Rudy

Right! Which is exactly why everything that's happened here boils down to a simple "caveat emptor"...

While I personally feel sorry for the people that lost money, I think this issue will eventually come to a close fairly soon since many investigations, etc. are taking place privately.

No matter what precautions "the board" could have taken, there's always the potential for problems, etc. which is why credit card companies have dispute resolution processes, etc. that are designed to protect the buyer from fraud.

As with any purchases (but especially those made online), choose your vendors carefully and use a method of payment that will help you get your money back if there are any problems. There's no need for any additional measures here on these forums...doing something more can only lead to additional problems or blame.

beaker

Do all states require seller's permits? For those that don't, wouldn't those sellers look worse by comparison?

Instead of a "Verified by E60.net" title, how about "User created a record in our database"? Same net effect and level of protection.

I guess it just comes down to some people finding comfort in titles, and other preferring their own protective measures. Like you said - we'll just have to disagree.

juris335

In essence, you are talking about a requirement for the Forum to evaluate or "restrict" content by posters. This concept is at the heart of the 1 Billion Dollar Viacom suit against YouTube (owned by Google). Adding more regulatory requirements in the internet enviornment is not a good idea.

Our "greed" plays a role in our being taken advantage of - as has been thoroughly discussed here. I planned to buy a new e60 early this year. I wanted to order my Kit from Quad. I could have "saved" a ton of money but I noticed stunningly vacant excuses for his lack of performance. More importantly, I noticed a lot of readers making excuses for Quad's failure to perform. Yet the desire to save a few bucks over-shadowed the Member's good judgment and new Orders were flying in regularly - Members overlooked the vendor's published failures and marched on to save a few bucks.

Caveat Emptor - Latin for "Let the buyer beware"!

Good luck, Adam, with the suit. I am not optimistic. Civil suits almost never have the ability to have someone jailed - for fraud - as you expect. Civil fraud results in a civil judgment which usually is not worth the paper it is written on. Criminal fraud can result in a jail sentence. It is brought on by a criminal Prosecutor - not a civil attorney.

Again, best wishes for success.