Sorry for the trouble George. Good luck getting a positive resolution.
Seems to me Maureen Nelson should be working to resolve Georgeās issues.
There seems to be lots of easily googleable information about the āsellerā on the internet, as well as pictures. Try reaching out to the roommate / SO (?) too who seems to share an address as well.
deleted
+1
at least offer assistance (if she hasnāt already).
Seems to me that Maureen Nelson, who vouched for the guy to this community, should at the very least explain her side of this story.
Here.
Soon.
She does not visit the board very often. Unlike the rest of us she has a life.
After seeing the original post I would think Maureen has some culpability here as she was the original solicitator of the ādealā. It would be very bad for this transaction to mar and sully the otherwise good reputation of those who come here looking to buy and sell based for the large part on trust. I am sorry George finds himself in this position and I hope a quick resolution is in order.
[deleted]
Oops. no morning coffee. Deleting mine, please delete yours.
I got a life, I did four operations this weekend! Itās just not a life folks want.
I agree with the chorus that (1) itās not at all clear that George did anything wrong or illegal in attempting to make this purchase, and (2) even if for some reason the transaction is not legally enforceable, George is clearly still entitled to restitution at least in the amount of the money he paid, plus Rob Stewart has committed a crime if he keeps the money fraudulently.
The law doesnāt work such that if someone pays for a purchase that isnāt legally enforceable and never gets what he paid for, the other party just gets to keep the money and thatās the end of it - just think of what incentives and injustices that would create.
I donāt know that George has to start the process by hiring a lawyer. Just write a simple demand letter, attach the email / PM evidence to show that the parties had an enforceable agreement, attach evidence that the payment was made, and tell him that youāre going to file a claim in court as well as contact law enforcement if you donāt receive your wine or a full refund within 10 days.
You donāt need to hire someone to do that, particularly if George is a criminal prosecutor. The letter doesnāt need to have a bunch of legal rhetoric or emotional argument, just state the facts simply and your demand - it probably should fit on one or two pages, plus youād attach the copies of the agreement and payment information.
As far as the ālessons learned,ā I think George and everyone can see he put himself in a somewhat risky situation here. When you prepay purchases, or sell goods where payment is to arrive after you ship/deliver, you put yourself in some amount of risk as to the credit and honesty of the other party. For me personally, I make purchases on CC fairly regularly, but if they arenāt with people I know or in-person exchanges, I keep them under $300 or so, figuring that if I get burned on one, I wonāt be out any large amount. Iād still be upset of course and try to get my wine or money, but I try to keep each purchase below my personal threshold where Iād be too put out if I get screwed. Thatās for each person to decide on a case by case basis.
Good luck to George. I hope he and Maureen are able to get some resolution on this ā since the seller seems locatable and a person of some public standing, I expect there will ultimately be a resolution of some sort.
I tried to post the following but donāt see it posted so this might be a duplicate:
In June 2014 he deposited my check for $6650 into the account for the Sommelier Society of Washington, D.C, a nonprofit (!!) located in Alexandria, VA.
+2
If she turns a blind eye, sheās just as culpableā¦
TTT
Great. Send your demand letter to both him and that nonprofit, and include them in the demand that you be made whole. That gives you a lot more leverage.
+1. Now you have a much larger target.
Edit: or not. . . bummer.
Checked Guidestar - no information and not great news - The Sommelier Society of Washington D C Inc - GuideStar Profile
Basic Organization Information
THE SOMMELIER SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON D C INC
Physical Address: 2685 Centennial Ct
Alexandria, VA 22311
EIN: 52-1486334
Ruling Year: 1987
Legitimacy Information
This organization is not registered with the IRS.
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990-N.
This organization has not appeared in IRS records for a number of months and may no longer exist.
This organization does not appear in the IRSās most recent list of tax-exempt organizations. IRS records do not, however, indicate that the organizationās tax-exempt status has been revoked. Contact the organization for more information.
Has anyone heard of the āSommelier Society of Washington DCā?
was on last night
You posted this in the duplicate thread in CC.
Maybe these should be merged?