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Fabian
12-06-2008, 12:45 PM
I'm doing most of my X-mas shopping online this year. It's been great so far with everything arriving within 3 days. I've never had a problem with any of the regular stores I trust. However in looking for a TV I think I found a deal that's too good to be true and wondered if anyone else knows anything about them.

I went to a price comparison site and they sent me to RS Electronics. (http://electronicsrs.com/index.html) I found this LG 50 inch plasma 1080 HDTV (http://electronicsrs.com/lg-50-1080p-plasma-hdtv-w-47-xd-engine-38-3-hdmi-50py3d.html) for only $779.00. I've seen the same TV everywhere else anywhere between $1,100 and $1,500. I try ordering it but to my surprise, they don't take credit cards. They are only taking Western Union money transfers. This is what I got in my e-mail

The payment for your order must be sent to our payments representative, Mr. Albert Schultz.
Here is all necessary information:

Name: Albert Schultz
Address: Via Attilio Regolo 19
City: Rome
Country: Italy
Total amount: Please check the invoice above payment instructions.

***For US customers shipping will be made from New York, NY.***
***(Billing Department is located in Europe for taxes purposes)***

Once the payment is confirmed and verified (within 24 hours), you will receive the UPS tracking number for your package.

This just raised a lot of red flags for me. I replied asking why they don't take credit cards and I got this e-mail:

Hello,

We have encountered several problems with credit card and PayPal payments since the financial crisis that is affecting the United States.

Our company’s losses reached a critical stage due to the fact that some of the financial institutions that issued the credit cards are now bankrupt and failed to honor their payments.

Also, numerous banks no longer process credit card transactions made to and from online purchases.

Lack of liquidity in the banking sector and the risky financial environment forced us to stop the credit card and PayPal payments until the situation returns to normal.

In order to avoid further losses and unpaid debts we have decided to receive deposits through Western Union Money Transfer Service (Money in Minutes).

We are sorry for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding regarding this matter.

WE WILL COVER THE WESTERN UNION TRANSFER FEE SO YOU CAN DEDUCT IT FROM THE TOTAL AMOUNT.

Thank you for your interest in our products!

Best Regards,
Damon Edwards
Customer Service Department
Electronics RS, Inc.
http://electronicsrs.com


So now they're also covering the western union fee which technically means I'm getting the TV for even cheaper. I've tried looking stuff up about the company online but so far no results on anyone saying they're a scam. Has anyone ever ordered anything from them or has anyone had a similar situation?

Should I get the TV?

GozertheGozarian
12-06-2008, 12:47 PM
It certainly sounds like a scam to me. Especially not accepting paypal.

Donald M.
12-06-2008, 01:47 PM
Definitely sounds like a scam to me.

A Google search turned up a thread on another site, which included a post by someone claiming to have have lost $900 attempting to purchase a television from this company.

Banks aren't honoring online purchases?

That may or may not be true, but it sounds like a fishy excuse to explain why they don't want you using a payment method that could potentially be stopped when you realize you've been scammed.

Fabian
12-06-2008, 01:49 PM
Definitely sounds like a scam to me.

A Google search turned up a thread on another site, which included a post by someone claiming to have have lost $900 attempting to purchase a television from this company.

Banks aren't honoring online purchases?

That may or may not be true, but it sounds like a fishy excuse to explain why they don't want you using a payment method that could potentially be stopped when you realize you've been scammed.

I tried google but I didn't get results. Mind sharing a link with me?

Donald M.
12-06-2008, 01:51 PM
I tried google but I didn't get results. Mind sharing a link with me?

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=1045101

The company mentioned in the thread seems to have a different name, but other detaile are suspiciously similar. Sounds like the same scammers using multiple names for their fake company.

Fabian
12-06-2008, 02:28 PM
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=1045101

The company mentioned in the thread seems to have a different name, but other detaile are suspiciously similar. Sounds like the same scammers using multiple names for their fake company.

Now I know it's definitely a scam. I should had done this sooner but I googled their "Main Office USA" address they list on their website and it led me to this:

http://harborelectronics.net/images/492_storefront1.jpg

You're dead on about them using multiple sites.

Loren
12-06-2008, 02:39 PM
Should I get the TV?

Absolutely not. As soon as you mentioned 'They only take Western Union money transfers,' you needn't have said any more. That's not an uncommon technique of criminals, while it's completely unheard of for legitimate companies.

Even Western Union itself says not to do this. From their Fraud Protection page:

* Never send money to a stranger using a money transfer service.
* Beware of deals or opportunities that seem too good to be true.
* Don’t use money transfer services to pay for things like online auction purchases.

Loren
12-06-2008, 02:44 PM
Also, a little research with WHOIS turns up this (http://www.networksolutions.com/whois-search/electronicsrs.com):

Domain Name.......... electronicsrs.com
Creation Date........ 2008-12-02
Registration Date.... 2008-12-02
Expiry Date.......... 2009-12-02
Organisation Name.... Ryan Tauer
Organisation Address. 676 Summit Ave #301
Organisation Address.
Organisation Address. St Paul
Organisation Address. 55105
Organisation Address. MN
Organisation Address. UNITED STATES

Admin Name........... Ryan Tauer
Admin Address........ 676 Summit Ave #301
Admin Address........
Admin Address........ St Paul
Admin Address........ 55105
Admin Address........ MN
Admin Address........ UNITED STATES
Admin Email.......... betty_collins2004@yahoo.com
Admin Phone.......... +1.3019635001
Admin Fax............

You're shopping at a website that was created just four days ago.

Fabian
12-06-2008, 02:55 PM
Also, a little research with WHOIS turns up this (http://www.networksolutions.com/whois-search/electronicsrs.com):



You're shopping at a website that was created just four days ago.
I may have found their newest scam website by finding the tv. It's a sham that they continue to make more and more sites. I just wonder how many people they manage to scam.


Well I guess it's back to looking for another new tv.

dupont2005
12-06-2008, 03:12 PM
its a scam guaranteed. i have seen the same exact thing with another company or group of companies i should say that are all operated by the same guy from the same phone number and have been placing ads in the same magazines for decades under different names and ripping people off. try looking them up on the bbb website, i bet you find a long list of complaints. never buy anything online with western union

DonC
12-06-2008, 05:48 PM
Should I get the TV?


Email them back saying that you're a Nigerian prince who needs to move $30 million and if they'll send you the TV for free, you'll cut them in for half your money.

Mysterio
12-06-2008, 08:25 PM
Email them back saying that you're a Nigerian prince who needs to move $30 million and if they'll send you the TV for free, you'll cut them in for half your money.

Hahahaha!!! I LOVE it! You should SOOO do that.

Valmore
12-06-2008, 08:39 PM
The whole Western Union and "financial crisis" thing should tip anyone off. Bankrupted banks are often bought out by other banks and those accounts are transferred. Also, money from credit cards go from the financial instiution to the seller immediately - it's the onus of the buyer to pay back the bank for the charge. So that in itself is a ridiculous statement. An issuing bank that completely goes under would have its cards killed anyway, so one wouldn't even be able to make the purchase with such a card.

There's no good reason for a retailer to NOT accept a credit card unless it's legitimately overdrawn and in bad standing, and the only way to know that is to attempt to run the card in the first place.

Total scam.