http://www.sickofbeingscrewed.com Read the Screws en-us http://www.sickofbeingscrewed.com/xmldocs/feed.xml Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:14:24 PST Ordered on 3/20 and received confirmation of order. States on the website that there is a tracking number with each order. Had to send two e-mails to get an answer by 3/28 that my order would ship that day or the next as one item was backordered. On the following Wednesday (7 days later) I asked again for a tracking number. No answer. Read on their site that if there is a backorder you would be given the opportunity to cancel which I was not. Sent another message saying if my order had not shipped just please cancel and refund my money. No answer for two more days and happened to notice their online chat was active. Asked what the status of the order was and they said it was pending refund (obviously hadn't shipped as stated earlier). I asked when the refund would be processed and they said Monday. Paypal can be refunded any day of the week but I let that go. Monday night no refund...paypal dispute. Tuesday morning first thing what do you know a refund. Just frustrated with the complete lack of communication and that I had to dispute to get my $ back. NEVER will I shop there again. http://www.sickofbeingscrewed.com/read_screws.cfm?ID=979 Online Store Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:01 AM PST UPM is a property rental company in Buffalo, NY. When I came to look at the charming apartment in a working-class neighborhood I loved it on sight & wanted to move in ASAP. They had me fill out a long, detailed application & made me wait at least 2 weeks to find out whether I was "approved". At the time I thought this meant they were very discerning in their selection of tenants; now I know it was because they are poorly managed & incredibly disorganized. They clearly do not run a credit check or follow up with any of the former landlords; they will (& do!) rent to ANYONE! The parade of downstairs neighbors I've had over the past 5 years -& the problems I've had with them - have been unbelieveable! Most of them are out-&-out thugs who have no coping skills other than intimidation & violence - yet they know just where to draw the line so police officer's hands are tied & a person can't actually press charges. UPM has no office a person can go to (rent is paid to a P.O. box), they wouldn't answer a phone evenings or weekends if the building were on fire, & good luck getting them to return a phone call during regular business hours. If you are lucky enough to get ahold of someone they'll just hem & haw around & say there's nothing they can do. (Translation: there's nothing they WILL do!) Obviously, the only way someone will be evicted is if they fail to pay the rent. In addition to all of this, UPM will never repair anything until it reaches disaster proportions - & then the job is usually half-assed - general upkeep of the buildings is non-existent, they don't do snow removal, & you can consider it a good summer if they mow your lawn once a month. I don't know how many people actually check this website before renting in the Buffalo area, but if I can save even one person the aggravation I've gone through with UPM then my post here will have been well worth the time. I can't tell you how glad I'll be to move out of this city for good in a few months! http://www.sickofbeingscrewed.com/read_screws.cfm?ID=978 Other Sun, 27 Mar 2011 12:01 AM PST Alexander Creations is a rip off company that have been servicing global companies and ripping small entities. They charge R3750 for their services and all you get are sloppy business administration and a business plan that doesnt have any potential to make it to any investors. While you contact them for review, they take ages to even respond to any of your emails and make excuses for being dumb to have missed out on many details that cost small companies their reputations and hard earned money. Be aware of this so said business consultant that claim that they can afford you investors and do not even have any for themselves. Pure RIP OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! http://www.sickofbeingscrewed.com/read_screws.cfm?ID=977 Professional Service Sun, 20 Mar 2011 12:01 AM PST I ordered credit report the button to print the credit report did not work. They told me to copy and paste from the website into a MS Word document but the formatting was lost and the information was completely illegible. They told me the button would be fixed in a few days. I called back every few days and it was never fixed. They kept telling to copy and paste from the screen into MS Word which I kept telling them did not work. After 30 days my credit report was no longer viewable. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THEM. http://www.sickofbeingscrewed.com/read_screws.cfm?ID=976 Online Service Thu, 10 Mar 2011 12:01 AM PST I took on a 2-year lease on an apartment from Sidney Rubell Co. in 2007. After 2 years, when it was time to return my security deposit, the only mark left on the apartment was a tiny burn in the wood floor. I got two estimates of my own from local companies that reported that it would cost no more than $50 to sand and finish the floor, and make it look like new. When I received my deposit, it was short $400, and Sidney said that it was entirely due to the burn in the floor. Thats a 700% hike in the cost!! I emailed and called them repeatedly for two weeks, simply asking for a copy (proof) of an estimate from a reputable company that they received to justify these charges. Each attempt on my part was responded to with nasty emails in return claiming that I would have no idea how much it costs, and they refuse to talk about it any further. Eventually they simply stopped responding to me, and never addressed properly supplying me with an estimate. I strongly recommend NOT working with them. http://www.sickofbeingscrewed.com/read_screws.cfm?ID=975 Professional Service Thu, 03 Mar 2011 12:01 AM PST I guess now with the economy being so bad the tenants now have to be heating and furnace experts. I called Lighthouse Property Management in Wyoming Michigan whom I pay rent to for a 2 bedroom apartment, about a situation of no heat coming from the vents they come over and fix it and now I'm getting charged for the cost of the maintenance wasn't informed before the procedure was performed I felt like this was very deceptive practice, Hope no one else has to experience this; be careful who you rent from.. http://www.sickofbeingscrewed.com/read_screws.cfm?ID=974 Other Wed, 02 Mar 2011 12:01 AM PST I signed an auto policy with Allstate Insurance Company that was quouted at 144.00/month. The agent misquoted, and the policy ended up being 151.00/month. I let that one slide. Then, after making a large down payment of 333.00, due to a speeding ticket that I had, they drafted my account the following month for 151.00. All seemed well, right? WRONG I then receive a letter in the mail stating that my policy is being increased to 218.00/month, and that they are going to draft this amount out of my checking account moving forward. I call the representitive to ask her why, and was told that she no longer works at that agency. Long story short - she apparently "manipulated the system, and the only thing they can do is apologize". I told them no, you can also cancel my policy, stop drafting money from my account, and send a check for the refund. Agreed, Great. NOPE They drafted the 218.00 out of my account today, SIX DAYS AFETR I CANCELLED MY POLICY! Never. Never again. http://www.sickofbeingscrewed.com/read_screws.cfm?ID=973 Professional Service Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:01 AM PST I have been trying in a non-conventional way to fight back something I had to endure a few years ago from a well-known bank. The normal conventional route appears to be loaded heavily against me because of legal clauses cited by the bank  despite their having no relevance to the case. Be that as it may, I have to tread cautiously. Based on the incident cited below, I seek a platform where the matter can be highlighted in a fictionalized way in the form of a discussion that I have written, that ought to raise eyebrows in the relevant quarters. Would you be willing to publicize this fictionalized discussion? Upon hearing from you, shall forward it for your consideration. Regards, Ashok Sen The Incident: A few years ago, a gentleman while on a visit to Mumbai wanted to settle a business bill by using a well-known European bank supplied credit card. The amount was within the permissible card limit. To his surprise he was denied to pay with the credit card and had to settle the bill by using another credit card, which he was using exclusively for meeting his personal expenses. Upon his taking up the matter with the concerned European banks office in Mumbai, he was told by the bank that payment through the card had been withheld as a vendor had already blocked a large sum of money. When he asked the bank on whose authority this amount had been blocked, the bank declined to give a specific reply and asked him to take up the matter with the vendor! He had not authorized any payment to any vendor against that card. Upon his asking the bank to confirm in writing that they had blocked a large sum of money without his written authorization, they declined to do so. He later found out the hotel into which he had checked into in Mumbai, had without his knowledge, without his written authorization, had arbitrarily blocked a large amount. The hotel people had asked him to show them his credit card to check its authenticity, and he had complied in good faith. (Subsequently the hotel authority in admission of their improper action, made suitable and appropriate amends). Thereafter, he took up the matter once again with the bank. They gave no satisfactory reply and his card continued to remain blocked for some more time saying that this was as per the internal rules of the bank. His requests to the bank to enlighten him on the clause/s of the Credit Card Agreement under which they had taken such an action were met with evasive answers. He then told the bank that he would publicize the matter unless they clarified the same. The bank responded promptly referring to a clause of the card agreement where it stated that the card member was responsible for the security of the credit card and shall take all steps towards ensuring the safekeeping thereof and the bank shall not in any manner be liable of any misuse of the credit card. This had no relevance to the case. Subsequently the bank referred to another clause of the card agreement where it stated that the bank reserves the right to debit the card account for all the debits from the merchant establishments for charges incurred and credit the card account for all payments made by the card holder to the bank and also for any in the favor of the cardholder. This too had no relevance to the case. Thereafter the bank with legal action then threatened him if he went public on this matter. http://www.sickofbeingscrewed.com/read_screws.cfm?ID=972 Other Sat, 26 Feb 2011 12:01 AM PST I used a personal credit card (Bank of America World Points VISA) for business. So there are thousands of dollars of charges every month. I pay $50 a year for this card...which was just paid this month. I always pay the balance in full. Last month, for what ever reason, I inadvertently left a balance of $106.28 unpaid. I was shocked to see I was charged $40.18 interest! When I phoned customer service the rep could have cared less. This card just renewed, and I've carried it for over 12 years, but in December I'll be closing this account and will take my business elsewhere. http://www.sickofbeingscrewed.com/read_screws.cfm?ID=970 Other Mon, 14 Feb 2011 12:01 AM PST Contracted with this yahoo to paint my rebuilt 1970 Chevelle. Was suppose to make it look like it came off the showroom floor. I dropped my car off at the end of June 2010. Asked him if he needed monies up front, he said no. Two weeks later he wanted monies so that he could pay his state taxes. (That should have been a red flag to me - but the guy claimed he was a Christian - Hog Wash!) Our agreement was for the car to be painted and done so I could finish the engine and interior installation in time for Mecum's Auction in September of 2010. Needless to say, I had to cancel the show as he didn't have my car painted. Not even primered! Months, I tell you months went by with nothing done! - July, August, September, October - then-------- He promised the car would be done by Thanksgiving Day - well - here we go again! Not done again - except this time - he took my rebuilt car - painted it like it belonged in a demolition derby - you to it. Racing strips across the top, 70 painted on the doors, and the words "Painted by Myers Auto Body" on the back quarter panels. The really sad part - he was proud of his work! Can you imagine that - Proud! He even gave me pictures - he was so proud! Well - we were at it again. Every time I made comments about how nothing was getting done. He'd laugh. He went as far as constantly sending his employees home because he didn't have funds to pay them. Strange I paid him! Of course Christmas and New Years came and went. Any progress on my car - not no but heck no! On January 17th I picked my car up and took it elsewhere. $5000 and 6 months later I had nothing to show for it, except a car painted for the demolition Derby. You tell me - how many cars have you seen at Mecum's like that!!!!!! http://www.sickofbeingscrewed.com/read_screws.cfm?ID=971 Professional Service Mon, 14 Feb 2011 12:01 AM PST In March of 2009, I bought a tub from Premier Bathtub. The salesman came to my house and in front of two witnesses assured me that the tub he was selling me was two inches wider inside and the same width outside compared to my present tub. I'm in a wheelchair and needed a wider tub because I've gained weight. The salesman, Byren Breffle, knew this was the only reason I was buying the tub and deliberately lied to me to make a sale. Hed measured my tub and knew the dimensions of his. As it turned out, Premiers tub was the same inside, which gave me nothing, and an inch narrower than my present tub making a room remodel necessary to install their tub. I had my old tub removed and the people doing it measured Premiers tub and found out the difference. I contacted who I could and the upshot was that Premier called and offered to kindly give me 1/2 of my money back. They offered to give all my money back if I sent papers from the sale and removal of my tub. I did and, of course, they didnt. On reflection, I should have taken this and still filed a lawsuit but I didn't. I thought they might find some integrity. I talked to a former salesman from Premier and was told this is standard practice for them. Make the sale at any cost and if there's consequences, deal with them later. Premier sent a rep out here to check into it. He told them my old tub had never been removed. I have receipts and the men who did it that say differently. I was told that I had to appear in South Daytona, by them, to sue and try to get my money back, which because of medical conditions from a stroke, Im unable to do. For two years, they have steadfastly refused to return the money that they knowingly, I feel, stole from me. I cant believe theyre allowed to do business anywhere. My suspicion is that they pay off the right people. Business the Chicago way. They now offered me my money but I have to sign a release for them absolving them of any wrongdoing, which I wont do. http://www.sickofbeingscrewed.com/read_screws.cfm?ID=969 Manufacturer Thu, 10 Feb 2011 12:01 AM PST On 7/26/10 I ordered Consumer Reports (8-14 weeks for delivery) which should have arrived no later than 11/5/10. Contacted magazinedealsnow.com on 11/16/10 regarding I never received my order. They blamed the clearinghouse (as usual) and would send an inquiry to same. They also advised it would take one or two weeks for a response. In addition, I had requested a refund if the magazine had not been processed which they totally ignored. Well it is now 01/20/11 and I have not heard from magazinedealsnow again. What kind of company sells a product and doesn't follow through with the clearinghouse to make sure your order was filled. They are worthless. Total weeks wasted 27 - DON'T GET SCREWED !! DON'T USE THEM !! I emailed them again today, but I doubt the outcome will be favorable. http://www.sickofbeingscrewed.com/read_screws.cfm?ID=968 Other Wed, 09 Feb 2011 12:01 AM PST I applied for a credit card December 5, 2010. I was approved. Weeks went by I never received the credit card.4th week of January I phoned the " Canoga Park Store , explained my problem and was transferred to a supervisor who informed me that I needed to contact the credit card Co. She provided a number. I called no answer so,I left a message with call back info. this person called back only to tell me she was not associated with frys. I finally got the wright number. I was informed the card was sent. I req. it be cancelled. 01-11 Thay agreed to send another card. Still no card. Another call, Req it be sent to my PO Box. Told by cust Serv they can't send it to PO box. Today is 2-5-11.and i am still waiting. http://www.sickofbeingscrewed.com/read_screws.cfm?ID=966 Retail Store Sun, 06 Feb 2011 12:01 AM PST Americredit Financial, has been reporting inaccuracies on my 3 credit reports for numerous 30 days late, when i have proof I was not late. they will not fix these errors on my credit report, and now i have no choice but to try to sue them. I have tried numerous times to fix this but they have made no attempt to fix there errors. They are unprofessional and they report inaccuracies on purpose. http://www.sickofbeingscrewed.com/read_screws.cfm?ID=967 Other Sun, 06 Feb 2011 12:01 AM PST This Guy sells airsoft rifles on ebay. He is a Canadian ebay seller in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His ebay user ID name is: pretron*556. He Also used Leovich527. Well I sent payment for a KAC PDW Airsoft Rifle. He gets a little slack with the emails to me about answers. So I start a paypal Dispute case with him. He then promises to send it, he needs to get his supplier in the USA to order more, promises the moon, blah, blah, blah! I try to trust him, and I cancel the dispute via Paypal. I get screwed in the end. Paypal is no help whatsoever. http://www.sickofbeingscrewed.com/read_screws.cfm?ID=965 ebay User Fri, 04 Feb 2011 12:01 AM PST neverenoughyarn is an ebay trading assistant specializing in yarn and other craft items. Their eBay store is Stitch in Peace. I sent them 10 boxes of items to sell, starting in July 2010. All of these items have been auctioned off in auctions ending between September 26, 2010 and January 9, 2011. I have not yet been paid my 40% share for these auctions, which amounts to $1377. The business does not respond to my emails. http://www.sickofbeingscrewed.com/read_screws.cfm?ID=964 ebay User Sun, 30 Jan 2011 12:01 AM PST This is a sad story about an attempt of cooperation with an Indian manufacturer of hand tools. It has its roots in summer of 2010 when I was surfing the Internet trying to find a reliable supplier of spanners and wrenches in India. Why in India? Because Indian manufacturers are among leading ones in the world  their products are high-quality and not expensive. Although by the time I started my search I had been told by a number of people that to work with Indian suppliers meant wasting a lot of time because they did not meet deadlines, I decided to find something worthwhile. It was www.indiamart.com web-site I was surfing. Eventually I found a number of manufacturers of desired tools and sent enquiry to them. In a week or so I had all prices for a product range I needed. Among those who sent me quotations was Jagdambay Tools Worldwide - a company located in Jalandhar, Punjab. Their prices were quite competitive and their product range was meeting our demand in full. They even sent me some samples of their combination spanners  they looked good and really were high-quality tools. Before signing a contract with that company we decided to find some extra information about it with help from our friends who had connections with some people in India. They told us that the company was OK  no signs of bankruptcy or inconsistency, it looked like quite a good company. So we began to elaborate a contract which would include terms of payment, delivery and so on - a standard procedure. That process, though began with a surprise: President of the company  Mr. Manish Ludhra  wrote me in his e-mail that they did not sign any contracts. Also he mentioned that they supplied their goods to two Russian customers and they had not asked him for a contract. Finally I said him that we could not buy something from abroad without a contract  no Russian bank would transfer money without it. That made him sign the contract. But he put his signature only  no rubber stamp was used (he said that he had not a stamp). OK  that would suit. Then we discussed printing our trademark on the spanners. Mr. Ludhra eagerly said that they could write it with a laser for 2% of the contract sum that was $141456,66. That was completely acceptable  laser printing looked nice and was quite inexpensive. According to the contract we had to pay 30% of the contract sum in advance and the rest 70% - after we received a copy of a bill of lading. Usual practice when working with a foreign supplier. So we paid $42437. Mr. Ludhra had to ship the goods in a 70-day time span from the moment of the advance payment. The time went by& The 70th day came but no goods had been shipped. Mr. Ludhra was hard to reach via e-mail, MSN, Skype - he was absent for a number of weeks. Or pretended to be absent. Finally he got on-line. He wrote me that he was about to ship the first container but we needed to pay the balance. We transferred the remaining sum to his account in the State Bank of India. That was a terrible mistake! Never (I mean it!), never pay any money until you get a bill of lading!!! Any payment made from Russian bank reaches a foreign beneficiary in 4-5 days. So 5 days later Mr. Ludhra wrote that he had not received the money by that moment. That lasted for 3 weeks. But I was wise to send an enquiry to his bank and they reported that the money was credited on his account on the 4th day since the payment! So he lied to me all the way! What a shame! After I unmasked him, he wriggled and told me that he had some problems with his bank and could not use the money we had paid although it was on his account. But all my attempts to reach his mind were useless  he kept saying his mantra: You have to wait, dear, until we solve the problem. That seemed to me a never-ending story  he answered to all my e-mails by two words  wait, dear. I had never felt so discouraged, feeling that I could not do anything but to be angry! Then came act 2: Mr. Ludhra shipped the first 20 container. 180 days after we paid the 30%! But it was almost empty!!! There were only 13,5 tons of cargo inside! Instead of 20 tons! And the content was worth $39740,94. Maybe someone would argue: your container was full by volume! No! It was EMPTY! So we paid for the air to ship it to Russia across the world! I skip an epic about invoices and other documents although it also made me nervous. Halleluiah! Here came the container at the end of December, 2010. What a f&ck? Are those our spanners? It cant be so!!! That junk is not needed at all! Even for free. The spanners that arrived were completely different than those Mr. Ludhra sent to us as samples. They were crude and curved, as if they had been made by blind Chinese kids. Our trademark was written with&paint! No laser! It could be rubbed away with ones fingernail! It even looked ugly. But what was most terrible and disappointing is results of chemical and mechanical tests we performed: the spanners were made of steel 30 without any alloying additives, instead of chrome-vanadium steel as it was agreed upon and as it was written on each spanner! A 19 mm combination spanner just bended in two ways when we tried to unfasten a nut, its jaws diverged! It was just ordinary raw steel. Now we are trying to find Mr. Ludhra but he is difficult to catch even via e-mail  he receives but never reads my messages. I have been trying to call him on the phone  he is always absent. The whole day. The following day. The third day. Any day. By this opus I want to warn anyone who is searching for an Indian supplier: Jagdambay Tools Worldwide is a fraudulent company! Be careful! Dont you believe them! http://www.sickofbeingscrewed.com/read_screws.cfm?ID=962 Manufacturer Wed, 26 Jan 2011 12:01 AM PST Our company used Par Mar security services out of Davenport Ia for a number of years. They were fine after cancelling service they are now trying to charge us for 3 more years. There big dogs try and collect stay away. they never show you the fine print http://www.sickofbeingscrewed.com/read_screws.cfm?ID=963 Professional Service Wed, 26 Jan 2011 12:01 AM PST ARIK AIR HELD PASSENGERS HOSTAGE January 5, 2011 I was shocked this afternoon at the sight I witnessed at the boarding gate for an Arik Air flight from Lagos, Nigeria. A very large group of exhausted, irritated, unkempt looking international passengers were trying to get information about their flight. They looked like they hadnt slept in days. I was catching another flight at a different gate but I had to stop and ask them what had happened. One tired gentleman told me that they had been at the airport since 9pm the night before, in order to catch their flight to South Africa at 11pm. However, when they came to the boarding gate, they were not allowed to enter the plane. They were not sure what the cause of the problem was and were not given any information by Arik staff. They were simply told not to leave the boarding gate area. So they sat down thinking the delay would last an hour or two and they would be on their way home. The hours dragged by. Arik Air did not provide them with any answers, nor did they offer them hotel vouchers so they could wait comfortably for the next available flight, nor did they find them accommodation at the airport, nor did they provide meals for them or even snacks or drinking water. There is no toilet in the boarding gate area so there was no place for them to even go to the restroom or freshen up. They were not even given access to the lounge area so that they could rest. Only a few of them could find seats, the rest were sitting in their business suits on the floor. This is how over 200 international passengers were held against their will without information, without assistance, without even food or water for more than 15 hours! It should also be noted that these TWO HUNDRED PASSENGERS were international passengers, meaning they were in a foreign country so there was no option to go back to their homes and wait for their flight information. They had no home there and had been prevented from going home for reasons unknown to them. It is required of every airline to provide current, up to date information to their passengers. When there is a delay that is not due to the fault of the passenger, arrangements are to be made such as hotel vouchers, meal tickets, beverages and especially access to complete bathrooms!!! These passengers are human beings  not cattle! Yet they were treated without due respect. This is not the first time Arik Air has behaved in a criminal matter. Many friends and associates have recounted stories of abuse at the hands of Arik Air. One business partner had his wallet taken from his seat pocket while he slept and $2,000 removed from it by an Arik staffer. He was the lone passenger in his row with an empty row both in front of him and behind him. The only one that could have bent over him while sleeping and been unnoticed would be the flight staff. A sister company of ours sent a team on retreat and when they arrived at their destination, the luggage for the entire flight had been left behind at the airport and there was no announcement made on board the plane before takeoff. But how can an airline leave all of the luggage on the tarmac and not load it before taking off?? That is incredulous! I believe if an inquiry is made, many more grievances, even worse than these, will be discovered. While I was discussing with the man, an Arik staff appeared and announced the flight was now running and would be taking the TWO HUNDRED PASSENGERS to their destination. When prodded for the reason for the delay, the staffer reluctantly informed them that the delay was a lack of fuel in the plane! This is outrageous and completely unacceptable. They have abused their position as an airline and their directors, managers and staff are not fit to run something so sensitive as an airline. We place our lives in the hands of airlines every day, trusting them to carry us safely from one location to another with our lives, our luggage and our decency in tact. Arik Air violates all of these trusts. Serious action should be taken to prevent our citizens from finding themselves trapped and abused at the hands of Arik Air. http://www.sickofbeingscrewed.com/read_screws.cfm?ID=961 Professional Service Wed, 05 Jan 2011 12:01 AM PST Placed an order on Dec. 1st, which was promised to be delivered within 2-7 days. I had called the company numerous times regarding my order only to be told on Dec. 23rd after calling them for the 5th time, they need to find the tracking number and would call back. I never did receive a call back and once again had to call back to inquiry about my order. I was told the item was considered "lost". I had requested to cancel my order and to email me a cancellation confirmation, which I never received. I had called my credit card company to dispute the charge only to find out I was charged twice for the same order, which I never received. This is a bogus company and I hope that they get caught and shut down for taking people money for products they never intended to send. DO NOT order any anime videos from this company!!!! http://www.sickofbeingscrewed.com/read_screws.cfm?ID=960 Retail Store Tue, 28 Dec 2010 12:01 AM PST