I don't believe this is "character assasination" or anything close. The fact is that Carsten took money and delivered nothing for several months, and some people may still have received nothing. When payment is made promptly and it is understood that shipment is to be prompt, it is dishonest to delay shipment several months, even if the goods are eventually supplied. I recognize that Carsten previously had a generally good reputation, and that personal problems may have contributed to the Grab Bag scandal, but I'm not aware that he has stated this, even in general terms, nor apologized himself to the defrauded buyers. Any apologies seem to have come from Matthias. Therefore, while I would not call Carsten a thief or criminal, I do think it is fair to advise that he is a seller to be avoided.
As to Cyclo-Network, the reason there is little negative feedback, is that the ID is no longer valid, which under the new eBay feedback system, makes it impossible to leave feedback. The items purchased from them disappeared from my list of transaction awaitng feedback. I believe there would be extensive negative feedback if buyers could figure out how to leave it.
I purchased 4 items from Cyclo-Network, and nearly a month later, just before the PayPal complaint deadline, emailed Matthais using the Ask the Seller a Question button on an auction for Zeus pedals I purchased. He replied that the pedals were both lefts and that he could get replacements in 2 or 3 weeks or would give a refund. Am I to believe that pedals that were advertised as NIP were both lefts? And that he suddenly discovered this only a month after they should have shipped? And if it was the reason they were not shipped a month earlier, why had he not bothered to inform me of this at the time? And where were the other 3 items that I paid for at the same time? I emailed him back asking why he had not informed me earlier and where my other items were. I never received a response. Fortunately, I also filed eBay and PayPal complaints, just a day or two before the PayPal deadline. A few days later PayPal informed me my money had been refunded, but I never did receive an explanation from Matthias and expect I never will.
Anyone who thinks these guys are honest and trsutworthy also believes in the tooth fairy. Again I say, AVOID THEM.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Houston, TX
> Let's stop this character assasination. Lets get the facts straight:
>
> Ebay ID: Cyclo24, for the record: Carsten Rehbein, had over 1000 positive
feedbacks over more than 3 years with no more negatives than any other
reputable seller selling the volume of items he did. There were apparently
no major unexpected problems until about 4-5 months ago. Things DID start
going wrong about then, a time that seemingly corresponds to some major
family health issues occurring in the Rehbein family. Personally, I am
willing to extend a bit of 'mercy' in such cases. Many CR listmembers
complained at the time about not getting their grabbags. I do however
remember reading quite a few descriptions of the contents of the grabbags
received (granted, beyond the 90 day limit for leaving feedback.) IMHO, most
of the contents' descriptions showed the bidder to have received very good
value for their money. Does this mean that everybody has now received their
paid for items? I do not know, nor do I claim to know. I believe that you
should assume that everybody has received their items until it is proven
otherwise. This therefore begs the question, does any CR listmember still
have any items outstanding from Cyclo24? If there are no more outstanding
items owed to CR listmembers, I believe that Carsten name should henceforth
be removed from any further discussion as it would then be something about
the past that has been fully documented.
>
> Ebay ID: Cyclo-Network. Started in late 2003, apparently by Matthias, who
is a friend or good acquaintance of Carsten. He received 2 negatives and
30-odd positives. One of the negatives is from Richard Sachs for having
charged a 5% supplement for use of paypal. These 5% charges are seemingly
common among European ebayers. This ID was suspended for a while by ebay but
was reinstated, therefore apparently they complied with the ebay rules and
regulations. I believe this is the id that Jerry has the complaints
regarding delivery about. It would be nice if such complaints were first
made in the feedback area visible to all, including Matthias, instead of on
the CR list. Jerry is apparently not the only one to receive slow service
from Matthias. Personally, I would be hesitant to deal with this id without
resorting to the use of escrow. This based upon the comments of Jerry, as
well as the fact that none of the known Japanese collectors have left
feedback, notwithstanding having been high bidders on many items. As far as
slow service goes, I can tell you from personal experience that the American
customs services has seriously slowed down package mail service from Europe
of late and there have been some enormous delays. It has recently taken 45
days for a package from the Netherlands, 38 days from Switzerland, 29 days
from Italy... this as compared to two weeks which used to be the rule until
November. Furthermore, most recently received packages have been opened for
inspection, unlike in the past where they all passed through unmolested.
>
> Ebay ID: Cyclo_Network, started in January of this year. This is a brand
new identity. I do not know anything about the holder of this id. As with
any newbie, I would be very careful about dealing with them, especially as
they are offering a large number of items all at once. I find it odd that
either Carsten or Matthias would start up this new ID, when they have the
two other ID's already up and running.
>
> --
> Steven Maasland
> Moorestown, NJ
> > Stay away from these guys! Carsten Rehbein, who stiffed numerous
members on
> > eBay Grab Bags is a principal. Don't know about Cyclo24, maybe that was
the
> > Grab Bag ID. In early Dec they switched to Cyclo Network with a space
> > rather than an underline I think. I paid for 4 items and never received
> > any. I filed a complaint with PayPal just before the 30 day deadline
and
> > was fortunate to get a refund. Now that ID has been delisted and the
> > slightly different one is trading. Some people have received stuff from
> > hese guys promptly, but some have had delays of a month or even several
> > months, and some have never received anything. If you like to gamble,
you
> > can get better odds in Vegas.
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Jerry Moos
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: <raleighpro@dejazzd.com>
> > To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> > Sent: Sunday, January 25, 2004 9:50 AM
> > Subject: [CR]OT: cyclo24 now cyclo_network
> >
> >
> > > Someone sent me a link to an ebay sale.
> > > Seems like "cyclo24" is now "cyclo_network".
> > > http://ebay.com/
> > >
> > >
> >
http://ebay.com/
> > >
> > >
> > > All feedback now hidden for old name.
> > > Now that's a real confidence builder!
> > >
> > >
> > > Pete Geurds
> > > Douglassville, PA