Weapon X

This is sad. I can't get into too many personal details, but some fans put up boots of my own bands CD's and some live sh** on E-Bay. They were pulled, and I stated on my MB that I didn't mind this....as long as prices were fair.

The RIAA has a serious issue with this, to the point that an artists cannot decide what they want released...
Amazing.

At any rate, I got involved in a SMALL legal threat that was glossed over, but I managed to berate/insult some E-Bay staff.

I was "Banned", "NARU'D" whatever you want to call it.

Now, my Mother, who is well, 'older', has become interested in E-bay, and she signed up , just like her friends told her to...and was IMMEDIATLY suspended.

She got a letter saying she had a prior registered account, or some such, listed with MY user name....

She just GOT AOL, fer chrissakes, and I sent them a few e-mails..but they will NOT divulge the 'new' phone number, nor answer HER pleas.

The response they sent me was that she was RELATED to a 'Suspended' user...thus, she cannot register.

Are these people SERIOUS?

I mean, we may share a name, but live in different states, and I am WELL past being a 'kid'....

I tend to be more outspoken, but she doesn't "Want to cause any trouble"....

I feel like she should file suit.
To hold a woman nearing 70 repsonsible for the actions of her over 30 year old son is just...stupid.

I could understand if this was a fraud issue, but I suspect this is more of a name/challenge thing...and I am not backing down.

So, my sister, or whatever 'theoretical' family I may have are ALL automatically banned due to ME?

This is typical abuse of power....and very sad.
Personally, I hope E-Bay just croaks.

As for me, If I ABSOLUTLY have to, I have many other ID's to use, so they really are NOT harming ME.

BUT...my mother is just too honest to lie about anything on the registration.

Any thoughts?
(Again, NO FRAUD OR NEGATIVES...just banned for "Verbal Abuse and Threats"...and I'd LOVE to know how informing them of possible intent to sue is a 'threat' akin to bodily harm or danger....also, they will NOT respond to myself, my label, or my lawyer. ???)

IC_Freeze

hmmm... if you want, i can give u one of my 10 ebay accounts

strife

It stinks but I'm sure it's covered in the user agreement. They can ban suspected returning members.

eau

But the user agreement doesn't say that they can ban family members of suspected returning members, right?

Weapon X

Yup. They sure can.I get that....and have no real beef with it, save that a 'ban' should be a NUMBER, say 1 year, 2...

The ONLY 'Lifetime Ban' I can thinjk of is court-proven FRAUD.
You do that, BOUNCE!

They cannot 'suspect' the returning member is me, becuase, well..trust me, I'd come up quick...and they have ALL of my addies, etc.

All they really have to do is look at the items being bid on..
(Jewlery, purses, etc...) to see that this is a bidder who might be..'older'...

Also, why not CALL her ask a few Q's, or send a letter in the mail requesting ID Verification or CC#?

They made it clear this was a ban on ALL family members of mine, with the same name, or even related by marriage!

If they can find out I KNOW someone, I'd bet they'd ban 'em!

The thing is, like I said, no fraud..no cause.

If In have a brother named 'Billy Bob' that moved out at 15, and we have not seen , and he is now say...35, and he lives across the US...he gets banned?
Huh?

Ben732

Not that it's right, but what about her registering with her Madien name??

Weapon X

Good idea, but she won't DO that..she is honest, and 'older'...and proper.
She shouldn't be banned, end of story. Now she feels like she is the carrier of a 'bad name' and is ashamed to tell her friends....

I say sue them..loud and clear.....
What can you do?

The irony is, she wants to be ethical....okay,fine...so I registered AGAIN using a fake name and bought her the four items she wanted.

E-Bay cannot stop the 'banned'..they just hurt the innocent victems more....

Sad.

It makes me sick a portion of my money is going to them, but hey, the items will make her happy.

ellone

What I don't get is that you said you are in different states. SO she must've used a different street address to register than you did. How can ebay be sure you are related. I mean people that are unrelated can have the same last name.

TheBang

Maybe after his "threatening" communications, they did some kind of background check or credit check and got all his previous addresses so that he or a "relative" could not register again. Thus, his mom was blacklisted as soon as she registered cause they think his "mom" is him.

Weapon X

Yes, they DID doa BG check to see if I was 'Really who I claimed to be'...and requested a bio that listed my Mother, etc.....

They also(Innocently enough, I THOUGHT), asked for a list of relatives not registered with E-bay, which we supplied.

Oops.


As for the same addy...

Okay, what if a guy LOVES E_Bay, and has say , 19 of those Gold Stars , and is about 46.

His 16 year old son uses his account to rip people off or sell Marylin Manson boots..the user gets suspended...

The kid leaves the house, goes off and becomes a drug addict...

Now, they try to register a NEW account under the wife's name...
BOING!
Bounced. Due to ONE PERSON.

I do not believe you can ban everyone in one household for the actions of one person.

They can and DO ask for ID in questionable matters..I had to send a copy of my DL and SS card...which I found out was in fact, ILLEGAL.

But..I DID understand why...I was claiming to be an artists, this had to be confirmed...no hard feelings on that one.

They couldn't have asked her to do that? She would have said 'No', but it would have been fair.

TheBang

Well, it's a commercial business; they can choose to do business or not do business with whomever they like. It kinda sucks, but there's no law preventing them from refusing service to your mother in this case.

benedict

.... why not write (not email) them and say that you have been informed that your mother has been banned based on your previous run-in with them.

Then ask them if they think it is ethical to use the information you provided in good faith to penalise a third party not involved in the original dispute.

From what you say, originally you acted honestly, if hot-headedly, yet eBay has been decidedly sneaky and vindictive. They can choose how to run their business (within limits) but they seem to have misused information in order to apply their "right to refuse admission" so to speak....

I can see the second letter now, after they have given you the runaround:<small>Hmmm, rhymes for "mum"? Dumb, scum, bum....</small>