Scam alert: Problems with dvddonkey.com
For what to do about internet scams like dvddonkey.com, read the “I’ve been scammed. What can I do?” section at this link.
A DBTC reader says:
Thank you so much for providing so much information on your website regarding dvd scams.
[The reader is referring to the articles about problems with pirated DVD scams and customer problems with DVDAvenue.tv.]
I received a phone call this morning from my bank regarding unusual activity on my credit card 4 days after ordering from dvddonkey.com. After a days worth of investigation, calls to customer service representatives that are never answered, but you can leave a message, big deal, and internet investigation, I made the connection that dvddonkey.com, which has many links, is the same business as dvdavenue.tv, which apparently is an illegal operation. I learned so much from your site today and will be contacting the BBB with rave reviews for you and some serious negative reviews for dvddonkey.com! I will also contact our state internet fraud department to inform them of this company, which I wouldn’t have known to do prior to reading your site information and the comments made by people who have been also been scammed by this company and it’s other versions.
I greatly appreciate having the information available to us “technologically unsophisticated” people and even to those who are up on the tech, just not the scammers!
Many thanks!
Answer:
Thanks for the kind words. I’m very glad people have replied, but even more glad that people are being helped. I’m posting this here as a warning about problems with dvddonkey.com. Hopefully others will benefit.
AndreaC Crites:
I have had the same problem. I purchased dvd’s that were charged to my credit card immediately on Dec. 14, 2007 but I have not received them and have been told they are back ordered. Everytime I call I get a recording and when I e-mail the response is the same that they will cancel my order if I wish and credit my account but when I ask them to it is never done. I will now contact my credit card company.
21 January 2008, 6:49 pmCK:
My card had also fraudulent charges placed on it from Yahoo.com and today I learned from Yahoo.com billing department that these were instant message type charges that could be used for both continental and international messages. Someone is obviously trying to use our cards (or at least mine, but I bet it is not an isolated incident) for communication of something, who know what….. I have contacted my bank fraud department (fortunately it is a large one) that this company and its subsidiaries are scams and that they should no longer accept any charges from it or any of the offshoots. This was my fifth or sixth phone call to the bank at various departments, and the representatives seemed to be actually listening and paying attention my concerns. I was informed that the information I provided would be sent to a person who would alert all three customer service centers of this company.
Anyone having a bad experience should check to be sure that there are no yahoo.com charges on the card used for purchase. My guess is it originated within this scamming media conglomerate! I had not used the card for any other purchase in the past several months! Connection? Sounds like it!
All disgruntled consumers who have been scammed, and complained through this site need to make these phone calls to their bank associated with the credit card company and get these criminals stopped. It might take a few calls, but they need to take the time to do it…. most big bank have 24 hours fraud departments and if we all work together, maybe we can stop this!
21 January 2008, 6:50 pmCK:
There is some justice! Today the dvddonkey site is not shown as a sponsored link with Google, MSN, or Yahoo…. AND just under the link to it is THIS site with a warning!! Keep it up Andy!! I did check dvdavenue and not so much luck with it. Complaintboard is there, two or three hits under, but further checking showed several new (at least to me, in the short week I’ve been involved, or was that a LONG week?)sites that show links directly to dvdavenue.tv. That one might be harder to redirect because of dvdavenue.com. I’m sure there will be new “alter-egos” that arise from the depths, beware! AND do your checking…. I’d look under whois….. to see if you can tell if there have been lots of name changes on the site domain. That might be a clue! There were 9 name changes and currently “whoisdvddonkey” shows Allmyfavoriteshows.com,Dvddiesel.com
24 January 2008, 2:04 amDvddonkey.com as other names, and 3 others that won’t show unless you subscribe. In looking at dvdavenue.tv there are still lots of links to them, that don’t have a closely connected review hit showing BEWARE! SO BEWARE! Thanks again Andy!
RW:
I ordered the Party of Five series in December. My credit card was charged, but all I got was emails saying that the product was on back order.
My first clue that this was probably a scam was the typos in the confirmation email that I received. I made several attempts to contact DVDonkey via email and phone. I finally was able to talk to someone to cancel my order. I immediately received a email stating that $127.94 would be credited back to my card. That was almost two weeks ago!
I contacted my bank and they are investigating the matter. I also cancelled my card so that no additional charges can me made by these scammers. I plan to report this to every agency! There has got to be something that can be done! This is a lesson for me, and going forward, I will do my homework before ordering anything on-line.
28 January 2008, 10:04 pmashley:
I was scammed and it looks like a new website almost identical is now called http://www.ultimatedvdshop.com! same stupid message on the phone and no way to track orders! total scam looks the same with a new name and a santa picture up still!!!! beware all!!!
28 January 2008, 11:59 pmAndy Kaiser:
So we’ve got problems with ultimatedvdshop.com also? So that’s dvddonkey.com, Allmyfavoriteshows.com, dvddiesel.com, dvdavenue.tv, and I’m sure many other scam businesses.
I’m starting to think I should make a page with a list of problem sites. I may do so if we get more known scams like ultimatedvdshop.com. I invite any other readers that have had problems to comment about their experiences here. The more we get, the more others will be protected and the more reason I’d have to build a page about these problems.
Joan Petty:
Total scam, please spread the word,you will never get the product all you get are lies, they tell you it’s backorderd,in route or just get a recorded message,you even get to chat live with someone who tell you they are so sorry but it’s on the way…. it is terrible that these web sites are allowed to continue.if you want to buy a dvd go to the store I know ill never make this mistake again.BEWARE DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY EVER!!!
31 January 2008, 12:42 amBarry Buchanan:
We looks like you can add me to the list of suckers. I ordered a DVD set on the 5th of January and still haven’t received them. I have emailed them many times getting no response. I have started calling their toll free # on my cell phone while using my free nights & weekend minutes leaving the phone on until they hang up then I call back. I plan on doing this until I get to talk to someone there.I am also going to contact my credit card company and the Attorney General of the state of Iowa to see what can be done to prosecute the creeps that are doing this.
1 February 2008, 6:25 pmNancy Keyser:
I too have been scammed by dvdavenue.tv. Their phone numbers are now not working at all. I have reported them to the BBB for whatever good that will do. I am going to contact my credit card company for a credit to my card. I have placed orders with this company before and got my orders just fine. I’m sad that I did not see this site before odering my latest order in December! Thanks for the great information!
6 February 2008, 2:08 pmShannon:
This was to be a birthday present for my mom. Not now. I am at least glad for the infomation.
6 February 2008, 3:19 pmbbgriffis:
I fear that we too have been scammed. A Dean Martin DVD set was ordered in December for my 87 year old father. Of course the DVD’s never have arrived and my credit card was charged more than the emailed invoice price. I didn’t notice the difference in the amount until after I had paid the credit card bill but I will be contacting my card company tomorrow to see what course of action I should take. This has been such a disappointing experience. They have not returned any phone calls. I wish I had seen these comments before I paid my bill.
7 February 2008, 9:41 pmFrustrated:
I too have been scammed. I order 2 box sets of Thrillers for Christmas presents. My card was immediately charged but I have never received the DVDs. I keep getting an e-mail that says they are on backorder (yeah, like a lot of people order the Thriller series!) and an option to cancel order. I have selected this option numerous times, called and left messages and still the same thing. It’s unsettling that they have credit card info and more unsettling that they’re still allowed to operate. I’ve called my credit card company and will keep a close eye on charges. Yikes! All of these sites should be removed!!!!
7 February 2008, 11:49 pmBronte:
I’m another one scammed. I ordered 8 simple rules set for my daughter for xmas of Dec 12th. The total with postage was $116US but they charged my credit card with $124US. Of course I didnt receive anything and when I emailed was told it was on backorder. I asked for full refund but didnt receive one. I’ve contacted my credit card company who say if fraudulent company, the money will be covered by VISA and bank insurance. So all I can say is contact your bank/credit card company. I wish I had investigated the company before I ordered. A lesson learned the hard way!! What I dont understand is that this company seems to be scamming people from as far back as Jan 2007 (complaintsboard.com). Why has nothing been done about them in over a year???
11 February 2008, 6:52 pmAndy Kaiser:
Why has nothing been done about them in over a year???
…Possibly because not enough people have taken the time to report the scammers to people with enough power to do something about them. See the “what can I do?” section on this page for options on getting your money back and how to report them to the US federal government.
Alain:
I am joining the long list of “victims” of dvddonkey or what ever web site operating under the same “crook”. My story is identical/similar to what everyone describes. Here is some information I have found from Amazon customer discussions regarding dvddonkey
Quote
“Unfortunately, I ordered 5 sets of DVD’s from DVDDonkey.com. I have bought and sold over 300 items online over 10 years and NEVER had a problem. At this point, I am aware that I have been scammed and regret not doing a search of the company before making a purchase. I have reported DVD… to the following investigative organizations and agencies:
The National Consumer Complaint Center
The Better Business Bureau
CyberCops
The National Consumers League
The National Fraud Information Center
I have confirmed that the owner of DVDDonkey/TVaddicts is:
Michmen, Jim tvaddicts@gmail.com 1
2021 SW 174th Street Miami, FL 33177-2246
US +1.3056779538
The organization name is actually:
Prolexic Technologies
1930 Harrison Street
Hollywood, FL 33020
The DNS server is NS1.PROLEXIC.NET and their IP Address is: 72.52.6.89
If others can assist in further tracking the origins of the company, please let me know.
I am planning to file small claims in Dade County.
Their internet server is Tucows in Canada. I have reported concerns to them as well.
In 37 years, this is the first time that I have been ripped off and I am furious. I intend to use significant time and energy to pursue this costly matter. Thank you for the assistance of other victims”
15 February 2008, 8:24 pmCK:
To add to Alain comments and a question for those who are more “tech savvy” than me…
There is another name to add to the list: TVDVDWorld.TVis also associated with this group of scammers. (If you are on this site and have not been to the other page addressing dvdavenue, go there, as many sister company names are there also!)
For those who have not gotten a refund, push hard with your bank, and call, call, call until you receive some satisfaction. I was told by my bank that to dispute the charge I had to wait a minimum of 30 days from the initial charge, but could dispute anytime after that. CC companies need to know these companies are using fraudulent business practices and we, as consumers, need to take a stand on it.
Here’s my question for tech savvy people like Alain… What can you tell about this range of IP addresses listed to Prolexic Technologies? I posted the following comment on the other page and am not sure what to think of it all.
I poked around a little (not that I had much of an idea what I am doing!) and followed some “leads” using the “who is” site and found that tvaddicts.tv, dvddonkey.com and dvdavenue.tv are all listed with their own domain name but the same registrar:
Registrar: TUCOWS INC. (Is this the internet server or another arm of this company?)
all listed to OrgName: Prolexic Technologies,
OrgID: PROLE
Address: Prolexic Technologies
Address: 1930 Harrison Street
City: Hollywood
StateProv: FL
PostalCode: 33020
Country: US
Prolexic Technologies has what seems to me a big range of IP addresses.
72.52.0.0 - 72.52.63.255
Anyone know what this means?
Do you suppose that these are all the different possible company names this outfit works under?
Anyone know anything about serversniff? Prolexic Technologies is linked to Cloudmark1 which went to serversniff when I Googled that…. Suppose that is a spyware spot? It all seems suspicious. And since I had my credit card fraudulently used when I ordered from dvddonkey, I wonder… is this whole thing part of an identity theft ring?
16 February 2008, 2:17 pmSusan Minatrea:
I need the address to ship the faulty dvd’s back to…they came from dvddonkey.com/dvdavenue.tv/tvaddict.tv and according to CanadaPost’s tracking site, they were shipped from Brossard, QC. Since I can’t get any response, I want to ship these back but need an address. Can anyone help with this? My other order placed on the same day has not arrived…ordered on 12/08/07.
20 February 2008, 3:44 pmDave:
I got burned on the Wings series that I tried to purchase from dvdcraze.com (which is another site for dvdavenue, etc) in early December. Anyway, my story ends the same as everyone elses here, but I just found another site that I didn’t see in anyone elses post. It’s called http://www.discoterra.com and they have the same basic layout as the other sites mentioned and their “Contact Us” policy is pretty much repeated verbatim in regards to “staff is standing by around the clock to answer your email requests and questions. All our staff are very knowledgeable about all the shows and movies. All emails will be answered promptly.”
I just didn’t want anyone to fall for this one too.
BEWARE OF ASSHOLES!!
21 February 2008, 7:36 pmDee Dee:
I usually order my dvd’s from deepdiscountdvd but for some reason they did not have the “entire” series of Walker, Texas Ranger, but dvddonkey did have the “entire” series so I ordered from them thinking they were legit. I waited and waited for the dvd’s, no communcation from them at all. My credit card had been charged immediately for the dvd’s but I had not received them. I called and always got the message to leave a message and got lucky once and talked to a person who said it was on back order, and I asked how long will that be, she says whenever we get them. Well I started invesitgating and found website after website of complaints from people who paid for dvd’s and never received them from this so called company. I also found out that the “entire” series of Walker, Texas Ranger doesn’t even exist yet, that they are just now releasing season 4 for the consumser. I have keep calling and emailing to refund my money and cancel but get nothing from them till just recently when I got 2 emails. These emails tell me they have NOT taken any money from my credit card (even though I have a print out in black and white that shows they have taken money out of my account by one of their many alias’) and for me to “click below to cancel”. Now that was a joke because I “clicked” to cancel and nothing happens, it says this page doesn’t exist. That is when I called my credit card holder because I feared they would charge my card anytime they wanted to with one of their other fake company names. I reported everything and had my credit card canceled. I have never had anything like this happen to me and I feel so stupid for trusting like I did. I hope this website helps anymore innocent victums from these creeps, and I hope they get caught and prosecuted for their crimes.
24 February 2008, 2:12 pmNeil:
REFUND REFUND REFUND
CALL YOUR CREDIT CARD COMPANY , THEY ARE VERY HELPFUL AT GETTING YOU A REFUND.
I used DVD Donkey aka DVD Avenue on 2007-12-11. They charged my card 116.72 under the name dvd shop. I still did not receive anything as of 2008-2-26. I called them at least 40 times and never talked to anyone and never received a call back. I called my credit card company and they were glad to refund me and and have their claims department deal with these scammers. Please do the same and maybe DVD Donkey will get whats coming to them.
27 February 2008, 6:16 pmMichael Kennedy:
I was ripped off too-tried to order complete DVD’s of “Emergency” for my brother for Christmas. Thanks for posting the address-I’m an attorney and I’m going to file a lawsuit here in California.
FYI if anyone wants to join in lease contact me-my email is mkennedy(at)kmfm(dot)com.
If you’d prefer to file your own-you should know that you don’t have to file in Florida just because these crooks are located there. You can file in your home state and county because the venue of a lawsuit is proper where the contract was formed, or where performance was supposed to happen. If you ordered the DVD’s or they were supposed to be shipped to your home county, then that’s where venue is proper.
If law enforcement chases this guy down that’s great but I’m not holding my breath.
27 February 2008, 9:12 pmLIzz:
I too join the list of unfortunates. I ordered the complete series of CHiP’s because I enjoy watching the episodes on amazon’s unbox but they only have season one available. I saw the complete series on DVDDonkey and made the mistake of trusting them. For awhile I was receiving emails saying my order is on back order and silly me actually believed them but then the emails stopped a few weeks ago and I haven’t received anything since. My order was originally placed
December 14th and as I don’t think anything should take three months to send out even on back order, I decided to research them and low and behold I find you’all. I just wish I had found you three months ago.
In future I’ll stick to amazon for all my video needs, at least they’ve never stiffed me.
4 March 2008, 11:21 pmD:
I’m yet “another” irate “idiot” voicing complaints about DVD Donkey/DVD Avenue. What a mistake trying to do business with them. The product quality and their lack of a “contact us” number on their web site should give everyone a RED FLAG as to their illigitamacy as a reputable business. Of course, it’s no wonder they don’t have a contact number since I would imagine they’re constantly bombarded with calls of complaints. Although I’ve contacted them numerous times via email over a faulty order, only once have I received any response. Any communication with them is futile. Just consider any money you’ve exchanged as “lost” and a lesson well learned. Just because a business has a glitzy web site…does not make them reputable. Color me “SUCKER”.
6 March 2008, 12:36 pmDisappointed:
I ordered from DVD Donkey and then received an email that it was backed ordered a week later and if I want to cancel my order (they already took my money) clicked on a link. I did and nothing shows up. I received an email that it will be shipped in 5 to 7 days! I emailed them back to cancel and I notice it’s a different email from the back order email address. After a month of trying to call (disconnected number), emails and live chat I hear nothing I was out $150 and they never sent me my DVDs!! I had to contact my Credit Card Company to dispute it! DO NOT ORDER from DVD Donkey!!!! It’s a scam!!!
7 March 2008, 11:24 am-Disappointed!
Eli Penelin:
The real phone number for DVDDonkey is 1-800-572-6330 but you have to leave a message. The company is also online as http://www.primedvd.tv and /www.dvdavenue.tv/contact_us.php. We ordered from them Dec 13th, had several emails saying the merchandise was backordered. Tried to phone them. Number 1-877-7-TV-SHOW temporarily diconnected. No response to email but it doesn’t bounce. Reported them to our credit card company. The order was charged-back, no questions asked. If enough people complain then the company (and it’s various entities) will lose their credit charging privileges and be unable to keep their merchant account. Please take the time to report them to your credit card company. It appears that they keep opening up new sites under new names. The only way to stop this sort of thing is to let the merchant account know what’s going on.
8 March 2008, 1:29 pmeric:
Well I don’t know how this news will be taken by everyone. Hopefully everyone will realize that this news is very good.
The people who have been running all these web sites and ripping everyone off for a long time now, HAVE BEEN BUSTED!! The Canadian Police raided them on Dec 19, 2007 and arrested 8 people, and seized thousands of DVD’s and 200 multidisc burning machines. Just 4 days before they busted in the Police were able to intercept outgoing packages from the crooks and got over 4000 DVD’s.
So with all their DVD’s and burning equipment now in Police custody the good news is they are now out of business.
But now the bad news, Even though they have been busted, most of their web sites are still up, running and still accepting credit card payments and orders. Hopefully soon the web site hosts will shut the sites down. But until that happens, more people unaware of all of this will continue to post orders and send in money to these people.
I have found another web site since I was scammed by DVD Avenue last year. I have ordered now 8 different sets from this one new site, and I am thrilled with their service and products. Anyone interested in this web site for these TV Shows on DVD can email me for details. I am at ********** [email removed by Andy - see next comment for detail]
8 March 2008, 2:39 pmAndy Kaiser:
Eric, I’ve removed your email address, at least temporarily: I need more information from what you claim. Are there any news reports or other third-party proof you can point to? Please understand that postings like this would be a prime target for scammers, saying “DVDAvenue are scammers, but use my site, since we’re legit!”
I deleted your email address for the protection of my readers and the integrity of this thread. Please give more information, and I’ll consider just posting the site you’re referencing (assuming it’s legal).
Debbie Miller:
I too, have been waiting on a DVD series since Dec. same messages on backorder, I finally got frustrated and ask to cancel the order, they has already taken money from my account and now no response from numerous emails and phone calls to numbers with messages- Great DVD, I did speak to a girl at a 213 number listed on the email once the first of Feb. she told me I would be credited back my $85.32 within 7-10 business days, I haven’t, and not the number is a busy signal and the number that was on my statement for the Great DVD has the message but no response. I do intend to report this scam to the US Federal government, file a small claims and whatever else I can find out to do and hopefully help stop these creeps from taking others in. Thanks to all for the comments I intend to use addressess and ideas.
13 March 2008, 12:58 pmp-owed
Debbie Miller
CK:
I appreciate so much that Andy is monitoring people commenting through this site. You’re doing a good thing Andy! Keep it up! It does make me wonder if the arrests in Canada were truly part of this group, but I would not purchase another item without a full and thorough check of the company to double check to see if it is legit or another “morph” risen from the ashes. Brick and mortar or any legit dot.com looks very good….. and safe! Thanks again!
13 March 2008, 9:10 pmRed Pixel:
Watch out for these folks using a dba of TVDVDWORLD.TV
They are opperating a really sleezy internet commerce operation. I ordered a “complete” set of a popular television series. I was billed for the complete collection and after many weeks I received 1/2 the order packed in a simple bubble pack envelope rather than a cardboard box. The DVDs did not survive the journey with well over 50% of the disc plastic boxes destroyed. Also several of the discs would not run and several caused major crashes on my computer. Some of the disks had scratched identification with ball point pen corrections indicating title. Some disks had smeared and sloppy labels. This is a thourghly unprofessional “scam” website. They do not respond to complaints and their telephone service desk is a phone bank that will not release any information as to the company address or telephone number nor an address from the telephone service desk company. WATCH OUT !!!
13 March 2008, 11:37 pmMiss Z:
Add me to the list. I got scammed. The only twist is that I got my dvd disc collection. R
15 March 2008, 5:28 pmMiss Z:
Sorry about the previous post…There’s more. I got my stuff like dvdavenue.tv indicated I should–in two weeks. I got the emails from them and such. I got the tracking number. But I read about their scam (after i placed my order)and i figured that there went $112 of my money. Boy was I surprised when my order arrived in the mail, the tracking number worked and everything. The product I received was extremely poor copies right off of TV. The discs are DVD-R and are blue on the back. They freeze up and don’t read very well in my dvd player. I didn’t get a good deal at all. I was sad but hey lesson learned… no more dvd buying from these guys. I thought everything was gonna be OK until I noticed something odd about my credit card statement. Somehow I had 2 charges from Cars.com and 1 charge from Yahoo Voice. I didn’t even know there was such thing as Yahoo Voice! Anyway…I didn’t make those charges. Fortunatley, I was able to have those charges refunded and a new card issued. Keep a close eye on your statements and credit reports. Obviously these scammers are not out to provide excellent customer service. I actually received my order and my information was used fraudulently shortly thereafter. These scammers are the lowest of the low.
15 March 2008, 6:07 pmGeorge:
Andy I to was scamed by DVDDonkey. I ordered the mission Impossible set in Dec and never received it. I received notification that the DVD was backordered on a regular basis and even called and I was assured that if I wanted to canc the order I could. When I tried to cancel the emails about being backordered stopped and I received an email stating that payment will be credited back in 6-12 business days. As you guessed it no payment has been received. I will be getting with my back to see if they can give me a credit. Thanks for all this info. George
4 April 2008, 8:09 amMike:
wow, thanks for the heads up. I’ve been waiting forever for some tv shows and got fed up and almost ordered from dvddeisel.com, but I’ve done some research now and I guess I’ll just have to continue waiting.
Thanks for saving me from a lot of trouble!
-Mike
6 April 2008, 11:27 pmEduard Hofmann:
Ordered TV-series of All in the family and Sanford and son on Jan 12, 2008 and my creditcard was immediately billed for $ 278.97. Then same pattern: First this backorder crap, never any merchandise and eventually no more communication. Now a suggestion: Why dont all we cheated people drown those gangsters in e-mail-traffic and send them daily dozens of meaningless mails. Should be sent to:
14 April 2008, 10:47 amorders@dvddonkey.com;orders@tvdvdworld.tv;orders@tvaddicts.tv;orders@dvdavenue.tv
How about it?
Best regards from Ed of Switzerland
Angela:
beware of http://www.boxsetblowout.com it is related to DVD Donkey
29 April 2008, 1:35 amKathie:
I was scammed by them twice!! Once 2 years ago under I believe tvaddicts, then recently in Nov. not knowing that they were related in any way, I ordered “My Three Sons” from DVDDonkey. They were really devious with me, before ordering I sent an email telling them I was leary of scams since I was burned previously, I wanted to know how they were able to produce sets that hadn’t been released yet, they responded saying that because they were based in Canada they didn’t have the restrictions and copy right issues as the states. They sympathized with me and assured me that this was not a scam. So, I placed my order, I believe it was $128.00, then like $40 for shipping! I was able to get thru eventually numerous times thru live chat, they went so far as to produce a tracking number thru Canadian post saying that this was my number and that it was in transit. I guess they didn’t think I would check it out but I did and the number was a fake!! I contacted them again and was told that there was a problem with the Canadian Post’s web site that the numbers ALL came up as non viable, they said to wait 3 days until they had the problem cleared up, I knew buy this point that it was a scam, I knew when the discs didn’t arrive within the time limit, but I didn’t have a lot of recourse. Finally even at their insistence that they would be arriving any day I told them I did not want them and they offered to cancel the order, when I asked the rep (tongue in cheek) when the order arrives any day now what do I do, do I, refuse them, send them back..what? She didnt know what to say, because she and I both knew they weren’t coming! Like every one else- they said they would refund within 6-12 days, still-nothing! I need to go back and check my credit card because I remember around Christmas noticing some charges I didn’t recognize and I was going to go back and check on them-and with the holidays I forgot! What a rotten group of scammers! I am SO grateful for this site, I found it when I clicked to check out this boxed set outfit who “sympathizes that there are these unscrupulous scammers out there but that you can rely on them!!” When I clicked it took me to this, am I grateful! Thank you!
1 May 2008, 10:06 pmGina:
I have been looking for a place to order the nanny series on dvd and I have been real reluctant about ordering. Thanks so much for this site because I have decided to take the money that I would have spent and lost to one of these scammers and buy a dvd recorder and I will sit down every morning at 7:00 am and record my episodes off of lifetime. I just wish I would have done this before they took Coach off of the air. Thanks so much for all of your information!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
14 May 2008, 11:42 pmMiss Z:
Hello again Andy: Your site is excellent. I was just checking in to leave an update. I received an email directing me to http://www.boxsetblowout.com They were nice enough to offer me a promo code for $5 off my order at the checkout page. Again they claim to have even more dvd boxsets available. And they tell me that they even have “unreleased dvds” including the hottest tv shows. Wow! These guys just keep the scam alive! Not only did they scam me the 1st time and steal my identity, but now they’re trolling for repeat business. That’s sheer marketing genius. Stay far away from this “new and improved” website. As stated in my previous post - monitor your financials and credit reports. Thanks to all!
29 May 2008, 2:31 pmPaula:
Yet another victim here - I purchased the Everwood series from tvdvdworld.tv and did receive the boxset but it turned out to be the tv shows taped directly off the TV and dumped onto DVD. Some of the discs have the wrong episodes on them, others are scratched and the picture quality is very poor.
I tried to email them to ask for a refund and when I received a bounce-back, I felt my heart sink to my toes and knew I had been scammed. I’m pretty sure they are the same mob that are hiding behind all those other websites listed above, they have a very similar website to dvdavenue.tv.
I also received an email from boxsetblowout a few months ago (whose website now seems to have disappeared) giving me a promo code for $5 off etc etc. So glad I didn’t buy anything from them as well.
So annoyed with myself for not checking them out before spending money. I’m looking into making a complaint but being over here in Australia, I’m not sure how effective it will be
13 July 2008, 6:29 amAlex K:
I recently ordered about 500 dollars of DVD’s from TVADDICT.com, seeing judging amy, providence, boston public etc got me into a buying frenzy, and since I was able to obtain ally mcbeal for region 1(via amazon), I figure why not…Fortunately after having 25 dollars of minor fraud charges a few days later, I was able to cancel my card prior to the 500 being charged due to “backordered product”…Thank goodness for this website, saved me from losing a lot of money, sadly however, I wish they would just release these shows on DVD…obviously there is a market if we are all willing to try an unknown.
21 July 2008, 1:50 pmNick:
Can anyone comment about this website: http://www.the-dvdshop.com ??
It looks like just one of these other scam websites (with the difference that the site seems very bugy and not as sleak in his design… it won’t even let you order as it shows “under contruction”).
The reason I am asking is the site mentions these scam web sites such as dvddonkey, etc.. and makes a point to say it it not linked to them at all… I thought this was believable yesterday, but after reading all of your comments now, these crooks seem so shameless that I wouldn’t be surprised if they made up this site themselves (now that they have nothing to lose) to lure unhappy customers from DVDdonkey and so on..
Hopefully i am wrong, but would appreciate any comments from anyone who may have used them in the past …
———-
Read below the comments the-DVDshop makes about the “Canadian Scam:
“This page is assist anyone who has been ripped off by one of the web sites that the Crooks in Canada had running for several years.
These web sites include but are not limited to the list below.
DVDAvenue.tv, Ultimatedvdshop.com, DVDDonkey.com,
DVDCraze.tv, TVAddicts.tv Allmyfavoriteshows.com,
DVDdiesel.com, TVMilk.tv, and more.
If you have order from one of these sites and have not received your order, or if your order was damaged, or incomplete, then this page is for you.
First let me say if you are still waiting for an order from one of these sites, I can tell you will not ever get your order. The crooks that operated out of Canada and several of these web sites have finally at long last been busted, and all their DVD’s and burning equipment have been seized by Police.
These crooks have been ripping people off all over the world for several years. I myself was also ripped off by these people. But I got all my money back from them, and in a quick time frame also.
I highly suggest to everyone ripped off by these people follow these simple tips to get your money back too.
First contact your credit card provider and dispute the transaction. If your card provider requests any type of documents to support your claim, simply go to http://www.ripoffreport.com or http://www.complaintsboard.com and copy one of the thousands of complaints filed there. Chances are your card provider has already had many other card holders file a claim against these people and filing your dispute will be a snap.
Make sure to cancel your card number also. In the past these people have been using card numbers from people disputing their charges for all kinds of stuff. That has hopefully stopped since their recent bust. But better to safe in this case. If the crooks are still able to log on to the internet from any computer they could still get access to your card numbers and since they have lost everything they might try anything to get a couple of bucks.
If you are unsure if you ordered from one of their many web sites, review your card statement they usually listed their merchant name as DVDSHOP. Please make notice yes that name is very close to our own name and we have been getting complaints from many of their victims who have thought we were the people ripping them off. But believe me, this web site is not now, and has never been connected in any way to these crooks. Because they list their merchant name this way and it is so close to the name of our web site, we have been working very hard to get them shut down.
This web site you are visiting right now is not connected to anyone at all. This is THE-DVDSHOP.com and is and always has been operated by 1st Texas Sales and we have always been located in Texas. Any transaction with us would appear as 1st Texas Sales listed as the merchant.
Even though we offer many of the same items as those people did, and the product pages may appear to be very similar, that is only due to bad luck. Our product pages were created using the item descriptions mainly found on the web site TV.com. I am only guessing that those people did the same when making their web sites. We did get some reports last year that those people were copying pages from our site as well.
We are very proud to report that this web site has NEVER had a single consumer complaint filed at any of the complaint web sites. Unlike the other guys, our customers are very important to us. We have continued to grow over the years from steady repeat customers. We do not advertise and only rely on people being satisfied when shopping with us.
Once you have been able to successfully get all your money back from these rip off people, we invite you to return to our web site for that special rare DVD set of your favorite TV Show. You will not ever regret shopping this web site.
Anyone having any questions about one of the Canadian operated web sites, please feel free to send us your questions. We will happy to assist you in any way we can. Simply click on our Contact Us button to send your questions to us. We will answer your questions as quickly as possible.”
5 August 2008, 4:18 amPaula:
During a search on EBay for Everwood DVD, I noticed under Sponsored Links that they had several of these scam websites advertising boxsets.
I have alerted EBay to the scams these websites are running and just got the standard “we’ll look into it reply”
So maybe if a few more of us complained to EBay they will do something about it.
12 August 2008, 6:07 pm