 |
Paul Barrington with the picture of a computer he received after winning an auction on eBay Photo: SWNS.COM
|
A Devon man who sold his belongings to buy a new laptop could not believe it when he was cruelly sent a photo of the computer instead.
Paul Barrington flogged his surfboard to raise the $450 he needed to purchase the Apple MacBook on eBay.
The 38-year-old thought he had bagged a bargain, but knew the deal was too good to be true as soon as he felt the featherweight package.
Mr Barrington told the North Devon Journal he invested in the MacBook, which costs over $2000 brand new, to start a new wedding DJ business.
"I sold my pride and joy for a piece of paper,” explained the Ilfracombe resident.
"It's the first time I haven't had a surfboard since I was 10 years old but I need a laptop so I checked the listing and the seller's rating.|
"He'd been a member for a few years, so there was nothing to be suspicious about.
"The package was as light as a feather. Why bother sending a picture in a box? It doesn't make any sense. I almost had to laugh."
An eBay spokesperson said it was a “very rare” incident, adding they take “the issue of fraud very seriously”.
“We were very sorry to hear about Mr Barrington’s unusual experience,” eBay said.
“We’ll make sure he gets a refund as soon as possible and investigate the circumstances around this sale.
“The overwhelming majority of listings on eBay coming from honest and law-abiding sellers.”
In 2013, a father was duped into paying £450 for a photo of an Xbox One on the online auction site.
Source: The Telegraph
Posts
