this thread is basically just a big thankyou to Adrian of South Geelong, VIC, but i also wanted to share it with you all to show that there is still some decency left in the world.
basically, adrian was selling 8 r33 gts-t gearboxes on ebay for a very decent price - the low price as a result of the fact that he was getting 8 of them in from japan in bulk. at the time i asked for his mobile # etc, called him, discussed it for 10 minutes etc it all seems sweet.
so buy it now i clicked, and after swapping details i deposit $800 into his account for 1 x R33 gearbox.
time passes, he keeps in touch via email etc. assuring it's on way. sure enough after a while nothing. i contact him via email, that way it's all down in writing. after numerous emails, he finally replies, mentioning the jap end had done a dodgy on him, and now he can't come good with the r33 gearbox and that he is majorly out of pocket.
over the next 18 months i made an inordinate amount of phone calls, emails and even correspondence to his home address, to make sure I'd receive my money owing.
well he did refund me some money every now and then, albeit in broken amounts each time, and low and behold, today, i got my fourth instalment from him (see internet banking screengrab below) to complete a full refund of the $800 he owed me.
So, Adrian, big thanks for getting my money back to me, regardless of the fact that it took only 18 months.
And for you forum readers, if you think you've been scammed, or it seems the person is not willing to refund your money, take solace in the fact that there are still some decent people left in the world, just like Adrian who I dealt with, that will in good time get you your money back to ensure a satisfactory result.
Sorry if this bored you to death. Lessons learnt for me:
1 - Caveat Emptor (watch out if it's too cheap)
2 - Caveat Emptor (if the seller is interstate and you can't pay him/her a visit in person easily)
and finally,
3 - Caveat Emptor
cheers, MARK