SURPLUS DEALZ...Are You Kidding?

    Update: June, 2009.
It appears this Vendor is no longer listed as an ebay Vendor. In addition, I have been contacted on two occassions by the State of Tennessee Attorney Generals office. They are continuing their lawsuit intended to revoke this seller's right to operate in the State of Tennessee. It is a shame it takes this long to protect the public from unscrupulous businesses like Consumer Depot!

Original post (2006) here:
Surplus Dealz is an online eBay merchant with a very high customer complaint ratio. THEY CHEATED ME and they very well may cheat you!... When you buy from Surplus Dealz you give up any security which the eBay and Paypal systems may provide for Buyer protection; you see, Surplus Dealz DOES NOT USE any of the eBay communication or purchasing systems. Instead, they use Auctionlogistix.com (another site completely owned by the parent of Surplus Dealz) when you pay for product, AND for ALL communications about your purchase. Everything is canned, you will never reach a real person, and, if they cheat you, as they did me, you are left holding the bag. Please read on to understand how this merchant may defraud you...

    Who is
    ????????????

    Because this eBay seller has been impossible to communicate with on this purchase, preferring to remain anonymous and isolated from the customer behind an automated, canned response system, I set out to find out more about him. His name is Martin Fike, and he sells closeout, used and damaged items through a number of internet outlets, many of which can be found on eBay. He also has a storefont in Nashville, Tennessee called Consumer Depot. Based on what I found on the internet concerning Mr. Fike and his companies, it appears they have angered and misled thousands upon thousands of customers over the years. In my case, they did not ship all the parts of the device they offered for sale. At best, they were negligent in the packing and shipping of the product; at worst, they intentionally misled me and other potential bidders, prior to the purchase. Because they can hide behind their automated systems, they can refuse any responsibility for their negligence.

The Link, entitled "The City Paper Online" (below) indicates the Attorney General of the State of Tennessee has filed suit, in May 2006, against Mr, Fike "after more than 18,000 consumer complaints were lodged against the company". I would advise anyone to think twice before doing business with these companies!

To learn more yourself, select any of the links below, or do an internet search for "martin fike", "Consumer Depot", "Surplus Dealz" or "Bargain Outlet". You will have plenty of reading material to review....and be sure to read my experience (below the line).

Read All About It!!!Tennessee Attorney General files suit! Hearing June 30, 2006

The City Paper Online, Nashville, TN, May 11, 2006

WSMV.com, Nashville, TN, Oct 7, 2005

    Here is My Story:

    My experience with Surplus Dealz on eBay

I needed a satellite dish... one of those new DirecTV monsters that pick up 5 satellites at once. Internet searches had indicated these dishes sell for $80 to $180, depending on source, so I turned to eBay looking for a deal. Unfortunately, a deal is not what I got! eBay had several of the dishes I needed listed for sale; most of them "Buy it now" priced between $35 and $100 with shipping costs from $15 to $55. However, there was this one auction...

As I investigated this Auction, several things stood out... This seller's eBay approval rating was quite low (less than 86%); his transactions were very high (greater than 21,000); he does not accept PayPal (using his own transaction software) and he ONLY accepts credit cards (which can be quickly validated and converted to cash in his account(s). In addition, this auction was tagged as "No Refunds, No Returns". I was aware of all these things as I made my decision to bid on this item. The price was low and the seller provided the following description of "Auction Details"...

The key words in the seller's "Auction Details" were "Please look at the picture and make your own judgement" because when you buy this item, you own it, I don't want it back and I won't give you your money back (my words). OK, that's a fair enough statement and I can live with that... Examining the picture closely, I could see some damage to the dish itself (on the right side, where it appears the reflector has been bent) and it appears some of the assembly hardware is missing (no big deal; nuts and bolts available at most any hardware store). However, the rest of the parts appear to be undamaged and all the necessary parts are pictured. At this point, my major concern was the condition of the Ka/Ku LNB (laying face down in the center of the picture). This LNB is like a turtle shell on the visible side, but much more vulnerable to damage from the front side, and I could not see the front side). However, based on the examination of the picture included in "Auction Details", I decided to proceed with bidding and won the auction. This seller does not accept PayPal and does not use the eBay message systems. He has developed his own transaction software which integrates to the eBay systems and provides him with a number of cost saving advantages...and a level of obscurity which isolates him from dissatisfied purchasers.

I will say the seller's automated system works quite well. It is fast, easy to use and keeps you updated through each step of the checkout and shipping process. From articles I have read on the web, the owner is, rightfully, very proud of this system. However, there is one BIG issue with the system; it is impossible to design a system to deal with every possible business contingency (more on this later). Everything went well through the payment and shipping process and, a few days later, the product arrived via Fedex (I did pay the seller's $4.99 additional charge to receive 24 hour order processing/shipping. This "feature" is offered at checkout). The Box was received in perfect condition. When it was opened, it was filled with those styrofoam "squiggles" used for packing and the parts were loose in the box. The face of the dish had been slightly scratched by the mounting mast rubbing on it during shipment, but it was not serious at all, and would not effect operation. As I had observed in the seller's picture, the dish reflector had been bent on the right edge (However, the parabolic curve had not been damaged.) and, this too, was not serious and could be easily straightened. Included in the shipment was the dish reflector, the dish mounting mast, the two LNB's, the LNB mounting mast, the bracket for attaching the dish to the mounting mast and adjusting elevation, azimuth and skew, and the...., and the .... wait a minute! Where is the bracket for attaching the 110/119 LNB to the LNB mounting arm??? It was in the picture, it must be in the box... I'll check again... No, not in the box. THEY DID NOT SHIP THE 110/119 LNB ARM!!!! aaarrrgghhhh!!!! (Here is what I am talking about).

Without the part the seller failed to ship, this item is worthless. Further, the part cannot be purchased separately, it is necessary to purchase an entire new dish!!! Clearly, from the seller's "Auction Details" picture, this satellite dish was damaged in handling. I expected the damage. I also expected the seller to ship ALL the parts promised in the "Auction Details" photo. A close look at the seller's original "Auction Detail" picture gives me pause to wonder...

...The missing part appears to be wrapped in a plastic, protective sleeve. However, none of the other parts are wrapped in anything, and the shipment was not made in the original box. Surely this seller would not take a part from a complete device, add it to the "Auction Details" picture and then remove it after the photo is taken and return it to the complete device box. Surely the seller would not do such a thing???? Unfortunately, my experience with the seller says he might...

I have tried to get this merchant to either:

A) Provide the part he did not ship, and without which this product is useless, or

B) Issue a credit to my credit card for the full charge, including his inflated shipping charges.

In the case of B), above, I have indicated I would return the incomplete shipment made to me to the vendor at my cost (which is significantly less than what he charged me for shipping and handling).

Numerous attempts to settle this dispute have not been rewarding. It is impossible to reach a real person to discuss any resolution. They hide behind their automated order, payment and support system. They do not use either PayPal (which would offer some protection for the buyer) or the eBay message system. Any email sent through eBay will either be unanswered or will be referred to their automated system, which operates outside eBay. I have tried everything to get this seller to accept responsibility for his poor service (I have used Ebay messages, Auctionlogistix form feedback (their system), and eBay dispute resolution (so far, pretty much a joke). I have no expectation I will be successful in recovering the money I donated to this company...BUYER BEWARE!