I am glad someone else posted something about this. Unfortunately I have found myself in a similar position as the OP. Though our arrangement was slightly different, the outcome was the same. Patty had originally contacted me in response to a post I made soliciting development help. We reached an agreement on a price as well as a delivery date. I agreed to pay half of the fee upfront, which I did.
In the process of discussing the development project, I mentioned I was also looking to buy some domain names, specifically a LLL.com. Patty indicated that in addition to development, she was also a high level domain broker and that she happened to have 2 LLL.com names she was brokering. I made an offer for the 2 names, and after some supposed haggling with the owners, Patty said they would accept my offer. She then said I should send the money to her Paypal account because the names were under her control and that the owners preferred to deal with Patty only. Before sending the money, I wrote up a contract reflecting our agreement and had Patty sign it, which she did.
After some time had passed, I contacted Patty to see why the names had not been transferred. She told me she had cancelled the deal because a better offer had come along. She said she had a close relationship with a bankruptcy company, and that when digital assets, such as domain names, were involved they would give her first crack at buying them at a great price. She said the company had just contacted her and that they were working on a case that involved 5 LLL.coms. Patty then told me they would sell her the names for the same price I was going to pay for the original 2 LLL.coms we had contracted for. Patty then went ahead and sent the money to company. Keep in mind I now doubt any of this is actually true.
Upon being informed of this, I expressed that I was skeptical and would prefer to just have the 2 names we had agreed to; but Patty assured me that the 5 names would be transferred to my account within 2 days and I would be thrilled.
To make a long story short, after 2 days, and now almost 4 weeksâ¦.I have yet to receive a single thing. Not a single domain name, or even the materials for our original development deal. Every question is met with evasion or excuses. After filing a dispute with PayPal, Patty reluctantly agreed to give me a refund. Even that seems to be a lie. Itâs always âwaiting on so-and-so to sign a contractâ or âIâm waiting for the funds to transfer to my account.â Everything is always âin a few daysâ and then after a few days itâs âjust another day or two.â
I believe most people are fundamentally decent, so I tried to give Patty the benefit of the doubt for as long as I could. Unfortunately, the evidence became too overwhelming. I would never make a public comment as to someoneâs character and reputation (a negative comment) unless I was absolutely sure it was necessary and grounded in truth. For one it can ruin that personâs reputation in the industry, and it also will naturally call into question the reputation of the person making the claim.
That being said, I believe this post is necessary and Iâm glad someone else has shared their similar experience. As domainers we are very much a community. A community built on trust. Part of being a good member of the community is alerting others to those who are violating that trust.
