December 15, 2002
This email is received from Jason:
Subj: Grinch Cereal Bowl, item # 739708626
Date: 12/15/02 10:40:06 AM Eastern Standard Time
From: [email protected] (Carpenter, Jason A AZ2 (HS7))
To: [email protected] ('[email protected]')

Good afternoon! My name is Jason Carpenter! I was the winner of your How the Grinch Stole Christmas Cereal Bowl, item #: 739708626 on the 19th of November. I contacted you shortly after winning the auction from you and I did get a response with your mailing address and the total that I owe you! I know that it has almost been a month since I have contacted you and since the auction has ended! I am in the Navy stationed out of Jacksonville, Fl. but I am currently underway on my six month cruise and I will not be back until the summer of next year. I have been after my wife to mail the payment off to you as soon as possible due to I won this for my 3 year old daughter for Christmas and I was hoping to have it before Christmas. But unfortunatly she hasn't mailed off the payment. Can you send me the total that owe you and your mailing address so that I can mail you the payment that I owe? I have the money and I will email you with the serial number of the money order to confirm that the payment is in the mail. My mailing address at home is as follows:

Jason A. Carpenter
address edited out for privacy
NAVSTA Mayport,

May I ask if there is anyway possible that I can get you to trust me and believe me that I in all honesty will have the payment in the mail this evening as soon as I get a response from you, but what I really wanted to ask if there was anyway that you could place the bowl in the mail so that it can reach my wife back in Jacksonville before Christmas. As I mentioned before, I am out to sea and will be until the middle of next year, is there anyway possible that I could get you to mail out the bowl to reach my wife and daughter before Christmas, and I promise you that I will have the payment in the mail and the serial number emailed to you as soon as I place it in the mail box downstairs! I hope to hear from you soon and I thank you for your time, patience and business! God bless!

Sincerely,
Jason A. Carpenter

P.S. Please reply to this email so that I can get your response out here instead of writing to my ebay account because I cannot access the internet from the ship! Thank you and have a good day!

This is the reply I sent to Jason:
Subj: Fwd: eBay Item Purchase: Dr Seuss How The Grinch Stole Christmas Bowl (Item ...
Date: 12/15/02 5:13:31 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: Jmyinmich
To: [email protected]
CC: Jmyinmich
Hi, I had been wondering about your little girl and this gift for Christmas!

I will do what I can to work with you on getting this in time for Christmas but right now we are getting a new kitchen in our apartment and in the process of trying to make our soon to be "new to us" house ready so that we can move into it.

I'm forwarding with this what I hope was my original email to you. It should have the totals and information. I have to go to work in just a few minutes. Either when I get home tonight or in the morning I will try to pull your item out and see what I can do. Things are kind of a jumble here right this minute because of having to move everything out of this apartment kitchen (it's not like we have a big apartment to begin with--and we have two boys and all their things!).

By Wednesday things should be back to normal at least at the apartment so I will try to ship it by then. Let me know if this works for you.

Merry Christmas!
Jamie
-----------------
Forwarded Message:

Subj: Re: eBay Item Purchase: Dr Seuss How The Grinch Stole Christmas Bowl (Item #...
Date: 11/30/02 5:48:26 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: Jmyinmich
To: [email protected]
CC: Jmyinmich

Congratulations!

You are the winning bidder on ebay auction 739708626 for the Grinch bowl.

If you are in the US your total is $2.99 + $4 priority mail = $6.99.

If you are in another country please email me and I will give you a total.

If you wish to pay via paypal using existing funds or a bank account (not a credit card) please send to:
[email protected]

If you want to pay by snail mail my address is:
Jamie Yates
address edited out for privacy

Thanks!
Jamie

In a message dated 11/30/02 5:29:52 PM Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes:

footballfan722 has agreed to purchase the following eBay item on Nov-30-02 14:29:34 PST:

Dr Seuss How The Grinch Stole Christmas Bowl - Item #739708626

The buyer has been asked to pay for this item via accepted payment methods. If you want, you may create and send an invoice to the buyer.

Payment details:
Item price: $2.99
Quantity: 1
Subtotal: $2.99
Shipping, handling: $4.00
Shipping insurance per item: (not offered)
Sales tax: (None)
Your payment instructions to buyer:
If you wish to pay via paypal using existing funds or a bank account (no credit cards) click the paypal logo in my ad and send payment to [email protected]. Just add up your high bid amount plus your postage choice and send payment. I ship the same day or next day payment is received, usually. If you wish to pay by snail mail I will email you at the auctions end with payment details.

You may also contact the buyer via email to complete the sale at [email protected]. If contacting the buyer directly, please do so within 3 business days.

This item can be viewed for up to 90 days at: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=739708626&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOAS:US:3
Note:The buyer has been sent a separate email to confirm this sale. Don't forget to leave feedback after the sale is complete.

Listing details:
Item name: Dr Seuss How The Grinch Stole Christmas Bowl
Item number: 739708626
End date: Nov-30-02 14:29:34 PST
Number of bids: 1
Seller: jamie-yates: [email protected]
Buyer: footballfan722: [email protected]
Ship-to zip code: 32227
(Please confirm with buyer that zip code is correct)

December 17, 2002
Jason emails me with this reply:
Subj: RE: eBay Item Purchase: Dr Seuss How The Grinch Stole Christmas Bowl (Item ...
Date: 12/17/02 12:27:19 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: [email protected] (Carpenter, Jason A Z2 (HS7))
To: [email protected] ('[email protected]')

Jamie,

Hi, this is Jason Carpenter, again! My wife emailed me today and she is going by the post office to place the payment in the mail. When she notifies me that it is on it's way, I will email you again to notify you! I appreciate your time, patience and business in helping me get this hopefully before Christmas. I do apologize for the delay in getting your payment to you! Please have a good evening, thanks again and God bless!

Sincerely,
Jason A. Carpenter

December 23, 2002
Jason emails again
Subj: RE: eBay Item Purchase: Dr Seuss How The Grinch Stole Christmas Bowl (Item ...
Date: 12/23/02 12:49:37 AM Eastern Standard Time
From: [email protected] (Carpenter, Jason A AZ2 (HS7))
To: [email protected] ('[email protected]')

Jamie,

Hi, this is Jason Carpenter, again. I emailed my wife and she informed me that she mailed out the payment last week as promised! I emailed you wondering if you mailed off the Grinch Cereal bowl last Wednesday like you said you would try too? Please let me know so that I can let my wife know whether to expect the bowl in the mail or not. Thank you again and God bless!

Sincerely,
Jason A. Carpenter

Now at this point I felt sorry for the little daughter who was to receive this bowl. I decided to go ahead and ship it to her. I had family in the military "over there" and decided that even though I had not yet received payment, this would be ok.

I shipped the item using delivery confirmation on Monday, December 23. I shipped it by priority mail. I doubted that it would get to Flordia from Michigan in time for Christmas morning but at least it would be near Christmas. Keep in mind I still had not been paid.

December 27, 2002
Payment still wasn't received as of December 27. I figured with Christmas mail is slower, but that if payment was sent on December 17, that I should surely have received it by the 27th. I mean you're talking 9 days that the post office was operating.

So I sent this message:
Subj: Re: eBay Item Purchase: Dr Seuss How The Grinch Stole Christmas Bowl (Item ...
Date: 12/27/02 9:25:48 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: Jmyinmich
To: [email protected]
CC: [email protected], Jmyinmich

I show your package was delivered yesterday at 11:22 a.m. but I still have not received the payment you said was sent a week ago.

Delivery Status

You entered 0103 8555 7491 2005 4513

ARRIVAL AT UNIT, December 26, 2002, 5:55 am, ATLANTIC BEACH, FL 32233" name=hidRow1> ELECTRONIC SHIPPING INFO RECEIVED, December 23, 2002" name=hidRow2> Your item was delivered at 11:22 am on December 26, 2002 in JACKSONVILLE, FL 32227.

December 28, 2002
I received this reply. Note he says he sent me the serial numbers of the money order/bank draft. He never emailed this to me. Not that it would have made a difference, I can't get paid by a serial number. He says he does this "with all" of his auctions. He's only got a feedback rating of two (as of January 10, 2003). This is where he starts getting abusive and using foul language.

Subj: RE: eBay Item Purchase: Dr Seuss How The Grinch Stole Christmas Bowl (Item ...
Date: 12/28/02 2:40:10 AM Eastern Standard Time
From: [email protected] (Carpenter, Jason A AZ2 (HS7))
To: [email protected] ('[email protected]')

Jamie,

The payment is in the mail somewhere. I sent you the serial number of the money order/bank draft that my wife sent to you. I do that with all of my auctions that I won to confirm with the seller that the payment was placed in the mail. I am not bullshitting you or lying to you in anyway. You might end up receiving two payments because my wife said that she had to resend one because we won another bowl for my other daughter and the payment was sent but it was not cashed by the person we sent the payment too! So we had to resend that payment as well. But I do guarentee that the money is in the mail. I will check with my wife to find out what address she sent it to and get back to you! When I email you what address she mailed it to, email me back to verify and confirm that is the right address. Thank you and God bless!

Jason A. Carpenter

January 2003
Ok so here we are, more than a month after the auction ended...
Still no payment. I have a PO Box in a very small post office. The people that work in my post office, some of them worked there when I was a little girl. Hardly any chance somebody is going to steal my mail out of a locked PO Box right?

On January 2 I decide enough is enough. I haven't been paid. The guy is using foul language. I just want my ebay fees back. I'm already out the postage I used to mail the item, plus the item. At least I can get my fees back.

January 3, 2003
This is Jason's message to me:
Subj: RE: Grinch Cereal Bowl, item # 739708626
Date: 1/3/03 10:35:30 AM Eastern Standard Time
From: [email protected] (Carpenter, Jason A AZ2 (HS7))
To: [email protected] ('[email protected]')

Jamie,

My wife has mailed payment twice so far from Jacksonville, Fl. Why it has not reached you yet, is beyond me! I gave you my word that we would mail the payment out and we have! Whether or not you believe or trust me on this is completely up to you! I will have my wife email you directly to give you the serial number of " both " bank drafts that she has mailed to you! Please forgive me for my curtness but this has been an aweful day! Thank you again and God bless!

Sincerely,
Jason A. Carpenter

P.S. To verify that we sent it to the right address, could you please forward it to my wife with a note of who you are and that you have not received payment to her email address of: [email protected] .

Thank you again!
Sincerely,
Jason A. Carpenter

This is my message to Jason:
Subj: Re: Grinch Cereal Bowl, item # 739708626
Date: 1/3/03 12:12:13 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: Jmyinmich
To: [email protected]
CC: [email protected], Jmyinmich

I think you probably better check and make sure that you mail payment to:

Jamie Yates
(address edited for privacy)

And then run a trace on the other two whatever they were: checks, money orders whatever. You can do this by inquiring at the place at which you purchased them. In over five years I have never once had a payment just not show up--especially not twice.

To save yourself some additional trouble, since you've apparently already purchased two money orders or whatever, you might want to send the payment by a trackable source such as with delivery confirmation, signature confirmation or certified mail. This will give you some proof of mailing as well as the ability to find out exactly where your mail is at during transit. Delivery confirmation such as I used when I mailed the package to you is FREE when you pay for your postage at the post office's web site at:

https://sss-web.usps.com/ds/jsps/index.jsp

I am sorry that I cannot help what does or does not appear in my post office box but I do have a very small post office and all three employees are very trustworthy. Two of them have worked there since I was a child. I am fairly certain the problem is not at my post office.

Jamie Yates

In a message dated 1/3/03 10:35:30 AM Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes:

My wife has mailed payment twice so far from Jacksonville, Fl. Why it has not reached you yet, is beyond me! I gave you my word that we would mail the payment out and we have! Whether or not you believe or trust me on this is completely up to you! I will have my wife email you directly to give you the serial number of " both " bank drafts that she has mailed to you! Please forgive me for my curtness but this has been an aweful day! Thank you again and God bless!

Since it appears to be getting hokey.....I mean mailed two payments to me and two payments to somebody else he won a bowl from and serial numbers and yada yada yada....I filed the non paying bidder alert with Ebay.

Subj: Reminder to pay your eBay seller
Date: 1/3/03 9:40:37 AM Eastern Standard Time
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]

Dear jamie-yates:

This is a copy of the translated message sent to the bidder.

Dear footballfan722:

Congratulations on your winning bid for eBay item 739708626, Dr Seuss How The Grinch Stole Christmas Bowl. Your seller, jamie-yates, has informed eBay that your payment hasn't been received yet.

If you have already sent payment or intend to pay soon, please contact jamie-yates at [email protected] immediately. Simple misunderstandings are often resolved through direct communication.

** Do not reply to this email. All you need to do is contact your seller.**

If you have been unsuccessful contacting the seller via email, you are welcome to contact them by phone if needed. eBay allows all members involved in a transaction to request each others' contact information, including phone numbers. This feature can be accessed through the following URL:

http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?MemberSearchShow

You and your seller are encouraged to work things out in the next 10 days. If this situation is resolved during this time, the matter is dropped and you do not need to take any further action.

If, however, your seller is still unsatisfied after this period, you may receive a Non-Paying Bidder (NPB) warning from eBay. Once you obtain three warnings on your record your account will be suspended indefinitely.

For additional details about eBay's Non-Paying Bidder Policy go to:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/bidders_overview.html

Please note that eBay does not take the side of the buyer or seller -- understand that we are only trying to help you and your seller trade successfully. Remember: Your seller is under no obligation to "hold" your item since much time has already passed.

Regards,

eBay Safeharbor Team

And then I followed up with this email:
Subj: Re: Grinch Cereal Bowl, item # 739708626
Date: 1/3/03 8:33:54 AM Eastern Standard Time
From: Jmyinmich
To: [email protected], [email protected]
CC: Jmyinmich

I'm sorry to tell you that I still have not received payment for this item, even though you said it was mailed sometime during the week of December 16-21. I know you received the item on December 26 and I know you wrote me the indignant email about how it wasn't "bullshit" but the facts remain I still have not received payment and there was not an email from you with some sort of serial number, not that a serial number would put the payment in my mailbox. It's been long enough now that I should have received it, even if it was coming from as far away as Japan (I got mail from Japan in 7 days). I'm going to have to leave feedback at ebay pretty soon that is appropriate to this situation.

Jamie Yates

Ok now 10 days after you file with ebay you can ask for your fees back. So on January 13, 2003 if I still have not received payment, I fully intend to do this.

Subj: Fwd: Grinch Cereal Bowl, item # 739708626
Date: 1/9/03 6:03:26 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: Jmyinmich
To: [email protected], [email protected], Jmyinmich
CC: [email protected]

So far I haven't heard any actual verification from your wife (or from you other than "your word") that any payment was mailed anywhere. I take it you did not take my advice and send payment by some kind of trackable means since you have so many auctions that you've allegedly paid for that just haven't gotten there.

I did trust you and you did receive your item. If I don't have payment by 10 a.m. eastern time on Monday I have no choice left but to ask ebay for my fees back and proceed with the warning ebay will place on your account. I'm sorry that you seem to have such bad luck trusting your wife to mail payments and that you have so many bad days but you didn't fulfill your end of the agreement. A payment mailed before Christmas would have arrived here by now from any part of the world. I trusted you because the amount was not a large one and because of your plea to get this to your daughter. I'm truly sorry that I was so gullible.

Jamie Yates

This is the email I got from the wife who has supposedly paid me twice and paid for another bowl twice (why would you pay twice???).
Subj: Re: Grinch Cereal Bowl, item # 739708626
Date: 1/9/03 9:41:24 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: [email protected]
To: Jmyinmich

Dear Jamie.

I checked with the bank and the bank drafts that I sent to you where cashed and they are trying to find out by who! I am going to the post office tomorrow and mail your payment to you. I am so sorry that I haven't written to you to inform you of what has been happening with this.

Janey

Then I get this pleasant little email from the husband who is so annoyed with me he wishes he were not defending my life. I mean c'mon, he's got his item. I don't have the money for the item. But he is the one who is annoyed with me just because I've taken the steps ebay allows me to take when I don't get paid.

Subj: RE: Grinch Cereal Bowl, item # 739708626
Date: 1/10/03 12:36:38 AM Eastern Standard Time
From: [email protected] (Carpenter, Jason A AZ2 (HS7))
To: [email protected] ('[email protected]')

HEY,

WHY THE HELL DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU HAVE TO BE SUCH A JACKASS TO LEAVE AN EMAIL FOR SOMEONE LIKE THAT! I AM HALFWAY AROUND THE WORLD DEFENDING THIS BELOVED COUNTRY AND YOU WANT TO MAKE CHILDISH COMMENTS LIKE THAT! I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY I AND THE 6,000 OTHER PEOPLE ON THIS SHIP PUT OUR LIVES ON THE LINE TO DEFEND AND PROTECT FREEDOM FOR SOMEONE WHO IS CRYING OVER A $7.00 AUCTION. BELIEVE ME JAMIE YATES, I DO TRUST MY WIFE TO HAVE MAILED YOU THE PAYMENT AND IF SHE SAID THAT SHE MAILED IT TO YOU NOT ONCE BUT TWICE THEN I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BELIEVE HER! THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT A MARRIAGE! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO TRUST YOUR SPOUSE!

AND I NEVER ONCE TOOK INTO CONSIDERATION THAT I WAS GOING TO HAVE YOU MAIL ME THE BOWL AND NOT PAY YOUR FOR IT! I WASN'T BROUGHT UP TO DO SHIT LIKE THAT! I WILL CONTACT MY WIFE ONE MORE TIME TO FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS, AND IF SHE CAN'T GET IT STRAIGHT THEN I WILL HAVE HER MAIL YOU YOUR DAMN BOWL BACK JUST TO STOP YOUR WHINNING AND CRYING!

I HOPE THAT YOU HAVE A BLESSED DAY!

Sincerely,
Jason A. Carpenter

This is the kind of guy we have defending our country. He sounds real level headed doesn't he? He's not bullshitting me yet I'm a jackass and I'm whining and crying. It sounds to me like he is the one whining and crying because he's on a ship with 6000 other people. But it gets better. Read on.

Somehow it is my fault that he misses birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, anniversaries..... All because I didn't get paid for the auction that I was so gullible to have sent without payment.

Subj: RE: Grinch Cereal Bowl, item # 739708626
Date: 1/10/03 2:18:20 AM Eastern Standard Time
From: [email protected] (Carpenter, Jason A AZ2 (HS7))
To: [email protected] ('[email protected]')

Jamie,

And I did mention to you in one of my previous emails that the payments were made in the form of a bank draft! Yes those are tracable because our bank will know when it was cashed and they can also find out by who!

I must apologize for my angry email in response to your email this morning, but it really pissed me off when you made mention of my wife the way you did! I don't care how mad you are at me, that is fine, but when you start making it seem that I don't trust my own wife to do something, then you crossed the line! My wife has alot more responsibility on her shoulders than you could ever imagine taking care of our kids, the house and everything else while I am out here for six months! I don't know if you can understand or appreciate what we go through as military families who make a career out of leaving our loved ones behind and missing out on holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, your 1st and 6th wedding anniversaries, and your children's birthdays. We sacrifice quite a damn bit to support not only this great county we live in but we still have to put food on the table for our families as well as everything else that they need to get by on! Do you know what it is like to call your family from a foreign country on Christmas morning and listen to the excitement of your kids as they open their Christmas presents and play with all their toys knowing that you aren't there to help in the excitement and that you will never get that holiday or time back! I will miss my daughter's 4th birthday while I am out here! I wanted to get her the Grinch Cereal Bowl for Christmas because I was gone the whole month of December and wasn't able to get her much myself for Christmas! I am in no way trying to make you feel bad or pitiful for me! I am just wanting you to understand where I am comming from since you felt that you had to take it upon yourself to say the things that you said in the way that you did! If getting that upset over a $10 auction means that much to you, then you need to sit down and wonder exactly what is important to you in your life!

Once again, I apologize for the way that I reacted to your email! All I can ask is for you to forgive me! But I do hope that you may have found some sympathy in your heart to understand where I am comming from and that I always keep my word when I give it to someone! May you have a good and blessed day! God bless and take care!

V/R
Jason A. Carpenter

So what do you think? I should just sit around keep waiting for this elusive payment?

I should keep taking this guy's abuse because he is mad at me that he can't be home?

I forced him into the Navy maybe and am keeping him from his family?

He obviously doens't even know when the payment was allegedly mailed or how much the payment is for. He mentions a $7 auction and a $10 auction. I don't think he knows who he owes what. He owes me $6.99. What he might owe anybody else is anybody's guess.

I do know one thing, I'm not holding my breath on getting a payment. If I don't have it on Monday I will ask ebay for my fees back. Those are the facts. The auction ended November 30. I mailed the item December 23 even though I had not been paid. As of January 10 I still have not been paid though I've sure received a tongue lashing from this member of our armed forces.

January 13, 2003
I get this email. No payment of course yet but this email. I'm still doing the 3rd step of the non-paying bidder alert today. If by some chance this mysterious payment arrives it can always be lifted. But I can tell you I'm not holding my breath. He really expects me to believe he's mailed me the payment twice already and somebody else cashed it? Like they stole it out of my locked post office box twice? Strange nothing else has been stolen and I know I've received a lot more valuable things than $6.99 "bank drafts" since December 17. Like paychecks.....lol.

Subj: RE: eBay Item Purchase: Dr Seuss How The Grinch Stole Christmas Bowl (Item ...
Date: 1/13/03 12:34:34 AM Eastern Standard Time
From: [email protected] (Carpenter, Jason A AZ2 (HS7))
To: [email protected] ('[email protected]')

Jamie,

Here is the serial number for the money order for the 3rd payment. I told you that we would take care of it whether you believed me or not! Oh and thanks for the wonderful feedback you left! I pretty much figured you would do that! That's cool, at least I am keeping my word like I told you that I would! I hope you have a great day and take care of yourself! God bless!

Sincerely,
Jason A. Carpenter

SERIAL NUMBER: 03868798858

So there you have it. I'll let you know if I really get the "bank draft" with this serial number. Or any serial number. Since he is supposedly on a ship and can't access the internet just his military email I have to wonder how he is still bidding on ebay and how he can check his feedback.

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws