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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Toronto, Canada
    Posts
    11,052

    Have you ever just gone off on a customer?

    Well, I just did. I'm not particularly proud of it, as one should always maintain professionalism and decorum, but I gotta tell you, I feel much better.

    OK, I'm using the word "customer" loosely. Yesterday some scumbag ordered $370 worth of product. He tried 5 different credit cards. All different names, addresses, card numbers. He finally got the last one to squeeze through. I managed to reach 2 of the cardholders by phone, both confirming that their cards were in fact being used fraudulently. One of them, poor guy, was devastated, as the scumbag had apparently run up over $1800 on his card since the day prior. He was almost in tears. I felt so bad for him.

    So 1/2 an hour ago, I received an email from the scumbag asking why he hasn't received his link yet to download his product. He was almost ornary. Really pissed me off. So I lost it, and replied with anger and venting rather than with a "proper" reply:

    Why don't you try to be HONEST in business rather than trying to CHEAT and STEAL from businesses. You are a rotten THIEF. Do you really think I would not have noticed that you tried 4 STOLEN credit cards before you finally managed to get one to go through? You are a leech on society, and you represent everything that is wrong on the Internet. You lousy crook. Go away. Develop some basic ethics and stop preying on others.

    You want a link? I'll give you a link.
    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books

    Try reading that a couple of times before you conduct any more business on the Internet. I know it will be difficult for you, but try paying the 11 bucks for the book with your OWN money this time around. It'll be a small step in the right direction.
    I know, I should have taken a breath before replying. But like I said, I feel much better. I'd feel even better if I could put the dirtbag in jail, but he's in Egypt so not much I can do.

    Vito
    DemoDemo.com - Flash tutorials since 2002
    DemoWolf.com - 5,300+ Flash tutorials for hosting companies, incl. Voice tutorials

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    1,545
    He was scum, not a customer

    I wouldn't feel bad at all!


    That being said, I have a hard time picturing you loosing your temper for some reason Vito heh heh

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Posts
    600
    Scammers should die....

    No offense meant.
    Dating Revolution Method - Book on how to meet and attract women

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    ./Southest Missouri
    Posts
    602
    You're completely in the right on this one vito. Scammers are scammers, not customers.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
    Posts
    1,114
    I'd be curious about what domain name / web site he wanted the demos for.

    Might be worth keeping an eye out for that domain.
    SiteSouth
    Atlanta, GA and Las Vegas, NV. Colocation

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Toronto, Canada
    Posts
    11,052
    Nah, no luck there. I wish he was that stupid that he would reveal his identity. You can bet your bottom dollar that if I had known that, I would've been happy to expose him in this thread.

    He did not submit a logo for branding, and he used an @mail.com email account. When doing an IP Whois on him, I saw that he was in Egypt. That's all I have.

    Vito
    DemoDemo.com - Flash tutorials since 2002
    DemoWolf.com - 5,300+ Flash tutorials for hosting companies, incl. Voice tutorials

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Duluth MN
    Posts
    3,863
    What demo products did he order?

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Toronto, Canada
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    OK, I'll bite, Aaron. What diiference would that make?

    Vito
    DemoDemo.com - Flash tutorials since 2002
    DemoWolf.com - 5,300+ Flash tutorials for hosting companies, incl. Voice tutorials

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Chicago, IL
    Posts
    6,957
    Only people I've gone off on are people who demanded refunds after cancelling or who were WAY behind on payments and giving me reasons for not paying. You know, the typical, well, I didn't actually use the service. Those I'm normally even very calm about until they start bringing in all this talk about contacting the BBB, the state AG, etc., etc. It just gets ridiculous sometimes. I still never yell at them, as it's all email, and I never straight out call them an idiot, I just suggest that they're an idiot :-)

    Only other ones were credit card fraud customers, but IMHO, they deserve it. I hate it when I do my normal verification calls and the person on the other end doesn't know what I'm calling them about and we figure out it was CC fraud. The person normally gets upset at me, but I understand where they're coming from, and then it turns out that I'm not happy either since I wasted the time on the call and don't really have that new customer I thought I had.
    Last edited by KarlZimmer; 05-05-2004 at 08:02 PM.
    Karl Zimmerman - Founder & CEO of Steadfast
    VMware Virtual Data Center Platform

    karl @ steadfast.net - Sales/Support: 312-602-2689
    Cloud Hosting, Managed Dedicated Servers, Chicago Colocation, and New Jersey Colocation

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Toronto, Canada
    Posts
    11,052
    Karl, you're saying that when you contact the real cardholder, they get upset with you? Why on earth would they do that? If anything, you're helping them by giving them a heads up that their cc is being used illegally. In every circumstance that I contacted a cardholder about fraudulent use of their card, they have always thanked me profusely for taking the time to notify them.

    Some people confuse me...

    Vito
    DemoDemo.com - Flash tutorials since 2002
    DemoWolf.com - 5,300+ Flash tutorials for hosting companies, incl. Voice tutorials

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    6,990
    I feel u r right 100% in giving that "client" a dressing down. Eygpt IP does not mean he is from Egypt, most likely he hacked into one of the accounts there. I have "genuine" clients, who refuse to pay, then called up and scold my support asking why we stopped the services. Keep insisting that we enabled it back but keep quiet when it comes to payment. Have also those who cant get their programmers or designers and want us to chip in for free. I mean if it is basic scripts etc, still ok , but a junk of customised scripts or design without source codes, and doing that for free. Also some called asking us to go to their offices to repair their computers because they subscribe to our US$50 a year hosting. Some "potential" clients just want to come for lectures on what is web hosting. Some come with notebooks asking that it be repaired......these are part and parcel of web hosting. And I think Vito shouldnt feel guilty. Try to maintain "Clients are always right" is best but sometimes, this is not the case.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Toronto, Canada
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    Is it possible for him to forge his IP? I'm asking because my shopping cart script (and credit card processor) both show an IP that I trace back to Egypt.

    In fact, since I'm not sure how to interpret the results, I'll ask here. The Whois not only shows Egypt, but it shows an actual name and address. Who would that be? Is it just the name of the person/company through whom the block of IPs runs?

    In other words, will the name in the IP Whois results give me a clue as to the identity of this turkey?

    Vito
    DemoDemo.com - Flash tutorials since 2002
    DemoWolf.com - 5,300+ Flash tutorials for hosting companies, incl. Voice tutorials

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Posts
    936
    I hate fraudsters.

  14. #14
    Well, something like that passed me once, like 1 month ago more or less...

    Someguy ordened 9 Dedicated Servers yep nine. All the orders seemed OK but the IP was a proxy...

    He tried all day to rip me off, and until today he wasn't able to (I'm still standing )

    He used Credit cards from UK, US, even one from India lol...

    I'm just waiting for a more advanced system to track fraud... I was taking a look @ FraudGuardian.com but I dunno

  15. #15
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Sunny California
    Posts
    1,679
    Quote Originally Posted by vito
    You are a leech on society, and you represent everything that is wrong on the Internet.


    Great one, vito. I don't think you should feel bad about this at all. As you said, the guy wasn't even a customer, just a fraudster. Plus, you made me laugh. That's gotta count for something.

    P.S. One of my clients loves the Mosquito Magnet, too, and wrote an article about it for his website. I thought of you when I read it!
    Last edited by ericabiz; 05-05-2004 at 10:12 PM.
    Erica Douglass, Founder, Simpli Hosting, Inc.
    »»» I founded Simpli Hosting, and sold it in 2007 to Silicon Valley Web Hosting after over 6 years in the business.
    Now I'm blogging at erica.biz!

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    798
    Originally posted by vito In other words, will the name in the IP Whois results give me a clue as to the identity of this turkey?
    Probably not. Someone using five different cards as payment would most likely use a proxy or a hacked into PC to order from, I would imagine. You'll probably only be able to find scum like that joker by kicking over rocks.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Toronto, Canada
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    Originally posted by Simpli-Erica
    One of my clients loves the Mosquito Magnet, too, and wrote an article about it for his website. I thought of you when I read it!
    Cool. Makes me wish I bought stock in American Biophysics 6 or 7 years ago.

    Vito
    Last edited by vito; 05-05-2004 at 10:17 PM.
    DemoDemo.com - Flash tutorials since 2002
    DemoWolf.com - 5,300+ Flash tutorials for hosting companies, incl. Voice tutorials

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Chicago, IL
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    Correct, that's how it should happen, but it's often a "How did you get my card!" type of response. It normally turns out fine, with a thank you, etc., but when I break the news the reaction is often quite interesting.

    Originally posted by vito
    Karl, you're saying that when you contact the real cardholder, they get upset with you? Why on earth would they do that? If anything, you're helping them by giving them a heads up that their cc is being used illegally. In every circumstance that I contacted a cardholder about fraudulent use of their card, they have always thanked me profusely for taking the time to notify them.

    Some people confuse me...

    Vito
    Karl Zimmerman - Founder & CEO of Steadfast
    VMware Virtual Data Center Platform

    karl @ steadfast.net - Sales/Support: 312-602-2689
    Cloud Hosting, Managed Dedicated Servers, Chicago Colocation, and New Jersey Colocation

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    Tampa FL
    Posts
    2,380
    It seems to me you went easy on the guy. There is nothing worse than a thief. You should have done worse. I hope you *69 and sent the cops on him. We require a Credit Card Authorization form now that we have signed and returned with a photocopy of the Credit Card and card holders ID. Otherwise we would sign up one thief every day.
    Ceridius Networks Sales
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    Ceridius Networks - Reseller of Hivelocity Hosting
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  20. #20
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Toronto, Canada
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    No, I never spoke with him on the phone. It was by email.

    Vito
    DemoDemo.com - Flash tutorials since 2002
    DemoWolf.com - 5,300+ Flash tutorials for hosting companies, incl. Voice tutorials

  21. #21
    Vito - you did the right thing contacting the cardholders.
    Bill Kish
    TotalChoice Hosting
    Hosting over 50,000 clients since 2000
    http://www.totalchoicehosting.com

  22. #22
    Originally posted by HiVelocity
    We require a Credit Card Authorization form now that we have signed and returned with a photocopy of the Credit Card and card holders ID.
    Can you tell us a bit more about this? Sounds like a useful idea.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Jun 2000
    Location
    Washington, USA
    Posts
    5,990
    Guy was trying to commit fraud. What you did is ok in my book.

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Posts
    1,301
    Many fraudsters operating from usa, uk etc hack in to far east/middle eastern countries and use other people's computers just so they cant be traced back to their route. It has become even easier nowdays even a novice hacker can get one of those ''spy programs'' and use other peoples computers, changing or masking another countries IP is no more rocket science so this has made it easier for scammers/fraudsters to use other peoples computers and play their dirty games. Just beware
    "Web Hosting is not just about selling space, it is about facilitating customers needs with your plans and supporting the customer for a long lasting mutually beneficial relationship."- Yaser

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Nov 2001
    Location
    London
    Posts
    4,931
    Vito, fraudsters like that scum are always frustrating. I wouldn't consider them a customer and would probably have something equally unpleasant to say to them - because I would be angry they are trying to defraud the legitimate cardholder and because I would be angry they are trying to use our service without paying themselves for it.

    For "real" customers, frustrations can arise, but it always pays to keep your cool.
    Matthew Russell | Namecheap
    Twitter: @mattdrussell

    www.easywp.com - True Managed WordPress, made easy

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