Scammed on the GTN

[abercromb]

Yeah, because pricing something that normally sells for 333.345 per unit for 333,345 isn't deceptive at all.

 

How many items usually sell for 333.345? Is this a magic listing number I am missing out on?

[jedip_enguin]

That's a very poor analogy. That would be fitting if the OP bought something for 300k then checked back 30 minutes later & found the same thing selling for 200k. That is not a scam. However intentionally listing something worth 300 for 300k hoping to catch someone off guard is.

 

A better alanogly would be you go in to buy a TV you see a price tag that says $1,000. You take the TV to the register & hand him your credit card. They swipe it & hand you the receipt when you notice it was run for $2,000. When you ask why they say "that price was in Canadian dollars, your fault for not asking, no refunds".

 

The price was listed the way it was to intentionally make someone think it's 333.456 not 333,456. That's a scam, doesn't mean the OP isn't a fault, but it's still a scam. It's an attempt to trick people to buy something at a higher price than they thought.

 

Your analogy is significantly more flawed than mine.

 

If you cant see why I can only assume you're as dumb as the OP.

[TUXs]

A company cannot (and should not) be expected to protect people from their own stupidity.

LOL! First, that's not how life works at all these days. Why do you think the silica packets have DO NOT EAT on them? Why can someone sue McDonald's when they spill hot coffee on their junk? Mighty Magnets were recalled because someone ATE the damn things...Companies ARE (right or wrong) expected to protect people from stupidity when they use their product. ...and in this case, I would expect Bioware to protect their customers over the people scamming their customers.

[azudelphi]

LOL! First, that's not how life works at all these days. Why do you think the silica packets have DO NOT EAT on them? Why can someone sue McDonald's when they spill hot coffee on their junk? Mighty Magnets were recalled because someone ATE the damn things...Companies ARE (right or wrong) expected to protect people from stupidity when they use their product. ...and in this case, I would expect Bioware to protect their customers over the people scamming their customers.

 

To be fair, that's to protect consumers from physical harm through misuse of the product.

 

No lives are at risk from a GTN person preying on people's impatience, ignorance, or stupidity.

[MillionsKNives]

There should be an option for a togglable confirm button for large transactions on the gtn.

 

There already is a confirmation button for purchases, is there not? Not that confirmation boxes really solve the issue. Most people have been trained to accept any confirmation box they see without ever reading it.

[TUXs]

But what action is supposed to be taken by Bioware exactly?

Refund.

[Heat-Wave]

My concern, if I was Bioware, is that this could drive away good customers who get scammed, lose their hard word, and due to hurt feelings, decide to play something else.

 

In any socity, either this one in the game, or the real life version, the powers that be should never allow the fringe to harm the mean.

 

It isn't healthy.

[Calsetes]

I hate to sound like a mean guy, but I don't see anyone at fault other than the OP who purchased them, as this was off the GTN.

 

333

333,000

 

There's a clear difference. Even using the "price by unit" sorting method, you always, always double-check the price per unit and the price of what you're buying. I've had to double-check something once because I thought it was a "too good to be true" deal, and after verifying it was, I took a shot at buying it. Absolutely worst-case scenario, if you double- and triple-check the price and manage to "miss it," then you get a full and complete refund in the mail. And honestly, a full refund for buying something that was sold is better than buying something at 100x the price because you misread it.

 

Yeah, I probably sound like a douche. But there is literally no way past user error you could "accidentally" buy something for thousands more than you would think it would cost.

[Darth_Wicked]

Refund.

 

Again, why?

 

The price per unit was there, the number of units being sold, not to mention the total price.

 

Where is the scam? Who decides that selling a piece of Turadium for 333k is akin to a scam?

 

If people felt ripped off every time they purchased something by mistake or by impulse, then people at CS would have their hands fulll. Again, ALL(!!!) the information was there to begin with... It falls to the buyer to pay attention to what he's doing.

[MillionsKNives]

How many items usually sell for 333.345? Is this a magic listing number I am missing out on?

 

Unit prices often have decimals.

 

Your analogy is significantly more flawed than mine.

 

If you cant see why I can only assume you're as dumb as the OP.

 

Going to have to side with the other guy here. In your analogy he knew what he was paying when he bought it but later found a different price. In the other guy's he thought he was paying less than he actually did.

 

I hate to sound like a mean guy, but I don't see anyone at fault other than the OP who purchased them, as this was off the GTN.

 

333

333,000

 

There's a clear difference. Even using the "price by unit" sorting method, you always, always double-check the price per unit and the price of what you're buying. I've had to double-check something once because I thought it was a "too good to be true" deal, and after verifying it was, I took a shot at buying it. Absolutely worst-case scenario, if you double- and triple-check the price and manage to "miss it," then you get a full and complete refund in the mail. And honestly, a full refund for buying something that was sold is better than buying something at 100x the price because you misread it.

 

Yeah, I probably sound like a douche. But there is literally no way past user error you could "accidentally" buy something for thousands more than you would think it would cost.

 

Yes, it's the OP's fault. But that doesn't mean the price wasn't predatory.

[abercromb]

LOL! First, that's not how life works at all these days. Why do you think the silica packets have DO NOT EAT on them? Why can someone sue McDonald's when they spill hot coffee on their junk? Mighty Magnets were recalled because someone ATE the damn things...Companies ARE (right or wrong) expected to protect people from stupidity when they use their product. ...and in this case, I would expect Bioware to protect their customers over the people scamming their customers.

 

You were doing great until that last line. Then ruined it with the conclusion that people are being scammed. Bioware have a duty to protect customers your right. But you can't protect people from this, people can charge what they wish for anything they wish on the GTM as it stands today. You can't legislate against people deciding to buy what is listed under those rules, just feel sorry for them if they make an error and pay to much.

[jedip_enguin]

LOL! First, that's not how life works at all these days. Why do you think the silica packets have DO NOT EAT on them? Why can someone sue McDonald's when they spill hot coffee on their junk? Mighty Magnets were recalled because someone ATE the damn things...Companies ARE (right or wrong) expected to protect people from stupidity when they use their product. ...and in this case, I would expect Bioware to protect their customers over the people scamming their customers.

 

Nobody scammed anybody, the price was listed clearly next to the item.

 

BW has already done everything it can do to prevent the issue, but the OP still clicked buy becuase he is thick.

 

Just because you write 'Toxic: Do not eat' on something doesnt mean some ******* wont do it, the warning is there to protect companies from frivoulous lawsuits, not to protect the customer.

[Vandicus]

Again, why?

 

The price per unit was there, the number of units being sold, not to mention the total price.

 

Where is the scam? Who decides that selling a piece of Turadium for 333k is akin to a scam?

 

If people felt ripped off every time they purchased something by mistake or by impulse, then people at CS would have their hands fulll. Again, ALL(!!!) the information was there to begin with... It falls to the buyer to pay attention to what he's doing.

 

The scam falls in that they were attempting to get people to buy something for three orders of magnitude more expensive than they believed they were by manipulating the formatting of the price system.

 

Practically speaking, a contract does not allow you to get away with anything in real life. As I've mentioned before, mistake of fact is plenty reason to render a contract void.

 

Once a particular scam is run often enough, its made illegal. As I've mentioned before, pyramid schemes, which are illegal, can be conducted with full disclosure.

[Darth_Wicked]

The scam falls in that they were attempting to get people to buy something for three orders of magnitude more expensive than they believed they were by manipulating the formatting of the price system.

 

I ask again: Who decides or who stipulates that a piece of Turadium CANNOT be sold for 333k or how such price makes it a scam?

 

Practically speaking, a contract does not allow you to get away with anything in real life. As I've mentioned before, mistake of fact is plenty reason to render a contract void.

 

There's no contract here.

 

Once a particular scam is run often enough, its made illegal. As I've mentioned before, pyramid schemes, which are illegal, can be conducted with full disclosure.

 

Again, I see no scam at all, other than the OP not paying close attention to what he was about to purchase.

Edited August 28, 2014 by Darth_Wicked

[azudelphi]

I ask again: Who decides or who stipulates that a piece of Turadium CANNOT be sold for 333k or how such price makes it a scam?

 

There's no contract here.

 

Again, I see no scam at all, other than the OP not paying close attention to what he was about to purchase.

 

Quite right.

 

Predatory on people's haste / stupidity? Sure.

 

Scam? Nope.

[Vandicus]

I ask again: Who decides or who stipulates that a piece of Turadium CANNOT be sold for 333k or how such price makes it a scam?

 

 

 

There's no contract here.

 

 

 

Again, I see no scam at all, other than the OP not paying close attention to what he was about to purchase.

 

In real life, that'd be up to the discretion of judges following legal guidelines.

 

 

For the sake of comparison to real life, which has regulated markets and things like receipts for a reason, its not unreasonable to treat each transaction(which in real life constitutes a contract) as following the same rules.

 

Was there an attempt at deceit? Yes. Was it successful? Yes. Was there harm to the one being deceived and benefit to the deceiver? Yes.

 

To me that's a scam. There's all kinds of ways to swindle people.

 

*EDIT

 

Even from a business perspective, that kind of behavior harms the market(while providing no economic benefit). Aside from morality the laws are also based on economic practicality.

Edited August 28, 2014 by Vandicus

[AlienEyeTX]

Sort by unit price and you really don't have this problem again.

[ikinai]

Sort by unit price and you really don't have this problem again.

 

That's too easy, no one can do that. You ask for the impossible.

[Vandicus]

Sort by unit price and you really don't have this problem again.

 

The design of the sort by unit price is actually part of what caused the problem.

[eartharioch]

It's only a scam if the extra numbers were hidden. I'm not sure how one would do that. There is a big difference between 333 and 333,000, a rather noticeable difference.

 

So, is 999,999 greater than or less than 1000?

[AlienEyeTX]

That's too easy, no one can do that. You ask for the impossible.

 

Always with you, it cannot be done.

[Vandicus]

So, is 999,999 greater than or less than 1000?

 

Are you European or American?

[Darth_Wicked]

In real life, that'd be up to the discretion of judges following legal guidelines.

 

For the sake of comparison to real life, which has regulated markets and things like receipts for a reason, its not unreasonable to treat each transaction(which in real life constitutes a contract) as following the same rules.

 

This is not real life and like I mentioned, there was no contract whatsoever.

 

This was the simplest of the transactions, where full disclosure on the seller's part was provided.

 

Was there an attempt at deceit? Yes. Was it successful? Yes. Was there harm to the one being deceived and benefit to the deceiver? Yes.

 

That would be a hard sell in court one might add, taken into account your "real life" example.

 

As I mentioned over and over again, all the information was there and said information was accurate. There was no omission of any data whatsoever... The buyer got what he purchased.

 

To me that's a scam. There's all kinds of ways to swindle people.

 

Again, there was full disclosure on the seller's part... He did NOT hide anything about the deal; The price per unit was there, the number of units, plus the total price.

 

It falls to the buyer to pay attention to what he was doing and he ultimately didn't.

 

In order for it to be a scam, I guess that in the immediate future - this being GTN and virtual items - the OP would realize he did NOT got what he purchased. Yet again, this is not the case.

 

HE DID GOT WHAT HE PURCHASED, not what he had anticipated given that he misinterpreted the listing.

 

Different things altogether, as I said repeatedly.

Edited August 28, 2014 by Darth_Wicked

[ikinai]

The design of the sort by unit price is actually part of what caused the problem.

 

How could that possibly be? Click it sorts, click it sorts, click it sorts. It has two states. High to low and low to high. If you can't see the difference when you click, that is your fault, not the seller, not the game and it is not a scam. That is entirely the purchasers fault.

[abercromb]

Refund.

 

This in itself would cause a more worrying trend that would do considerably more damage than people not paying attention and paying to much. The ability already exists to cancel a transaction I believe although I have not tried it(see the start of this thread for details) .

 

So what we is being asking for here is the ability to refund what you paid for something some time after it has been purchased from the GTM. But how long could something be refunded for? Could it be 30 min? an hour? A day? How long would it take for someone to realise they had over paid?

 

Does anyone else not think that the vast majority of people using a refund policy would not be foolish innocents who have been scammed. But those who want a guaranteed profit on GTM purchases.

 

With this you could buy what you wanted and refund when a lower one came along.

With this you could buy all of one item and list your own at a higher price. Safe in the knowledge you could get your money back.

With this you could distort and manipulate entire sections of the market through buying and refunding all your competition.

 

In summary it would be an insanely stupid idea to destroy the economy in game to solve what is simply a few misclicks and regretted purchases.