Watch out for TradeMe psycho's!

[jjs 60]

From Sunday Star Times 08/06/08

TradeMe users are being warned not to give out their addresses after a buyer drove nearly 40km to assault and threaten a man at his home after a trade went sour.

The victim had sold his attacker a computer hard-drive, and posted negative feedback about the buyer on TradeMe when they became embroiled in a dispute about damage to the hard-drive.

The negative feedback so enraged the buyer, he drove across Auckland to his victim's house, assaulted him and forced him to remove comments from the website.

Nearly two million Kiwis are TradeMe members and could be unwittingly sharing too much personal information during trades. People often put their telephone numbers and addresses on TradeMe, and buyers and sellers also post feedback good and bad about their trading experience on the website.

The assault has prompted warnings from internet safety watchdog Netsafe and TradeMe, which will bar the buyer from trading following Sunday Star-Times inquiries.

In court on Tuesday, Mark Rata, 42, of South Auckland, admitted the daytime attack at his victim's North Shore home. He had no previous criminal convictions and agreed to pay reparation. His actions have been described as the result of a "massive brain-fade" and he returned to the victim's home moments after the attack to apologise.

The victim, who asked not to be named, sold Rata a faulty computer "as is, where is" late last month. Subsequently both posted negative feedback but Rata became furious when the victim reneged on an agreement to remove it.

The victim said he received increasingly intimidating emails from Rata.

"He said I have to delete it... that morning [of the assault] the email was I've got till 12 midday otherwise 'I'm coming down there and I'm going to sort it out'. And I said, 'What do you mean?' He said, 'You know...'''

Rata and a friend drove the 39km to the victim's house with the faulty hard-drive and refused to leave when asked.

Rata grabbed the victim by his shirt and pushed him inside the house. Threatened with the hard-drive, he was forced to log on to his computer and delete the feedback.

"It was just his attitude was the really scary thing. He was just so calm... just menacing."

He said the attack took him by surprise. "I was like a stunned mullet. I just complied." The ordeal lasted about 15 minutes but "felt like ages".

He dialled 111 from a phone next to the computer but Rata ripped the phone from the wall. Police were sent when the emergency operator's attempts to call back were unsuccessful.

TradeMe manager for trust and safety Dean Winter said the company had a "zero tolerance" attitude to such behaviour and Rata would be banned.

Traders became highly emotional about their online reputations and TradeMe often received complaints, but management avoided getting involved because it needed to remain impartial.

He said users should take advantage of the option to post a response to negative feedback an explanation or comment listed just below the feedback. And in extreme cases where postings were "obviously defamatory or obscene" TradeMe would remove them.

Ebay last month changed its feedback system, preventing sellers from posting negative feedback against buyers. It said the move was aimed at "enhancing buyers' experiences" and avoiding malicious comments. TradeMe was sceptical about the change and would not be following suit.

Rata's victim said the experience had not put him off using TradeMe but it has made him think about posting negative feedback.

"It's made me aware that people seem to take the feedback a lot more seriously than it should be."

He said Rata returned shortly after the assault to apologise, saying he had never done anything like that before.

Edited June 8, 2008 by jeremy

[Foohey 0]

ive had alot of people email me abuse after posting negitave feedback, so if i wish to post negitave now, i just post neutral and explain everything, as most traders give you the same feedback as you give them

[Yuen 16]

Retaliatory feedback is exactly why eBay has changed their system to make sellers unable to post negatives on buyers.

[jjs 60]

Retaliatory feedback is exactly why eBay has changed their system to make sellers unable to post negatives on buyers.

Yeah, I don't even bother to place negative feedback any more as when I do, the trader on the other side will always place negative feedback on me as a form of retaliation. I have 4 negative feedbacks, and only one of them was justified but the other three were retaliation. Kinda kills the whole idea of the feedback system.

[Cale 36]

Should make it that you can only view feedback placed aganist you once you have placed feedback to that person. and vica versa.

Keep it honest and fair.

[hotwire 352]

Yeah, I don't even bother to place negative feedback any more as when I do, the trader on the other side will always place negative feedback on me as a form of retaliation. I have 4 negative feedbacks, and only one of them was justified but the other three were retaliation. Kinda kills the whole idea of the feedback system.

Agreed - I have had the same issue - Have only ever posted a Neg feedback a few times & for genuine reasons - a couple of times only to have them bounce one back in retaliation.

One was where they had placed a positive to me before I received the goods, slack communication from them & substantial delay in delivery & with parts missing - I placed a neg but stated in it that I would reverse that once sorted. They imeadiately edited with a neg (dumb) - this then involved me phoning them to agree to have both of us remove each others feedbacks since they couldn't edit twice - that defeats the purpose of the system.

These guys had similar dealings with other buyers of theirs & similar tit for tat feedbacks.

And guess what - TM didn't want to know.

Second was where the trader was disabled a while later so was able to have that one removed after that.

[Jammasterjames 0]

I made one cracka real angry, after I gave him a blue (neutral) feedback...

Why does anyone give a Sh*t? Is trademe feedback tha new street cred?

[Apex 693]

Wow that’s hard out!

There are some serious nutters out there for sure, we run a side business (clothing) on trade-me and have had to deal with some real wankers.

Normally impatience and returns are the problem due to lazy people not reading the details first. If they want something straight away and in their size they should head to the shop and pay twice as much.

They go ape and give me bad feedback but once called they are nice and friendly.. I think it’s the non personal element that turns people crazy.

[Mark 178]

I think it’s the non personal element that turns people crazy.

+1,000,000

Everyone is ruder on the internet.

[jimbo01 0]

I got a tit for tat neautral feedback 2 years ago. It still anoys me. I think it's the fact that you can't do a thing about it.

Bought some ski boots that were "as new but a little dusty".

The dust was birdshit, and inside was compost, dirt, snails etc, and inner boots were rotting and musty.

Basically gave a neatrual saying: boots were dirty, musty and rotting - not - "as new but a little dusty"

This guy then posted how he had offered me my money back several times which was complete crap. He never did a thing and ignored every email I him.

In a perfect world I'd be allowed to go round and encourage him to remove his feedback, which should have bee a happy face "buyer paid cash, picked up, and only gave a netautral despite me lying abou the condition"

[*sic 1]

so hard not to take the bait...