How long do you wait before posting in the scammer forum?

I'm being a bit paranoid here. I sent in a site for approval and somebody came back red. I know things can happen and I will give the person every opportunity to fix it.

I guess my question is this Once the person has read the PM from me stating they went red, how long to I give them for a response before I go to the scammer forum and make things more public.

I believe most people here are honest traders so there won't be a problem. At the same time, this person did another site for me that I haven't turned in for approval so if they are a scammer then I may be out $44 instead of $24.

I know I'm being a bit paranoid, but we really don't know who will be the next postalgirl and so there is a balance between warning people as early as possible in case they are a bonified scammer and being all paranoid and potentially damaging a reputation.

Just so you all know, I know that nothing should be posted in the scammer forum until you can verify that they have read your PM and/or they have logged on and are ignoring your PM without reading it.

I'm going to adopt the 72 hour rule that I read about in another post today. This would have been caught by that and I wouldn't be sitting here sweating this out. Just when it comes to money I get scared really easily.

yup, me too...

however, out of the people that recently have gone red, i would say 50% were scammers. once i got my money back, other times no (

anyhow, i usually give them 24h. if they read my pm and have not replied or refunded, i pm a mod and post

If they have read your PM, I'd say 48 hours would be fair. Of course, you should PM a moderator right away. THey can also let you know if this trader has had recent problems with others as well.

You can also send an email to the email address they signed up with, in case they aren't on here checking their PMs.

The reds I've had have all been able to either get it reversed or refunded me, so hopefully that'll be your case as well.

Laurel

only one of 5 people that have gone red on me have been scammers in the end

Well i got scammed by [bdc84c7c84f]dowaditty[/bdc84c7c84f] on giftmonkey ( he got put on hold yesterday for multiple account and the i realized he has not been on for awhile (

Site admins can do basic checks for you on a referral, if you have doubts.. "..a few at a time," says OGF. Plus, a little intuition re the communication during the trade can most times tell you if something just isn't right.

I second Laurel's comment; I would also suggest emailing the paypal address

We'll in my case he's replied so it looks to be accidental. I can't help worrying though.

trusano said the right thing look at the communication with this person during the entire trade. Did they stay in contact? If not, have you done everything in your power to help correct the situation?

You must give a person a reasonable amount of time to respond. In most cases, 24-72 hours is considered a reasonable time. I have read, however, of waiting 2 weeks before you initiate stronger measures, and that a "once a week" contact is all that is required. This is 2 weeks of noncommunication, mind you.

I have adopted a four PM message system that accounts for this 2 week period, and then some.

The first PM apprises the other trader of the problem; it is this first message that tells the other trader that you are aware of the problem (in this case going red on you) and asking them to look into it and resolve it, if possible. In my case, I have not had to go any farther, luckily.

If no answer in 72 hours, I look into their profile again and see if there was something I missed. If this check does not give me any answers, I will send the second PM. This one will tell the person that you had not heard from them, and that the situation still exists, and ask them again to please fix it. It is also at this email that IF you had already paid the person that you will have to ask for your money back if the situation cannot be resolved. This part may be a little tricky, but I have found, in my past experiences with money, that if your request is stated professionally, and a little apologetically for the fact of having to ask it in the first place, that you will more often than not get your money back. If there is no money involved yet, than this need not be added

If there is STILL no answer, I would contact a mod, telling the mod about the trader in question and asking if they had been banned, restricted, or otherwise barred from contacting you by the site. If this is the case, then the mod would be better able to tell you what your next steps should be in this particular case. If this is not the case, then a PM would be sent again to the offending trader. This PM would state, in strong terms, that they have not contacted you, that they are currently in default in the trade, and that if they do not take this opportunity to contact you to work out a resolution, that you would be forced to take more drastic measures (What these drastic measures are depends on each situation that reaches this level; There is no set "procedure" that can cover all situations). If money is still involved at this stage, it would be here that you now demand your money back. I would also send an email to their paypal email address as well

Unfortunately, there are unresponsive people out there, for whatever reason. Depending on all the information you have been able to collect, the situation you are in, and your own patience and viewpoints, will determine the length between the last PM and this one. This is because this PM is the last one you will sen to the trader. In a regretful tone, You would tell the trader that their inaction to the situation has left you no alternative. This is the PM that you tell the trader exactly what you have done to resolve the situation with you, and the actions you have ALREADY TAKEN (and this includes reporting them to mods and posting their ID in the scammers forum). This is not a subtle PM, but keep professional about it (just keep in mind how you would want to be treated, if the situation were reversed). By this time, you should have done everything possible to resolve the situation on your end.

Now, obviously, there are situations that would blow this system all to smithereens. there could be unknown human factors on the other end that is keeping the trader from contacting you (like illness, a dropped ISP, a breakup, etc.) My system is not foolproof, which means that you need to treat each situation on its own merits. My teaching career had taught me, though, to prepare for as many contingencies as you can think of, and then prepare for the ones you can't.

If this trader is the first one that has gone red on you AND has remained unresponsive, count your blessings. No matter what I have written here, just use your best judgement, and ask your questions. You will have the right of it in the end.

This is my system, and a bit of my opinion, on the matter. I hope it helps you in yours.