Clarification of Answer by
tutuzdad-ga
on
12 Feb 2003 08:46 PST
Dear swisscheese-ga;
You asked, “If you were in my shoes would you really spend all the
time following all the links you provided?” My answer: If I were you
and wanted my money back badly enough, I would, without a doubt, do
whatever I had to do, even if it involved contacting a dozen agencies.
In response to your original question, “Should we chalk this up to a
lesson or is there a chance of collecting?” It is only logical to
assume that by posting your question here you were willing to take
whatever steps were necessary, however many steps that may be, to seek
recovery, if recovery is possible. While most of the agencies I
mentioned in my response are indeed domestic, their purpose is to
document and in some cases investigate or assist in the resolution of
your complaint. As disappointing as it may be, there is no specific
Taiwanese hotline that you can call where the authorities will force a
business to comply based on your phone call alone. Certain protocol
should be followed indicative of your intent to pursue this matter to
the fullest extent of the law if required. This includes, at a
minimum, seeking first hand information from domestic governmental or
commercial agencies on how to proceed. If are no simple options, you
will be advised of how the formal complaint process works, how long it
takes, what to reasonably expect and what the historical success rate
has been in similar cases in the past. One must keep in mind that many
investigative agencies share responsibilities and work in harmony with
other agencies. Although I previously provided you with a number of
options, it isn’t imperative that you contact each and every one of
them in order to get satisfactory results.
As it turns out, I continued to search even after posting my response.
Fortunately I have some new information that you may find useful:
INTERNET FRAUD COMPLAINT CENTER
http://www1.ifccfbi.gov/cf1.asp
This is a sub-entity of the FBI, which is, as you may already be
aware, a much farther-reaching authority than it once was and whose
interests now extend well beyond domestic jurisdictions alone. Since
your initial discovery of “Ta Ming” occurred on the Internet and the
information that they published on the Internet is what eventually led
you to contact them, any fraudulent business practices that may have
occurred can be addressed by this agency. For your convenience you can
file a complaint via their web site or you can find contact
information on this site if you’d prefer to do file your complain
using other means.
OFFICE OF CONSUMER LITIGATION
http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/ocl/con_info.htm
This is a sub-entity of the US Department of Justice, a federal agency
whose authority and capabilities are obviously known worldwide. This
office provides resources for people, like yourself, who needs
professional, first-hand advice from someone who “knows the ropes”,
specifically, in your case perhaps, with businesses in Taiwan. Some of
these agencies have toll free numbers, web sites and online complaint
forms for your convenience. As the resolution of your problem requires
a somewhat bureaucratic process, becoming informed is the first step.
This is a good starting point to take that step.
Again, as mentioned in my initial response, the FTC is also a very
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED place to start. Do not assume that since it is a
domestic agency that its powers or information do not extend beyond
our borders. On their web site is this statement:
"The FTC provides a clearinghouse for consumers," said J. Howard
Beales III, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. "We
are the portal through which consumers can enter complaints and
receive assistance and guidance."
Beales goes on to talk about how these agencies work in tandem (as I
mentioned above) allowing you to use many of them as a single means of
filing a complaint rather than contacting several agencies, at the
expense of both your time and money:
“Forty percent of the complaints in the Sentinel database come through
data contributors like the Social Security Administration's Office of
Inspector General, the Internet Fraud Complaint Center, the National
Consumers League's National Fraud Information Center, and many, many
Better Business Bureaus around the country..”
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/01/top10.htm
So, as you can clearly see, these agencies all recommend that you come
to them with your initial complaint, as there is a carefully
organized, concerted effort to investigate them.
Regards;
Tutuzdad-ga
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