deals. Just dont get excited about it's arrival as it probably wont arrive.

    Chin Up. Now find us a real deal to redeem yourself. And that you can enjoy.

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