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I'm so sorry, what a horrible experience. I don't have any ideas because it's been so long, but I do think your best bet would be Etsy. Who was the seller? Did he have a lot of positive reviews for other dresses? Hopefully someone here will have some advice.
I really hope you can work something out and get you money back. I would start looking for another wedding dress in the meantime.
I am so sorry you are going through this. Since it has been so long since you made your payment, I know you can't get your money back by goiing through the companies. If the seller is in the US, I suggest filing a small claims suit against them I am sure Judge Judy or one of the others would love to hear your case. The second suggestion is to go to the news station where they are located and/or where you are located and see if the media can do something for you. I am sure you aren't the only one it his situation. I hope that etsy has suspended this person from selling on their site.
The only thing I can think of is small claims court, but that's time and money from you...
I'm sorry I can't be more of a help!
I just got an idea.. You should report it on " HELP ME HOWARD" on channel 11...
He is pretty good at getting to the bottom of things and making it public.. This person is a thief and should be dealt with by authorities... You should definitely take it beyond and teach him a lesson... We are all struggling so hard to make the day of our dreams perfect and he took that special part away from you... I say definitely try and put it out there.. If you have any contact info of him ... try and get as much info you can....
I can feel your pain.. and I am so sorry you had to experience that..... UGH!
Good luck!!!
Definitely make it public and there are a few internet complains you can make I believe. Just keep looking into and thank you for keep us informed of the miserable fraudulent people.
Im so sorry
It sounds like you asked Amex for their warranty protection, when what you really want to do is file a chargeback. Call them again and tell them you need to file a chargeback for merchandise you paid for but never received.
What is his Esty account name so we can make sure to stay away from him?
Thank you guys -- it sounds silly, but just reading your support makes me feel better.
I just tried filing an Amex chargeback like somebody suggested. If I really can't get through to him via Amex or Etsy, then I'm definitely going to try the more public tactics that you've suggested!
The seller's name is EcoFashionBags. I contacted another buyer who put up a negative review recently -- it sounds like the same situation as mine, she's been contacted by other scammed buyers as well.
He is still on Etsy, and has two negative reviews- One from a seller one from a buyer.
I'm really sorry this happened to you!
go to paypal! See what they can do for you. I thought that if you get scammed they'll take your money back for you. I don't know if that helps but I really hope it works out! You deserve to have the dress of your dreams without all this nonsense! Keep us updated on what happens please!
Wow I'm so sorry this has happened :( what was your original dress? From my understanding you've paid about 400 correct, so you still possibly have 400 left to spend on a dress?
So sorry to hear this is happening to you or anyone for that matter. I would call AMEX again and speak to a supervisor or something to say that you have no product or item. I would also file a complaint with the better business bureau, and definitely leave a nasty rating for this seller. I would try to talk to the seller again, preferrrably over the phone to discuss this and have them see why it's only fair for you to get a full refund. Good luck.
Definitely get hold of the admin on Etsy again. The guy needs to be stopped from trading. Do you have all your Etsy convos still? Use them as evidence of an online, verbal contract anddo the same with all your emails you received from the seller.
I'm so sorry this happened to you. Sometimes people are so disrespectful and inconsiderate and just want to make a quick buck from somewhere and don't care that they're ruining a day that takes months and sometimes years of planning.
Look around to get another wedding dress from somewhere. I know it's not the best option but rather that than be naked on your wedding day right? :) I hope you get this bugger off Etsy and he doesn't get to trade online for wedding dresses again!
When is your wedding and what size dress are you? Style you would prefer? This is the weddingbee website after all. I am sure someone on here would be able to help you out. Maybe borrow a dress?
Wow-so sorry this happened to you! Here is my 2 cents on the matter.
Have you sent a written request for the refund of your deposit? Do you have an address for this person? I am not sure what state you live in, but under general contract law, this definitely seems like a breach of contract/fraud. For this seller to keep your deposit is "unjust enrichment". He is getting the benfit of your money without providing you with any of the things that were promised to you. It is flat out unacceptable.
Unfortunately, Paypal is not likely to be of must use nor is Amex in this situation. I think someone mentioned going to your local news-consumer stories are always popular. If you know the address/location of the seller, I would contact a news outlet in that area too. I would also suggest putting a written request in writing and think about filing a claim in court against him. You may be able to pursue this in small claims court, but you have to check the rules of the county in which you are located to see if you meet the requirements.
Sorry again about this-I hope I haven't bogged you down with too much info and that it helps you.
Small claims isn't expensive -- cheap to file and there are no lawyers. A small claims judge would be extremely sympathetic to you.
Publish his name anywhere and everywhere you can think of! Get the word out that this guy is a scammer. It may not help you to get your money back, but at the very least it will put him out of business.
I am so sorry to hear this happened to you....I hope that you are able to figure something out in time
I am so sorry you are going through this. Maybe go talk to a lawyer and take legal actions. (making him pay for your lawyer fees also). I hope everything works out for you
I would make this as public as possible so other brides don't fall into the same scam he is laying! I'm so sorry this happened to you!
I really felt for you and I think I can help...
What I did was email Eco Fasohion Bags and ask him to make me a custom wedding dress. He immediatly emailed me back, saying he would love to make me a dress and asking for a deposit asap. I was thinking I could ask him for his phone number to discuss the dress. I could then give it to you . I notice he is from Vancover, which makes things more difficult. Here is the email
Sent by EcoFashionBags on January 05, 2010:
Susan,
I am only able to take on a few pieces as I travel as a stylist and yes I would love to make your dress. Please send your pictures to my email address below and we can discuss any ideas you have. As I only take on a few pieces it is a first come first serve basis so the first thing will be to talk about putting down a deposit. I am really excited about this and would love to move to the next step. Please send your pictures to custom.custom.designs@gmail.com and we can start talking about your dress. Much thanks.
Joshua ~
Let me know what you would like to do
-sue
So what ever happened with your dress? Has the issue been resolved?
I think, and hope, you will have good luck with Amex. I really dislike making large purchases with paypal, because my feeling is they will do anything they can to get out of supporting you. While Amex on the other hand is very concerned with having good customer service. They have come through for me with flying colors over the years. A chargeback should be completely effective in this case because you were smart enough to use a CC.
FYI, chargebacks are effective three months after purchase, and you can often argue for them longer, or even for this period starting after you were supposed to recieve the gown. Don't give up! Sounds like you identified this guy as a possible scammer early on, good for you for not falling for that "copyrighted design" junk so far into the process.
I just ordered a custom alteration of a dress on Etsy. One of the people who contacted me looks like it might be the same "EcoFashionBags" character, but with a different name -- "BridalCouturier". Physical location is the same, and one of the pictures in the website the person directed me to was the same as a pic on "EFB"s Etsy listing. This is the website: http://www.auhsojdesigns.blogspot.com/
I don't know if this will help the original poster, but hopefully it will help other people stay away from a scammer. Thankfully, I chose someone else, who has already been in contact several times. Scary what bad people will do.
I hope everything worked out okay in the end!
Thanks for all the messages and support! A little update on what happened, so that maybe some good can come of this and we can learn from my mistakes:
1.) I filed for a chargeback from Amex, since I payed with PayPal through Amex. They refunded my deposit within a month, no questions asked.
2.) I filed a complaint and requested a refund from PayPal--they told me I wasn't covered under their buyer protection program and pretty much ignored me.
3.) I banded together with several other scam victims of this same guy -- I found them by contacting the "recent purchasers" from his Etsy shop. We filed complaints with PayPal, Etsy, and the FBI internet scam website. Paypal has suspended his account, but that's about all that's happened. I appears that Etsy hasn't done a thing to reprimand him or prevent this from happening again -- which is too bad since he apparently has a pattern of scamming (coming up with crazy excuses like he was burglarized and the dress was stolen, etc).
Bottom line: As awesome as Etsy and similar websites are, they're not tightly regulated. And always go with Amex -- I never had to use their customer service before, but now I swear by it!
oh! and in response to the previous post by Pedsgirl06 -- yes, that's him! definitely beware!
Actually, it seems that he's either been kicked off of Etsy or he closed his Etsy account. I did a google search and found this link.
www.etsy.com/shop/EcoFashionBag
When I clicked on it, it said the user's account was no longer active.
I'm SO glad Amex came through for you! Good for you for taking a stand with the others!
Etsy is seriously negligent in this! They are NOT policing their site from scam artists and overseas sweatshops anymore regardless of how many times listings and Sellers are RED Flagged!
From a (about to be former) Seller's point of view they do not make any transactions easy or just plain CLEAR. Their relationship to Pay Pal is shaky at best and they are not upfront about it to Buyers or Sellers. They are adopting a really passive attitude and it will kill them unless they make this Priority #1!
Hound Etsy constantly and MAKE them respond to you! They are initially responsible for not monitoring their site and have this Seller's information that they should be able to give you. Shame on Etsy!
I am sooooo sorry to hear that this happened to you:( I was soooo very very close to having him make my wedding dress but we were unable to afford one so I decided not to and I am soooooooooo glad now it didn't work out. That is terrible and I hope and pray things work out for you!!
Hey ladies,
This really saddens me. Here is a link from an Etsy newsletter that was posted today.
They are updating the "report this shop to Etsy" feature. There are admins listed on there. You may want to let them know. It would hurt their reputation if they overlooked things like this and allowed bogus sellers to continue posting and scamming.
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6469899
good luck to all and make sure your voices are heard!
I registered just to reply to this thread - you almost NEVER have to worry if you paid by credit card. They will protect you from any scammer, so don't stress!! I can't imagine how stressful this must have been for you.
I know how easy it is to chargeback because I had a web business (domain registrations & web design). Amex let a guy who had registered $5000 in domain names charge them all back a year later AFTER they were all expired. Ouch.
Basically they will let anyone chargeback any purchase for any reason. Yes, I'm bitter about being scammed by that guy, but hey, on the buying side it's nice to know we are protected...
So NEVER worry about a purchase you make on etsy, ebay or anywhere else if you pay by credit card!
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I was super excited to use Etsy Alchemy to order a custom wedding dress, but it has turned into a horrible nightmare. My story is somewhat long, but hopefully it will help someone else be more aware of the scammers out there. I'm also trying to get my money back from him, but hitting a wall, so please please please help if you have any ideas!
I got a great bid from Alchemy in July on a custom wedding dress. The seller sounded great, had wonderful portfolio pics to show me, and was very responsive and pleasant. The details that we agreed upon included the dress design, immediate payment of 60% deposit ($381) with the payment of the remainder upon receipt of the dress, authorization of sketches and fabric samples, communication via weekly email updates regarding production status, regular photo documentation of the dress during the production stages, and a completion date of December 2009. I made the deposit via Paypal at the end of July. Between July 28 and December, I received none of the weekly email updates that we had agreed upon. The only communication I received from him were a handful of brief convos in response to email requests by myself, stating that "things are getting done." In response to my numerous requests for pictures documenting the production progress, I received only excuses for why he didn't want to send pictures, or that he was too busy. I never received fabric samples or sketches to review. Despite many worried emails from me asking for pictures, and despite our agreed upon completion date was December 2009, as of December 11 I still had zero documentation that my dress even existed. On December 12, he sent me an email saying that my dress was a copyrighted design from a design house, and that he didn't have the rights to make it--and that I needed to decide on a different design. On December 13, after a frantic email from myself, he finally sent a convo with 2 pictures that he said were of my dress--when the 2 pictures obviously did not even belong to the same dress. Since he can not produce the dress that we agreed upon, I requested a refund of my deposit -- which he is refusing.
This seller has been in default of our bid agreements from the very beginning and has been evasive about the production of the product. I also believe that the 2 pictures he sent me are not of the same dress and are fraudulent. To date he has failed to produce any evidence that the dress I paid for even exists, and he sold me a dress for which he has no design rights to and which he can not legally sell. I know that I should have filed disputes earlier, but I wanted the dress of my dreams so badly that I was just going along with it and hoping things would work out. I was wrong.
I have tried to file disputes with Amex and Paypal. Paypal refuses my dispute because I made the payment more than 45 days ago. I have no buyer protection from Amex, since they only cover items that were actually received. I have filed a complait with Etsy, but haven't heard back and doubt they will refund me my money.
I am heartbroken; I have no wedding dress and no money to buy a new wedding dress. But what kills me the most is that someone would do this with the most important day of my life. If anyone has any ideas at all about what I can do, please please please let me know. I'm desperate and would appreciate any words of wisdom or suggestions.
Thank you guys.