rx7locost

I had been looking for a good rotor housing and rotor for my S5/NA engine. I ran across this ad by him: https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-rx-7-1986-1992-parts-194/s5-parts-mostly-n-858223/

So I sent him a PM:
09-03-09, 06:37 PM
Re: ….the housing, they are, shall we say, somewhat oily? But the one photo of the exhaust port looks good. Do you see any flaking or scoring on either of the housings? If both are in identical condition, I'd be interested in the front housing. Else, the rear would work if it is better…..

He replied almost immediately:
09-03-09, 09:17 PM
….The pics are from my cell phone because my real camera is broken. Both housings are in great shape, no flaking etc. They are C weight. All of the seal are in great condition, none are stuck. The rotors just need to be cleaned….

Several PM’s back and forth took place talking about rotor condition, pricing, etc. and then he came back with this:
09-04-09, 03:58 AM
Sorry for so many messages. If you can paypal the money today (friday) I will ship it for $xxx. I got a line on a real greddy type r BOV and need to send payment asap. Thanks. If you want you can call me at 504-xxx-xxxx. Thanks again. Steve.

So I called him directly and we talked. Nice enough guy over the phone. I re-verified the condition of the rotor and housing. I was assured everything was in great condition. I asked if he could sent it out that day and he said that he was already making a trip to the post office so getting my shipment out too was not a problem. I asked that he send me a tracking # for the shipment. When we got off the phone, I immediately went to PayPal and sent him the agreed price. In confirmation of our discussion, this is what I placed in the PayPal notation box for some protection:

Subject: S5 NA used rotor and housing
Note: Payment in full for a S5 N/A front housing. No flaking or scoring on the inner surface, or physical external damage that would prevent it from being used.

The rotor is a S5 N/A rotor with no detonation damage and all seals are free to move in their groove. The bearing does not show any copper.

I received no word back from him on that Friday, so Saturday I sent the following:
09-05-09, 05:23 PM
Steve, I sent the money via PayPal yesterday morning. PayPal identified the user as (edit: someone else’s name). Is this you? Have you got a tracking number yet?

I should have suspected something was up…..
09-05-09, 05:26 PM
Yes that is the right one. Unfortunately, I could not make it to the post office yet. I will have to send it on Tuesday. It is all packaged and bubble-wrapped and ready to go.

Holiday weekend, so I waited hoping that Tues, I’d get some sort of shipping confirmation #. –Nothing- So late Tues afternoon I sent him the following PM:
09-08-09, 09:11 PM
Did you make it to the post office today? Tracking number please?

He replied the next day with:
09-09-09, 04:23 PM
Sorry, My little brother spilled oil all over the box I had you're parts in and they wouldn't take it. I got it shipped out today. The number is (edit). Thanks again. Good luck with your project.

It sounded to me a little like ”the dog ate my homework” excuse one would get from a grade school kid. But I let that pass. I checked the tracking number and it didn’t show up in the system. So I waited another day and tried again. No luck. A few back and forth PM’s regarding the bad number he listed. I finally got the number worked out. I received the package mid day on Sept 11, 2009. When I opened it, I was dismayed to find that the housing had the familiar apex seal damage through the plating in 2 areas one about 3-1/2” long and the other about 6” long. This is after explicitly asking about any damage before making the transaction. In addition, the N/A housing had a TII Exhaust port insert installed. I didn’t ask about this since it was described as a N/A housing with no other disclaimers. The rotor had some stuck seals that had to be dug out of the grooves. But it was still useable so I decided not to complain about it. I immediately called Steve, described the condition of the housing. He replied that the apex seal plating damage was still acceptable for a rebuild. I maintained that I asked about the damage beforehand and was assured by him that there was no damage. We talked about making some sort of refund due to the described condition of the housing being wrong. We agreed to a number and I said that if he wanted me to return the bad housing, I would do so at his cost. He didn’t have any money in PayPal to make an immediate refund at the time but was expecting some sales soon. He maintained that the housing was still useable and he thought he might have a buyer for it.

As agreed, I took some photos of the damaged areas and one overall shot and sent them to his e-mail address. 5 days later I sent him:
09-14-09, 08:23 PM
Steve, Where do we stand on the refund?

09-15-09, 01:52 PM
I'm just waiting on my other buyer to tell me yes or no. I will let you know as soon as I know.

I am beginning to feel that I’ve been taken advantage of. I think he is hoping for the 45 day limit on PayPal transactions to expire. So I offered an alternative solution:
09-16-09, 09:12 PM
Steve, This is taking too long. I have tried to be reasonable but it has been since last Friday that we agreed to the refund of $65. I'd like to put this behind me and move on.

I would consider some other parts IF, and only if, the parts are in working condition. You know I will be checking them over. I see you have several rear housings and rear gears. I need a rear bearing in good condition for S4 or S5. BUT it must have absolutely no copper showing. I don't need the whole housing, just a good stationary gear w/a good bearing. Also I need leading and trailing coil sets w/igniters. S5 (I think S4 are the same). I'm not sure if you have the coils or not. So I am proposing these 3 items, shipped and we'll call it even. If you want the bad housing back, pay for shipping and it is yours.

I think this is fair and will complete this transaction clean and simple. What do you think?

He replied:
09-17-09, 11:30 AM
Chuck, Call me. 504 xxx-xxxx.

So, again I called and again we talked. He didn’t have a good rear stationary gear and didn’t have a set of working coils. He had nothing else to trade that I needed. But he promised to make good on the refund. This time his story was: he expected to be finalizing a sale over the weekend and was expecting to get a Money Order early in the week. When he got that, he would Money Order my refund. In another attempt, he would send an e-mail to follow up with the guy who MAY still want the housing. I’m not happy at this point, but you can’t squeeze blood from a stone.

THEN I find he has posted this wanted to buy post: https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-rx-7-1986-1992-parts-194/rtek-1-5-n370-greddy-compression-tube-864668/

So I promptly reminded him of his obligation in a PM as follows:

09-23-09, 07:28 AM Steve, yesterday you posted the following:

"Rtek 1.5 N370 and Greddy Compression Tube
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the title states. I have an N370 I'd be willing to trade +cash for the Rtek and need a Compression tube bad. I have cash in hand ready to pay."

Evidently you now have money. First things first. Please send me my refund of $xx for the bad rotor housing plus $10 shipping costs to send the bad housing back.

If I have nothing by Friday AM, I will begin to seek action.

Chuck
Later that same day he added to his post asking for an “Rtek 1.5 chipped N370”

I received a reply yesterday to my PM as follows:

09-24-09, 11:34 PM
I still haven't received the money order from that kid. I just PM'd him. I will let you know when I do. Don't worry about sending that housing back. I'll just have to be sure not to sell to you again. Sorry about the inconvenience.

Imagine that, He doesn’t want to sell to me. He has my money and I have a defective housing!

Anyway, it is Friday morning, 2 weeks after his promise to refund me $xx for the bad housing he shipped. I don’t have my refund yet and as promised, I am taking the first step of action. I am writing this post on the Rx7Club’s The Bad & Fugly Members.

I am somewhat of a trusting guy, but a threat is not a threat unless carried through. I still hope to receive my refund but based on the results so far, I really don’t expect to. If I do, I will post it here and make amends. If not, I will wait a few more days in the hopes that he will still make good with his refund before contacting PayPal.

In the mean time, be very cautious with any dealings with Z3r0s1gnaL.

Chuck

str8ryd

iTrader: (473)

Chuck, this seems like an unfortunate situation to be in. I would also contact the moderators of this particular section to let them know of your ordeal. They might be willing to stop the other member from posting any additional F/S or WTB threads until things are sorted out with you. Might just force him to make things right. Hope it works out...

2slow4stock

iTrader: (18)

Ouch, it still hasn't been resolved? I remember you telling me about the bad housing. Good luck, hope everything works out for you Chuck.

MuRCieLaGo

iTrader: (14)

Ouch I hate that kind of seller...

rx7locost

Thanks for the support guys.

A followup to my story. I PM'd the moderator about this today. Within 4 hrs, I had my refund via PayPal. I don't yet know whether the two actions were related or not. At this point it is unimportant to me.

What is important is that the matter has been resolved satisfactorily in my eyes. The issue is closed and we can both move on.

Chuck

Z3r0 s1gnaL

iTrader: (6)

wow. didn't even know you posted this. again like i told you on the phone. act like a man. i did. I did exactly what i told you i would do. I told you that I would refund your money. Done. I told you I would keep you in the loop. Done. I told you that I would get you what I could when I could. Done. I told you that it's hard for me to just up and send money as I don't have a 9-5 job due to my motorcycle accident. (try being a tech with a broken hand, it doesn't work too well) I sold a TB and sent you the money promptly. so again, I don't want to deal with you anymore. period. too much of a hassle. If you ask anyone else i've bought or sold to I do nothing but work out deals to help everyone out. You neglected to mention that I gave you the full price (that I sell them for all the time) of the housing back when you didn't pay full price for either the rotor or the housing AND I PAYED THE SHIPPING! And we never AGREED on $65, I told you that was kind of unfair considering you didn't pay full price. But decided to man up and just give you that amount because of the waste of your time. So yet again, wow. I was not waiting for the 45 days to be up, YOU'RE JUST IMPATIENT. So calm down, don't try to **** up the only source of income I have, and just get the **** over it. I even told you to keep the housing, thinking you would scrap it and make an extra couple bucks just for the hassle of the whole situation. I also apologized time and time again for the shitty situation. You never once stated that I was apologetic and did my best to resolve the issue. By the way, the post office will not take a sealed box that has liquid on it. Its USPS precaution, It could be hazardous. So don't give me the "sounds like the dog ate my homework excuse" because that's bullshit.

rx7roller02

Well, I have never done business with either of you, but here's my two cents.



Stop right there. You really need to back off this guy, and fast.

You promised him parts that were in far better condition than what you actually sent him. There is no way youre going to convince me that you didnt know the condition of the parts before you sealed the box. You also cannot convince me that you didnt realize that your description didnt match up with the reality. On this forum, when you tell someone that the parts youre selling are:

--and they arent in that condition, you dont have any business telling someone else to "act like a man". It is that simple. Truth of the matter is this--if what you sold him was actually in the condition you claimed it was, this thread and all of the rest of the things that youre complaining about now would never have happened. Think about that before you respond.


See above. If you did exactly what you told him you would do, you wouldnt have sent him parts that werent in good shape. Sorry, but the facts dont agree with your assessment thus far.

Please, then, explain why you were on here trying to buy items, saying you "had cash in hand", when you put him off, claiming that you "would get him what you could, when you could".....You said you had cash in hand for an Rtek 1.5, which costs $120 new....but you tried to make him wait for his money back? And you honestly cannot see why he had an issue there? Think about it...


Your actions with other people, while helpful when it comes to the total reputation you have put together here, are not indicative of anything in this case. Especially lately, when we have seen even veteran sellers or buyers all of a sudden treat customers badly, or even sometimes turn to ripping them off. What matters is not what you did for other buyers, but what you did for this one. So far, you--

--advertised a part falsely
--took longer than expeted to ship it out
--knowingly sent him parts that were not in the shape you promised them to be
--tried to buy parts at the same time you gave him a sob story about not having any money or income...
--And THEN, after all of this, you tell HIM to act like a man....

Do you REALLY think that what you have done for other buyers will change HIS experience with you? I think not. Something tells me you wont have to worry about doing business with him again, I'm pretty sure you scared him off with this transaction.


Does any of that change the fact that you should have simply been honest about your advertising in the first place, but werent? Next time, dont say "its in great condition" when you can tell by looking at it that it isnt...youre a techincian, so you should know better, shouldnt you? Be honest, it isnt like you didnt know better about the actual condition of these parts when you put them in the box.....


Which was, to be frank, the least you could do at this point.


Are you kidding me?

You kept him waiting over three weeks for a refund while you shopped for more parts with "cash in hand". And again, would any of this been necessary if you had told the truth about the condition of the parts to begin with? I see in your FS thread that you claimed the irons to be from a rebuild that had only 5,000 miles on it.....you sure talked them up as being in such great shape. And after all this mess, youre convinced that the problem is that he is impatient?

Heres a better idea--

handle your business "like a man" from the start. That way you wont run into these damn "impatient" buyers that only wanted what you promised in the first place.


wow, youre a saint. You werent honest in your description, but since you did all this other stuff, we're supposed to overlook that? Maybe they will name a jr high school after you someday or something....in the meantime, if youre going to sell parts on THIS forum, you are going to be honest about the shape they are in. OR, you can look for some other place to conduct "your only income at this time". I hardly think that I am expecting too much from you.....

David Hayes

iTrader: (6)

owned!

I read Z3r0 s1gnaL's response and made a mental note never to do business with him. What is wrong with people nowadays? Do the right thing and situations like this will not occur.

cpnneeda

iTrader: (1)

Thing that gets me, I'd be paranoid selling on here. We are a rather **** crowd when it comes to buying and selling. How could you NOT go out of your way when trying to do business with someone else on here?

To many fumbles, to many poor choices. Don't get upset about it, Z3r0 s1gnaL, just learn from it. You said you've done business here before? Then you should be well aware of how 90% or more of this forum want to have ABSOLUTELY every single detail, major or minor, when they buy something. Hell, we nit pick NEW parts, you know it'll happen to used stuff.

Work it out guys, and move on. No need to argue or fuss, just be done with it.

KB7SKV

I am NOT defending Z3r0 s1gnaL's actions, but I did want to tell my experience with him... I found a listing of his with an ECU I needed, asked him about it, got a prompt answer, worked out a price and pay-pal'd him the money on a friday. I received my ECU the following friday in the condition advertised, and with no problems. I will add no editorial, simply let everyone make their own decisions about Z3r0 s1gnaL.

rx7roller02

It's about time for a resolution to this issue......how about it, zerosignal? The ball's in your court, tell us how and when this is going to get fixed.

Scorpio Antares

What a pointless thread.

The kid messed up on what he was selling. The buyer has to high of expectations for used parts, go buy a new part then. stop crying, you got your money back. now put it behind you.

You really do seem impatient just the fact that you make a thread that still worked out in your favor. he even let you keep the housing. I strongly believe you had terrible doubts for this seller. You even go to assume hes making excuses from the beginning.

And all i see in the end is a loss on the seller, not you. You remind me of customers who whines alot.

Good luck.

Z3r0 s1gnaL

iTrader: (6)

Are you ******* retarded? This has been resolved for weeks. He got his money back and he kept the parts. It says that IN THIS THREAD. You are a moron. Do you even know how to read? It was said that I sent his money back and that he could keep the other housing In my First and only reply to this pointless thread.

Z3r0 s1gnaL

iTrader: (6)

Thanks again, and good luck with your car. I hope it serves you well. (btw I put my RteK in, it installed easily!)

Z3r0 s1gnaL

iTrader: (6)

My thoughts exactly. I fucked up. Won't happen again. Everyone needs to just get the **** over it. I try very hard not to **** up, but ya know what..... **** HAPPENS. I apologized, Sent his money back and let him keep the housing. It's over. done.

rx7roller02

so wait, let me get this straight...

a seller specifically asdertises his parts for sale in far better condition than they actually are.....and youre complaining about the buyer's expectations? Let me ask you a question--where in the hell do you think the buyer's expectations CAME FROM??

COULDNT be from the seller reassuring him that the parts were in advertised condition, could it??

Next time, before you post something else thats this ignorant, think first. False advertising can actually be a criminal offense in this country depending on the circumstances. Most places call it fraud.

rx7roller02

First off, genius, it was a mere oversight. Dont get your panties in a wad because of it. I did not notice where he said that you refunded him until after you pointed out that you had done so. Perhaps I didnt notice it because your earlier post in which you whined and cried with excuses overshadowed his....hmmmmm

Second, you lied in your advertisement for these parts. Then, you lied again by telling him that "as soon as you had the cash you would refund him", while when you did get the cash you went parts shopping instead--so why on earth would I have taken your word for it when you said you paid him back?

Third, you know the rules of this forum. Garbage like what you posted isnt allowed. The fact remains, that only after this buyer contacted a moderator did you actually do anything to resolve your screwup, so dont come in here now and put on soime BS act....you showed your true colors just fine. And now, because you think your own screwup entitles you to treat me like crap, you can have a vacation from the forum. Maybe when you return you will learn to deal with your stuff like a man instead of pissing and moaning at me because you lied in the first place. Good day to you.