[ #7: Refunds / Dispute Resolution and Arbitration services / FAQ]
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RefundsRefunds are highly discouraged because of the fast paced, quickly changing nature of Group Buys. Also, your Group Buy Coordinators put a lot of time, money, collateral (optional for miner payouts), and effort into trying to bring you Group Buyers
the best prices in the world. Please appreciate and respect this forum's Group Buy Coordinators as the unheralded miner/speculator assets that they are.
Group Buy Coordinators AND vetted ASIC miner hosts have to be willing to risk jail/fines for the opportunity to serve you with the web's lowest prices on ASIC hardware and ASIC hosting.
However, according to the T-shirt I saw in the CBS version of the movie
Forrest Gump: it happens. When it happens: an emergency, we understand and will work with you to make sure you get a speedy refund. However, there are applicable Refund fees:
- BTCrow keeps their 1% fee for services already rendered
- The DZ GBEC Cooperative will refund you half of our fee (the 1% share markup) for setting up this Escrowed Group Buy on BTCrow.
The BTC refund from our Co-op should be equivalent to 0.5% of the Escrowed share price.
- The GBC may also impose their own minimal restock fees for having to relist your shares (suggestion: 1%)
Refund restock fees are therefore: 1.5 - 3% of your Escrowed share sale price, with this percentage dependent on the GBCs discretion.Other than that, please DO NOT invest funds into a Group Buy in this forum unless you intend to hold the BTC assets in place until the deal comes to fruition. DO NOT INVEST YOUR RENT, MORTGAGE, CAR PAYMENTS, FOOD MONEY, OR EVEN SHORT TERM EMERGENCY FUNDS IN A GROUP BUY.
Remember: although this is ESCROWED and COORDINATED, there are outside risks that we cannot be responsible for. We also cannot have an efficient GBEC Co-op or an efficient Group Buy Forum if we're constantly getting bogged down in refund requests that don't add any value to our fledgling BTC economy.
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Dispute Resolution and ArbitrationBTCrow provides all 3rd party dispute and arbitration. However, having the DZ GBEC Cooperative on your side can be a powerful ally if the evidence is strongly on your side. GBECs must absolutely despise scam and fraud to be a GBEC in this co-op. We will fight tooth and nail for those harmed by the illegal behavior of others. [Future promise: When we're ready & if we can organize other GBCs to agree, we intend to take on ASIC manufacturers about "No Refund" Policies and perhaps make them reconsider it, at the threat of the loss of a major conduit of institutional and co-op miners via this GB forum]
The Cooperative will cooperate with any, and all, local, national, and international authorities to catch scum sucking sockcuckers that think that it's ok to steal or defraud others from their hard earned money/BTC. Fraudsters deserve about as much respect as cockroaches. Your first GBEC has already participated in various investigations over the years, including one involving NCIS at a Naval Base where I caught the person simultaneously breaking safety and security regulations, documented and passed on the evidence, and a lengthy investigation ensued.
Scammers beware!===========================================================================================
FAQ
Q.
What the heck is a Group Buyers Escrow Coordinator Cooperative (the name just rolls off the tongue, don't it?)A. This new Cooperative Service came about because of the highly detailed and explicit needs of this forum: a need for integrity, speed, and redundancy when making Escrowed Group Buys. We don't provide Escrow services but we provide easy, online access to BTC Escrow services so you can complete your Group Buy quicker & easier whether you're a Group Buyer or a Group Buy Coordinator.
Q.
How can we trust you and the co-op?A. I am vetting any new potential GBECs that want to join the GBEC Cooperative. No fraud will intentionally emanate from this account. However, if fraud is detected please contact John K. with your evidence at:
https://bitcointalksearch.org/user/john-john-k-31288as well as your local, national, even international authorities so I can cooperate with them to: A) Get my hacked account back B) Restitute anyone harmed and C) Clear my name for normal operations. John K. of John K. Escrow has vetted me & already *knows* my real life ID/address, and has seen my real LinkedIn account will multiple dozens of endorsements in the US R&D/Aerospace industry. I'm a former Sr. Electronics Technician and current IT Network Engineer trusted to test, develop, design, defend and advance the Free World's bleeding edge technologies for nearly 10 years. Users BeepBeep2 and jungle_dave also know my real ID and my Research Lab location of work, for even faster service in case of fraudulent behavior emanating from this account.
Q. Are all ASIC manufacturer pre-order deals available for GBEC Cooperative support?
A.
No, Avalon and BFL are *banned* from this DZ GBEC Cooperative's available Escrow Coordination Services until they can rehabilitate their image (if ever). Any Manufacturer that dares to stomp on their Group Buyers and Pre-order Buyers deserve no less.
We specialize in Win/Win deals, not Win/Lose deals.
Q. Where's my BTC funds being held and for how long?
A. BTCrow. It's held until either: A) The Group Buy is canceled or expires (GBC sets expiry date) B) A refund is sought C) The buyer of the shares is ready to MANUALLY release the funds held in escrow by BTCrow for a pre-order that's ready to go but just needs BTC payment.
Q. How do I get a refund in an emergency or a change of heart?
A. Contact your Group Buy Coordinator. We will work to get you your refund as speedily as possible via BTCrow.
Q. What are restock fees again for refunds?
A. BTCrow holds onto their 1% fee for services rendered. Your Group Buy Escrow Coordinator charges a 0.5% fee for a time spent facilitating your part in a Group Buy transaction. Your Group Buy Coordinator may charge a 1% fee or more.
Total refund restock fee: 1.5-2%+ feeQ. I like what you're doing! Levi's Jeans didn't do too badly supplying miners in the last rush. How can I join this GBEC Cooperative?
A. Ssh, it's a secret. Nah, just PM me. You do have to be willing to be vetted by me & be wiling to under go a little more probing and questioning then Group Buyers or Miner Hosts. We're only looking for people that can be impartial - or relatively impartial since we all have biases - that are looking to create Win/Win deals for Buyers and Sellers. A GBEC needs to advocate strongly for Sellers and Buyers and not put up with ASIC mfgs. that destroy their buyers trust by simply not being a little more: nice and empathetic.
Q. Who can I contact with info for Fraud Related behavior / actions to potentially have Legal authorities investigate further?
A. Please contact me ASAP if you suspect fraud is or has taken place from any transactions or services being coordinated through this GBEC Cooperative. If fraud emanates from this acct. somehow just PM John K. of John K. escrow [ user: John (John K.) ] , or users jungle_dave or BeepBeep2 so they can help me get MY account back from the sockcucking apple bobber that somehow managed to get it from me temporarily.
Q. Why should I hire you as a Miner Host Matchmaking service or a Group Buy Escrow Coordinator Service?
A. Lots of reasons:
- You're getting the full attention of a world class IT Specialist skills that many of this country's top rocket scientists and research engineers in a variety of projects have relied on for about 10 years for their IT related needs. I've supervised and/or worked on the the e-infrastructure of 6 different world class Hawaii based research lab facilities on 3 different islands, including supervising the electronics of a premier rocket test facility for missions with 6, 7 and 8 figure budgets. My usual IT client in my day job is usually a world leading expert in their esoteric field. I still design bleeding edge IT prototype systems & lab/field networks that may never see the light of day (think the Spruce Goose-type projects but much less visible).
- Someone who was once Mensa qualified as a child FWIW (142 on the Stanford-Binet scale, big whoop) and offered the opportunity to jump up a grade (declined). Caveat Emptor: I've had a few concussions since then. Since then. Since...
- My knowledge of technology, electronics, and networking.
My first PC used was a TRS-80 and my first PC was a Commodore-64. I've read WIRED from the start & keep up with tech changes, and changes in the ASIC marketplace daily. I was the first national internet football champ. I was a beta tester for the first Instant Messaging program (ICQ), a beta tester for Gmail, and have been involved in CAD/3-D printing, even fixing the 3-D printer for the Kauai Robotics High School team. I'm an IT specialist in every sense of the word.
- My knowledge and respect for world history, foreign countries, and my fellow man/woman.
I read The Economist, The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, The Atlantic, WIRED, Ars, Slashdot, Reddit, and Kotaku on a daily basis, among other sites. I have approx. 85% of a US History degree in addition to an IT degree which allows me to not only better understand technology, but also technology's role in cataclysmic changes throughout history, such as the one we're seeing now with the rise of the worldwide Bitcoin Economy.
- My understanding of designing and developing Information Technologies from scratch from low TRL numbers
- My deep understanding of fraudulent behavior, scams, and phishing attempts [Disclaimer: I willingly gambled on ASX Project. Fail. Brain fart forgotten & lesson learned]
- My nearly 30 years worth of sales skills which were honed by learning/selling/teaching skills since I was a teenager. When I was 12, I learned the value of hard work by doing yard work with my classmate afterschool for $5 an hour from an accountant. As for sales: I learned from one of the best; my father was a master magician, one of the last if not the last personal student of Dai Vernon, a magician's magician - or one who only performs to fool *other* magicians. Dai Vernon was once renowned as "The Man Who Fooled Houdini." My father ran his own small magic shop on Kauai for a long time & I co-managed it with him and did a lot of sales from about the age of 18. Every IT related buy or sell on my wife's ebay acct. (user: rainbowlady03) was set up through me. In about a 4 week period, in my spare time, I managed to do over $9K in sales via BTC Talk Forum and ebay sales of Jalapenos and GB shares [Disclaimer: some transactions co-mingled: 4 shares bought via ebay]. I was selling giant CRTs and pre-order Wiis before many whippersnappers ever heard of the word arbitrage.
- My understanding of the current and near term market values of various technologies, which has allowed me, a rank noob to have reached ROI on my BTC related investments in only a month (even with the huge ASX Projects brain fart) thanks to arbitrage.
- A huge respect for Karma and the rest of my brothers and sisters living under my flag and other flags.
If your good idea seems to be worthy of my limited time & efforts, you agree that I will vet you to check that you appear to be a good intentioned Group Buy Coordinator or ASIC Miner Host that appears to bring innovation, value, and variety to the Group Buys forum. I will only take a few Group Buys at a time under escrow because I do owe it to my family to also spend time with them too. Smiley
This is my offer of services to the Group Buy forum. I hope it can provide more liquidity to the overall BTC economy and quality to the Group Buys forum. I intend to follow up on Canary's comment about an automated web site, but for now, it'll be manual escrow support. Also, since this is a new service, the Introductory Price will be 10% off the listed prices above.
Since I want to encourage the world's youth to explore safe opportunities on a worldwide digital marketplace, if you're a student you'll get a Student Discount (but you might have to prove to me that you appear to be an adult in High School or College). Please PM me for Student Discount rates.
Hope that answered that question.