I very nearly got scammed on Craigslist today, oh boy! Technically I'm not sure if it could be a scam, but from the start, I thought this deal I found sounded too good to be true. It just took a kid in my Latin class to convince me I was being naive and to not go through with it. I just responded to the seller a few minutes ago telling her that I want to cancel the transaction... let's hope she complies. Thank gosh no money has been sent for this yet.
So, since I got accepted into the graphic design program, I can't put off what I like to call Operation Mac Assimilation. For an art major, whoo boy, I sure hate Macs. I can't STAND the things. But, since knowing my field and major is for my own betterment, I know I now must buy a Mac to get familiar with it.
I found a MacBook, a 15" aluminum body 2.2 gHz model from 2008, with iLife '09 and Office '08 already installed (plus with a partitioned hard drive running both Snow Leopard and Vista) for only $320. So, I thought, "Hey, maybe they just need money fast, that's why it's cheap."
Apparently, even though this sounds too good to be true, I emailed the seller. Miraculously they aren't from the suburb outside Pittsburgh that the listing showed on Craigslist, but are living in the United Kingdom. They also miraculously "found" a middleman sort of company that will take the MacBook, inspect it, email me when they do to verify that it is in great condition, and then give me the green light to send the money. Only once I send the money will they deliver the damned thing.
Sounds cool, maybe a little fishy. It was only then that the company emailed me and said that the transaction, the payment in $300 USD, would have to be done via Western Union Money Transfer. I didn't really know what that was, but the kid in my class so kindly pointed out that Craigslist's home page specifically has an informational link that tells you to to NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION. Apparently wire transfers are non-returnable, especially overseas.
Oops. I kind of missed that.
So, let's hope the "seller" returns my email kindly. She can get her MacBook back from the middleman company and do whatever the hell she originally intended to do with it. I'll be really mad if I'm rejected as sincerely great deal, but... it's not worth it.
I've already got an eye on another Mac about $150 more than that. The person is selling it right across the border in Ohio, within a short driving distance, and wants cash only. That makes me feel much much better. It just pains me that people would scam
P.S. does anyone want to buy my Pokemon cards? Haha. I have about $400+ worth of a collection that is gathering dust in my closet at home. I've checked them all with recent retail value.
SHINY LUGIA 1st EDTION!1!!1! ONLY 50 cents moneygram only thx
Yikes, Kelly! I'm glad you didn't get scammed. I have heard lots of iffy things about craigslist from people about things like that, but I've had good experiences with it, too. I have my couch, coffee table, and a camera all because of craigslist. I guess you just have to be cautious. Good luck finding a Mac! :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I have the same problem in regards to the whole Mac attack. I have to get one for audio production. But, I am going to get a kick ass laptop, probably running the new i7's and 7200 hard drive, then just partition the hard drive, and have Snow Leopard OS X on it.
ReplyDeleteThat makes sense a little, at least, with iMovie, FinalCut, etc. iMovie is the DEVIL, though. I had to assemble a project for ART 114 last quarter. I spent nearly 9-10 hours just trying to get help with iMovie, two different versions of it, but finally gave up, put my pictures and music into Windows Movie Maker, and did the whole project in an hour and a half.
ReplyDeleteThe one I was going to buy, the original scam-deal, also (apparently) had a partitioned hard drive with Snow Leopard and Vista. I'm just such a hardcore PC kid that getting used to Snow Leopard is going to be tough.
The thing I hate most about Macs is how multiple windows are organized. I hate having to find the window I want to pull it up to the front. Tabs solve a lot of that in Firefox, but when you're running a bunch of stuff like iTunes, Firefox, and Photoshop all at once, I really want a toolbar like in any Windows program. Having the Adobe programs "built into" the desktop really sucks, too. I don't wanna see my desktop background behind the art I'm working on, kthx.