James Landen, Paramus, NJ. Seems like he may have cheated me on that laptop I bought, and I want to track him down. I have an address, but it doesn't return anything in the reverse address searches I've found. I have an e-mail address at glay.org. No phone number. No internet search engine lists him, and information can't help me.
Mind you, I'm not ASSUMING he cheated me. I just want to be prepared if I can confirm that he did. Either way, I need to contact him, and he's not responding to my e-mails. At the moment, it seems more likely that the USPS lost my package, and I just need to get the insurance reembursement, but that would necessitate contacting him, which is my problem at the mo. Any advice?
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
I'm assuming eBay purchase ... ?
Also, keep in mind that with the holiday season, delivery time is like what, triple? When did you buy it? (And how did you pay? If with a credit card, you can probably put a freeze on the payment until the situation is resolved).
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
Excite classified ad. Paid Saturday morning, December 1 by Western Union. He said he shipped that Monday, the third. That was two weeks ago. It was supposed to take two to three DAYS, and according to the USPS dudes, there are NO delays in priority mailing except around Washington. I suppose it's possible that it wasn't shipped priority like he said it was, but even with that and triple normal transit times it should be here by now...
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
I guess they don't offer tracking, eh?
If you paid by Western Union, you might be able to get your money back if you send in the receipt. Of course, since he's probably already cashed it, you might be out of luck.
Have you tried contacting the publisher of whatever published the classified?
And, barring that, did you try calling 411 to get a phone number ... ?
[ December 17, 2001: Message edited by: Malnurtured Snay ]
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
Well, see, they DO offer tracking. That makes me question his honesty even more, seeing as he specifically said that they didn't...
Tried 411. No help.
He's already gotten the money. Got it the Saturday I sent it, and said that he shipped that Monday. They don't know anything beyond the fact that he had to have a government-issued ID with the name James Landen on it, and had to be in the general area of Paramus.
Posted by Veers (Member # 661) on :
www.ancestry.com ? It may not help, and this may be snooping into his business, but maybe you can find some info here.
[ December 17, 2001: Message edited by: Veers ]
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
What, like his great-great-grandparents?
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
Yeah. Go back in time, and steal his grandfather's typewriter. 8)
Posted by Veers (Member # 661) on :
No, you can look up current addresses on that site. Did you check it?
Posted by Tahna Los (Member # 33) on :
How much did you pay for that laptop? And what are the specs?
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
I paid $200 plus the WU fee ($22). He paid shipping (assuming he shipped). It's a Thinkpad 560x, P233, 128MB, 4GB, 56k, 12.1", 24x, with all the ports you could want.
Posted by Cartman (Member # 256) on :
This is why I don't buy anything on eBay.
Unless you can establish face-to-face contact, be extremely vigilant. It is all too easy to be ripped off.
Posted by Tahna Los (Member # 33) on :
I think you may have been ripped, Omega.
Consider: some fraud ring was busted not too long ago here in Toronto. Apparently, the criminals were trying to sell "laptops" to unsuspecting victims. What they do is that they show the "customer" the box that the laptop is supposed to come in. It's supposed to feel like that there actually is a laptop in that box, but it is actually stuffed with the equivalent weight of NEWSPAPER. These guys were selling their computers for "half the retail price". If you wanted to look inside the box to be sure, they would tell you that you HAD to buy the laptop otherwise they wouldn't show you. etc. etc.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
quote:This is why I don't buy anything on eBay.
I don't think he did buy it off eBay. Mostly because eBay requires sellers to register their credit cards, so if Landen had, Omega might be able to get his money back through them.
I do buy off eBay -- over a hundred items (ayi-yi!) Haven't had a single problem./
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
Unfortunately, the enforcer I had in New Jersey moved. Otherwise I could offer to send in a brute squad.
Posted by Cartman (Member # 256) on :
Ah, but you still have your loyal bookwurm minions to back you up.
Posted by OnToMars (Member # 621) on :
Well, Omega, for a hundred bucks, I'll spend the rest of my Christmas break driving around the state lookin for him.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
You work cheap.
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
Like you can talk. You drive around the state looking for deer to run over for FREE.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
Hey, any deer I hit while driving are a side-effect of having to drive somewhere else for some purpose. I don't drive around for the specific purpose of hitting deer.
It's just a fringe benefit.
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
*shakes Cartman violently*
It's WYRM! BookWYRM!
*shoots Kenny to make his position clear*
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
B.O.O.K.W.Y.R.M.
Rob, that is the silliest name for a secret army I've ever heard.
Blasted Oranges on Origami Krack Who Young Rodents Mate?
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
It's not an anagram.
If you ever played "Werewolf: The Apocalypse" you'd know that the Wyrm is the universal, all-pervasive forse of chaos and destruction, balanced by the Weaver, the agent or order, and the Wyld, agent of life (sort of the midway point, since life needs both order and chaos to exist)
So the BookWyrms are the Librarians of Destruction.
Conan the Librarian: "115 weeks overdue, dear." *THWACK!*
However... Blessed Order Of Killers, Wild Yankee Rebel Minions?
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
You realize you've got 'Yankee' and 'Rebel' in the same sentence, don't you?
Posted by CaptainMike (Member # 709) on :
The Yankee-Rebels fight the Commie-Nazis, right?
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"Bookwyrm" certainly is an anagram! It's an anagram of "W. R. Koomby". And "womb o' Kyr". And "broomwyk", whatever that might be.
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
@$#%*$! ACRONYM!
Hey, my gf's in the hospital. I have a right to be shaky.
Snay: American Revolution. The 'Yankees' were rebelling ('Yankee Doodle', etc.). Hence, "Rebel Yankee" isn't necessarily a contradiction.
[ December 18, 2001: Message edited by: First of Two ]
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
Rob: More recent history.
Yankees kicked Rebel ass.
Thats why I was surprised you used them in the same sentence.
Posted by OnToMars (Member # 621) on :
OMG, First killed Kennnedy! You bastard!
(why the hell did I write Kennedy? Oh well, I leave it since its funnier)
[ December 18, 2001: Message edited by: OnToMars ]
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
I refuse to take anyone seriously who has played a CCG about werewolves and librarians.
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
It's an RPG, not a CCG. CCG's are for people with no imaginations.
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
OK, new development. I sent a letter to the address he gave me, two weeks ago. It came back yesterday.
Now, looking at that, it appears to be a male's handwriting, most likely an adult male. Their use of punctuation is questionable, for whatever that's worth. There also appears to be some hostility in the message, which implies to me that I may have found my target. He may well have been dumb enough to give me his real address.
And the hunt continues...
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Well, first off, I wouldn't call that handwriting distinctly male. It doesn't really look distinctly male or female.
And I don't think you can really interpret hostility out of "no such person here".
Posted by Veers (Member # 661) on :
Call the FBI. Make an anonymous phone call to them and tell them bin Laden (or some other terrorist) is in Paramus, NJ, at the adress, and they'll raid it. If not, your name will be on some news somewhere and you'll get some fame. Just a suggestion. Posted by Michael_T (Member # 144) on :
That, or call in a favor from your local mob.
Posted by Veers (Member # 661) on :
Seriously, though...if some guy sent me some defective computer, I would not hesitate to bring him to justice.
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
And if he didn't send one at all? Posted by Michael_T (Member # 144) on :
![[Wink]](wink.gif)