Ebay Watch Help Please - Ive been conned

James_N

James_N

James_N

Soldato
Joined
25 Jan 2003
Posts
9,497
Hi

I was bidding on a Tag Heuer Monaco Gulf watch on ebay, and got it for what I thought was a bargain price. I was just debating paying via paypal, when I received this email:

I'm a Heuer collector, writing to warn you that the "TAG Monaco" watch you bought is clearly a fake. They sell for around £100/$200 on replica websites, and the makers build in differences so they can't be sued.

The real watch is shown on the TAG website here - http://www.tagheuer.com/the-news/new-products/index.lbl?uh=115CDF40-BE94-4A66-ADC8-E4C7AE4EF2B9

The left sub-dial is marked 5-10-20-25 and the right one is 10-20-40-50. The fake has completely wrong markings - the left one counts 10-20-40-50 and the right one counts 4-8-16-20. TAG don't make a watch with those markings.

On the real watch, the date window is a black square with a white numeral : on the fake, it's white with a black numeral.

The seconds hand and the hands on the small dials should all be orange, not red. And the stripes are positioned too far right.

I strongly advise you not to pay, and to seek advice from eBay. The seller is committing fraud, so you may also wish to contact the police.

BOB
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So I forwarded this to the seller of the watch, and told him that based on that, I wasn't willing to proceed with the sale.

I compared his watch, to the original, and the differences are now staring me in the face.

He then emailed me trying to say that As i wasn't going through with it, I owed him listing fees of £34 + whatever it would cost to pay these fees through paypal. I emailed him back telling him I was paying him nothing, as he had tried to sell me a fake watch.

His reply as of just now:

This is not a fake watch. I paid good money for it, the link you sent me does not even load, The person who sent you the message is probably just some jealous nut case. you owe me listing and final valuation fees.
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I just emailed him back telling him im again paying him nothing. Ive emailed a report of this to ebay, but im going to try calling their 020 number in the morning and try and get through to someone who can help. He says hes going to report me and leave negative feedback.

For reference, Here is the auction: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....m=270194256509&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=017

Here's a picture of his watch:

2f66_1.JPG


And heres the origional watch:

monaco_vintage_limited-thumb.jpg


Yes i know im a complete idiot and i should have noticed the differences, but I didn't and now im stuck with a fight on my hands. Anyone any idea how to proceed?

Thanks
James
 
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Original watch not showing. Seen it on the Tag site anyway...

Yowzers at the price.

Get him to get it valued by a jeweller.
 
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Greenlizard0 said:
He appears to claim it is the watch in question - but never in the listing does he confirm whether it's a geniune watch or not. Silly I know...
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Exactly.

Im annoyed at myself for being such a clutz! I've just left him negative feedback.

Dont really want negative on mine, as ive always been a totally honest ebay seller and buyer, but i guess such is life?

I'll wait and see if / what ebay customer services say. I hope they are quick.
 
nether dose he claim its a fake all he say is "TAG Heuer Monaco Gulf" which is delibretly misleading if it is a fake.
 
You dont owe him anything, you can both file a mutual agreement not to proceed with the sale and he wont pay fees. Or he can file an non paying bidder complaint and you can respond as to why your not going through with the purchase and he wont pay fees.
 
dannyjo22 said:
You dont owe him anything, you can both file a mutual agreement not to proceed with the sale and he wont pay fees.
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Which doesn't look like its going to happen. Hes adamant its genuine, and now the differences have been pointed out to me, its obvious that it isn't. Obviously somebody like Rotty will probably be able to confirm for me anyway.

I'm going to stick to my guns for now and pay him nothing.
 
Don't attribute to malice what can be adequately attributed to incompetence...

By which I mean, he might not even know it's a fake.

That being said, a quick look at the pics makes it abundantly clear that it's a poor fake.
 
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James_N said:
Which doesn't look like its going to happen. Hes adamant its genuine, and now the differences have been pointed out to me, its obvious that it isn't. Obviously somebody like Rotty will probably be able to confirm for me anyway.

I'm going to stick to my guns for now and pay him nothing.
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Why would you pay him anything. You left him neg feedback, you will get some back so you can just forget the whole saga.

Anyway he wont get charged a penny.
 
vonhelmet said:
Don't attribute to malice what can be adequately attributed to incompetence...

By which I mean, he might not even know it's a fake.

That being said, a quick look at the pics makes it abundantly clear that it's a poor fake.
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I also asked him about paperwork and certificates, but he said his ex wife bought it for him but they split up and she wont give him the paperwork. That startd ringing alarm bells.

Also, the fact that when i pointed out the email i received off that collector, the watch seller was happy to take just listing fees off me, but then i asked myself why i should give him anything when he nearly conned me for £1200, so now he knows hes getting nothing, hes asking for the final value fee again.
 
dannyjo22 said:
Why would you pay him anything. You left him neg feedback, you will get some back so you can just forget the whole saga.

Anyway he wont get charged a penny.
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True, but whats getting me, is that im going to get negative feedback, for refusing to pay for something that's fake! Still, I guess thats life.

Im also a little paranoid incase he suddenly turns up at my door! I know its unlikely but....you never know!
 
£1200? Whoa, didn't realise it was that expensive.

Don't pay up. He might file a non-paying bidder report, but if he is dodgy then I doubt it as it might blow the lid on his operation.
 
James_N said:
True, but whats getting me, is that im going to get negative feedback, for refusing to pay for something that's fake! Still, I guess thats life.

Im also a little paranoid incase he suddenly turns up at my door! I know its unlikely but....you never know!
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He's a conman not an assassin. If someone knocks on the door and asks for James, say your not him :p

Who cares about 1 neg feedback on a £1200 item. It's not going to stop any future deals or put people off.
 
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