Fell for a scam - let me tell you my stupidity so you don't do so.

[Thistledew]

I made the mistake of buying something from an add that came up on Facebook. It was advertised as a wooden number block set and purported to be a US registered company.

What finally arrived was some foam bath toy numbers.

Fortunately, I paid via PayPal so I'm hopeful I will still get my money (about £40 worth) back.

However, the company (now apparently based in China) is still trying to rip me off. They have made a formal offer via PayPal's dispute resolution of a partial refund only, but have alternatively offered in their communications to me to refund fully if I send the item back.

Of course, the cheapest recorded postage will cost me around £14, and as they haven't made a full refund offer properly via PayPal's mechanism, I think it unlikely that I would get my money back.

I'm about to escalate it directly to PayPal. Does anyone have any tips about the best way to do this? I have already sent picture of the advert, of the packaging showing that the order reference matches, and that the weight declared for the customs declaration is no way equivalent to the weight of posting something wooden.

Any other tips for getting PayPal to refund me?

click no clock obvs.

Basically, once you are transacting outside of UK it is
really difficult to enforce consumer law.

THIS!
This is what the £1300 person found out.
The seller was all sweetness and light up until he'd ''friends and familied'' the money to her....
then Radio Silence.

He googled her, and found to his dismay 28 reports of of unhappy buyers who never got their items.

A good news story - DH is very difficult to buy presents for. About a month before just birthday they perfect present fur him popped up on FB a d I bought it straight away. After I’d paid, I felt stupid as I hadn’t check the seller in any way. Less than a week later it turned up, perfect. Awesome Maps are genuine.

@RealityExistsInTheHumanMind
Good advice.
I have screen-shotted this just in case I fall foul of overseas buyers again.

But with F&F on Paypal, you'd have no recourse.
Another no no is Bank transfers - you have zero protection.
One UK seller of antique items has conned Australian and American buyers by using Bank Transfer.

Another Warning...
I bought an American T shirt on Facebook- and the sizings are so utterly different to UK sizings.
I ordered medium and it was so huge that it was way too big and baggy even for bed wear! {I'm a size UK 14, so not small}

@underneaththeash

It’s fairly obviously that buying anything from China (or the US) is not a good idea -whether it’s Facebook or amazon.

I think this is what might bring amazon down - all the scammers and fake goods being sold on it now. I am no longer confident about many if the things they sell.

This is so annoying - I sell my services (not a product) via Facebook ads.

They (FB) really need to clamp down hard on this kind of thing as if consumer trust is lost it completely devalues advertising with them!

I just don't anything from China if at all possible. Some things are ok, but it's definitely getting worse. Low postage and a long lead time is the usual give-away.

Are any unsolicited Ads on Facebook legit ?? I know so many people who have clicked through and paid for things that either never came or were bad quality when they did.
Is Facebook a trustworthy place theses days ?

@Thistledew

What's also quite scary is that it was obviously a targeted advert. Just a few weeks before I had googled a UK retailer of the genuine product after a friend of mine posted a picture on Facebook of her own child playing with it.

I don't think it was a coincidence that this toy was then advertised to me as I was browsing Facebook a few weeks later. The advert itself was very convincing and included a lot of detail about the product similar to how the genuine product is described.

You know what really helps this kind of stuff...Adguard! I never get ''targeted'' stuff...I had a trial of it, and when the trial ended I was so appalled at the number of ads that came back {and were targeted} -I tested it by saying things like ''Skilsaw'' and lo and behold, ads for tools would pop up. Adguard is worth it to me, and I couldn't do without it now. {pic from my account over the years I have had it}

Hold your ground and demand a refund. Just keep on.
It’s depressing that they can rip people off so easily. I hate these scams.

Initially I complained to the company and they offered me the 50% refund then the 25%refund
After I turned them down I opened a case with PayPal but they wanted me to return at my own cost. I ended up with, I think, 50% refund.

@oakleaffy

I would never pay friends and family unless it really was - the only reason I risk buying abroad is if I can use PayPal, otherwise I wouldn't bother.

I have had a number of things that have been fine - this was only the second time I've had an issue. The first time, I didn't do anything, at about the time the delivery was expected I got a message from PP saying it was a fraudulent transaction and refunding me.

Used properly PP is a buyers friend - I would never complain wrongly though. Any of these cheap things we are taking a risk and paying by PayPal mitigates it. They invest money into discover the scams and I doubt the OP is the only person 'done' by this company

@wheresmymojo

This is so annoying - I sell my services (not a product) via Facebook ads.

They (FB) really need to clamp down hard on this kind of thing as if consumer trust is lost it completely devalues advertising with them!

It really does undermine consumer confidence. Etsy seems to be a decent place to buy from {so far} but I no longer go on FB- as it is a hotbed of scams. It is a real shame that there are good honest people on there, mixed in with all the less than honest. I have seen things on Instagram that make my eyes pop out with ''ooh'' but still very wary of buying on that platform unless it links to a bricks and mortar place in the UK.

The companies playing around with offering 80% count on many people thinking because they have received something they haven't a leg to stand on.

They will also try and drag it out until it's too late to claim via PP or will tell you to give them a good review and you will get your money back - you won't but they will use your review to convince PP it's you that is lying.

Been there...
Fell for the advert of a swing seat, piece of folding foam arrived, (Labelled "Picnic mat.") They were very sorrowful that I was disappointed and suggested I accept a partial refund and gift their shite to a friend. Threats about how much it would cost to return actually untrue as they email something lightweight so they have proof of delivery
Almost daily emails of them increasing their offer for partial refund, (Minus P&P, obviously!)
Eventually Paypal refunded in full after I raised a dispute, photos of the crap they sent, label on packaging, my order etc.
www.paypal-community.com/t5/Disputes-and-Limitations/Lingc-Youp-Ludozo-com/m-p/2127457#M120077

What's also quite scary is that it was obviously a targeted advert. Just a few weeks before I had googled a UK retailer of the genuine product after a friend of mine posted a picture on Facebook of her own child playing with it.

It's not scary OP...that's how Facebook works...in fact you're tracked and watched everywhere online.

You just need to use only genuine sellers with proper websites.

Having had similar, you need to raise a dispute with PayPal. The sellers will probably desperately try and get you to accept a partial refund, but obviously that’s not a fair offer and you’re totally within your rights to expect a full refund. PayPal may support the seller’s totally unfair policy that you have to pay for the return, but if you sign up for their refunded returns scheme they will pay up to £15 for you post - which was enough to cover me returning a parcel tracked to China just not to give the scammers the satisfaction of winning! They failed to acknowledge the return but PayPal refunded in full as the tracking showed delivery.
It was a bit of a pain, but nothing over complicated.

Just fashion now are a scam too
Clothes from China not as advertised ( see through ) took months to arrive
I have to pay to return them
Returns instructions v complex and don't work
After 4 requests they eventually gave returns address
I have to pay for returns
Now waiting till they arrive back in China for refund

Total scam
Never use

@grannybiker
I have so often been tempted {in early days of being on Ebay} by pics from Chinese sellers..... But never bought as thought ''They cannot be offering Jade of that quality so cheaply''.... Ditto Quartz Crystals The prices are absurd compared to UK sellers- heard a lot of crystals from China are nasty fakes.

I kept getting ads for Floryday clothes - I really liked the pics but was very wary.

I picked a couple of very cheap items, that were still cheap even after postage added and paid by PP. Less than 2 weeks later they turned up. Reasonable quality as well. I really like them.

I then ordered about £50 worth. Again it has turned up, clean, adequately packed (no Amazon over packing) and pretty good quality. I am impressed so far.

The downside - I am getting targeted by every discount clothes seller that ever existed

@grannybiker..That picnic mat looks a pile of crapola as well! Picnic mat? looks more like a bit of knockoff lego 🤔

I was caught out on Ebay, the item listing said it was dispatched from the UK which was true but the registered seller was in China.

The £70 computer chair was crap, I sent Paypal pictures showing the wrong dimensions and quality but they insisted I had to return it to China, which would have cost £90.

The seller didn't even bother to respond to the claim, in the end I threatened to report Paypal to trading standards for not delivering and they gave me a refund as a goodwill gesture.

not a FB ad, but on another website- maybe a local news one. NewChic clothes, and they lookedgreat.
Arrived and they were cheap tat- not even Primark standard.
It cost me 20 quid of the 100 to send them back, but at least the company lost out.

Stupidly I only checked Product review after the debacle. Had I checked first I would be so much better off. I always check now (and avoided another error with Daisy fashion which looks amazing but is apparently cheap crap)

You can reclaim the postage back from PayPal up to the sum of £15.
If you need any help with this please feel free to private message me.