Help: I am being cheated

[xpertadvice4u]

Sorry, this is long (what did you expect?)

I need advice, I am being cheated by a member here, who sold me two websites but has refused to give me control over them or transfer them to my server.

It has been well over a month since I paid for these sites by Paypal.

He has them on GoDaddy.com

I have repeatedly asked for him to transfer them, and he has said to send him my information so he can transfer the domains.

I have told him my Registrar will handle the transfers; I do not want this guy to have my personal information.

All he needs to do is send me the Authorization Codes from GoDaddy to transfer the domains...He has not sent them, even though it would take him 10 seconds to do in his Domain manager.

But that is not the main issue, I want the actual websites....the domain names are somewhat irrelevant.

He has been ignoring my requests to either move the websites to my server or give me FTP access to his server for OVER ONE MONTH now.

He said he would help customize the sites "for free" and I bought the second site because he said he would give me general help with my main project.

He destroyed an existing website I had when he mistakenly deleted the wrong database while "helping" me with a trial installation of some software. (No, I did not have a backup....I am an idiot, as some of you are well aware.)

He has stolen my ideas for my main project, used them in his own projects, and refuses to explain what is going on.

He claimed that his Father was ill, so that is why he stopped communicating, but he has been posting on his own sites, developing his own sites, and has even posted in this forum asking for help with the idea he stole from me.

But he is too busy to tell me when he will let me have the sites I paid for over a month ago, and has refused to answer my specific requests to know if he *will* in fact transfer the sites to my server...or what???

I have even offered to sell the sites back to him - at a loss, just to get this over with....so I can move on....he ignores my requests for an answer.

I have all emailed communications archived, and records of Paypal transfers.

What can I do about this?
How can I get control over the websites I paid for over one month ago?

There is no excuse for not at least giving me FTP access so I could download the sites.

As you tell from a few past posts, I can be argumentative, but I have a good heart, decent values and do not deserve to be cheated out of the small budget I had saved up.

I have been polite in my dealings and messages to this guy.
Very patient.

Am I SOL?

I am considering creating a website with his name on it, and full details of the way he is screwing me around. I don't know what it will accomplish.

As it is...he has all my money...so if I am not going to get the products and services I paid for, I might as well get some satisfaction for revealing what a jerk he is being.

Pffft...and he told me he was a "Christian."

(PS: this is *not* Freydaddy, or one of the regular designers here).

[edmc]

I would contact his host & show proof of receipt. It will probably not do much. Get your own host to request a DNS from his. It doesnt look good but I think you should post his name here & allow him to respond. i know it probably isnt over a lot of money but atill annoying.

[the27offsuit.com]

Well the first thing to do would be to post his name here so no one else gets screwed . maybe someone on here is closere to him/her and can talk to them to tell them to send you what you paid for .

P.S. File a complaint with paypal for services not rendered . And see if they can reverse the payment ,

[xpertadvice4u]

Originally Posted by edmc

. Get your own host to request a DNS from his. It doesnt look good but I think you should post his name here & allow him to respond. i know it probably isnt over a lot of money but atill annoying.

It is a lot of money *to me*..plus it represents an entire MONTH that my projects have been frozen in place....because he would not respond - would not at least give me control over the sites.

My Registrar contacted him, and he was told he needed to provide the Authorization Code from *his* host/registrar. Takes 10 seconds.
I contacted GoDaddy myself to verify this.

He was told this *weeks* ago. Still has not done it.

This is the email I sent on May 16, 2007:

Could I get a response, please, to my question about you taking back www.xxxxx.com, and what you feel would be fair in that regard? If you have no interest in doing that, please let me know as soon as possible.

You really seem to have been avoiding my questions in that regard. It has now been 10 days since I first raised this issue with you. I understand that you had more important things to deal with...but - Please - I have important issues in my life *also* - which have been affected by this inability to communicate about what is going on.

I would be happy if you would take www.YYYYYYY.com off my hands as well....give me $100 back on it.

Please respond with your thoughts on the matter.

If you are not interested in taking these projects back - and refunding at least part of my money - then I really need to know that in order to go ahead with domain transfers....and move on from there.

I would really appreciate your cooperation in getting things untracked so that constructive moves can be made one way or the other.

If you prefer to talk about these issues over the phone, please let me know and we can set up a call.

Regards,

He wrote back saying he never got my original emails, and give him a couple of days to think about it.


He has *never* acknowledged my offer to sell the sites back to him, never even said he was not interested at any price.

After 8 days, I wrote again:

You still have not answered the question you said you would answer.
But I guess *that* is an answer all on its own.

Let's move on then, please.

Will you please transfer the two websites in question to my server at Netfirms, given that I have paid you for them, and I still do not have administrative control over the websites.

My registration company will proceed with the Domain Name transfer, they will handle it, and all you will have to do is give your permission for the transfer. I have already paid for them to process the transfer.

It will take a couple of days at least for the transfer of the domain names.

Will you transfer the files for websites, Sir?
And will you be giving me the administrative access for them?

If the answer is YES, could you please give me an estimate of when you might
be willing to do the transfers.

If the answer is NO, then please let me know so that I can make alternative plans.

I would very much appreciate your answer, at your earliest convenience.

He has never responded to those questions, either.

On May 27, I sent the following message:

I have received no reply from you regarding my question of whether you were willing to transfer the two websites in question to my server, at Netfirms.

I will also need the authentication code from your Regristrar giving me permission to transfer the domains to my registrar.

Will you at least give me the administrative access via an FTP account so that I can transfer those websites, please?

I would appreciate a response by 5 p.m. Pacific time May 29, 2007, please.

Again, no response to these questions.

It has been like this for over one month.

[Jeremy]

If you PM me I can try to contact him for you and/or ban him here at PAW so on one else gets screwed around in the meantime.

[xpertadvice4u]

My post was not up for 5 minutes before management of PAW PMed me stating they would look into seeing what they could do.

I really appreciate the offer.

I have been shafted by several coders/designers over past couple of months, and it leaves you feeling helpless, when you are new to dealing with these issues.

It seems so many are very eager to do whatever you want....until they get your money, or get you in so deep you have no choice but to keep forking out more money if you ever want to see your website.

You have a choice: just walk away or pay the ransom.

This guy was not asking for a ransom. He just ignores my requests to cooperate in turning over the sites, even though I have not asked him to do any more work to even complete them.

He won't let me just move on.

Will keep posted here.

[casinos-right]

one possibility : you could contact paypal.

[ThePokerBank]

Its a shame that some people have such a lack of intergrity when it comes to offering their services like this. There is a lot of trust involved when it is on a person-to-person basis, and it makes you question how reliable how some people are going to be. I know I have trusted a few people with services and money from this site, and so far I have been lucky to come across some brilliant and trustworthy people.

Like others have mentioned, it would be useful to know who you are having problems with so that others can avoid his/her services in the future.

[xpertadvice4u]

Originally Posted by ThePokerBank

Its a shame that some people have such a lack of intergrity when it comes to offering their services like this. There is a lot of trust involved when it is on a person-to-person basis, and it makes you question how reliable how some people are going to be.

It is mindboggling to me that any body could consider themselves to be a businessperson and treat a client in this manner: to continually ignore emails and to refuse to respond to repeated requests to turn over the site...even if only by FTP.

Originally Posted by ThePokerBank

Like others have mentioned, it would be useful to know who you are having problems with so that others can avoid his/her services in the future.

If no constructive action occurs by tomorrow, his name and all details will be posted. In the meantime, if anyone is considering doing business with any of the regulars here....be assured it is *none* of the frequent posters or designers that advertise on this site. If you want to run a name by me via PM I will tell you if it is *him*.

Whatever rationale he has for treating me this way, how can there be *any* excuse for not at least providing access to the server via FTP, given that payment was initiated and received over one month ago?

Even using an escrow service would *not* have prevented this, as he convinced me to leave the website on his server so that he could easily make modifications and additions he stated he would provide for "free."

He is now brazenly copying my ideas on his own site, while preventing me from making any progress on mine.

[hoursurfing]

Reading threads like this makes me so mad. It's depressing all the scum out there willing to do shit like this for a couple bucks. I agree straight up, reveal his name if he's too much of a puss to post his dispute so noone else gets screwed.