Don't trust Broadwayman.com

[HenryM]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 7:47am

My experience with Broadwayman.com suggests that he cannot be trusted, and I am posting it as a warning to others.
In April 2006, I contacted Broadwayman.com, an Internet seller of Broadway memorabilia, and offered to sell them my collection of old Playbills. Mr. Randy Fisher agreed to pay me 50 cents per Playbill and gave me an address in Brooklyn to send them to. I sent them to that address, and they arrived on April 27, 2006. (I got a receipt from the post office.) Over a year has passed, and I have not been paid. I have gotten several e-mails promising me payment, including an e mail on May 26, 2006 saying a check for $55 would be mailed to me the next business day. Still I have not gotten any money.
I have repeatedly called Mr. Randy Fisher at Broadwayman.com, and he has repeatedly hung up on me. I asked the New York State Consumer Protection Board to look into the matter, and it sent two letters to Broadwayman.com, but he did not respond to them.
Based on my experience, I think Broadwayman cannot be trusted, and I recommend that no one deal with them.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 9:23am

Should have done half now, half later. Oh well - learn from your mistakes. Thanks for the warning - I had actually never heard of the website.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 9:30am

Yeah, you should avoid sending stuff to these "buyers." There's absolutely no guarantee that you will get your money. That is why it's a good idea to use a system like Pay Pal so if something goes wrong, you can file a claim. Let it be a lesson learned.

[Jellylorum]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 9:53am

I've never heard of this website before, so thanks for the warning.

I just went to it, and it seems suspicious. Most of the links directed me to broadwaynewyork.com, and the website looks very unprofessional.

Edit: Of the few things that he does sell, I added some to my cart. All of the playbills, both common and rare, cost $10. Shouldn't the playbill of a show that closed on opening night be worth a lot more than that of a show that has been running for 13 years? This person doesn't seem serious about selling.

Updated On: 6/13/07 at 09:53 AM

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 9:57am

I just went to it to. Why did you even offer to sell to this site? It is just a collection of links to the actual Broadway memorabilia at broadwaynewyork.com. He is just acting as a connecting website to their site, and has very few items for sale through him. Why sell to him when you have Ebay?

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 10:04am

Only a moron with no common sense would send stuff to a stranger who promises to send you payment. Oy!

UPS and FedEx offer C.O.D (Cash On Delivery) service. Though it's still an odd way to send stuff, at least they wouldn't have delivered your stuff without obtaining payment from him.

Live and learn? I doubt it. In general, people who've been scammed continue to keep getting scammed for the rest of their lives.

Double-oy!

[StageFan2]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 10:05am

Classic live and learn experience, huh Henry? Sorry for that. I've never heard of this sight either, but thanks for the heads up.

[Pinaud]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 10:54am

Let me preface this by saying that I am a longtime lurker, and rare poster.

I was reading this thread, and I really don't understand how merciless you all can be towards someone who is trying to warn other people on this board. Yes, maybe he made a mistake but there might be one, two, ten, etc. people who were also pondering selling to Broadwayman and might now reconsider.

'Live and learn? I doubt it. In general, people who've been scammed continue to keep getting scammed for the rest of their lives.'

Who do you think you are?

It is threads like these that inspire lurkers to stay lurking.

[me2]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 12:17pm

That's a mistake anyone would make. I've done it on ebay . .. paying for things in good faith and then never getting it.

Ease up! We all make mistakes. For some it's sending Playbills on good faith, for others, it's getting that haircut or eating too much chocolate. If we got attacked for all the bad choices we make, I think we'd all cower in a corner. :)

Thanks for the info!
Broadway Blog: Give Them What They Want / Za Ba Zoovee (Broadway vs. Pop)

[RobbO]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 12:56pm

actually it's the exact opposite of ebay, so that argument really does not hold water. the warning is appreciated but it does not make the original action any less moronic. i think few people would send their belongings to someone that they do not know for a "promise" of payment.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 1:04pm

Let he...who has not made a mistake... cast the first stone... Sorry about your experience bud. from RC in Austin, Texas

[Someday]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 1:19pm

I'm with Pinaud. BrodyFosse123, it's overly judgmental — and a little childish — to label as moron a person who was trying to be of service to the rest of us by posting. Clearly, he must regret having sent the Playbills prior to payment. Why bash him?

[xerotheory7803]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 2:31pm

I want to feel bad, but i don't. Simply because you NEVER send an item before receiving payment. Thats ridiculous.

[RockabyeHamlet]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 2:39pm

It looks like the website hasn't even been updated since about 2003. Anyways, Thanks for the heads up!

[Anakela]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 3:32pm

Could you file a mail fraud complaint?

I had an experience on eBay once where I paid for something and weeks and weeks and weeks going into months went by without me receiving the item- and then my emails started coming back undeliverable. eBay was of no use, so I filed a mail fraud complaint and I had my item within I kid you not about 10 days...apparently the threat of jail was helpful where my emails and eBay failed.

I know someone accepting money through the mail without delivery of goods is a case of mail fraud, I am just not sure if accepting goods with the promise of money is also considered mail fraud or not, but I would totally look into it if I were you.
USPS.com mail fraud form

[JustAGuy]

Posted: 10/14/07 at 10:49am

The other half of the other half of the story would be, if you agreed to buy the Playbills, sight unseen, with no guarantee of their condition, then you should honor the agreement and send him the monies owed, or return his goods. He sent them to you and bore the cost of the shipping, so now he's not only out his Playbills he's also out the shipping cost.

You now have his property which you haven't paid for, so in essence you've stolen those playbills from him, which makes you a thief. If you indeed sent emails to him stating that you would be sending him a check, and you haven't done so, it also makes you a liar.

Great way to run a business...or is it a scam?

Updated On: 10/14/07 at 10:49 AM

[Tkt2Ride]

Posted: 10/14/07 at 11:31am

How much does it cost to send back a stack of Playbills? Please! What a lame excuse. Too bad you lost the money but hopefully you can recover it from the Fraud service. I wouldn't send out anything valuable without at least a credit card number, licence number, stuff you can ck to see if they are valid, plus a retainer. Though this isn't a lot of money here.

I am happy that you humbled yourself and warned us just in case this fool advertises on Ebay or Amazon. He could. Some people have to learn the hard way but I think it is a lesson learned. Retailers take credit cards all of the time and sometimes they turn out stolen so you don't get reimbursed. Checks can bounce. So we all take some risks. Don't be too hard on yourself.

If the conditions aren't good, they hold very little value as it is. So maybe you didn't lose out too much after all. You still deserve to get your merchandise back in the condition it was sent out in.

[Rotel1026]

Posted: 10/14/07 at 11:33am

Maybe you should have let this subject stay dead Broadwayman, otherwise, I don't think you really gained much sympathy with that explanation. You agreed to buy his Playbills sight unseen. If they were not to your liking, then you still have his Playbills and an honest business would send them back.

How much business do you think you drummed up for yourself by coming on and posting that lame excuse? Probably zero...

[Jellylorum]

Posted: 10/14/07 at 11:56am

If the playbills were in such poor condition and could not be sold, why didn't you tell him so? You could have just told him the truth and then work something out with him. It's his property and he should know what's being done with it. Instead, you lied to him by telling that you would be sending him a check. You also repeatedly ignored his emails and phone calls. Now you come over here to give this sorry thing of an excuse and try to do some more scamming?

Updated On: 10/14/07 at 11:56 AM

[morosco]

Posted: 10/14/07 at 12:02pm

I think this is the way Broadwayman operates. "Send me the stuff then I'll send you the money." Yeah, right. I'm sure you're not the first person to be scammed by this guy.

[MaronaDavies]

Posted: 10/14/07 at 12:08pm

As the others have said--Broadwayman, you're not helping your case here. You acknowledge you received the goods. If you had an agreement to buy the Playbills sight unseen, you were obligated to pay for them when they arrived. If you found flaws and didn't want to buy them, you had an obligation to send them back immediately. Period. You need to pay this guy. Honest businesses don't take people's property without compensating them for it. Nor do they ignore phone calls, emails, etc. for a year. Sounds like scam and mail fraud to me. Something tells me those "damaged" Playbills have probably already been sold and the money for them is in your pocket...

To the OP, I am sorry this happened to you. I agree with the idea of filing a mail fraud complaint. You might also want to contact the Better Business Bureau to file a report.
Updated On: 10/14/07 at 12:08 PM

[CapnHook]

Posted: 10/14/07 at 12:21pm

You could have re-sealed the box and marked it "return to sender." That would have returned his goods free of cost to you.

[Scarlett212]

Posted: 10/14/07 at 12:47pm

I dont think the last idea will work.If anything is resealed the postoffice will not take it back refused. You have to repay the postage

[CapnHook]

Posted: 10/14/07 at 12:55pm

True, but I have done it before. Just make it look like it hasn't been resealed.

[JustAGuy]

Posted: 10/14/07 at 1:00pm

A Five pound box sent Parcel Post would at the maximum cost you $10.00 to send. If you sent it at Media Rate it would cost even less.

That seems like a very small price to pay, to prove that you aren't a crook.