THE SCAMMER PAGE

Hello everyone this page is dedicated to those ppl I've run into on ebay and such places that are scamers while buying parts for my car, watch out for theses guys!!

Here is the whole detailed facts about one of my "gone bad" purchases on ebay...dont get me wrong there are alot of good ppl on ebay just some are bad.

- Splitsecondmotors (aka HARRY PHILLIPS)(ebay seller and from GARDENA CA, USA) BAD SELLER!! I won a auction for a set of clear side markers for my girl friends car. I paid and waited. To make a long story short I waited for 40+ days and still nothing then filed a complaint with paypal and ebay. And leave him neg feedback. He said he sent them but gave me a fake tracking number,,,and now he said the item is out of stock. Looks like hes ripping others off too look at his feedback....now he wrecked my feedback and left me neg. because I left him neg. can you say asshole!!!

-LOCUST AUDIO (ebay seller and from CT, USA) BAD SELLER w/ rip off shipping costs and if they screw up they will wreck your feedback rating, thats what happened to me!
I will give you 2 versions of this story 1st the short version and then you can read the long detailed version with all the emails included if you wish.

For those of you who dont know here is the auction number so you can see for yourself and you can check out the feedback: 5767270810

Short version goes:
On ebay I was searching for a set of 6x9s for the Iroc and when I asked Locust Audio how much shipping to Canada for the 6x9s? (now the item costs $26.95 and they didnt list a shipping price for Canada in the discription). They replyed "an additional $22". So I thought that ment on top of the selling price and insurance if I wanted it. So I go ahead and bid on the speakers with a buy it now thinking it would cost me 26.95+22=$48.95. They then after tell me my total was $75.90. They say they ment by "additional" I had to pay the US shipping costs also. So now its $48.95 just for shipping. Id like to point out I live only a 12hour drive from this seller. I complained to them and ended up paying for the item just so ebay didnt suspend my account because I didnt follow thru on the contract. After the item arrived in a beaten up used 'Medline' box with no bubble wrap or styrofoam I complained again. I also got proof that they only had to spend $20.35 to ship my item useing UPS on my invoice. So Locust said the remaining $28.60 is their handleing fees. Thats almost the amount I payed for the speakers alone. These guys are obviously makeing their profits off of handleing and making there prices look low to buyers on ebay... but after you add on there "fees" thats where they get yah! They got me and I dont want to see them get other Canadians! Sure if you live in California which is as far from Locust Audio as you can get (in CT) you would only have to pay the US shipping price but if your close to the state of CT OR in Canada (even eastern Canada) your screwed!! These guys even had the nearve to leave me neg. feedback even tho they got there money from me. I dont get it ppl like this should be kicked off ebay.

Here are some pictures I took of the box my item arrived in..pretty bad for $28.60 handleing costs!!

And here is the proof of what I paid for shipping and how much it actually cost them. 1st pic is Locust Audio's invoice, then the 2nd pic is UPS's invoice (knowtice the UPS frieght charge).

If you look at my total cost to get these speakers youll see i would have been way better off going locally or to other online places like Sounddomain.com (sorry guys I will next time) or even other good ebay sellers. Here is the total cost breakdown of what i had to pay for what looked to be like a cheap set of speakers:
Speakers $26.95
US shipping $26.95
Canada shipping $22.00
total (us funds)= $75.90
converted to Can. funds thats $100.18
add on 5.00(can funds) for a money order as they wouldn't accept my paypal
add on the 22.87 i had to pay for duty and brokerage fees to get it across the border
The grand total is $128.05(Canadian funds or $97 US funds)
Ive bought many things from the us and it never ends up being that much more then the selling price. The proof stands for itself dont buy from these guys!!! There prices are no where near low at all!!!!! They still claim to be "the cheapest prices around" but how can they live up to that if they are chargeing 50bucks for shipping. Go ahead look for yourself shop around and I hope youll see (unlike me) the ppl who offer the real cheapest prices dont forget that means shipping also. And when Locust Audio tells you "additional" you better beable to read there minds!

Here is the long version (w/ the actual emails):

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-Email to Locust
Dear locustaudio,
Hello, How much shipping to C0A XXX in canada??? And if i combine is there a discount??
Jeff

-Reply from Locust (04/12/05)
Hi,
Shipping for this item is an additional $22.00. We do combine shipping. Let us know

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"Now on 04/18/05 I purchaced item on ebay"

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-Email to Locust(04/18/05)
Dear locustaudio,
Hello, I purchased this item with buy it now...I need to know where to send the money order and how much for shipping (i got a earlyer quote of 22$) is this still right??? Thank you Jeff Currie

-Reply from Locust (04/18/05)
Hello,
You can send Money Orders or checks to: Locust Audio P.O. Box XXXXXXXXXXXXX Please be sure to include the item #, description, Date of Purchase, and mailing address. Money orders will take 3-5 days to clear and process. We will notify your once payment has been received, and your order has been processed. Thank you for shopping at Locust Audio, and have a great day!
-Locust Audio
Your total for this item with international shipping is $75.90. Let us know

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-Email to Locust(04/19/05)
hello, 75.90 total??? whats up with that you quoted me 22 for shipping to canada......You arnt supposed to make me pay 22 for canada plus the price for us shipping also??? Or is there something else wrong here???? I dont understand shipping of 2 speakers shouldnt be almost 50bucks!!! Please give me another shipping option... Like airmail usps or ground usps. Let me know what you can do 75 total is crazy! Thanks Jeff Currie

-Reply from Locust(04/19/05)
Hi,
In our earlier e-mail to you, we stated that the shipping was an additional $22.00. That is on top of the regular shipping costs. Then we sent an e-mail to you with the entire cost of the transaction. This price is for UPS standard (which is ground) our shipping costs include a handling charge also as it takes more time to complete the customs forms. Let us know

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-Email to Locust(04/19/05)
Yes you are correct you said "an additional 22.00" But no where does that say ontop of US shipping price!!!!!!!....... i read it as ontop of the selling price and insurence if i wanted it. You cant expect me to assume i have to pay the us shipping price when im not even getting it shipped to the US. Looks like we both have a misscomunication.....But i dont think i will want the speakers if they are costing 50bucks to ship...I can buy the same speakers localy for less once you add on exchange, 50bucks for shipping and the selling price. You have to be more clear with your emails to ebayers and you should be includeding canada shipping costs on your discriptions in the first place. If you cannot offer a cheaper shipping route then ups i probably dont want to continue this trasaction. Please let me know!! Jeff Currie

-Reply from Locust(04/19/05)
Hi,
We cannot go lower on the shipping as we quoted you the exact cost. Let us know

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-Email to Locust(04/19/05)
Ok guys,,, do i have to say it again?? you did not quote me the exact total cost before i won the item you quoted me 22 dollars and didnt specify what else i needed to pay for. You sent me the total cost after i already won the item. If your going to charge 50bucks for shipping for an item you need to tell ppl before they bid if they ask...... It looks like im going to have to get ahold of ebay. Where do we go from here is there going to be neg feedback left or ???... because as i see it you should of been alittle more clear on your shipping quotes to costomers. Your shipping prices are crazy!!!! I checked ups's site and the total estimate shipping should only be no more then 20dollars. You want 50$ Thats 30$ for handleing????? That doesnt sound right. Also its not like im on the other side of the country im only a little over 700miles away from you and would take about 12hrs to drive there myself...but you will charge someone on the other side of the country half as much shipping as your trying to charge me. Your shipping prices are crazy and you fail to inform ppl of that. I buy and sell to the US all the time and i never had to pay more then 30 for shipping on even larger items. It sucks it had to end this way but you will see no money from me if your shipping costs dont come down. I would like to resolve this matter mutualy before leaving neg feedback. If you cant admit fault here then neg feedback will be left and all sent and received emails will be forwarded to ebay investigations dept. Jeff Currie

-Reply from Locust(04/20/05)
Hello,
Usually in the English language ADDITIONAL means above and beyond, or "on top of". When we quote a price as ADDITIONAL why would you think that replaces the Std S&H cost? The Standard cost isn't neccassarily the S&H cost within the US, it is more of the base charge that UPS charges for each package. This is why there is a discount on multiple items (there is no base price for the 2nd item). UPS does charge alot, and yes we do have a handling fee included, and yes the S&H can seem costly at times, but let us ask you this. Can you buy it cheaper anywhere on the net or eBay? You can not. Check our competitors S&H prices and you will see the big sellers have the exact same price range. We know this, because in order to make any sells on eBay whatsoever, we must have prices that compete with the other sellers. Our TOTAL price is always the lowest on eBay, always. We change prices three times a day to stay below the competition. We're sorry if you misunderstood the quote.
As far as feedback goes, you will receive exactly what you leave. We do not leave feedback first, and we do not leave Negative or Neutral unless is has been left for us. We too would like to resolve this issue without anyones reputation being tarnished. We ship roughly 6-10 packages to Canada a day, and never do we have this problem. Everyone else seems to understand that ADDITIONAL means just that. You can't possibly expect us to list the international S&H cost for every item for every country on earth. That is why we ask you to email us first. You must understand that we ship all over the globe on a regualr basis, and it is simply not feasable to list every cost for every country. Also keep in mind that shipping to the east side of Canada is MUCH cheaper then shipping out towards Alaska. So we couldn't list a flat fee if we wanted.
Regardless of the misunderstanding and everything else, we try to be as clear as possible, and we apologize if we wern't.
If you would like to cancel the order, you may do so without consequence, however you would inccur the 15% restocking fee that is clearly mentioned in the auction, as your item has already been pulled from inventory and packaged up. This fee covers the cost of listing the auction, having to relist it since it was cancelled, and to cover the labor of unpacking the item,& putting it back into inventory. If you decide to go ahead with the transaction, then you can submit payment and you will be shipped the product promptly. Let us know what you would like to do. We feel our feedback is proof that we DO try to work with the customer, and it is not our habit to make customers feel cheated. Thank you
-Locust Audio

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-Email to Locust(04/20/05)
Ok, Im still unsure what im ganna deside to do here,,,,Just for shits and giggles if i did pay the 15% restocking fee (which is not ganna happen)...is that on the item cost 26.95only or on the 75.90?? Also why would the restocking fee cover listing the auction when ebay refunds you that fee, if we both agree to mutually deside not to continue the transaction. I dont understand the company your trying to run here but your asking me to pay a restocking fee for me being misinformed about your shipping costs, why is this my fault?? Fact is you vaugly implyed I would have to pay more $$ then just the $22...no where did you say how much more i had to pay for or what that covered....I cant read your mind. You should just cut your losses and be alittle more clear in emails so this will never happen again...nothing burns me more when ppl cant admit when they screwed up. When chargeing canadians 50$ to ship here im sure your makeing about 25$ extra from shipping from each person I dont think your going to be hurting that much you need to charge me a restocking fee. About the 15% fee on the discription page it says: "Any refunds granted, will incur a 15% restocking fee, to cover the time and labor of processing the order. No exceptions. I am not asking for a refund so it shouldnt apply to me. You need to say "Any non paying bidders will incure a 15%....." So for this I am not paying your fee. Im going to check around town and if i deside tomorow i still want these overpriced (on shipping) speakers ill let you know then. If i would of known they were 50bucks to ship i wouldnt of bid...you have to be more clear with your shipping quote emails as i garrantee you will run into this problem many many more times,,and id be really surprized if this hasnt happened before. I have a feeling the truth will be shown in the feedback and i pitty the next fool you try to snoker in.....your shipping and handleing methods are very shady and dirty. I will let you know more tomorow. Jeff

-Reply from Locust(04/20/05)
Hi,
We do not understand why you did not understand additional $22.00 for shipping to Canada. It states in our auction that the shipping and handling was $26.95. Did you actually think that shipping internationally was less? That you would just pay $22.00 for shipping and not the $26.95. Like we have stated before, we ship a ton of products internationally and this is the first time that we are having a problem like this. We will process the E-Bay transaction form so that we can recoup our costs for this mishap.

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-Email to Locust(04/20/05)
You dont need to understand why i didnt assume "additional 22.00" ment ontop of us shipping cost. Fact is i didnt understand because you weren't clear in your quote! I ask how much to ship to my address you send "an additional 22$" Why would i think it was ontop of the US shipping?? I assume its ontop of whatever i bid on the speakers. Its totaly different im in Canada I have nothing to do with the shipping to the US. Why couldnt you of just stated a total shipping cost why do you have to vaugly imply i have to pay the us shipping also, like i said thats dirty. Did you do that just so I'd buy....because any person in there right mind wouldnt buy them with shipping at 50bucks! It doesnt matter now why i didnt "get" your meaning of "additional" anyhow 50 is crazy your makeing money off shipping to keep your prices look low. You still dont want to work with me on this at all.......Im telling you the truth i didnt think shipping was ganna be us price + the 22 when i bid. You still want to hold me to this contract even tho i feel you had some fault in this matter! Im starting to assume you are no different then those other scam sellers on ebay who charge 99cents for high priced items and charge you 70bucks to ship it to cover there costs of the item. And yes i thought canadian shipping could be less cause you said it was 22bucks,, why would i a buyer argue? I knew you used ups for us shipping and because most other sellers like to offer cheaper methods like usps for canadian buyers 22 sounded right (for usps)... i know for a fact if you sent thoes speakers thru usps 22$ would be about right. UPS just donest cut it here in canada... and most ppl you talk to in Canada will like usps airmail just as good, for almost half the price im guessing. It just doesnt make sence to send parcels to canada using UPS. like i said ill let you know tomorow if im going to pay.

-No Reply from Locust

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"Now on 04/18/05 I end up paying for the item with money order... (somehow unconfirmed paypal address isnt good enought for them, Most ppl in Canada have no way to confirm there address, just like me!) I pay because i dont want to have a bad rep. on ebay even tho i still think they are crooks"

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-Email to Locust(04/21/05)
Hello,, You guys use UPS to ship right,,, whats the 3$ insurance you sell cover??? I was looking into UPS and they have "Loss/Damage protection up to $100 per shipment" for free with UPS international shipments. Whats up with that?? Jeff

-No Reply from Locust

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-Email to Locust(05/07/05)
Hello,, I sent a m/o for my ebay item almost 2 weeks ago, did you get it yet??? Was my item shipped off?? I didnt get a tracking number.... you must of got my m/o by now or no??? Please let me know if you did or did not!!! If you havent recived the m/o yet then disregard this this message but it should be there by now.....and let me know either way...thanks alot!!!! Jeff Currie

-Reply from Locust(05/07/05)
Hi,
Your item is being processed and will ship out on Monday. Thanks

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-Email to Locust(05/12/05)
Hello, I received my item today. I installed the speakers and they work fine. I have to tell you I wasnt happy at all about the packageing you used.... My item arrived in an old beat up used "Medline" box. There was no bubble wrap or styrofoam or anything.... just a couple chunks of cardboard. I paid $48.95 in total for shipping and according to UPS it should only cost $20.35 to ship that 9lb box to me (which I've already countless times expressed to you). And along with my item i read the invoice showing that you only had to pay exactly $20.35 to send my item. So now thats 28.60 you charged me for handleing fees. For $28.60 you should beable to afford some shipping supplies. I'm surprised my speakers arrived in one piece. Im asking you one more time to refund some of the money you riped me off for shipping & handleing. If not neg feedback will be left and im sure youll do the same for me because I see even ppl who leave you neutral feedback recieve neg. from you. Let me know!! Thanks Jeff Currie

-Reply from Locust(05/12/05)
Hi,
We understand you concerns, however, we ship out roughly 90 packages a day and have never had any of our products come damaged, lost by UPS yes, but never damaged. The item itself is packaged to withstand any damage and we use a box simply because we do not want the UPS people to see whats inside so that more packages become lost. Most of our competitors simply slap a sticker on the product box, seal it, and ship it out. We apologize if the cardboard box did not meet your standards, however, as you stated, the speakers are not damaged and work fine. We employ 20 people in our shipping dept and payroll on the east coast is not cheap. We state very clearly in our auction that the shipping charge is also for handling. We understand you do not wish to pay this amount, however, you did purchase the item and you did agree to whatever shipping and handling fee we charge. We did not force you to purchase this item and on the contrary, we DID provide you with the LOWEST total price on the internet. We are sorry that you feel that you were taken advantage of and most likely will not be a customer of ours anymore. As you can tell, our feedback rating is very important to us, however, we will not be threatened with any kind of monetary renumerification in order to not receive a negative response . Thank you

*****

"I then left negative feedback for them as I felt it was the truth and im sure you will agree and I knew I wasnt getting thru to these people"

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-Email to Locust(05/13/05)
Monetary renumerification,,,,,?? thats not what this is about..... As a ebay user your shipping services SUCK and you took 30$ of my money and you put that into your pocket for handleing "fees". Your out to rip off buyers.... make your prices look low when they are not because your profits come from handleing fees. If you couldnt make me happy as your costomer (money or no money) then i will remain unhappy when i leave you feedback. This matter is done. Fact is you made more profit from the handleing fees you charged me then the speakers themselfs and thats the bottom truth!!! If you pay someone 30bucks to handle my item for say 10mins to box it up and fill out a form then hell we all should start working for you. Have a good day and good luck to the poor suckers you rip off!! Bye! JC

-Reply from Locust(05/13/05)
Hi,
This is all about money, if you didn't like our prices why did you buy from us? Because we have the lowest total price!! Then you complain about the price after you received the item! You are nothing but a scammer trying to get a discount after the fact and trying to threaten with negative feedback to get money back. Enjoy your new feedback rating

******

Now Locust leaves me neg feedback even tho they got there money, and now I'm the scammer I guess?? As you already read I complained about there price even before I paid for the item. I only paid because I didnt want to get slaped with a non paying bidder value from ebay and risk looseing my privlages on ebay, because of their first vague email."

On a final note to this story for everyone reading this, dont buy from these crooks spend your hard earned money wisely,,, look on ebay for better deals trust me these guys arent the cheapest just look at how much total I paid for some 6x9s! Imagine the cost of shipping on something heavyer like subs.