Thank you Rower, I was just concerned about the actions over in the Political Forums. (You know, throwing the baby out with the bath water)
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Fraudulent Mac Retailers
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i'm breathless with anticipation, perhaps he should post it himself *cough*humefear said:
Rower--thanks for leaving the thread
--andrzej
humefear said:
all the rest of the site is different besides the seven years thing, and from what my limited searching found, the prices are exactly the same as the canadian apple store. also, they give phone numbers on their main page; phone, fax, and toll free. none of the other scam websites gave phone numbers. theres no "free shipping", and the mac maniacz website is still up. perhaps someone can try calling one of the phone numbers tomorrow, i would now but it's midnight in my time zone.
Edit: i feel the need to clarify on a point. all the other websites followed the same format with links to; home, about, FAQ's, news and contact, at the top of the page. the home, contact, and about always differed slightly, the FAQ's were always the same, and news never had anything. this site clearly doesn't follow that format.
Edit again: they give a location that isn't a warehouse in the middle of nowhere. anyone live in Toronto that could go check it out?
--andrzej
aplasticspork said:
you're right it doesn't follow the same format and no "free shipping". I did find mac maniacz phone numbers http://www.macmaniacz.com/contactus.htm
maybe a new look... guess they put together enough of our money to hire a real webdesigner.
Blue
Can you give us more details?
bluefeatherfl said:
Hey there,
I have worked for Digital Prototypes (DPImac) for over 5 years. If there is a problem, please let me know. I don't know anything about a wire transfer. All our contact info can found on our site. Please give us a call so we can figure out where the problem lies. I haven't read the rest of the thread as i wanted to get this reply up as soon as I saw it. There is no David Collin in our operation.
bluefeatherfl said:
sorry, but this looks like an empty claim without further proof. the prices listed on the site is no better than regular retail prices. (as others have already mentioned.) if there are no apparent "benefits," how are scammers expect to lure people? if prices were the same, why would someone not order directly from apple?
please clarify how you did the business with them, what you ordered, etc.
humefear said:
...yet still no proof arises...
Personally, I do not trust the fact that you and paladin showed up at the same time, especially after doing a search for all your posts and seeing that ALL of them were in support of him and his accusations against long standing members of this forum who's intentions are good.
My guess... we will see no 'surprise evidence' or any bombshell that supports his claims against long time members. And I believe you and him to be one and the same... but thats all i'll say on the matter. I'm a long standing member here and do not wish to be banned.
aplasticspork said:
I can get there on Saturday or Sunday this weekend, the address:
230 Brown's Line
Toronto, On
M8W 3T4
The postal code checks out, it's listed in toronto.com and it's just above lakeshore on the map, so even though there's a higher concentration of commercial / industrial business in the area, it's really not "in the middle of nowhere".
I think this store is legit, but I've never been. I'll find out either way, at best we can save people from getting scammed, at worst I've found another store that will tempt me into spending more money.
<edit> Damn I found out through dpi's "Contact Us" link they aren't open on the weekend. Regardless I'll be making a drive by (and maybe a peek in the window) to see what's up. ...mind you this just confirms that the store exists, and implies nothing to the problems mentioned. </edit>
whois listing on dpimac.com checks out.
and this store is listed on apple canada as one of authorized resellers in toronto.
http://wheretobuy.apple.com/cgi-bin...unt=1&zbTemplate=ca_reseller_detail_link.html
no such info can be found on any of macwhiz variants when you check authorized resellers on apple.com or apple.com/ca.
i think dpimac.com is safe. macwhiz and variants aren't.
bluefeatherfl - you owe a bit of an explanation/clarification here, i believe.
(one thing i am happy about as a result of this thread and other's considerable effort is that this scammer is running out of names. i mean, 'macmaniacz'? WTF? i hope he gets busted some time, though.)
and this store is listed on apple canada as one of authorized resellers in toronto.
http://wheretobuy.apple.com/cgi-bin...unt=1&zbTemplate=ca_reseller_detail_link.html
no such info can be found on any of macwhiz variants when you check authorized resellers on apple.com or apple.com/ca.
i think dpimac.com is safe. macwhiz and variants aren't.
bluefeatherfl - you owe a bit of an explanation/clarification here, i believe.
(one thing i am happy about as a result of this thread and other's considerable effort is that this scammer is running out of names. i mean, 'macmaniacz'? WTF? i hope he gets busted some time, though.)
Yeah, I think bluefeatherfl owes everyone an explanation of why he's trying to badmouth an Apple reseller like http://www.dpimac.com. Especially Digital Gary who works there.
Hey folks me again,
We are definitely real. I was pointed to this thread by someone on another Mac board I frequent. PM me if you want the link and you can verify I am a long time member and frequent poster.
I really don't know where the confusion lies. I thought this would get cleared up very easily but I still see people are nervous. If bluefeatherfl thinks he has been ripped off, I would really like the details. We do not have anyone working with us by the name of David Collin. We do have a Bank of Montreal account but it is not used for any sort of wire transactions. For the few email transfer's we have accepted, we only use our TD/Canada Trust account.
If someone out there is using our name to rip people off, we will gladly do anything we can to help put them behind bars. Please PM me with any information you have and we will call the police.
If this is just an error I would encourage bluefeatherfl to please post a reply stating so.
As far as stopping by, anyone and everyone is welcome. We do not open on weekends anymore as retail isn't our main focus and we weren't getting enough traffic to make it worth while. We do stay open till 7:00 on Thursdays for anyone not able to make it during business hours. You won't be able to peak in the windows after hours though. We bought an old bank and installed roll down shutters on all windows. Our area is getting cleaned up but there are still some shady characters that come out at night sometimes. We had a break in attemp not long after we moved in so we weren't going to take anymore chances.
If anyone has any questions about DPImac or any concerns, let me help put your mind at ease.
edit: I have PM'd bluefeatherfl and am awaiting his response. The message has not been read yet.
We are definitely real. I was pointed to this thread by someone on another Mac board I frequent. PM me if you want the link and you can verify I am a long time member and frequent poster.
I really don't know where the confusion lies. I thought this would get cleared up very easily but I still see people are nervous. If bluefeatherfl thinks he has been ripped off, I would really like the details. We do not have anyone working with us by the name of David Collin. We do have a Bank of Montreal account but it is not used for any sort of wire transactions. For the few email transfer's we have accepted, we only use our TD/Canada Trust account.
If someone out there is using our name to rip people off, we will gladly do anything we can to help put them behind bars. Please PM me with any information you have and we will call the police.
If this is just an error I would encourage bluefeatherfl to please post a reply stating so.
As far as stopping by, anyone and everyone is welcome. We do not open on weekends anymore as retail isn't our main focus and we weren't getting enough traffic to make it worth while. We do stay open till 7:00 on Thursdays for anyone not able to make it during business hours. You won't be able to peak in the windows after hours though. We bought an old bank and installed roll down shutters on all windows. Our area is getting cleaned up but there are still some shady characters that come out at night sometimes. We had a break in attemp not long after we moved in so we weren't going to take anymore chances.
If anyone has any questions about DPImac or any concerns, let me help put your mind at ease.
edit: I have PM'd bluefeatherfl and am awaiting his response. The message has not been read yet.
Namasté
I have been diagnosed with a brain tumor and may not post again for a while. Please keep your focus as we get closer to this menace.
I have received numerous spam emails from the obvious perpetrator who has reassured me of his identity. He believes he has found a loophole in the laws governing international commerce and is playing it for what it is worth. He is the reason for this thread and the object of our rage. Alas, I was not a victim and the authorities will not take my complaint. My input has been influential in dissuading anyone from doing "business" with these entities.Rower_CPU said:
I have been diagnosed with a brain tumor and may not post again for a while. Please keep your focus as we get closer to this menace.
Pigs and spam
the following unpaid advertisment is not for macmastershop who lured me to the brink of being taken, or macwhiz for whom this thread is named, or macfanaticshop who proved that copyright infringement is a doddle, or even the new and illustrious macmaniacz is nothing more than a house of Spam®, further clenching tightly to the level of class and service you have never known. Play nice in traffic with a frozen skipole electrified by the ire of your victims oh bringer of the FBI and other mercenaries to your doorstep. Keep it up. You're right it's just the beginning, the beginning of your end.
For those joining us late, mac(rip-you-off)shop.com has been reduced to idle threats and penny ante tactics. We only hope their cell mates will stinge on the thermal paste. In other news, those who were responcible for the sacking are greatly appreciated. The proof you want is being manufactured by they very originators of this thread. Those who without, we might be discussing something more worthy than how a lamer with an angle on Mac users is devisively scamming money from unwitting eshoppers.
I propose a vote. Post my user name if you want me to stay (status counts). Post "ENOUGH" and I will be gone.
That is all.
Mod rights reserved. Namaste.
the following unpaid advertisment is not for macmastershop who lured me to the brink of being taken, or macwhiz for whom this thread is named, or macfanaticshop who proved that copyright infringement is a doddle, or even the new and illustrious macmaniacz is nothing more than a house of Spam®, further clenching tightly to the level of class and service you have never known. Play nice in traffic with a frozen skipole electrified by the ire of your victims oh bringer of the FBI and other mercenaries to your doorstep. Keep it up. You're right it's just the beginning, the beginning of your end.
For those joining us late, mac(rip-you-off)shop.com has been reduced to idle threats and penny ante tactics. We only hope their cell mates will stinge on the thermal paste. In other news, those who were responcible for the sacking are greatly appreciated. The proof you want is being manufactured by they very originators of this thread. Those who without, we might be discussing something more worthy than how a lamer with an angle on Mac users is devisively scamming money from unwitting eshoppers.
I propose a vote. Post my user name if you want me to stay (status counts). Post "ENOUGH" and I will be gone.
That is all.
Mod rights reserved. Namaste.
timsq, if you leave because some losers are accusing you falsely of running those websites.....timsq said:
sorry i got distracted by something shiny, moving on. i would be severely pissed if you were to leave because of people like paladin55.
so basically dont leave
--andrzej
TIMSQ... PLEASE DON'T LEAVE! I am one of the original victims and have been on this long enough to know whose who, and I have also been in contact with SVNR and others behind the scenes trying to get info.
You have bigger worries than this scumbag who thinks he is untouchable...his time will come...and my prayers are with you as you endure your own challenge of getting well. I wish your treatments to be a complete success and your recovery to be speedy.
I hope to hear from you, as I'm sure others do also, in regards to how you're doing, either in this forum or privately. We will try to keep up the good fight to get justice, you keep up the fight too. We need you...we all need each other to bring this creep to justice.
SVNR emailed me awhile back that he wasn't going to have much time to stay on top of the website, that he was really busy with work. He did an incredible job trying to log the history and important contacts for this case.
We can't expect him to carry the ball by himself.
I'm getting really sick of meesages questionsing the intentions of people who are really trying to help get this guy. When we turn on each other, all we are doing is taking the focus off of Derald and his goons. If you want to vent-take it out on the idiot who deserves it, not those of us who don't!
You have bigger worries than this scumbag who thinks he is untouchable...his time will come...and my prayers are with you as you endure your own challenge of getting well. I wish your treatments to be a complete success and your recovery to be speedy.
I hope to hear from you, as I'm sure others do also, in regards to how you're doing, either in this forum or privately. We will try to keep up the good fight to get justice, you keep up the fight too. We need you...we all need each other to bring this creep to justice.
SVNR emailed me awhile back that he wasn't going to have much time to stay on top of the website, that he was really busy with work. He did an incredible job trying to log the history and important contacts for this case.
We can't expect him to carry the ball by himself.
I'm getting really sick of meesages questionsing the intentions of people who are really trying to help get this guy. When we turn on each other, all we are doing is taking the focus off of Derald and his goons. If you want to vent-take it out on the idiot who deserves it, not those of us who don't!
Post #362 contains a link to a satellite image of 5500 Hovander Rd in Ferndale, WA.
After making some calls, I was able to find out that 5500 Hovander Rd does exist, however #4 5500 Hovander Rd probably does not exist.
There are 2 buildings at the address. One is empty, but was recently used by Samuels Furniture. Samuels is a local store in Ferndale, WA. The other building is shared by International Vision Direct and Chuckanut Cheesecake. This information is from the store manager at Samuels.
After making some calls, I was able to find out that 5500 Hovander Rd does exist, however #4 5500 Hovander Rd probably does not exist.
There are 2 buildings at the address. One is empty, but was recently used by Samuels Furniture. Samuels is a local store in Ferndale, WA. The other building is shared by International Vision Direct and Chuckanut Cheesecake. This information is from the store manager at Samuels.
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