Am I being conned?

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Hunter34

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A month ago I ordered an autopilot from a comany called onlinemarine.com.
I first paid for the item on their site via credit card to the value of $2450 and received confirmation that the order had been processed and given a tracking number to track the shipment.
After a week of trying to track the order I phoned them to check it had been dispatched.
I was then told there was a problem with the credit card and instructed to wire the money over instead.Apparently they tell me its not because the card is a UK one as they process orders from the UK everyday.
I then did as I was asked and wired the money to their account.
I then phoned to check they had received it - which they had - and was told the order was to be dispatched that day(a week ago).
Today I received an email to say they quoted the wrong price and before thet dispatch the order I have to wire another $600.
I have read so much about being conned on the internet but never thought I would actually fall into the trap myself.
I am going to phone them today when they open but I am not really sure what my rights are.

Can anyone out there offer any advice other than never to order anything from this company again!

Thanks

Andrew
 
dont send any more money, make sure the bank knows not to accept anything from them and demand your money back - but expect not to get it!
 
Just looked at the site - not looking good I am afraid.

The Thawte certificate (a secure online payment verifier) is invalid, and the owner of the domain lists a PO box number as the registered address.

All may not be lost though, the site has been active since 1997, so they are not 'fly by night'.

Have you checked that the credit card payment hasn't gone through?
 
The Thawte security certificate checks out for me... I'm getting a valid response....

This URL would be quite expensive... I would have thought its a bit too sophisicated for a scammer... suspect that its just poor business style rather than a scam....

all IMHO of course...
 
Hi Escapado,
Some more info about these guys,
The domain is registered to ,
Registrant:
Online Marine
PO Box 639
Oriental, NC 28571
US

Domain Name: ONLINEMARINE.COM

Administrative Contact, Technical Contact:
Jordan, Rod rod@ONLINEMARINE.COM
Online Marine
PO Box 8327
Greensboro, NC 27419-0327
US
(910) 632-7388 fax: 999 999 9999

Their website is hosted by a large US hosting company verio.com.

Also some bad vibes here
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1542.html

Hope this helps and good luck,
Micheal

P.S. I have had good experiences with these guys, http://www.roguewavemarine.com/
 
Some general advice:

Only ever buy from online merchants using a credit card. Don't use a debit card (Visa Delta, Switch, Solo etc) as they don't provide anywhere near the protection.

With a credit card, if there is ever a problem, you can dispute the transaction with your card issuer. This includes if you don't receive the goods, or they are not as described and you have been unable to sort it our directly with the merchant.

Be suspicious of people requesting money by other means, as they will rarely provide you with any protection against this sort of thing at all.

This may not help you in this instance (unless they have billed your card as well), but it would be worth bearing in mind for the future.

When buying online, companies based in the UK have to follow the distance selling regulations, which give you particular rights. See http://www.oft.gov.uk/Consumer/Your+Rights+When+Shopping+From+Home/shopping+from+home+rights.htm for further info.
 
Online Marine
705 Broad St. Suite A
Oriental, NC 28571
Free: 888-933-2628
Tel: 252-249-1966
Fax: 252-249-2739 Bruce, Acco, Nauta
 
Have you asked them to credit your card back for the amount already paid and buy elsewhere.

They offer a low price guarantee We will gladly match any lower advertised price, on any item, from any legitimate dealer that has stock on hand... so can you find another US site that offers a better price than what they are now asking?

If the price on other sites is much the same as what Online Marine are now asking then possibly you do not have too much to complain about unless they refuse to refund if you want to bail out.

John
 
Just a thought...

You might get more help if you post your story on the Cruising World forum, which mainly attracts US-based posters. The possible scenario that you're being conned by an American company might attract some relevant info and ideas.
 
The Thawte logo on the front page of the onlinemarine site states that it is invalid - when clicking the logo, it takes you to thawte site with the message that there is no records found for supplied referrer.
 
Certificate works for me too and comes up with correct response if clicked.

Looks like a pretty valid site in all respects to me. Else someone has spent a hell of a lot of time and money building it with all the product lists, prices and links, as well as all the ordering info, etc. I wouldn't worry about its authenticity myself.

John
 
Thawte require all sorts of company info to allow a valid certificate to be used in the UK..... they need VAT numbers, company registration numbers, bank details etc etc... I assume they apply a similar policy in the US... so its reasonably safe from that respect
 
There is def something up with your browser then, cos I'm looking at the one on the homepage too, and it's valid and up to date (in fact renewed this year). Are you sure you are looking at the same site, as everyone else is reporting it as valid too. The details I posted previously are what showed when I clicked on the link, and was taken to the Thawte details

This is what I see (Thawte padlocked, hence valid logo to bottom right)
25174780-M.jpg
 
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