I have officially been scammed - please help!

[xTic_Tac_Toex]

Hey guys!

Bought a lovely lot of ponies a few weeks ago that got posted yesterday by Parcelfoce 48. The question is, should I expect them today or on Monday? Does yesterday count as the first lot of 24 hours and today as the second lot? I rarely get deliveries from them so am not sure.

Thanks for any help you may have

XTic_Tac_Toex

[icecreamgirl]

I think it's delivery within 48 hours so it will be 48 hours after posting so I'm guessing it will arrive Monday!


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[xTic_Tac_Toex]

That makes sense, thought it might be the case but I hoped maybe it'd be sooner Thanks for your help!

[hathorcat]

Parcelforce is working hours but they include Saturday (at the moment however that's likely to change soon enough). However your 48 hours start the day after posting; so technically your first 24 is Saturday and your second 24 is Monday. It should arrive therefore Monday but it is permitted it could arrive in Tuesday.

[xTic_Tac_Toex]

Ah that makes sense, thanks so much! Really hope it arrives today

[Ringlets]

Looks you got some good advice already   Hopefully your parcel should be here by today at the latest if it hasnt arrived already   

[ponylady]

Thanks Hathorcat  That's great info to know!

Hope your item arrives soon xTic_Tac_Toex

[xTic_Tac_Toex]

Still hasn't arrived yet, definitely should by the end of the day though I should hope! Loads of lovely G1s, I'm desperate to see them, haha

Post Merge: September 03, 2014, 02:33:08 AM

I'm still waiting on this! Any chance that Saturday didn't count as a delivery? Bit worried as there are 50 G1s in that box, haha

[CupidStrikes]

Still hasn't arrived yet, definitely should by the end of the day though I should hope! Loads of lovely G1s, I'm desperate to see them, haha

Post Merge: September 03, 2014, 02:33:08 AM

I'm still waiting on this! Any chance that Saturday didn't count as a delivery? Bit worried as there are 50 G1s in that box, haha

ParcelFarce taking their sweet time to deliver something is sadly not out of the ordinary =/ Do you have a tracking number for your parcel?

[xTic_Tac_Toex]

Unfortunately I don't have a tracking number. Starting to get a bit worried - been trying to contact the seller over the past two days and they haven't replied. It was a Gumtree sale so it seems unlikely I'm getting scammed, but it still concerns me becase they weren't cheap and I paid by bank transfer, which I think means I have no buyer protection?

He told me last Friday that his wife posted them when he was at work, so maybe she didn't realise they were meant to go by Parcelforce and they just got sent by 2nd class Royal Mail? Wouldn't 50 ponies be too heavy to send by Royal Mail?

[CupidStrikes]

That sounds slightly odd - I don't use ParcelFarce much, but I was under the impression that all their services came with tracking? Royal Mail ships up to 2KG, I think, so I'm not sure that 50 ponies would fit.

With a bank transfer you might be able to file a chargeback with your bank but I'm not sure how this works, or if all banks are willing to do it.

Again, it would not surprise me if the delay is entirely down to PF being incompetent.

[ponylady]

  I am so sorry your still waiting. I don't know much about chargebacks with a bank transfer, so I am not of much help when it comes to that. *fingers crossed* it shows up soon.

[Ringlets]

Parcelforce should deliver within 2 days, but even if the parcel was posted after the last collection on Friday and even if they didnt count saturday (which I thought they did) it should be here by now . Its true that they do sometimes get delays... and it does depend on your area as well - if you live somewhere more remote then a delay is more likely . You can contact Parcelforce and find out but you need a tracking number.    Parcelforce 48 does include tracking and insurance, so if your parcel was sent that way then you should ba able to get a tracking number from your seller 
 It *is* possible that the wife accidently sent the parcel by ordinary royal Mail but it depends on the size of the box. The weight restrictions have changed and a meduim parcel can be sent up to 20kg within the Uk now without having to use parcelforce, but if the box was too big to be classed as a medium parcel (max length 61cm, max depth 46cm, max width 46cm) then it would *have* to be sent by Parcelforce anyway...

What i find  a bit worrying is that you havent had any response from your seller   I dont know how Gumtree works but surely there is some sort of buyer protection. same with bank transfers... but TBH I havent had any experience on Gumtree and I havent had any issues involving bank transfers in a case like this so I'd have to do some research to advise you better
I'd try again to contact your seller if there is no parcel or response by the end of today and see about taking it further...

[xTic_Tac_Toex]

Thanks for your advice, everyone. I'm very sure now that it can't have been sent by Parcelforce, because it definitely would be here. I'm not at all in a remote area, and every other time I've had a Parcelforce delivery it has been prompt. There seems quite a high chance that his wife sent it by Royal Mail, because if you go to the post office this is the method they'll send it by default if it fits within the restrictions, unless you specify otherwise.

As you said Ringlets, my fear comes from the lack of response. There seemed nothing dodgy about the transaction though - the photos were real and as soon as I paid he removed the listing from Gumtree. He was in contact with me quite frequently, but there were times where he took a day or two to reply due to long working hours, so my hope is that he's just been busy and hasn't checked his email.

Tomorrow it'll be five working days of posting, so if I haven't received them by then I'll have to take it further. Really hoping that they show either today or tomorrow, apart from anything else it was a gorgeous collection of ponies and I'd rather like to receive them!

Post Merge: September 05, 2014, 02:49:19 AM

Got an email from Gumtree saying I've probably been scammed. GREAT. Determined to get to the bottom of this, feeling annoyed though.

[hathorcat]

Oh thats such a shame! Unfortunately due to the way you paid your only option is to speak to your bank about starting a chargeback claim. Not all banks are part of the scheme unfortunately but the big ones all are although some may insist that you have a certain level of account before they would consider it part of your right as an account holder. But if it is proven to be a scam, you will need to take that step. They may insist you report it to the police as fraud (to be honest I would do that as well - the police may have bigger concerns but if its part of a bigger fraud scam they may very well look into it).

Try this page for info on filing a chargeback with your bank, its a step to guide. http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/problem/how-do-i-use-chargeback

You can take several months before you file the claim however so I would be 100% certain its a scam before starting the process.