Much of
ebay's customer service is also stationed in the Philippines, which is probably the source of the ridiculous customer service as the person responsible has only a light command of English and a file of cut-and-paste responses.
I'm getting a similar problem with iOffer trying to take down counterfeiters. Listen to this:
Quote:
Counterfeit Coins, User "[redacted]"
Steve Caruso
Jan 23 18:37
Each and every coin listed on user [redacted]'s account is a counterfeit, and they appear to be a so-called "replica manufacturer" in mainland China.
I can provide copious visual examples if necessary, but as you can see from the listings themselves some of them are very obvious.
Quote:Caroline iOffer
iOffer Inc.
Hi Steve,
Thank you for your suggestion. iOffer values input from users who contribute to a positive buying and selling community. Suggestions are reviewed on a weekly basis and routed to the department that can best use your comment to improve our products or services.
Although we are unable to reply individually to each suggestion, we appreciate your thoughts and opinions.
Please note that suggestions are not submitted to Customer Service and should not be used in place of a ticket request. Visit the iOffer Helpdesk for further assistance, if needed:
http://help.ioffer.com/homeThank you,
iOffer.com
Need a quick response?
Tweet us @iOffer_Help
http://www.twitter.com/iOffer_HelpJanuary 24, 2013 13:25
They then marked my request as "Closed".
So I re-opened it:
Quote:
Steve Caruso
So, as of this, their shop is still open and they are still selling counterfeits which is both against your listing terms and Federal law.
Where do I go from here to get this resolved?
January 25, 2013 22:19
Quote:Caroline iOffer
iOffer Inc.
Hello Steve,
Thank you for your message. iOffer values input from users who contribute to a positive buying and selling community. We take intellectual property rights seriously and make every effort to investigate violations of our Terms of Service.
If you are an intellectual property owner and would like to prepare a takedown notice which complies with the provisions set forth at 17 U.S.C. Section 512(c) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA"), or would like further information on iOffer's DMCA policy, please visit:
http://www.ioffer.com/info/copyright_policy.
Thank you,
iOffer.com
January 28, 2013 12:42
They then marked my request as "Closed" *again*...
DMCA takedown notice? What the [REDACTED]!
So I re-opened it:
Quote:
Steve Caruso
I must admit that I don't quite appreciate the boilerplate response. This is NOT a DCMA takedown issue.
This seller *only* has imitation numismatic items for sale. He sells FAKE COINS. Unmarked replicas as genuine items.
This is a violation of BOTH your own Terms of Service as well as Federal law.
Your terms of service state:
10) ... You represent and warrant that Your User Information ...
***(ii) is not fraudulent and does not involve the sale of counterfeit or stolen items;***
(Emphasis mine.)
Additionally section 14 states:
14) ... The sale of unauthorized, counterfeit or replica products is prohibited ...
This seller is breaking your Terms of Service.
Under the Hobby Protection Act (Code of Federal Regulations Title 16, Volume 1) it states:
Sec. 304.2 General requirement.
Imitation political or numismatic items subject to the Act shall be marked in conformity with the requirements of the Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder. Any violation of these regulations shall constitute a violation of the Act and of the Federal Trade Commission Act.
Sec 304.3 Any person engaged in the manufacturing, or importation into the United States for introduction into or distribution in commerce, of imitation political ***or imitation numismatic items*** shall be subject to the requirements of the Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
(Emphasis mine. "Numismatic items" = COINS. )
This in mind, I request that you take action against this seller and close their account. They have already sold 87 illegal counterfeits of various coins (both imitating United States and world coinage) in the past 3 years according to your own metrics:
"Shop 99 items for sale from [redacted]
I've sold 87 items with a rating of 100%. I've been selling on iOffer for about 3 years ***** (View Customer Reviews)"
If you need furnished proof that these are counterfeits, I can provide copious examples; however, just looking at some of these should be evidence enough. He is selling coins for a few hundreds of dollars a piece that, if they were genuine, would be selling for many *thousands* of dollars (in some cases *tens of thousands* of dollars).
Thank you for your kind attention,
-Steve
January 31, 2013 21:02
And then I waited...
The next day (Feb 1st) they "Closed" it again, but without even giving me a response!
So -- a glutton for punishment -- I've opened it yet again...
Quote:
Steve Caruso
Do I need to forward this conversation to the Secret Service to get any sort of action going?
-Steve
February 02, 2013 20:32
And now I wait.
Any more shenanigans and the Secret Service is the only other place I *can* go.
So yeah, I can completely sympathize with the author of that article. This is ridiculousness by rote.
Posted 02/01/2013 9:03 pm
