Dinoguy89 Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 Hey guys, This tooth was recently purchased by a family member and they gave it to me as a Christmas present. They don't know much about fossils and thought it was the real deal. However soon after getting my hands on it I could tell it was a fake or at least partially a fake. The root was too big and it smelled kind of strange. I didn't have the heart to tell my family member that it was fake. It had only been in the draw around 10 days and it literally started falling apart. At this point we tried to contact the seller as they had listed it as a real genuine tooth (they mentioned small restorations but not that the entire root was fake). I didn't get a reply and this angered me as it wasn't cheap. It cost over £400. The guy is still selling fakes and people are buying them. I don't want anyone to feel as disappointed as I did. He even has a fake tooth on there right now. It's frustrating because it ruins it for everyone else who is interested in collecting real fossils. As mentioned the whole root was fake and was like a pink putty. After poking around more the whole thing crumbled in my hand. Even the tooth itself had strange white stuff embedded in it and started to chip off. I'm sure many of you are great at spoting fakes but perhaps this could help a new member or someone who's not sure about these kind of things. Thanks for reading! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snolly50 Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 Is he seller in your country? If so, since you attempted to communicate with them and received no response; I would take a further step. Save copies of your communication attempts, save the crumbled bits of the "tooth." It would also be nice if you had a copy of the original offering of the piece. Copies of current offers you feel are also fraudulent would also be helpful. Contact your country's government based consumer affairs agency. Also contact any private Better Business types of organizations. In short, file a complaint. Nothing short of a full refund is acceptable. The seller might plead ignorance, but that is not an answer to their lack of response to a complaint. Good luck. 6 Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Breakin' Rocks Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 1 hour ago, snolly50 said: In short, file a complaint. Nothing short of a full refund is acceptable. The seller might plead ignorance, but that is not an answer to their lack of response to a complaint. Good luck. I'd also like to add you can do one better if you charged it on a Credit Card and contact your card customer support and request a charge-back. Many card companies .. especially the American Expresses (and cards with strong consumer protections) of the world will chargeback for false, misleading, fraudulent or otherwise fake merchandise purchases. You need proof of course so as @snolly50 mentioned documenting the whole process and the merchandise you received is key. Acting quickly will also help your case. If the charge-back is successful the onus is on the seller to prove the description and item received were accurate. The pain is that the person that purchased the item will have to jump the hoops and file the complaint..... Good Luck ! Cheers, Brett PS. Sometimes just mentioning that you might pursue a chargeback will get them to sit up and take notice ... 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelhead9 Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 If the tooth was bought on THE auction site and was paid for with PayPal, getting your money back should not be difficult. 1 Still Life Fossils Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Rico Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 I second everything that the members have said . Don’t let the seller get a way with it. I have contacted Paypal before when sellers have not responded to emails about disagreements. Not really about fossil but records (music) . They are very supportive . Point out all problems and if you can get the original listing do a screen shot of that too . I don’t think a full root can be classed as miner restoration. Also the fact it is crumbling is enough to get your money back I think. Good luck 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelius Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 I'd take the seller to the small claims court if all else fails. It costs very little to do, and it seems you have a good case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeon.rocks Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 Sorry to say, the thing is completelly fake - it's a cast (not just the root) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinoguy89 Posted January 22, 2019 Author Share Posted January 22, 2019 On 20/01/2019 at 4:37 AM, snolly50 said: Is he seller in your country? If so, since you attempted to communicate with them and received no response; I would take a further step. Save copies of your communication attempts, save the crumbled bits of the "tooth." It would also be nice if you had a copy of the original offering of the piece. Copies of current offers you feel are also fraudulent would also be helpful. Contact your country's government based consumer affairs agency. Also contact any private Better Business types of organizations. In short, file a complaint. Nothing short of a full refund is acceptable. The seller might plead ignorance, but that is not an answer to their lack of response to a complaint. Good luck. Thanks for your advice, I will be taking this further as it's unfair! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinoguy89 Posted January 22, 2019 Author Share Posted January 22, 2019 On 20/01/2019 at 5:37 AM, Brett Breakin' Rocks said: I'd also like to add you can do one better if you charged it on a Credit Card and contact your card customer support and request a charge-back. Many card companies .. especially the American Expresses (and cards with strong consumer protections) of the world will chargeback for false, misleading, fraudulent or otherwise fake merchandise purchases. You need proof of course so as @snolly50 mentioned documenting the whole process and the merchandise you received is key. Acting quickly will also help your case. If the charge-back is successful the onus is on the seller to prove the description and item received were accurate. The pain is that the person that purchased the item will have to jump the hoops and file the complaint..... Good Luck ! Cheers, Brett PS. Sometimes just mentioning that you might pursue a chargeback will get them to sit up and take notice ... Thank you Brett for your advice, I will be taking it further. I will look at going down this avenue. Once again thanks for the support! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinoguy89 Posted January 22, 2019 Author Share Posted January 22, 2019 On 21/01/2019 at 9:27 PM, aeon.rocks said: Sorry to say, the thing is completelly fake - it's a cast (not just the root) Yes the whole thing fell apart, as mentioned it wasn't me that got it but rather a family member. They prey on people who don't have knowledge on this kind of stuff, really hurts my feelings as the family member thought they were buying me a great gift and it didn't come cheap either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinoguy89 Posted January 22, 2019 Author Share Posted January 22, 2019 On 20/01/2019 at 10:01 AM, Bobby Rico said: I second everything that the members have said . Don’t let the seller get a way with it. I have contacted Paypal before when sellers have not responded to emails about disagreements. Not really about fossil but records (music) . They are very supportive . Point out all problems and if you can get the original listing do a screen shot of that too . I don’t think a full root can be classed as miner restoration. Also the fact it is crumbling is enough to get your money back I think. Good luck Hey Bobby, I will be fighting this and as I've said to another member it was someone in my family who bought it, thinking they were getting me a great fossil. I was quite unset when I had it in my hands as I knew it was a fake. It smelled really bad too, never a good sign Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Breakin' Rocks Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 38 minutes ago, Dinoguy89 said: Thank you Brett for your advice, I will be taking it further. I will look at going down this avenue. Once again thanks for the support! Yes, and please let us know how things work out ... if I remember my last time doing this, the paperwork can be a bit much but maybe times have changed. Document fully with pictures .. screen-grabs of the description (assurances from the seller about its authenticity) receipts etc... anything that might help bolster your case. I'd imagine Europe (the EU) has more stringent rules and protections for buyers. Good luck ! .. I'm fairly confident you will see something of that money back. If anything there should be a return policy and if you honor it you can do another better and dispute the charges if the item was proved 'returned' and not refunded in full. (barring any restocking fees) Cheers, Brett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Rico Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 1 hour ago, Dinoguy89 said: Hey Bobby, I will be fighting this and as I've said to another member it was someone in my family who bought it, thinking they were getting me a great fossil. I was quite unset when I had it in my hands as I knew it was a fake. It smelled really bad too, never a good sign Yeah it is sad for you and your family members who purchased the gift. I do email some sellers on our favourite auction site about the fake fossil that they are selling. Most say thank you and they will change the listing but they don’t. I really hope you get your money back. All the best Bobby 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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