# think i've been scammed



## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

1 month into Spanish adventure and I think I been scammed. Bought a Pool Table and 6 days later not a sign of it. When I email supplier they vague about when will be deliver and just say that the agreement is 4 days....

always answerphone when called from 2pm this friday afternoon.

The site looked genuine (friend agreed), and can from google shopping....think the first port of call might therefore have to be google! 

I'm throwing a wild guess that Police will be less than interested ? (its 700 euros)

feeling sick


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## bikerboy123 (Sep 30, 2018)

andyviola said:


> 1 month into Spanish adventure and I think I been scammed. Bought a Pool Table and 6 days later not a sign of it. When I email supplier they vague about when will be deliver and just say that the agreement is 4 days....
> 
> always answerphone when called from 2pm this friday afternoon.
> 
> ...


''always answerphone when called from 2pm this friday afternoon'' maybe shop shut, also how did you pay, paypal/credit cards give you some redress.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Yes, most businesses are closed between 2 pm and 4 or 5 pm, then work till 8 or 8.30 pm. Or maybe they don't open again in the afternoons during summer months. Try again now, and Monday morning.

I wouldn't panic yet. It's holiday time ...


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> Yes, most businesses are closed between 2 pm and 4 or 5 pm, then work till 8 or 8.30 pm. Or maybe they don't open again in the afternoons during summer months. Try again now, and Monday morning.
> 
> I wouldn't panic yet. It's holiday time ...


I wouldn't panic yet either. 
Timetables. Many business close for lunchtime and that can vary, but if they do close for lunch for sure at 2 o clock no one's going to be answering the phone. If it's a shop you're phoning, 10.30 might be a good time or 12.00. If it's an office, maybe 8.30, but it might be a little early. I think 12- 12:30 is good; too late for morning break, too early for lunch. 
July and August can be even trickier to track someone down. In some areas places close up in the afternoon, perhaps from 2 or 3. Some will close for holidays 2, or 3 or even 4 weeks...
Some simplified language that could possibly help...
You want to know a delivery date ¿ Cuándo me lo entrega?
¿ Cuándo lo voy a recibir? 
In a week, two weeks? ¿En una semana, dos semanas?


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## bikerboy123 (Sep 30, 2018)

welcome to the three phases of dealing with Spanish businesses,,, 
phase one,,,,, lol it's quite amusing how the Spanish do things, oh well it's spain. 
phase two,,,,, WTF!!!! these useless [email protected]@@ks are costing me my time and worst my money. 
phase three,,,,, just chill out and go with the flow, they are not going to any faster just because you have purple veins pulsating on you forehead.


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## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

Ok yes gotcha and Alicante supplier means even more chilled I guess...
Your thoughts and fact Google shopping sourced and reviews good lead me to better hope of pool soon....


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## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

By the way the what time of day to phone really made me chuckle.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

andyviola said:


> By the way the what time of day to phone really made me chuckle.


Why?


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## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

Pesky Wesky said:


> andyviola said:
> 
> 
> > By the way the what time of day to phone really made me chuckle.
> ...


 just my sense of humour. Funniest things are always true things like this not fantasy. Reminded me of the great comedy Office Space when he explained if you take away all the breaks and pointless meetings there is really only one hours actual work possible 😁


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

just as a retort on the comments about Spanish efficiency - just try getting some sense out of UK businesses or worse still UK government offices. SWMBO is still paying NI to maintain her pension rights but because she works only 9 months of the year, she has to tell HMRC how much she has worked in the UK financial year (April 6th to April 5th) and produce a copy of her contracts for them to tell her how much she has to pay. A letter gets sent from us a few days into the new financial year stating how much she has worked during the financial year just finished for them to tell her how much she has to pay. Last year after a couple of months wait for a reply, she got an answer which was hopelessly wrong so another letter was sent saying what we thought it should be. Two month wait and back came the reply saying that what we had submitted was correct.

This year, seeking to avoid the problem from last year, the letter was sent from us on 7th April, setting out what we thought the amount should be. - - We are still waiting for a reply from HMRC! Phoning numbers that are either not answered or constantly engaged or sending an email (sorry but you have to write in) is just as frustrating.


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## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

Baldi sympathies but future encounters with HMRC terrifying me.... especially when I go automous here soon.


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

Andy did you get any information, email etc. giving a date for delivery? I ordered some wood panels yesterday and confirmation said within 3 days. Had an email late last night with tracking info and said order had left depot. 

If it is a small business they may close early on Fridays.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

andyviola said:


> By the way the what time of day to phone really made me chuckle.


We have something similar if we want to talk to someone at the town hall (there is no appointments system).

Go between 8.30 and 10 and there are queues of people who don't start work till 10.

Go between 10 and 10.45 and the staff are having their compulsory morning break.

Go between 10.45 and 11.30 and there are queues of people nipping out on their own morning breaks.

So there's not much point in going before midday - then they knock off at 2.


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## bikerboy123 (Sep 30, 2018)

baldilocks said:


> just as a retort on the comments about Spanish efficiency - just try getting some sense out of UK businesses or worse still UK government offices. SWMBO is still paying NI to maintain her pension rights but because she works only 9 months of the year, she has to tell HMRC how much she has worked in the UK financial year (April 6th to April 5th) and produce a copy of her contracts for them to tell her how much she has to pay. A letter gets sent from us a few days into the new financial year stating how much she has worked during the financial year just finished for them to tell her how much she has to pay. Last year after a couple of months wait for a reply, she got an answer which was hopelessly wrong so another letter was sent saying what we thought it should be. Two month wait and back came the reply saying that what we had submitted was correct.
> 
> This year, seeking to avoid the problem from last year, the letter was sent from us on 7th April, setting out what we thought the amount should be. - - We are still waiting for a reply from HMRC! Phoning numbers that are either not answered or constantly engaged or sending an email (sorry but you have to write in) is just as frustrating.


a good few years ago I was drawn into the nightmare that was the CSA, this was a government dept that wrote the book on 'the right hand not knowing what the left hand was doing', the story is to long to condense down and still make sense so I wont


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## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

always always asafone. 1120 just tried several times. w**kers

these scammers should get prison sentences . they never do. could never watch watchdog as they found scams, found the culprits and then action seemed impossible....


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## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

well they seem to be the type of supplier that owns only half of the process, as they say its now with distributor so called and omg spoke to someone at last and they delivering tomorrow 

*you can all laugh at my naivety*

arty:arty:arty:arty:arty:

:crazy::crazy::crazy::crazy:


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## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

2 days later and now the distributor hanging up on calls or not answering.

could still be an elaborate scam with one man and his monkey pretending to offer post sales support

furious, even if not scam and I get it soon this is crazy timescales when they had it in Madrid in a lorry 3 days ago.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

andyviola said:


> 2 days later and now the distributor hanging up on calls or not answering.
> 
> could still be an elaborate scam with one man and his monkey pretending to offer post sales support
> 
> furious, even if not scam and I get it soon this is crazy timescales when they had it in Madrid in a lorry 3 days ago.


Please be aware that some delivery outfits are hopeless. There is one in this area which says it has tried to deliver but nobody was home. Unless we are all away on holiday there is *always* somebody here - they just haven't bothered to try to find the house which is in a perfectly normal street.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

andyviola said:


> 2 days later and now the distributor hanging up on calls or not answering.
> 
> could still be an elaborate scam with one man and his monkey pretending to offer post sales support
> 
> furious, even if not scam and I get it soon this is crazy timescales when they had it in Madrid in a lorry 3 days ago.


Where is the office or manufacturer that you ordered it from? In Madrid, local to you?


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## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

Not local Alicante I'm catalunya. Agent helped me and she says...they tried to call you yesterday for directions; they have an english number 44xxxxx, but no indication that it is english, so the guy rings 44xxxxx and of course - wrong number

So they can't find an address in Google maps and don't know what +44 means


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

I wouldn't be surprised if the delivery guy provides his own truck, his own phone and has a zero hours contract. 

When he sees a foreign number, I doubt he's got much incentive to call you and pay a mobile to foreign mobile connection charge TBH....


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## Simply Simon (Jan 18, 2019)

andyviola said:


> 2 days later and now the distributor hanging up on calls or not answering.
> 
> could still be an elaborate scam with one man and his monkey pretending to offer post sales support
> 
> furious, even if not scam and I get it soon this is crazy timescales when they had it in Madrid in a lorry 3 days ago.


Some distributors are flippin' awful. Every time I order something from Amazon and they use [Don't think I'm Allowed To Say The Name Here], they send me an email saying they tried to deliver but because they didn't like to leave the package unattended they returned it to the depot. When I check the tracking, the town they 'tried to deliver to' it ain't, not nowhere near where I live and where I was in all day. Then I get the nonsense about they will deliver it within the next 7 days. Loads of times the packages track to a depot in Alicante and they seem to sit there for a few days showing as 'Cast In' which I think means they are out for delivery - where? Nobody knows! Everything arrives eventually (so far) so I don't get too miffed, there's no point really.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Simply Simon said:


> Some distributors are flippin' awful. Every time I order something from Amazon and they use [Don't think I'm Allowed To Say The Name Here], they send me an email saying they tried to deliver but because they didn't like to leave the package unattended they returned it to the depot. When I check the tracking, the town they 'tried to deliver to' it ain't, not nowhere near where I live and where I was in all day. Then I get the nonsense about they will deliver it within the next 7 days. Loads of times the packages track to a depot in Alicante and they seem to sit there for a few days showing as 'Cast In' which I think means they are out for delivery - where? Nobody knows! Everything arrives eventually (so far) so I don't get too miffed, there's no point really.


Is it any better in the UK? Just wondering.


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## Simply Simon (Jan 18, 2019)

Alcalaina said:


> Is it any better in the UK? Just wondering.


I think it was better, but then the UK is half the size of Spain so everything is scrunched closer together. I'm not too bothered about delayed packages, we have a bet on which day deliveries are going to arrive, it's fun. The best one was the 11 days it took for a guaranteed next day delivery.


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

Alcalaina said:


> Is it any better in the UK? Just wondering.


Seems to be and we are in a rural lane with no numbers. Don't use Amazon much but Grandson uses our postal address. Have ordered a couple of things, one an eye cream by Clinique but not sold in UK. only America. Arrived the next day as has everything else.

I have never had anyone deliver or a work job done at my house in Spain without them telephoning for directions, even Corte Ingles.


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## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

ok you have to forgive me but remember i lived in london for 20 years so always super fast deliveries...its just cos so much stuff being shifted the operation is fine tuned I guess there.

the manufacturer of the pool table actually just got involved and spoke to my agent and was miffed I going around the houses and it SHOULD come tomrrow but as its 110 kg they will just deposit at gate. I will see if 20 euros changes their minds,as 55 kg a man is noit awful for extra 15m into garage,


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## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

Simply Simon said:


> Some distributors are flippin' awful. Every time I order something from Amazon and they use [Don't think I'm Allowed To Say The Name Here], they send me an email saying they tried to deliver but because they didn't like to leave the package unattended they returned it to the depot. When I check the tracking, the town they 'tried to deliver to' it ain't, not nowhere near where I live and where I was in all day. Then I get the nonsense about they will deliver it within the next 7 days. Loads of times the packages track to a depot in Alicante and they seem to sit there for a few days showing as 'Cast In' which I think means they are out for delivery - where? Nobody knows! Everything arrives eventually (so far) so I don't get too miffed, there's no point really.


LOL if only everything I wanted I knew to order 10 days before needed lol..


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## danboy20 (Jul 10, 2017)

Many Spanish companies aren´t as organised as ones from the UK....Took me months to get a refund from Media markt, and recently I bought a shed online, only to be told it would take two months to be delivered! Needless to say, I asked for a refund, which took over a week to be processed.

Just make yourself as difficult as possible, by writing on their Facebook etc.

Their websites might look as organised as UK, but their logistics, and organisation leaves a lot to be desired!


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## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

danboy20 said:


> Many Spanish companies aren´t as organised as ones from the UK....Took me months to get a refund from Media markt, and recently I bought a shed online, only to be told it would take two months to be delivered! Needless to say, I asked for a refund, which took over a week to be processed.
> 
> Just make yourself as difficult as possible, by writing on their Facebook etc.
> 
> Their websites might look as organised as UK, but their logistics, and organisation leaves a lot to be desired!


when you get PAST 50 2 months is a non-trivial percentage of the rest of your life !! 

ridiculous and it should be against eu law....


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## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

I would say buying traditional is simple...until we bought some table and chairs at a flashy large furniture chain and then at checkout they said to pick them upo we have to travel 2 miles to a warehouse and trading estate that was bloody hard to find ...talk about convenience for *seller*


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## Simply Simon (Jan 18, 2019)

andyviola said:


> ok you have to forgive me but remember i lived in london for 20 years so always super fast deliveries...its just cos so much stuff being shifted the operation is fine tuned I guess there.
> 
> the manufacturer of the pool table actually just got involved and spoke to my agent and was miffed I going around the houses and it SHOULD come tomrrow but as its 110 kg they will just deposit at gate. I will see if 20 euros changes their minds,as 55 kg a man is noit awful for extra 15m into garage,


I don't think you'll need €20, just ask nicely and they'll probably be happy to do it. I am a cheapskate so I normally only give a couple of euros or €5 if it's a difficult job. We had a set of bunkbeds delivered free from a secondhand shop and the 2 blokes dismantled them as they wouldn't go up the stairs, they then remantled them (why isn't remantled a word!?) in a very tight fitting small bedroom, I gave them €5 and they seemed happy.


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## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

haha ok 5 euros it is - well 5 each if 2 of them, 10 if one helping me 

one hernia later...


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

andyviola said:


> haha ok 5 euros it is - well 5 each if 2 of them, 10 if one helping me
> 
> *one hernia later*...


Don't! I've been there - twice!


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## danboy20 (Jul 10, 2017)

andyviola said:


> when you get PAST 50 2 months is a non-trivial percentage of the rest of your life !!
> 
> ridiculous and it should be against eu law....


Fair enough...but when it says on the advert "next day delivery" it should be delivered the next day!

They still have the advert up, and undoubtedly people are still buying these sheds. If people don´t make a fuss, the money rests in their account....nice little earner!


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

andyviola said:


> when you get PAST 50 2 months is a non-trivial percentage of the rest of your life !!


will I manage another week, and get to 78?


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Isobella said:


> I have never had anyone deliver or a work job done at my house in Spain without them telephoning for directions, even Corte Ingles.


Possibly because postcodes in Spain are at city level, not at street level. You can't just bung the postcode into your satnav and let it navigate you to the door. Plus street names here change so often, older maps can be useless.


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

Alcalaina said:


> Possibly because postcodes in Spain are at city level, not at street level. You can't just bung the postcode into your satnav and let it navigate you to the door. Plus street names here change so often, older maps can be useless.


We have the same problem. The address on the SUMA bills don't match the address the water company have and is different to the address on the deeds of the property.
And the road name is different again on google maps (the flat was built in 2005)

I use the SUMA one as these always get here. 

As to Amazon uk deliveries, they are rubbish in Shoreham in the UK, we live in a small block of 6 flats but there are 10 blocks on the estate. Ive had parcels delivered to the wrong block and even to the house that shares the same number but is 500m down the road. I now have all my deliveries sent to the local Post Office because I know they will get there.


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## Simply Simon (Jan 18, 2019)

We seem to have about 100 different ways of stating our address. The town on most of the drop down lists doesn't exist anymore, there is the Spanish and Valencia spelling of the area we live in and our road is a tiny cul-de-sac that only appears on Google maps if you zoom in so lots of delivery blokes phone and say we don't exist. Luckily a clever bloke showed me how to use WhatsApp and those text thingies that I never use to send the Google location. But most deliveries work - only that company that must not be named 'cos of forum rules, they tell lies and make me very grumpy.


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## Trubrit (Nov 24, 2010)

I live in the campo without a valid address so I paid 76 euros to the local correos for a po box but they will not accept anything but parcels sent by correos. Last week I ordered a new sim and the providor use a courier service so I had to have it delivered to the local Repsol garage. I really do love Spain as every new day brings another unforseen dilemma.


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## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

baldilocks said:


> andyviola said:
> 
> 
> > when you get PAST 50 2 months is a non-trivial percentage of the rest of your life !!
> ...



Hahahaha

I am just doing the math

But more general point why should anyone pay heaps for something they won't enjoy for next 2 months..a very long time


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## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

*it arrived 

no hernia

viola asked nicely and he took down our downhill drive for no extra dineros (only problem being getting it over the really high kerbs in spain that our 2012 honda far too low for)*


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

andyviola said:


> *it arrived
> 
> no hernia
> 
> viola asked nicely and he took down our downhill drive for no extra dineros (only problem being getting it over the really high kerbs in spain that our 2012 honda far too low for)*


There you go then! Spanish customer service at its best.


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## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

Alcalaina said:


> There you go then! Spanish customer service at its best.


OMG never show me the worst :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:


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## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

but now get amazon delivery man who just puts note to go to post office - when we in !!!


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