The handset in question was a Panasonic X800. I had seen one at the Smartphone Show and was impressed by its neat design, bright screen and range of built in software. However, given that it isn’t readily available outside of Asia, I had to get it via eBay. There were two up for grabs - one boxed for £150 from America and another for £90 unboxed from within the UK. Being the impatient cheapskate I am, I decided to go for the unboxed one.
Descibed as “Like New”, I assumed that in this condition, the phone would be pretty much brand new, maybe a couple of scratches. So when the phone actually arrived, the phrase “used” sprang to mind along with the phrase “scratched to hell”. When I saw the eBay advert, it said that there was a problem with a lock code on the phone. When I asked him about this, the seller wasn’t sure but thought that it was a network lock. I eventually managed to get past it (don’t ask me how) and found that this “Like New” phone had a new theme installed on it (unless Panasonic had suddenly done a deal with Sega), an army of contact numbers and a series of messages.
By now it was starting to become obvious something was wrong here, so I had a look at the messages to try and find a clue as to the phone’s owner or at least confirm that it was the seller’s contact info. The first message I opened up had someone’s full bank account details and a record of a recent transaction for a rather large sum of money.... This was the point where I had to choose - did I a) contact the seller and demand to know what the hell was going on or b) carry on investigating on my own. Given that I was now certain the phone WAS stolen and didn’t fancy the idea of returning it to the seller to pass on to someone else, I decided to carry on digging.
After numerous calls to people listed in the contacts section (including one helpfully labelled “home” - I eventually tracked the owner down in Manchester. She said that the phone had been stolen from her purse a couple of weeks ago and between us, we decided it was time to call in the police.I had been keeping a series of printouts of all the emails between myself, the seller, the contacts I had phoned & emailed and the phone’s rightful owner, all sealed in a brown envelope and took it to my local police station. Whilst I was doing this, she had also contacted the police in Manchester and reported the phone as stolen. She didn’t report it as stolen straight away as she felt there was a slight chance of getting the phone back.
Suffice to say the police were not particularly helpful or indeed, interested despite the fact I had the seller’s address and details, and a record of everything that happened. Eventually, I registered a call with Crimestoppers, which is where the police involvement seemed to end. I haven’t heard anything from them since. Meanwhile, I posted the phone back to its owner in Manchester figuring that, if nothing else, at least the phone and its owner could be happily reunited (and are currently doing well).
I also got in touch with Paypal to say that I had received stolen goods. Paypal subsequently opened up a hideously complicated dialogue between me, themselves and the seller who I hadn’t actually wanted to speak to until the police had made contact. First, the seller had his funds taken off him but they were not returned to my account. I then received an email (which I later found out to be automated) asking me to return the phone to the eBay seller. This gave me the impression that either Paypal condones this kind of behaviour or at the very least doesn’t care.
The seller subsequently put in an Unpaid Buyer Strike against me on eBay. That’s right - I had sent the phone to its proper home, had contacted all the right people and as a result got a warning from eBay for not paying for it, despite the fact I already had! Having thought Paypal’s complaint system was complicated, it’s nothing compared to eBay’s. You have to go through any number of forms and to be perectly blunt, crap before you even make contact with a HUMAN support representative. At least with Paypal there’s a phone number you can ring....
In summary, I have yet to receive a refund from Paypal, the seller has reclaimed his fee from eBay, the police don’t seem to care and my blood pressure has shot up through stress. So remember the next time you see an eBay bargain, think carefully about it before you click...
Some thoughts for anyone who wants to avoid a similar experience:
1) ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS have a security lock on your phone. It’s enough to slow down a casual thief and it makes the phone incredibly difficult to sell on - remember, you can’t even hard reset without the pin code.
2) If a phone is being sold as handset only, ask yourself why. Find out as much as possible about it and always try to get some kind of proof of purchase.
3) If your phone is stolen, report it straight away - a barred phone is no use to anyone and is impossible to sell on.
4) Keep a record of all your emails between the seller and yourself.
5) Examine the seller's feedback with a fine toothcomb. Not just the number stats, but look at the negatives and read the comments, noting the sort of items he or she is selling and seeing if your intended purchase fits a pattern.
6) When posting phones, always use Special Delivery or Recorded Delivery at least - anything that has a specific tracking number.