Ripped Off - What was your first experience?

Do childhood experiences count? Because if they do i have 2 to share.

 

As a kid i traded something like 14 of the original transformers for a power glove to a friend, only to find out the cord was frayed and all it was basically just a cool looking glove. I wish I still had that, probably wouldn't be hard to repair.

edit:Take that back.. I think I'd rather have the transformers

 

I bought brand new copies of Pokémon Blue and Yellow for GB and Indiana Jones and The Infernal Machine for N64 (it was released as retail here, not rent only) but received used games. Damn.
But I've got my brand new copies some time after...

Also I hate when I buy factory sealed old games but the boxes arrive damaged, with some tears, etc. At least that doesn't happens often.

 

I accepted it, it was cheap anyway... besides, the woman who brought it was but a minion of the actual seller so she wasn't to take the blame... Never again bought from that seller.

 

One that really rubbed me the wrong way was a Neo-Geo.com trade. I was to get a copy of Crossed Swords MVS for a 5v AES power supply I had no use for. Never send anything to anyone in Argentina, ever. It won't get there. (Really, it was a freaking wall wart, who would want that? Would anyone think it's worth anything?)

 

My first experience would have to be when I was young and at a local fleemarket my grandmother managed a booth at, I was ripped off by some rude man. See, I had a thing for Pokemon cards back then, and there was a holographic Moltres marked at like 5 or 10 dollars. I had 15 dollars, he took it all and claimed that I didn't have any change due to tax reasons.

I was young and naive back then, so I just accepted it and moved on.

 

I once got half the weed I paid for, gave the guy a beating.

 

Once bought expensive MS development stuff via the official channels (Windows-related). Signed the special license agreement and sent it off, but never got the software. When asking some weeks later, we were told that it had been sent three weeks ago and should have arrived. Seems it had been "lost" in transit, so they sent it again. Arrived within 3 days from Ireland.

Another "almost lost" package story: we bought a MSDN back in the day for crazy money. It was right the time when Deutsche Post was being privatized, with the side effects of the number of "lost" packages shutting through the roof. Luckily for us, the package was not "lost", just... delayed. So in the winter months, at some friday, hours after sunset (and hours after any normal business hours should have ended), the doorbell rang. Turned out to be a slightly sheepish postman of a private would-be postal service handing over the big package. There is absolutely no way this was a normal delivery; as I said, it was hours after the business day had ended, and traditionally, there doesn't happen much (if anything) on friday afternoon in this country. Our theory was that the package would have been "lost" if it wasn't for the size, weight and really big MS mark.

 

I was scamed by a dating site recently. I was down and looking for somebody to aid me in my perpetual single state and somebody offered me a free consultation with the head of geeksdreamgirl.com So I go to cash in on this and she decides instead of the freebie I was going to have to pay anyway inspite of the fact that I was granted a freebie. I was furious ran the business into the ground filed a consumer complaint and all that and the crazy bitch decides to have all her basement dwelling friends harass me on twitter.

Then there was the time I was using an MSDN key for Windows 7 ultimate and MS pulled the plug on it forcing me to spend $365 on ACTUAL windows 7 ultimate (and the key was given to me by a member here too)

 

I remember buying a PS2 slim stand (with light) online for a college friend who at the time didn't have any means to buy online except paypal, The stand arrived within a week and it was really nice that i decided to buy one for myself a day or two after getting the first one.

Never did get the stand for myself though and was soo pissed of because had i bought 2 in the first place i would have got a stand for myself as well as the one for my friend but nope. I sent about 50 emails over 2 months to the place that was selling them but never got any reply and eventually i gave up.

 

So in short you got trouble from:

1. Going to some seedy dating service probably run out of a guys basement?
2. Buying an stolen MSDN key and complaining you had to buy a legit copy once it was deactivated?

Weak.

 

Story: I was approximately 8 years old when i got my first original fat GameBoy. I was so happy owning it, it can't be expressed with words. I was doing my best to keep it in the best condition possible.
One day my father took me to a local playground near my house so i can play with other kids, have fun etc. I was taking my GameBoy with me everywhere so i had to take it there too. I took it with me and was silently playing next to my fater while he was reading a newspaper. When i decided I wanted to play with the other kids i let my father keep an eye on my gameboy, but when i returned and asked for it, it was gone. Some stupid, future-thief, kid stole it from under my father's nose. I cried and cried and cried for days and this day must be probably the day i'll never forget as a child. This may be the main reason that I have started a videogame collection.
Fun Fact: today i have circa 15 gameboys in general but still when i think about this event i cant help but feel anger.

 

It wasn't stolen the product key was a gift

 

MSDN keys aren't allowed to be shared, so while not stolen it's still an illegally acquired key which MS has every right to ban.

Btw, how were you forced to buy W7U? Someone point a gun at you? Hardwired MS bootloader? There's always alternatives, most of which are even cheaper than a Windows license...

 

I bought Super Mario Sunshine from some dude in Digital Press. However, the disc wasn't in the case and he wouldn't respond to PMs.

 

First experience was probably when I traded model cars with an acquaintance of mine when I was like 8 years old. After we had done the swap he stole his model car back from me and I didn't see him again.

I might as well give you some other occasions lol

I bought a new copy of The Silent Hill Collection from Play.com. It arrived with the plastic on the game box cracked so you could see the game discs from the outside. The clear plastic that holds the spine label was also severely warped like it had been exposed to extreme heat. I didn't send it back though as it went out of stock and I got it for pretty decent £20 I think.

I bought some PS2 mem cards labeled as 'full working order' from Ebay because they were good price. When I got them I found that a majority of them couldn't even be recognised most of the time by the PS2 due to the golden coloured pathways on the PCB being severely worn down. You had to keep reinserting them to work.

Once someone tried to sell me Global Defence Force Tactics in the game box of Global Defence Force (the latter is a pretty decent budget game whereas the former is complete shite)