A U.K. man thought he was lucky when he found a Day One Edition of the next-gen console from Microsoft, the Xbox One, on eBay. Those particular models are rare these days, so he dropped a pretty penny on the auction only to find that he was the subject of an online scam the entire time.
Peter Caltworthy, 19, of Nottingham UK spent £450 ($750) on an Xbox One that was listed on the auction site along with a caption for a photo. However, when he received the package, he discovered that what he had purchased was a clever play on words and received only a photo of an Xbox One Day One Edition.
According to the Nottingham post, via IGN, Clatworthy said the seller had "written on the back of it, 'thank you for your purchase.' I was fuming." Clatworthy is reportedly a regular user of the auction site and knew to check for feedback from other users before making such a big purchase. Believe it or not, the seller's feedback page was unanimously positive, which reassured him enough to put that kind of money down. However, he ended up being completely misled.
"It said 'photo' and I was in two minds, but I looked at the description and the fact it was in the right category made me think it was genuine," he said.
Luckily for him, he will be getting his money back in full thanks to PayPal's coverage of these kinds of situations. In addition a spokesperson from eBay commented on the situation and reassured shoppers that its auction website is a safe place to shop this holiday season.
"We don't allow listings which mislead, and will take action against the seller. Customers can shop with confidence on eBay as we guarantee you will get your item or your money back. Mr. Clatworthy is covered by the eBay money-back guarantee and we will be contacting him to put things right."
