Paul Tchaikovsky is a fraud

Ever bought anything on eBay? Ever been tempted by one of those eBay listings that offer incredibly cheap goods "if you contact the buyer directly"? Well, if you've done so then the following sad tale may be familiar to you. If not, let it be a warning to you not to go for ebay bargains that look too good to be true, and most of all never to buy anything from an individual from Leeds named Paul Tchaikovsky. Here is why:

In January 2004 I decided it was time to upgrade my PC's operating system to Windows XP. I'd seen the 'Home Upgrade' version in the shops for around £130, but I thought I'd take a look on eBay to see if I could find a better deal. Sure enough, there were copies of Windows XP to be had for as little as £60 - and that was the Professional Upgrade version! Unfortunately these were also either 'academic' versions (meaning you need to be attached to some sort of educational institution) or 'Dell' versions (meaning you could only install it on PCs made by Dell). But one offer caught my eye: £30 for a copy of Windows XP Home that claimed not only to be the full, rather than the upgrade, version, but also to be unused, non-machine specific and non-academic; in other words, a totally kosher version of Windows XP at a rock-bottom price. I should have smelled something fishy...

The ad asked for those who were interested to contact the seller, whose userID was 'UKKamagra', by email. I did so, first of all to ask whether all the descriptions were accurate. My email went like this:

Hi Kamagra,

I just saw your Windows XP home edition offer on Ebay, and as you haven't got much feedback on your account I'd like to ask you a few questions about the item first.

Can you confirm, 100%, that this product hasn't been used yet, is the full version (not the upgrade) of UK Windows XP Home, and is not manufacturer-specific (i.e. only for Dells computers)?

Hope to hear from you,

FJ

Apart from seeking reassurance that everything about this offer was legal, I also wanted to see what the seller was like. You see, he didn't have any feedback on his eBay profile. THAT should have been the second indicator that something was wrong with this deal. I received the following reply, sent from 'kamagra@dsl.pipex.com':

NOT BEEN USED YET NO, 100 FULL VERSION. NOT UPGRADE, AND YOU CAN USE IT ON ANY COMPUTER

i WILL SEND YOU A PAYPAL LINK IN CASE YOU WANT IT.

To cut a long story short, I sent him the money directly using Paypal, without going through the eBay bidding system. He promised to send the item and after some delay a package arrived with a Leeds postmark. Inside was a blank CD-R and a letter explaining that the original CD had got lost in the post and that this was a replacement CD. It also listed a Windows XP product key. Obviously I wasn't going to be satisfied with this so I wrote to 'UKkamagra' demading a real version of Windows XP or my money back. He stalled for a few days, claiming the post lost the real version and that he would send another. Needless to say, he didn't, and I soon found myself warning him that if he didn't transfer the money back I would take the matter up with PayPal, the Business Software Alliance, and if needs be, the police. To me this kind of thing is a clear case of fraud. Of course I couldn't take the matter up with eBay as I had purchased outside of their system; stupid me. PayPal, while initially sympathetic, eventually came back to me saying they couldn't return my money but that they would close down his PayPal account. Knowing what a hassle it is to set up a PayPal account, that at least was one success. Through the PayPal paper trail I'd also been able to find out more about Mr Paul Tchaikovsky, as I now found out his real name was.

Paul Tchaikovsky is an 'electrical work contractor' in Leeds. His address, according to the Leeds business directory, is 23 Seaforth Avenue, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS9 6BE. His phone number is 01132 489 290, and he uses two Pipex email addresses: 'alarms@dsl.pipex.com' and the above-mentioned 'kamagra@dsl.pipex.com'. He also uses it to threaten people who are angry at being defrauded by him. After finding his PayPal account shut down, Mr Tchaikovsky sent me the following charming email:

Thanks for reporting me to paypal, Well thanks to you you have blown all cahnces of a refund. I have your home address and will use it to send your products?????

I will no longer reply to your emails, I am sick of repeating myself over and again.

Clean your ears out. Oh windows CD key is not genuine either, its a made up number so stick that in your pipe.

You want to start making threats towards me then carry on, I will pay you a personal visit and have this out with you if you wish, I dont have a problem with that.

Sod off

Needless to say I don't take kindly to threats of physical violence, and the matter is now with the police. However, this whole sorry dispute over a £30 deal on Windows XP could have been avoided if I had stuck to the following rules when using ebay:

  1. Don't trust anyone offering deals at much lower prices than the rest of the pack
  2. Don't trust sellers without any eBay feedback. This may be harsh on newbies, but they can always build up a profile by buying and paying for some items first, and then getting into sales.
  3. Don't trust sellers who offer you better deals 'off-site'. While on eBay you are protected against fraud up to a certain amount. Off-site you are not.

I can only recommend that other eBay users stick to those simple rules if they want to avoid a frustrating mini-fraud such as I experience. Oh, and that they never, ever buy anything from Paul Tchaikovsky of Leeds.

FJ

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