Dodgy online stores?

Howitzer

There was a post recently with a dodgy online store.

This looks like another one - http://www.lomise.com/items.php?id=88861736
judging by the too good to be true price.
Oh but wait - they must be kosher - they had a google advert in my gmail...

Maybe someone has the link to the other thread to put in here.
Any takers to confirm if the store above is indeed dodgy...

Are these things springing up like mushrooms?

fugazied

Why is it a dodgy store? The site looks legitimate *shrug*

Paulw

It does look a bit dodgy, especially their payment methods and their statement about tax -

What payment methods do you accept?

United Kingdom and USA customers

- Major credit cards, Bank Wire transfer

If you'd like to pay with credit card, your name and shipping address must match exactly with your credit card issuing bank's record. Please understand that it is to protect you from credit card fraud.

If you would like us to ship your order to a different address, other than your credit card's billing address then you should call the credit card company and add the shipping address to your record as an alternate shipping address. The toll free phone number for your bank is on the back of your credit card.

Worldwide (International customers)

- Bank Wire Transfer

Wire transfer is the preferred payment method for international orders. It is the quickest and least expensive way to send payment.

Will I have to pay taxes or duties on the shipment?

Individual customers don't pay any taxes or duties on the shipment in your country.

CraggyIslander

Smells fishy to me:

According to whois the site has been registered since 08 january 2009.....

And the registered contact is a Butcher, Brain.... with a [email]brainbutcher@....com[/email] address. :eek:

coylemj

Having an ad. on Google is no mark of respectability. I exchanged e-mails once about my VW Golf and on the right-hand side of my Gmail I saw an ad. for selling Golfs but when I clicked on it, I discovered that it was one of those SMS scams where you enter a competition with a laughably simple question (in this case: Who makes the Golf: VW/Opel/Ford) but in the small print it tells you that you're subscribing to a never ending service and by the time you notice it on your bill they're creamed you for 10-20 euros.

TV3 doesn't seem to have any problem accepting money from these people but I complained to Google and that particular company's ads haven't appeared on my sidebar since.

coylemj

The address quoted on their website is 5 Harton Lodge, London, SE8 4DQ and the telephone number is a non-geographic number (0870 xxx) when you'd expect it to be a (20) 7xxxx number for London.

However the big problem I have is that the address is slightly misleading cause Harton Lodge is not a street but a block of flats on Harton St. so that address is for an apartment.

Would you buy from a company who's 'London Head Office' is a one bed apartment?

http://www.propertyindex.com/RS1408212/Harton-Lodge-Deptford/100

Call me paranoid but I'd run a mile.

Howitzer

Good to see it confirmed. Low prices and the fact it's a ringer for that other recent site nailed it for me. I was expecting to see that office webcam thing on there too. Looks so similar.

Anyone got the name of the other recent one?


edit: I dug it out of the archives.

It's good old e-holater (thread here)

Howitzer

http://www.in-shopper.com/

springin up like mushrooms I tells ya...
I keep coming across them via google adwords.

Who can we report these scheisters to? They must be raking it in...

Registrant:

Internet Shopper
Bootstraat 2

Rotterdam
2771
NL

Domain name: in-shopper.com

Created on: 2009-01-24
Expires on: 2010-01-24


Administrative contact:
Easily Limited
3rd Floor, Prospero House
241 Borough High Street
London
SE1 1GA
UK
+44.8704589450
+44.8704589458
domain-admin@easily.co.uk

coylemj

If you click the 'Store Locator' icon at the top of their webpage they list a series of stores in the Netherlands including three in Amsterdam so maybe they are a genuine high street retail chain which has just launched a website to sell mail order?

Just proposing the alternative view, maybe not everyone new to the web is a crook.

Paulw

Doubt it. They seem like a very bogus website. I wouldn't trust them with a cent. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

coylemj

You're probably right.....

1. None of the individual stores have phone numbers list against them

2. The only store in a shopping centre is supposedly in the Kalvertoren Shopping Centre‎ in Amsterdam but on the shopping centre website there is no mention of them and worse still, there's a Dixons store in that shopping centre so there's no way that In-Shopper could have a branch under the same roof.

3. They only accept credit cards for NL and USA customers, everyone else has to pay by 'bank wire transfer' which as we all know provides zero protection if they disappear, something that you do have if you use a CC.

But here's the real giveaway, extracted from the FAQ section..

Q. Can I order a product and ask you to ship it to someone else?

A. Certainly. Just enter the address where you want your product delivered, in the "Ship to" portion of the Checkout process.

Q. Can I ship to a PO box address?

A. Yes: to make sure that orders being sent to PO boxes and rural route addresses get to their proper destination, please include a physical street address or highway number with your order.

In other words, we'll take your money no matter what.

Avoid.

NeVeR

ya know what we should do with sites like this....

Flood them with 100's of fake orders.. Just to wreck there heads.

I've sent in about 20 to that site already hahaha.

PixelTrawler

I work for one of those "partner companies" listed on the contact us page...

Not likely...