Additional Info On Stolen Msi Barebones And Completed Notebooks

HELLO

As some of you might know i bought a barebone 1722-id1 that was built into a turn key notebook by the seller on ebay and it turned out to be a stolen unit...

Because of this my world has been pretty screwed up since finding out on thursday 2-26-09 that my unit was in fact one of the many stolen units out there...

I urge anyone who in the last month purchased a barebone or completed msi notebook to make sure that you check with msi at their website to verify that your item is not stolen... You can email or phone msi with your serial # to check out your unit... This also is an important step to take when you accept delivery of a purchased unit that you haven't received yet...

If you are considering purchasing a msi notebook or barebone especially on ebay ask the seller to provide you with the serial # of the item so you can check with msi prior to purchasing... Any legitimate seller should not have a problem providing a serial #...

By all means be very skeptical of any seller that tries to convince you to complete a transaction outside of ebay... Also for your own protection DO NOT under any circumstances use a check, e-check, or money order etc. to purchase your msi item...

This is no laughing matter !!! Truthfully, you will get sick to your stomach if you should find out you bought a stolen item... In addition you will have to go through a few days of phone calls and e-mails to your seller, ebay, msi, and your local police... If you find out you have one of the stolen units like i did i hope you are as fortunate as i am and paid for your item with paypal (or at least your credit card) as i am covered under buyer protection and will be made whole again financially...

If you have further info that you might want to add about this msi theft please add to this thread as it will keep things organized about this important matter, and will be better than having info scattered all over many different forums... Thanks...

NOTAGEEK

 

i feel sorry for you man but its a good thing u find out in time to get your money back was seller knew about unit being stolen ?

 

What if the refund window is gone and the seller in located in Asia?

 

That's right. Never make a wire transfer or debit payment to a seller you don't completely trust.

 

Chargebacks on credit cards seem to have a very large window (up to a year in some cases), and PayPal has a 60 day period, so now is the time to check your units.

Then again, I am sure many are taking a, "don't ask don't tell," approach to the whole thing or, "no news is good news," "hope for the best, prepare for the worst," or similar.

Maybe someone should show exactly where the SN# is located.

 

Buyer Protection when you shop on eBay
Buyer Complaint Policy when you shop outside eBay

The buyer has the upper hand ONLY via eBay purchases with paypal

The PayPal Resolution Center — your first step for any issue

Whether you encounter a problem with an item you purchased on or off eBay, the first step is to go to our Resolution Center to begin the dispute process.

Here’s how it works:

* Visit the Resolution Center and open a dispute within 45 days from the date you sent payment.
* PayPal encourages both parties to communicate directly with each other to amicably resolve the dispute.
* If you are unable to resolve the dispute, the next step is to file a claim within 20 days from the date the dispute was opened.

 

man i know you are upset and i truly feel bad you are going through this. but your post does not have any new info besides what is posted in the other thread. we should try to keep this to one thread and maybe a mod can even sticky it for a while till this all gets sorted out. this way people are not going looking for more than one thread for info.

im for sure glad you recovered your funds and got the system back so this is in way a shot at you i just think all info would be best in one thread.

 

Come on Z,
give the guy a break, he did leave the door open for other members to add further info within this thread.

The little coverage about this sure have some members making edits to their purchasing history posts
Don't forget, Rolling backups are like time-machines.

I wager we now will have a few MIA members as well

 

yeah as i said i was not at all saying he was wrong to post it. i think maybe both threads should be merged and tbh maybe made a sticky for a while till it is over with. im all for him stating what he did i was just saying i think it should all be in one place so he could tell what happened and why...

i know i would not have been happy in his position. thats all and i meant nothing more by it. if people search online they will be directed here when i put that in the search for google. so all he info in one place would be great imo for those looking for it

 

THX CYBER16---My main reason to start this thread was to try to inform and warn others that might not have read the "other threads" about this theft situation... It is difficult if not impossible to follow this tragic news if someone has to jump from forum to forum trying to keep up...

In addition, in my opinion it would be good to have one location open to anyone who wanted to add info about this topic... After all not everyone has even heard of this theft or the magnitude of it...

THANKS Z FACTOR---I am not trying to hog any band width here and you "hit the nail on the head" by not wanting to see info on this situation on more than one thread... This is my other reason for starting this thread...

You were also "on the money" by saying "maybe a mod can even sticky it for a while till this all gets sorted out..." By starting this thread specifically on this theft topic that was my exact thinking !!! I think this is important enough to be a sticky and "IN EVERYONES FACE" until these stolen items quit turning up... After all if this thread can save even one innocent buyer from having to go through what i have the last few days it will have been worth my time taken to put it together...

NEW NEWS: You should like this new info Z... I picked 4 of the 1722 barebones on ebay and did an "ask seller a question"... i asked these sellers for the serial #'s on the item for sale explaining the theft at MSI... I got 1 reply which was "I don't want to give out that info as it is not public info"... I am still waiting for 2 more replies---and the 4th seller ended the listing early with the reason that "the item is no longer available"... i asked these ???'s early this morning... Thanks...

NOTAGEEK

 

AS we know, NOTAGEEK was stung with his purchase, i am sure many others have been as well and continue to do so.
Personally i can say that he was not alone, i am not at liberty to disclose a bunch of details on a public forum, or via PM, i was asked not to post/provide too many details in a public venue.

When I called and spoke to the authorities in the City of Industry regarding these laptops some time ago, one of the detectives was surprised by my call, he said NOBODY from the public has called them when i asked, he said only you.

I can only make suggestions on different views of approaching this:
I feel that I should add something here of substance to help avoid people making a bad situation from getting worse.

If you find you have a stolen unit, work with MSI and anyone they are working with.

I would not take it upon yourself just to ship the laptop back to the seller,
It does NOT belong to the SELLER, remember those are stolen goods.

In addition, you don't know for sure if that seller was aware of it or not.
Several things could go wrong, the seller simply goes MIA with your money and the laptop.

At this point that laptop is considered stolen goods that are in YOUR control, if you ship on your own accord, you also transported stolen goods, possibly across state lines.
That becomes a federal violation, not that MSI or those involved in the investigation have any interest in prosecuting true end-user victims.

Once you have spoken to MSI and those involved, then they know the whereabouts of that particular unit/s and you won't have to worry about some sort of raid on your home or other repercussions that fly though ones head in these stressful situations.

It was never rightfully the seller's in the first place to sell, therefore why at this time send it back to him/her/them.
MSI understands that there are plenty of victims.
Many of these same sellers will more than likely make a new victim with the return via reselling it.

Work with MSI and follow their lead, they may only ask for your name and contact info at first.

If you purchased outside eBay via paypal funds/bank/echeck, you will have a long road ahead getting any kind of refund, there is not a fitness guaranty from paypal on this type of transaction.

If you purchased outside eBay via paypal & credit card, yes you can file with both paypal and the credit card company, again, a difficult road ahead for purchases outside eBay, there is not a fitness guaranty from paypal on this type of transaction.

If you purchased within eBay via paypal, paypal will want you to provide
return shipping info, yet with the current status of these, you may not be able to do that, ask MSI or those working with them.
Catch 22....
Then this comes into play:

13.8 What items are not covered by PayPal’s Protection for buyers?

Items that do not have the buyer protection message in the eBay listing are not covered by PayPal’s Protection for buyers. In addition, the following items are prohibited under the PayPal Acceptable Use Policy and are not covered even if they do have the buyer protection message in the eBay listing: firearms and firearm parts, illegal and prescription drugs and drug paraphernalia, tobacco, offensive items, child pornography, and any illegal items.

 

I've been on both sides of this issue personally, and it is 60 days.

Also, the buyer has the upper hand ALWAYS if he pays with a credit card. I tried dealing with a seller over a 22" LCD I purchased outside of eBay and eventually ~35-40 days later, I took it up with PayPal who drug it out and eventually ruled in his favor. I went directly to my credit card company with a nice paper trail and they reversed the charge and then PayPal "miraculously" reversed their decision and ruled in my favor. In short, PayPal ruled in my favor because they really had no choice but to and then get their funds from the seller.

If you use an e-Check, you are at the mercy of PayPal no matter what.

So to re-iterate:

Use a Credit Card always
Never pay with a Money Order/Check
Never pay with an eCheck
If there is an issue, try to work it out with the seller/buyer
If that goes no where, contest it with PayPal
If that goes no where, contest it with your Credit Card Company

And the dispute over bad/wrong products is 60 days from receipt of product. Go ahead, give it a try. Bypass
PayPal and dispute it with your CC and watch what happens.

I can't confirm or deny using another means of payment as you really have no ultimate control. While credit card
companies are sometimes looked upon as evil, they DO have nice consumer protection built in to the point of near
abuse in some situations.

It doesn't matter what PayPal deems when you go directly to your credit card company and contest a charge.
Worst case scenario PayPal suspends your account, but I've yet to see it happen.

But yes, check your serial #'s unless you're ok with not knowing the legitimacy of your system.

 

My post was a direct cut-paste from the paypal site.. 45 days and then you must file a claim within 20 days of the complaint.
Long on and check, i did
Hence the reason I posted the correction.
http://pages.ebay.com/paypal/buyer/protection.html

http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=xpt/UserAgreement/ua/USUA-outside#pbp-policy

All charge backs from the credit card are directly charged to Paypal...
Then paypal is left to collect from whom-ever they can.. the seller

 

I'm telling you what the say versus what can be done.

And yeah, I thought it was hilarious when they reversed their "ruling" after I contested it directly and then went after the seller.

 

Yea, so this really sucks xD

 

hey electrosoft, sorry to go off-topic, but were you ever able to open up that HDX 9000 in your sig? I hear it uses MXM also.

Back on topic: 90% of the time Paypal will side with the buyer

 

more like 99%, seriously

 

if i get a gx620 im good, right? those wern't stolen?

 

If some people called and were told nothing was stolen and others called and were told stuff was stolen, I doubt anyone actually got a list of what might have been stolen besides the 1651 and 1722.

 

CAN I ADD TO THE CONFUSION ???

Since we are discussing the theft of many MSI units and how to avoid getting stung I need to add to the confusion...

First off under ebay/paypal you have 45 days to start a dispute under buyer protection... This is from the day you receive the item where in your opinion the item is "significantly different than described" in the listing...

It easily could be closer to 60 days from the time you actually purchase the item as you have to account for how long your item takes to ship and actual shipping time...

The time allowed to dispute a purchase made with your credit card VARIES FROM STATE TO STATE... Some states will allow you 45 days, some 60 days, some 90 days, and some states up to a year... This is not a federal guideline but covered by individual state banking laws...

Contrary to popular belief, if you file a dispute with your credit card you can't walk on water and feel the battle is over... Case in point: Lets say you buy an item from me on ebay and my return policy in the listing clearly states that the item is guaranteed not to be doa... In addition my listing shows that you have 7 days to return the item for an exchange or refund---you could be in deep doo doo...

Assume you bought this nifty electronic "flux capacitor" from me and 52 days after you received it the thing started to smell bad and then started smoking... After 52 days your buyer protection with EBAY/paypal is expired... So, you call your bank and they tell you that with your credit card purchase you have 60 days to file a dispute... When you call your credit card they are happy to credit the dollars back to your account and notify me that the charge is disputed... I in turn copy my ebay listing that clearly states my return/doa policy, save it as a file, and e-mail it to your credit card company... Guess what ??? You will see the charge reappear on your accounts next billing cycle... Perhaps this is why ebay has been stressing return policies lately ??? I know that this is academic to some but it is enlightening to others...

One more thing before i close---AND THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT !!!

Individual states banking laws differ as we already know but please check with your bank 1st thing monday morning if you use a debit card tied to your checking account for paypal... I recently found out that in my state even though my debit card says "VISA" on the front it is considered a CASH TRANSACTION in my state and nothing purchased with it can be disputed with VISA...

I don't feel this to be an off topic post as we are discussing how to avoid buying a stolen MSI item on ebay or elsewhere... If like me you end up getting stung with stolen property it is also very important to know how to cover your rump... Dollars don't come easy these days for anybody... Let's cover each others backs... Thanks...

NOTAGEEK

 

Yeah, everything Not said is spot on, but remember.....

If you feel you're in the right, it never hurts to try.

 

UPDATE:

The 1722id1 is on it's way back to the ebay builder seller... As soon as the seller receives this notebook I am supposed to be made whole financially...

Pssssst---Anyone have something similar to what's in my signature they can hook me up with ??? Thanks...

NOTAGEEK

 

So... did any one ever check the OConBudget serials?

 

Everyone including OC seems to have forgotten about this, or simply rather not open this can of worms again..

 

he should have atleast replied to my email

 

I will let you know when I receive mine.

 

sounds like a plan (or a prearranged plan) xD

 

Wow well that sucks, good luck to you though.

 

well, i never ended up getting it, and won't, but still, considering how many people purchased them, we should know xD

 

He must have used a slow shipper, or possibly stopped the shipment, considering;

At one point last week he verbally told me he had eight and no further plans to ship any until the true status of them was figured out, then several days later via pm he said he only had four, when asked about this new count, he explained that he forgot he had shipped four

I wish you luck and hope it is NOT on the list.

Did you receive any sort of tracking number to follow?

 

Yes, I have a tracking number, I will arrive on tuesday of next week. I hope it is not on the list but I knew the risks when I purchased. I just think it is fishy that MSI has not made any kind of press release.

 

I see someone fed you some Koolaid

If it is not to arrive until next Tuesday, To me that looks like
he continued to ship after full knowledge of the possibility of stolen and after he said no further shipments OR
his are not on the list.
I would only hope for the later....

 

well ground shipping from cali to fl is at least 5-7 busness days so he may have shipped it the same day or the day before

 

?
Seven business days would then mean shipped either Monday Mach 2 or benefit of doubt, Friday February 27th.
In either case, AFTER WE SPOKE...

cbl12886,
Ship date should be viewable via tracking number...

 

i thought it has not been that long since he posted last here. i didnt mean after you spoke with him.

 

I will update you guys next week. I told him to ship it anyway and I will play the odds since he had not found out yet. Either way, I will be keeping it since I need a laptop for school.

 

It looks like every single barebone system that is being sold on ebay for the prices below $400 are stolen no matter who you buy them from. I can list at least 4 sellers who are currently doing it. If you want to buy one and keep it to your self, go ahead. I don;t believe anybody will be knocking your door and asking for the computer. MSI is not following up. It is the end users who are requesting techical support and once denied, ask for refund from those sellers.

 

i can agree with that i left 3 messages for the girl cyber mentioned and it took a week to call me back. imo they dont care very much i hate to say

 

Yeah, I have to agree with Ali.

MSI isn't going to do anything, but you can kiss warranty work goodbye....

So basically it's like you bought a 2nd hand Alienware.

 

There is practically no warranty outside US but I think MSI is not doing what they have to, how are we supposed to know serials of stolen property?

 

There is practically no warranty outside US but I think MSI is not doing what they have to, how are we supposed to know serials of stolen property?

 

Here is what you are SUPPOSED to do when you figure out you have a stolen computer. If you used paypal, then open a claim at paypal and provide the information you have from MSI. If the seller wants the computer back without refunding you and promises full refund AFTER they receive the computer DO NOT SEND IT BACK. Per paypal, that computer can have only 2 destinations. 1. Police and 2. Paypal. If you provide a copy of the police report on the computer you purchased, paypal will automatically refund you your money in full. If police reports says that the computer is still in your hand, then you will have to ship it to paypal. So if you want to help the seller in this case, you can wait for sellers response on refunding you upfront.

 

Can anybody give me the first 8 digits of their serial number? Thanks

 

The first digits/letters will be the model/part numbers
The last 10 or 11 digits will be the SN #

 

Well I got 16 digits but the tech guy at MSI says I need more. The serial I have is 001USK 081100... He said there should be something else at the begining of this. I am at work right now and don;t have the boxes infront of me. Can anybody give me what they have befoire these digits?

 

In the case of the 1722 ID2 the sn# would be like
17221X-004USK081100xxxx

 

Thanks cyber. If one more person gives me a 1651 serial inital numbers, I am all set. +rep

 

I remember hearing a little while back that MSI was going to put an online serial checker for these laptops.. I've been digging around on their site but I haven't seen anything. Has anybody heard anything new? How can I check the validity of my serial? Just by phone?

 

One simple call to MSI @ ext 123
Will take no time at all.

 

The id1 I had was 17221-010usk0809000xxx ... Hope this helps...